FBR Open Swings Into Scottsdale

What are three things that draw people to Arizona in the Winter? If you answered golf, golf, and more golf, you are correct.

This weekend the FBR Open (now renamed Waste Management Phoenix Open) swings into Scottsdale, Arizona in one of the biggest events of the entire PGA Tour. The annual event draws hundreds of thousands of people to Tournament Players Club to watch as the top professional golfers of the PGA duke it out for a $6 million dollar prize. Wait, hold on, that almost sounds like it might be a little bit exciting. I don't want to mislead anyone here.

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The Way We Were

Over the years, I have heard my share of complaints about Phoenix from visitors and transplants. One thing that has always bothered me is when people accuse Arizona of being a place with no history or culture. That's simply not true, and to exclaim otherwise is to exclaim one's own ignorance.

Visitors often get the wrong idea about Phoenix, and it's easy to see why. They come here and see brand new master-planned communities like Anthem, Verrado, and Sun City. They see mile after mile of homes and businesses painted in the same "earth tone" colors and made of stucco. They drive by retail "power centers" like Desert Ridge and Tempe Marketplace on brand new freeways. It seems like everywhere you look, something is under construction.

There are no wooden sidewalks or town squares and our most historic neighborhoods consist of homes from the 1950s. For whatever reason, these critics imagine that Phoenix has always looked exactly as it looks now. This is not the case at all!

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Collector Car Auctions Return to Scottsdale

Today marks the start of the 38th annual Barrett-Jackson collector car auction in Scottsdale, Arizona. The show will run from January 11th through January 18th with a full schedule of events lined up for the week.

Highlights of this year's show include the first ever Ford Thunderbird and a rare 1929 Ford Trimotor airplane. Celebrity cars from Evil Knievel, Jerry Seinfeld, Alan Jackson, and Eddie Van Halen will also be present.

Last year's top sale was the first production model of the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, which went for a million dollars. In 2008, over 1,100 cars were sold at Barrett-Jackson totaling approximately $88 million in sales. Over 1,600 unique automobiles are registered for this year's event.

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More Hotels Sprout Up in Norterra Shopping Center

Recently, I wrote about the trio of new hotels that opened up in North Phoenix last year. "What's up with all of these new hotels?" I wondered. It would appear I spoke too soon, because two more hotels have also sprouted up in the same area! Seriously, the paint on the walls has barely dried and these places already had guests arriving when I went to check them out. Let's take a closer look:

Hampton Inn and Suites
The Hampton Inn and Suites Happy Valley opened in December of 2008. It is located on Charlotte Drive, behind the Super Wal-Mart on I-17 and Happy Valley Road. The four-story hotel has 125 rooms and suites, all of which include Hampton's "Cloud 9" beds and linens.

Guests will enjoy a full list of freebies such as flat-screen TVs with premium channels, wireless Internet, local calls, shuttle service, breakfast, USA Today newspaper, coffee and cookies in the lobby, and an outdoor pool and spa. The freebies you get here are better than the comps at many Las Vegas casinos!

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Failed Dreams: A Look Back at Defunct Businesses of Phoenix, Arizona

Previously, I wrote about businesses in Phoenix that have fallen on hard times or are currently going out of business. Today, I'd like to revisit some of Arizona's former businesses that have gone under in their own time.

While not all of these businesses were Arizona based, many of them were well established here and were a familiar sight for locals. See how many of these names ring a bell:

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