Light Rail Dine Around—July 29
My friends, Tony Arranaga from Light Rail Blogger, David Bickford of PHX Rail Food and Matthew Petro have partnered with Foodies Like Us to create the first Light Rail Dine Around on July 29th from 5:30 to 9:00pm.
This event will feature courses at three great destinations along the light rail route: appetizers at Hanny’s, a main course at St. Francis and dessert at Smeeks.
To add to the deliciousness of the evening, Tracy Dempsey of Cowboy Ciao, Digestif and Kazimierz fame will be providing ice cream to be topped with candy at Smeeks, and Cartel Coffee Lab will bring some of their delicious brew to pair with the sweets.
Since all destinations for the evening are along the METRO light rail route, they’ll be using it to travel between each restaurant. Attendees are also encouraged to park at one of the many Park & Ride locations and use the light rail to travel to Hanny’s to begin the evening.
You don’t have to be a downtown resident or hardcore foodie to enjoy this evening of culinary delights. If you haven’t been to central Phoenix lately, this is a great opportunity to get up to speed on some of the cool restaurants and businesses that have opened up along the light rail line.
Space is limited, so head over to the Light Rail Dine Around page to purchase your ticket. The cost is $60, which includes all three courses.
Light rail passes are not included in the cost, but can be purchased for only $3.50 at any light rail station.
12:20 PM
The largest solar power facility in the world coming to Arizona
Barack Obama’s Saturday radio address details a host of alternative energy plans, including a big solar plant to be constructed just west of Gila Bend.
The Tucson Sentinel:
The “world’s largest solar plant” planned near Gila Bend will receive a $1.45 billion federal loan guarantee, President Obama announced Saturday morning.
“This plant will be the first large-scale solar plant in the U.S. to actually store the energy it generates for later use – even at night,” Obama said.
The plant will be based approoximately here:
View Larger Map
Tucson Sentinel story here.
AP story here.
Here’s the president’s address:
7:25 AM
Everything that's wrong with Arizona, encapsulated in a quote from one Barbara McGovern
From a front-page feature in the Republic this a.m.:
Five times a week, Barbara McGovern leaves her east Phoenix home to make the 15-minute drive to Piestewa Peak, the mountain she has loved climbing for a decade.
But, in the coming weeks, as she pulls into a parking space, it will be with a bit of resentment. Because starting Aug. 1, it’s going to cost McGovern and anyone else who parks at one of the Phoenix mountain parks or preserves up to $5 a day.
“I’m kind of flabbergasted,” McGovern said Friday, upon hearing about the new fee system Phoenix Parks and Recreation board members approved Thursday. “It seems like we’re getting taxed right and left. They shouldn’t be charging for this. It’s going to be a financial burden for some people.”
It’s possible McGovern isn’t what she seems to be: a classic Arizona Republican, one of those who’ve been electing, year after year, the destructive and clownish folks in the state legislature and then stand around whining when reality intrudes.
If she isn’t, well, then, she’s that other species of local resident, the Arizonicus boobicus—someone not entirely clear on the concept.
Parks cost money. Either you get taxed for them … or you pay directly for them.
I’m pretty sure that, between the short-sighted local statehouse and the nutty Bush tax cuts, “east Phoenix residents” like her have been treated very solicitously by the IRS over the last decade.
It’s intellectually coherent to say, “Why should we be taxed for parks? Let the people who use them pay for them.”
Or to say, “Parks are a public trust that should be paid out of public funds for the benefits of rich and poor alike.”
But neither? Does McGovern think money for parks grows on trees?
p.s.: Indeed—does the Republic? A nonsensical person like McGovern should not have been quoted that high up in the story. It gives it an imprimatur of coherence it obviously doesn’t deserve.
8:42 AM
2More on the Gila Bend solar plant
The plant, which the president said would be the world’s largest solar operation, is going to be built by a Spanish company, Abengoa Solar, S.A.
From Dylan Smith in the Tucson Sentinel:
The Solana project will employ about 1,600 during construction. More than 75 percent of the contractors are expected to be Arizona companies. The project will require 80,000 tons of steel – enough to build a second Golden Gate Bridge.
“Over 70 percent of the components and products used in construction will be manufactured in the USA, boosting jobs and communities in states up and down the supply chain,” Obama said.
Construction time was estimated at 18 months in 2008.
Once Solana is in operation, it will require about 85 full time employees, the company says.
The full story has a lot of interesting details about how the site’s solar collectors will work.
8:56 AM
Bicycle art & maintenance at PHX Art Lab
More alt-transport fun this Monday, just announced:
Scrap metal, bike parts, ornamental castoffs and whatever else we can find you will reuse in this class and create art. Final project will become a permanent installation in the Lab. Learn the art of bicycle repair and maintenance from local cyclers.
July 5, 2010 at 9:00am and Friday, July 9, 2010 at 2:00pm at PHX Art Lab.
PHX Art Lab offers art classes for tweens, teens and adults by a roster of local notables including: Gary Beals, Cusine D'Amis, Kim Kristoff, Cheryle Marine, Jeff Oesterle, Mary Petrich, Joe Ray, Virginia Senior and Joe Willie Smith. Not sure who is presenting the bike class Monday.
PHX Art Lab is at 3508 N. 7th St., Suite 135, Phoenix. Website: www.phxartlab.com.
3:40 PM