Deep orange-red light illuminates rocks, gravel and cacti –welcome to Phoenix, the capital of the sunset state!
After seeing Soleri’s vision of an ecological city (Arcosanti) that uses only a minimum of space, Phoenix seems like a total waste of space to me, spread out as it is.
Been stuck here for a while, feeling like Honey bunny waiting for her hero to return. Only that the motel I’m staying at isn’t from a Tarantino but from this movie: “Away we go” (Seriously!!) But no worries, it’s not as bad as the movie. It’s just that my neighbors seem to permanently live here so that I as a temporary kind of stand out. And why does everyone here know where I’m from even before I exchanged a word with them? Maybe I should integrate myself better, joining them for their afternoon beer and BBQ sessions in the parking lot. Oh well.
This city is first and foremost: clean. No graffiti, no trash, no homeless, no punks, no old people. Where did they put all that? At least for the old people I know: They all live in Sun City, a suburb of Phoenix, enclosed by a wall. Same yard, same house, same orange tree, same car, same age.
After being here for a couple of days this city is really starting to scare me: It’s the friendliest people I ever met living here. AND you can ride downtown shuttle buses for free, take the cheap light rail, all the information boards throughout downtown are bilingual in English and Spanish and/or Braille. There are volunteers walking around downtown answering any questions and handing out free water bottles. What’s wrong with this city?
I think I’ll explore the suburbs today, need some reality check. And there are still my new friends at the motel...
