Fate - an outdoor bar near Roosevelt and 7th st.

Downtown Phoenix is becoming quite vibrant.  Even on Sunday evenings there are people walking the streets from restaurant to bar and vice versa.  The outer areas of downtown away from the high rises are on the rise as well.  We have been on an exploration binge of these areas in the last weeks before the heat seeps into the streets and makes even the nights barely bearable to be outside. 

Most of our exploring has been on bikes in the mornings and then on foot in the evenings.  The crowd you will find in downtown Phoenix hangouts is completely different then for instance Downtown Scottsdale, not better, not worse, just different. 

What we have found are locally owned bars, galleries, hangouts in old craftsman homes on rugged streets.  Mixed in with the homes are cleverly remodeled offices, rundown homes, old hotels with restaurants that have lines of people waiting to eat one of only two items on the menu, vacant lots and lots of anticipation in the air about what is coming, and it's coming big.  Courage is no longer required to walk the streets or invest in downtown.  In 5 years these places are going to be incredibly bustling with life.