Tempe Fire Station No. 1

the city of tempe encompasses an area just under 40

square miles. we have 6 fire stations. emergency units are

dispatched using GPS to ensure the trucks closest to an 

incident are the ones dispatched. also, all lighted 

intersections have traffic signal preemption, allowing 

emergency personnel to control traffic signals as they 

approach. in 2008, the tempe fire department 

responded to 18,873 calls including 2,414 fires and 15,191 

emergency medical calls. 

Tempe Gateway

Reflecting nearby A mountain and Hayden Flour Mill, 

the newest building downtown is called 

Tempe Gateway, an eight story development that will 

have mixed use including office space, retail, and a 

Main Light Rail Station. it's scheduled to be complete

in about 2 months. 

new deal

the Work Projects Administration (wpa) was the 

largest new deal agency. created by a presidential 

order by fdr, funded by congress, and bogged down in the 

senate (starting to sound familiar), the program was 

responsible for a lot of projects and employment (roads,

public buildings, media and literacy, redistributing 

food, clothing, housing). almost every community in 

america has a park, bridge or school constructed by

the agency. a sidewalk in the willo district of phoenix 

has the wpa stamp.

Eisendrath Center for Water Conservation

Local architect Robert Evans designed and constructed this Pueblo Revival - style adobe and wood structure in 1929. It was purchased by Rose Eisendrath, a wealthy widow of a Chicago glove manufacturer, after she was refused accommodation at Valley resorts because she was Jewish. The property is on Tempe's registry of historic properties and is being restored by the city for use as a water conservation center. 

new corner store

recently opened, CVS/pharmacy on the corner of University and Mill. it gives the corner a very different look. I'm not a fan of CVS, but this corner store is certainly an improvement over the vacant lot and various gas stations that have cycled through. many Tempe projects are wrapping up, and others still have a few months to go, Tempe has been undergoing dramatic changes, evolving toward being more walker-friendly everyday... 

the Library

For me, browsing through a library or a bookstore is always the same - exciting and full of possibility. I have always loved books, literacy, words; I have always wanted to know about everything. Apparently, I'm not alone. Collecting written knowledge and keeping it in a repository is as old as civilization itself. The ancient Greeks were especially interested in literacy and intellectual life. The biggest movement to finance libraries in the U.S. was by Scottish-American philanthropist and businessman, Andrew Carnegie. From 1900 to 1917, his foundation constructed nearly 1,700 public libraries. I can't imagine growing up without a library, the crinkle of a mylar book jacket just opened to reveal something colorful, something ordinary, something extraordinary. Even today, hearing that sound gives me that familiar feeling of anticipation.

Tempe's public library is located on the southwest corner of Rural and Southern. The Connections cafe inside the library was my telecommute choice today: tables, free wifi, coffee, sandwiches, and thousands of books. That's a great atmosphere.

Can I Get a Ride to the Airport?

Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport is located just across Tempe's border with Phoenix to the northwest. It's one of the top 10 busiest airports in the U.S. and about the 18th busiest airport in the world, in terms of numbers of passengers - nearly 1,500 planes arrive and depart every day! Phoenix has consistent wind patterns so all of Sky Harbor's runways run parallel. Incoming planes fly over the Salt River corridor (the area where the Tempe Town Lake is). I think it's relatively rare to have a large airport right in the middle of a metro area, but Sky Harbor has never had any major accidents at or near the airport. Trivia: In 1987, Northwest Airlines flight 255, which departed out of Detroit and had a planned stop in Phoenix, crashed after take-off, killing many Phoenix passengers (one 4 year old survivor).

Living so close to the airport is very convenient, about a 12 minute drive. Of course, that also means I get my share of airport pickup requests. That's okay, I'll need one myself next week when I fly to northern California. Hey, can I get a ride to the airport?

Whole Foods - Baseline and Rural

One of my favorite places to food shop is Whole Foods Market. I've figured out a big part of the appeal is the aroma when I walk through the door. To the immediate left are fresh cut flowers, and straight ahead are fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts. A big bin of strawberries is the first thing I see. All this translates into bright, vivid color, and sweet, fresh aromas. Other stores, I walk in to stacks of top ramen, cases of gatorade, pyramids of cans and a stale, forgettable smell.

There's a cost. Whole Foods is expensive, more so than those stack and case fluorescent lit stores. So I shop at multiple stores, spending as little time as possible in the big unfriendly stores and savoring my time in the smaller markets like Whole Foods. Wouldn't it be something if the presentation, cleanliness and smell of all food stores were this satisfying?

P.O. Box

Today was hot. The high was about 112 F. What does 112 F feel like? Imagine standing in front of a camp fire on a hot summer day. Kind of like that. But I'll take 112 over a day with humidity any day. Call me crazy, it's just my personal discomfort preference. We all have to put up with a bit of discomfort at some point during the year, this is ours. Though after sitting in my icy cold office all day 112 actually feels pretty nice. For about a minute. Then it's hot again. What does this have to do with P.O. Boxes? Nothing. I just went to the post office at Southern and College today. Nothing too exciting, just outgoing mail.