Come Stay With Us: Deer Valley Opens 3 New Hotels

In a recent post, I wondered if North Phoenix was expanding fast enough to accommodate nine new banks within two miles of each other. It's a road we'll travel down once more, because this year we have seen three new hotels open up within one mile of each other, for a total of 432 new rooms available in the area.

Marriott Residence Inn Hotel - Phoenix
The new Residence Inn by Marriott is now open on Whispering Wind Road, right next door to the Courtyard by Marriott. The two properties are located about a half mile off the Interstate 17, so you can sleep soundly away from the roar of traffic. The Residence Inn is a five-story building with 129 guest rooms. It's a no-nonsense kind of place with quality where it counts. Let me explain what I mean.

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Organ Stop Pizza is the Valley's Best Pizza Gimmick

Pizza ranks highly on my list of all-time favorite foods, and I am always willing to try a new place in the pursuit of that perfect slice. Recently, I ventured far from the comfort and safety of North Phoenix to the faraway land of Mesa to visit Organ Stop Pizza.

Of course, they wouldn't give it a name like Organ Stop for nothing! The front of the building has a large glass-paned diaphone chamber for the organ, but other than that it looks pretty normal from the outside. You'd never guess that inside is the largest Wurlitzer pipe organ in the entire world. That's right, world's largest Wurlitzer organ plus pizza in Mesa. Seems like a good combination to me.

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Deer Valley Rock Art Center is a Hidden Gem

It is fairly common for Arizona transplants to criticize Phoenix as a sprawling metropolis devoid of culture and history. For some reason, people love to move to Arizona and accuse the city of being nothing but an endless sea of shopping malls and housing developments.

One of my goals in starting this blog was to show the world that this simply isn't true, and the Deer Valley Petroglyph Preserve (formerly the Rock Art Center) is a perfect example of what a rich and diverse place Phoenix really is.

The Deer Valley Petroglyph Preserve is a historically and culturally important part of North Phoenix. It is nestled at the base of Hedgpeth Hills in the Adobe Dam Recreation Area, just west of 35th Avenue on Deer Valley Road.

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Photo Radar Leaves Scottsdale, Expands to Phoenix

If there's one thing that residents and visitors can agree on, it's that Phoenix is full of bad drivers. In fact, Phoenix has become infamous for its regular appearance on "Top 10" lists for things like red-light runners and stolen vehicles according to About.com. Speeding is also a huge problem that city and state officials have begun to take very seriously.

Scottsdale, Arizona was one of the first cities in the nation to adopt a high-tech solution in an attempt to put the brakes on speeders. In 2006, Scottsdale installed a controversial photo radar system on the Loop 101 Freeway.

Sensors embedded in the pavement trigger a roadside camera when drivers exceed the posted speed limit by a certain amount. A photo of the vehicle and a speeding ticket are then mailed to the vehicle owner, with the average fine costing approximately $181 dollars.

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North Phoenix Blog Salutes Our Veterans

We at the North Phoenix Blog would like to take a moment to reflect on what Veteran's Day means. It is more than just a day off from work and school. Veteran's Day is a way of showing our appreciation for those who serve in our armed forces, past, present, and future.

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Fast Times at Penske Racing Museum

By now, it is no secret that Phoenix has plenty to offer the automotive enthusiast. Between car shows, cruise-ins, and auction events, there's something for almost everyone. If there is one thing Phoenix is short on however, it's car museums. There's just one that I know of, but it's definitely worth checking out.

It's called the Penske Racing Museum, and it is home to both cars and racing memorabilia from the personal collection of Roger Penske, who is the owner of the Penske Automotive Group. The museum is conveniently located on Scottsdale Road, just south of the Loop 101 freeway.

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An Honest Review of Culver's Deer Valley

Overview
If you do not venture up near the Deer Valley Airport on a regular basis, then you may not have heard of Culver's by now. It's the newest contestant in the battle for fast food supremacy along Deer Valley Road, and it's going to be a tough one to beat.

The Wisconsin-based franchise has selected Arizona for its newest test market. Culver's Deer Valley opened up earlier this year, in March of 2008. Besides the Phoenix location, there is another one in Mesa and a third one under construction in Surprise. That's a very small number of restaurants and if you do not live nearby, you may be wondering if it's worth the drive. Maybe I should start by explaining what makes Culver's different from the other fast food franchises.

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