Is Phoenix a nice place to live?

no, it is an inferno and a real shit-hole.........

I have to go there often for work – I love visiting it I don’t know about living there and you should go stay a week or so once in winter once in summer and see if you can take it

How does it compare to Tucson?

If you are a boring person that loves living in an oven 24/7 ,It’s the place for you.

Phoenix is a stucco suburban hell. I'd still live there over a lot of other places though.

I prefer Tucson but they are both uninhabitable for 4-5 months a year.

Tucson all the way

I’ve only visited, but Scottsdale is more interesting then Phoenix.

Right Wing Hellhole. I've been there. You will regret this OP...

All abve are true. Seriously.

Is Arizona a cheap?

R11 Yeah but most of the city smells like shit. There’s hardly any winds to take the shit smell away.

Excuuuuuse me?

I can't wait for all the posts from people who have never set foot in Arizona (you know who you are R1, R4, and R5).

It is .... ok.

It is rough from late March to early November. Everyone is different but I had my A/C on during those months. If it is over 75, I'm not dealing with it.

There are a varied amount of gay bars to suit your tastes if that is your concern. Old men at Nu Towne, queens at BS West, and the 6 A.M. crowd at Crusing on 7th. My favorite place, Roscoes, closed down a few years ago.

There are two bathhouses.

Phoenix is very much a conglomeration of suburbs. It doesn't matter where you live, because you will have to driver every where.

I don't have huge regrets, but you really have to be able to stand 120 weather in the summer. It is literally too hot to touch the door handle on your house.

Do not buy a place with a pool. They are money pits. Get a place with a community pool.

Be prepared for bugs. In a warm weather climate, even in the fanciest place, you will have cockroaches.

It wasn't for me, but I'm not an outdoor person.

[quote] I'm not looking for a hot gay scene

OP when the temperature gets up to 117, all the scenes are HOT.

The sewer roaches in Phoenix have their own zip code.

R14 Sorry mary but if you are not an outdoor person Phoenix is the perfect place because half the year you can’t go outside without feeling like you are on an uninhabitable melting planet!

some of the worst urban sprawl in the world. getting on highways it takes hours to get anywhere. it's very pleasant temps in the winter, but the summer is horrid

also, tons of conservative blow-hard "don't tell ME what to do" white cunts

This is the OP. I live in South Florida right now, which I think is pretty damn hot (weather-wise, that is). It sounds like Phoenix and Tucson are much worse during the summer, though. Is that right?

My husband and I relocated from LA to Tucson (North, actually Oracle), and we absolutely love it. We are actually 5 to 6 degrees cooler than Tucson downtown and 10 to 11 degrees cooler than our friends in Goodyear (part of Phoenix). It takes us about 30 minutes to get to downtown area for good food and great drag shows. Very friendly and inclusive.

OP, by the time you get to Phoenix, he'll be rising. He'll find the note you left hangin' on his door.

R20 same except Chicago -> Tanque Verde

I haven't lived in FL OP, but I will say, people who say "it is a dry heat" are full of shit.

Phoenix has "monsoon" season R19. It rarely rains but is very humid from July to August. It is fucking miserable.

That said, once you get into the high 90's, I don't know if it matters how humid it is, it just sucks. Does 90's in FL compare to 115 in AZ when the humidity is 75%? I doubt it. Everyone just hides in their homes with AC.

Housing (comparatively) in AZ is dirt cheap compared to a lot of places, so that is a plus.

Tucson is marginally better climate wise, but is still a giant suburb, which .... I didn't mind and you might not either.

I lived in Tucson for a year in 2015 and visited Phoenix frequently. It’s a very American city, not international or cosmopolitan, but definitely not backwater or provincial.

Both Phoenix and Tucson have a surprisingly high number of very good looking gay/bi guys, and they tend to be far more masculine than the guys in Austin and Dallas, where I lived before.

Good luck buying or renting right now. Prices are at their highest levels since 2007, and many locals are already priced out.

I like their freeway decor -- it's quite artistic.

How do you find a place on a street where the neighbors and their kids won't ostracize you?

If you are Satan you’ll enjoy the heat. Just like hell.

Real estate prices in Phoenix, Tucson, and Palm Springs used to reflect that they were not pleasant places to be during the summer and early fall. In the late 80's and 90's, when I lived in the Coachella Valley, houses cost much less than comparable properties in Los Angeles and Riverside for this reason. This is no longer true. Moreover, all of these places are running out of water. Not a good investment IMO.

I was invited to interview for a job at ASU in adjacent Tempe, part of the Phoenix MSA. It was three days of sheer hell during "monsoon season."

Wouldn't go. Never been back.

I've been going for 25 years because my grandparents were snowbirds there, followed by my parents - who just spent their first whole year there. I'm familiar with a lot of Phoenix, Scottsdale, and the East Valley - my parents currently live in Chandler, my uncle in Fountain Hills, and my mom's cousin lives in Scottsdale.

I always liked visiting, but for a long time could never really see myself living there. I still think that to a large degree but I know I COULD live there, because I'm familiar with it. There's nice neighborhoods and burbs and developments. Very spread out, and obviously it's a desert. I don't find it that exciting but always had a good time - probably because I was only there for 4-5 days at a time.

I don't think it's a place where you can't carve out a decent life. Though the summer heat is a bitch. I had never been there in the summer until last year. Fuck.

My brother relocated to suburban Phoenix ten years ago and he and his family absolutely love it. They bought a house in a short sale and a few years later sold it for 400% of what they paid for it. Then they bought a sprawling home with a salt water swimming pool.

It is unbearably hot July-September (but apparently the cost of power is lower than here in LA), so he golfs at sun up before work. Really bad monsoons and haboobs are rare, but they happen. He has never lost power, so that's a plus.

Gay friendly? Stick to the eastern parts, where the better educated and better off people live. Arizona is politically purple now, but leans red. PHX has nonstop flights to most US cities, but I think that (aside from Mexico), the only nonstop flights are to London. So that's a minus.

^ nonstop international flights

How hot are the summers in Sedona?

R34

Snakes love it !

Interesting I was thing about this recently too. Visit and have a decent time. Love being able to go to Sedona, Grand Canyon and North AZ high desert - beautiful nature. But the architecture - or lack thereof - in the PHX metro is depressing and it lacks anything of interest other than the nature outside of it. I would probably consider Sedona or even Tucson as a retirement place. But PHX is just blah. I never know what people do for work. Seems like a lot of middle class people living decent lives because it’s more affordable - like Houston.

OP, I moved to Phoenix from Houston, and can say this about the dry heat - anything under 90 degrees is quite pleasant when it is a dry heat. The winters in Phoenix are better than they were in Houston. July and August are quite hellish. There is no gay neighborhood but probably most gay people live in central Phoenix, which is where most of the gay bars are. Except for the older neighborhoods the architecture is lacking. Everything is beige. Very ugly tract homes. Unfortunately, there is an overabundance of strip malls, and every chain in the world is in Phoenix. The price of housing has gone up tremendously in the past few years, so it is no longer cheap. Both the rental market and home sales. Wages have not gone up at the same pace. It is still a red state trying to be purple, but republicans in government are some of the most wretched in the country. The museum scene is lacking. Surprisingly, the food scene in Phoenix is really good. The mountains are beautiful. Things are fairly close. Palm Springs is 4 hours away. San Diego and LA are 6 hours away. I think Vegas is 4 hours away. Tucson is much nicer. Less tract houses there and more historic buildings in Tucson. Plus it is 10 degrees cooler than Phoenix in the summer. Tucson is prettier because of Mt. Lemon, and it has lots more saguaro cacti in the city than Phoenix does. I think Tucson has a higher crime rate though.

I've been to Tuscon to visit friends when in Phoenix visiting my family. I really liked it. Different vibe than Phoenix metro. It's a little rougher around the edges - not quite as paved and urbanized everywhere . It's cooler even though it's south of Phoenix because it's at higher elevation. Smaller, more compact. But I've only visited, and much less than I have Phoenix metro, so I don't know how great it would be to live there. My friends, who got transferred from Illinois to Tuscon for work, like it.

One more thing about the dry heat. Since there's no humidity, heat doesn't sit and get trapped - so it cools off a lot at night (sometimes shockingly so). In the summer, runners and walkers and bikers get out early in the morning when it's cooler. Activities like tennis are played at night under the lights. Basically during the summer it's going to always be miserable during the day and sometimes at night too, but there are at least some days and weeks within the summer where it can be okay for part of the day to get outside - dusk and dawn and when the sun has gone down. Also, since the sun is so intense and there's so much solar heating of objects, the sun going down is a huge relief. Even if it's still hot at night such that you might not want to run four miles outside, you can often sit out at restaurants or in the backyard since you're out of the sun.

My family is from Minnesota and the best advice about Phoenix summer is just to treat it like Minnesota winter. It's a period of the year when your expectations about being able to do things comfortably outdoors is altered and you adjust. Not that you can never go outside, but it's more intermittent, takes more planning, etc., and obviously not the same as the other seasons when there's more opportunity.

Smog.

Annual Report Again Ranks Phoenix Air Quality Among Worst In Nation.

The Arizona GOP is one of the craziest, most radicalized state parties in the US. Because Democrats do win here, they've lately been doing a lot of voter suppression laws and making it tougher for gays and liberals to get along here in general. Perhaps the theory is we'll move OUT of state. I compare Arizona to Texas in terms of overall reasonableness.

Avoid Yavapai and Mohave Counties unless you want militia members in your neighborhood. (I wish I was kidding.)

r14......r1 here.......graduated ASU, lived Ahwatukee 5 years, then Sunnyslope for 5 years........I DO know what I am talking about............fuck off...............

My family has retired there for several generations, so have a decent sense of Phoenix / Tucson over the last 40 years

Arizona is for people who can’t succeed in or are too conservative for California. Although pockets are exceptions. (Especially try of it’s college systems.)

The weather is an ever hotter hellscape.

It does not have a sustainable water source despite population growth. Water usage is out of control with gold courses, water feature. Artificial lake communities.

On the other hand: The Purpling of Arizona could be an interesting development.

As a child during the Depression, I had to have my wisdom teeth extracted by a shoemaker. That was more fun than living in Phoenix.

It's a dump.

R40 It doesn’t shockingly cool at night, bitch, don’t lie to them. You run the air 24/7.

R44 Please proofread before you post. Thank you.

I dont want to live on the sun, so no.

Phoenix is filthy. And many of their gay bars are old garages.

It really is a shithole. The downtown is one of the ugliest places I've seen.

If you have a choice, go to Tuscon or Flagstaff instead.

It’s a good place for animal lovers.

endless strip malls and subdivisions

It is amazing - there really is no reason it should be allowed to grow because it lacks water. Yet growth is like crack to America - even if it means it will cause horrendous problems in a few years, we can’t say no. And of course, a lot of those people are from CA which is also unsustainably growing - though arguably more logical to live there than PHX.

Does Phoenix have decent beaches?

You will love the haboobs.

Have fun, OP.

[quote]so it cools off a lot at night (sometimes shockingly so). In the summer

I cannot (yes I literally MARY'D) state how wrong this is.

It does not cool down in Phoenix at night in the summer. The lows are in the 90's/high 80's.

R57, it was poor writing. The "shockingly so" part was not in reference to the summer. My only point about the summer is that it can be cool enough after the sun goes down to simply be outside and on some occasions do some physical activity.

IF you can live with Megan McCain being your princess.

[quote]Both Phoenix and Tucson have a surprisingly high number of very good looking gay/bi guys, and they tend to be far more masculine than the guys in Austin and Dallas

Cowboy hats and boots? Hawt!

It's vulgar, ugly, and shouldn't be there.

The water supply is going to dry up.

I lived in Phoenix for 6 years, from 1990 to 1996. I actually like the heat, but I recommend getting reflective curtains, especially during the summer. At night, the heat rises from the pavement; so, even if it looks cooler, it doesn’t feel like it. “Right to work” state means they pay nothing. Even then, men wore loaded guns in public, and often shot at each other on the freeways. When it does rain, it can really pour, and the excess fills the big gutters in the streets. With no actual drainage except the street gutters, flash floods occur. Also, winters can be very chilly, often with snow flurries, though I never saw it accumulate.

There has never been a “gay neighborhood” per se, only isolated gay bars. They didn’t have a Gay Pride parade, only a “Festival,” held behind a protective fence. There was a considerable country western element in town, as well as a larger than expected leather crowd. Several private gay social clubs. Of the two bathhouses, there were police raids at the Chute, ostensibly to catch drug dealers on the staff, though men having sex in the public areas were also arrested. Flex, the other bathhouse, was more isolated along the freeway, complete with nudity at a private outdoor pool. I don’t know if either one is still open.

As noted above, Phoenix is more rightwing. Tucson has always been more liberal, though, curiously, has less gay nightlife. From what I saw, gay life in Tucson is more about couples and private get togethers. Though local ordinances are far more gay-friendly, there are no bathhouses, though there is an outdoor area, Tanque Verde, that could get pretty wild. No idea if that’s still the case.

Most Arizona gays enjoy weekends in Palm Springs and vacations in San Diego, where visitors from Arizona are referred to as “Zonies.” It seems to be thedream of every Arizonan to eventually move to San Diego. Which is what I did.

But that, as they say, is another story.

I saw the intoxicated former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, in an airport one time. Waves of cuntitude surrounded her.

[Quote]Most Arizona gays enjoy weekends in Palm Springs and vacations in San Diego, where visitors from Arizona are referred to as “Zonies.”

Such limited geography for adventure; from one hot climate to another. I guess they feel comfortable in going from one English speaking zone to another. It's sad how certain peoples carry on with their small little lives.

San Diego isn't hot at all.

^Do they also speak English there?

The University of Arizona campus photographs well, which is why they used it for Revenge of the Nerds, and a lot of people are deceived by it, but Tucson is BOR-ING

I went to school there and grew up in suburban middle America. Going home for Christmas break or the summertime felt like I was returning to big city ways

After awhile, you start to wonder why people outside the state have even heard of Tucson

It typically feels two decades behind the rest of the country. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but a good way to imagine what it would be like to be in Tucson right now is to remember what it was like in 2002

Fuck, no

I'm really surprised by all the negativity. Phoenix is such a terrific city that when my car broke down on the way to LA to become a singing sensation, I decided to stay. Got a job at a diner famous for its chili and from them on, it was early to rise, early to bed. Cooked and cleaned and went outta my head. Boppity-BOP!

I have lived in Phoenix for over 10 years. I came in order to buy a house which was dirt cheap at the time. Living here seems like a slow death but I guess that is true in most anerican cities. Oddly I much prefer the summers over the winters here. The winter is just to chilly for me. There are worse places. A poster about was right about travel. It completely sucks in regards to international travel.

It’s also home to these sweet piggys. Right in your front yard.

Ok trust me on this… south Tempe, north Chandler, very east Mesa, small strip of west Mesa, parts of Arcadia and Arcadia lite. Lots of Scottsdale. Stay the fuck away from the west side and A lot of Phoenix, like most of it. It looks like cat litter for real bb

I’ve had to travel to most big American cities for my job over the years, and Phoenix was the only city I loathed. Maybe I didn’t explore the area enough, but I was there for five days one spring and I hated it.

The election recount famously occurred in Arizona.

Enough said about that state.

^^I never understood why they needed an enormous arena to hold a recount. An old empty Sears store would have provided more floor space than a basketball court does.

'In Phoenix, all seem to breathe freedom and peace and make one forget the world and its sad turmoils

I am outside as much here as I was when I lived in California so weather is not a big issue. What I don't like is the nonstop sprawl.

Oh fuck no. Went on a golf vacation once and just lived in the pool. Not the place to learn to play golf in the late spring.

Then spent 19 days there for work, and had I not been in my early 30s at the time, I would have dropped dead and died, due to the heat.

It does have AMAZING resorts, however. Top notch golf courses and service.

It’s a vacay spot. A short vacation, if possible. I’d rather move back to GA than live there because the summers are simply unbearable, which is saying a lot when compared to the ultra humid south.

No beaches, just man made “lakes”.

Nope.

No one should be living in the god damned desert. It is insanity to have any big communities in a place with no water.

I asked Consuela OP's question.

[quote]It does not cool down in Phoenix at night in the summer. The lows are in the 90's/high 80's.

R57, do your homework, girl. The hottest months are June, July, August and September and the average low temperatures are 80, 85, 84 and 78, respectively. NOT in the 90's or high 80's, bitch.

Still, don't move there. It's a dump.

AZ may tilt red but Phoenix and Tucson are Dem majority and usually have Dem mayors + city council

Phoenix is an okay place to live, plenty of "big city" perks with desert nature close. Mountain towns/cities with cooler weather (and snow in winter) are a couple hours north. San Diego and Vegas are each about a 5 hour drive away.

It's not living, it's baking.

The heat is unbelievable. I visited a friend in Scottsdale in May and it was already 95.

Soulless doesn't begin to describe it.

And it's ugly.

And you'd have to be out of your mind to move there with what image change is doing to the southwest.

Find another change of scene.

^You'd be better off in Austin, TX or Santa Fe, NM, if the southwest is what you yearn for.

Phoenix nights can be freezing cold in the summer.

uh, no. Phoenix is bracing themselves for a night in the summer where it doesn't dip below 100

Phoenix is very big. Lots and lots of driving to get across the city.

It's like California and Las Vegas but without the casinos and buzz in the air.

There are children who have fallen on the sidewalks and had to be hospitalized for burns because it got so hot.

The news would do fry an egg on the sidewalk bits.

If you have money, it's not a horrible place to live. But if you're lower to middle income, it's drudgery in an oven. Do you have to work every day? Or are you retiring? Big difference in Arizona. Retirement life is not bad there, but regular living is rough.

Parts of Arizona are really cold and get snow.

Going next week. What are the gay bars like? Any recommendations?

Phoenix CAN get very cold at night in the winter, but not the summer. The fringes of summer might be doable at night - you can sit out and not be miserable. But, it's till hot. And many summer nights ARE miserable. But being out of the sun is a huge deal.

I haven't lived there but I kept an eye on their temperatures one year and the summers are simply much too hot. Night and day. Much...too hot. And imagine the electric bill.

Phoenix is a right wing ultra conservative, conspiracy rich shit hole full of retired people who are big time Trump supporters but too old to go out and storm the Capital. By comparison, Tucson is a lot more liberal, progressive and younger in age. It's also a lot smaller. If you are the artsy fartsy type, check out Bisbee. Tiny little mining town with artists and gays like a unicorn in the desert.

Bisbee is terrific. Lots of rainbow flags flying and friendly people.

Climate change, not image change.

R83

Well one observation that I’ve made with my trips to Phoenix over the years is the number of Men tha are hung is incredible. So if you’re a size queen that likes air conditioning it’s the place for you.

My friend lives in Phoenix. The one-bedroom next door to her is up for rent for $795/month. Anyone want to be her neighbour?

Phoenix is a place to live if you are poor/cheap. Nice and Phoenix don’t go together.

Let's just say that Phoenix deserves to have Meghan McCain as its most glamorous celebrity (even though she and her husband really reside closer to the Arizona town of Cornville).

There are many more gay pride flags hanging around the Phoenix area than there are total in Bisbee

The majority of the American southwest will be uninhabitable in 30-40 years with climate change. You’re better off looking to move to areas with abundant natural reserves of water.

Arizona has desalination plants. If I remember correctly it could turn into rainforest in centuries to come.

"There are many more gay pride flags hanging around the Phoenix area than there are total in Bisbee "

Since it's probably 300 (1.6 million v. 5,200) times the size, I'm not sure that means anything.

Don't forget to check for scorpions, especially during mating season AND monsoon season, mark your calendars.

[quote]Phoenix is a right wing ultra conservative, conspiracy rich shit hole

Bear in mind that Biden won Maricopa County, as did Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema.

I'm sure that it does R104

[quote]Bear in mind that Biden won Maricopa County,

And bear in mind it was hotly contested as being ground zero for conspiracy theories about voting machines and numerous fake lawsuit that amounted to nothing. Isn't Maricopa County where Trump pardoned a sheriff after being found guilty of criminal contempt of a judges orders?

Get a UV light OP, Scorpions glow in the dark. Also, might want to white list and favorite you local poison control center.

[quote]Phoenix is a right wing ultra conservative, conspiracy rich shit hole full of retired people who are big time Trump supporters

Wha Da Fuq you talking about R94??

5 of the last elected Mayors of Phoenix have been Democrats.

The state of AZ is generally purple but does have staunch GOP areas with retirees and ultra religious but Phoenix proper generally leans Democrat.

Phoenix itself and broader Phoenix metro is by no means all ultra-conservative right wingers. Quite a bit of blue and purple. But that dynamic certainly DOES exist within the metro.

Phoenix is loaded with retired Boomers. Lets be honest, they take voting a LOT more seriously than younger people. Plus they tend to be way more politically involved and donate a ton of money since they usually are lot more wealthy than people half their age. If Phoenix was that purple, they would not have had a sheriff running about for 30 years pulling over anyone who had brown skin assuming they must all be illegals. He was able to do that for so long because he had the blessing of the community who put him there.

R112 What you say is true, however Arpaio has not been in office since 2017. He has run several times to regain being sheriff and lost by a LOT each time. He also ran for US senator and Mayor of Fountain Hills, which is the town he lives in, and he lost those elections by a LOT as well. So yes he did once have power here, but now that educated people from blue states have moved to AZ in droves, it has become much more purple. Both US senators are currently democrats. The Mayor of Phoenix is a democrat, as have been the last few mayors.

Meth capital of the South West. What else is there to do in the middle of nowhere?

I spent a decade there one year. Never again. It's just a gross place to live.

the bad thing about Bisbee is that it has no movie theater, no "chain" restaurants, no mall and other amenities... you would have to drive 20 miles away to Sierra Vista (population around 50 thousand), for any of this... And if you still need to work and make money, Bisbee isn't the place to be unless you own your own shop...

Bisbee in closing, is a great place to retire to, a great place to visit, but to live and work? not sure about that.

disgusting and dusty

My car broke down there on my way to L.A., and I've never gotten out. Ba ba bum bum bummmm.

Get this -- the gayborhood there is called Maryvale. No joke.

R116 Not having chains is a GOOD thing. Not a bad thing. Why would anyone want to travel to a chain is beyond me.

R120... i'm just saying if you want to go burger king or olive garden or whatever and KNOW what you're getting as opposed to some unknown little private restaurant. hole in the wall.....

R119 Uhm, no it's not. There are no gay establishments in Marysvalle. And there are no gay people who live in Marysvale unless they are thugs/gang members.

R103 - But OP will be dead by then.

[quote] the number of Men tha are hung is incredible.

That is true.

[quote] you would have to drive 20 miles away to Sierra Vista (population around 50 thousand), for any of this...

That's only a 15 minute drive.

r103.........Arizona most certainly DOES NOT have desalination plants............because............it is not near salt water.................

The number of hung men isn't any higher than anywhere else. Not that they're not there.

[quote] The number of hung men isn't any higher than anywhere else

Actually, it is.

It isn't

I spent many a late Saturday night hanging out at the very cruisy Gay Denny's at 7th. St. and Camelback back in the day. Years later, it's still a thing!

The gayborhood extends generally south to downtown and west to the freeway from here.

Any good gay bars? Visiting next week.

[quote]Any good gay bars? Visiting next week.

Suggesting Kobalt, Charlie's, BS West, Bliss Rebar, Sazerac and Bar One.

OP, you can be that new girl in town, with a brand new style. Just passing through, but if things work out you can stay awhile....

R126 what is this?

[quote] It isn't

But it is.

But it's not, R135. Stop being silly. I study this stuff for a living.

r134 "The desalination plant in Yuma, Arizona, was constructed under the authority of the state Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act of 1974 to treat saline agricultural return flows from the Wellton-Mohawk Irrigation and Drainage District into the Colorado River. The treated water is intended for inclusion in water deliveries to Mexico"..............notice the "to Mexico"............NOT Arizona.....to Mexico......wow wow wow............can you read r134?........

I hated Phoenix, but loved Tucson and Sedona.

It's where I had to get out and start enjoyin', cause life's too short!

[quote]the bad thing about Bisbee is that it has no movie theater, no "chain" restaurants, no mall

Those are bad things? You realize most people who dine out or know how to cook for that matter hate chain restraints right? Total garbage. Olive Garden? Golden Corral? McDonalds's? And malls really? They went out of style in the 90's and have been closing down for the last 20 years all over the country. No one shops at malls any more except for a hand full in high density cities like LA or NYC.

[quote]I spent many a late Saturday night hanging out at the very cruisy Gay Denny's at 7th. St. and Camelback back in the day. Years later, it's still a thing!

So white trashy gays at shitty chain family restaurants. You are not selling Phoenix very well.

[quote] i'm just saying if you want to go burger king or olive garden or whatever and KNOW what you're getting as opposed to some unknown little private restaurant.

Well, here's what you get at Burger King. Who would have thought low paid employees at chain restaurants really don't give a shit!

[QUOTE] Any good gay bars? Visiting next week.]

Yes, The Cellblock. Great leather bar and it has a cage.

Didnt the Cellblock close? Out of business.

Phoenix might be a shithole now, but it will rise again.

I always rather fancied it.

Cellblock (previously Padlock) closed about 15 years ago, Mary.

Padlock was padlocked.

I went to Cellblock while I was oout there on vacay. Sorry the news didn't reach me in another part of the country that the place had closed. I can see it got some panties herein a real twist though.

Judging by your comment about how great Phoenix was by referring to a bar that's been closed for years R149, I think the only panties in a wad are your Depends grandpa.

There’s a NEWWWWW gurl in town!

I’m visiting. Any good clubs or bars with hot bros?

How’s the food in Arizona?

Can you get a green chile cheeseburger there?

Mexican is great

Phoenix and the surrounding cities/towns are awful. Stay away.

How is Tempe?

[quote] Right Wing Hellhole

Yes, and it will become even worse when Kari Lake wins the november election for state's governor.

Restaurant recommendations?

I had several friends who used to live there…

Alice, Flo, Vera, Jolene, Mel.

[quote]I lived in Phoenix for 6 years, from 1990 to 1996

Girl you're posting from back when JonBenet was still alive and when no one could make a phone call because you were hogging the Internet.

Do us a favor and update your BigMuscle profile and Manhunt pics to some images from this decade, preferably.

Thanks!

Kyrsten Sinema would be your senator. Arizona seems to breed crazies like Florida does.

A couple of years ago we toyed with taking over my parents fab adobe home in Tucson when they died, but I’m glad we didn’t. Even though Tucson is quirky, blue, tolerant etc it’s still Hot as hell June-Sept (you leave your house before dawn or after dark) and it’s still in Fascist AZ.

I lived in Tempe my whole stint R157.

I would say that is the best place to live in the valley but others may disagree. It is a college town, but even as an elder gay (early 40’s at the time), I liked it very much. Plenty of bars, restaurants, grocery stores, pharmacies, Costco, Sam’s, movie theaters, etc.

I’d occasionally score young college cock.

Still doesn’t make up for the terrible weather.

I lived in Phoenix for three years for work, and I was pissed-off the whole time. It doesn't matter how dry it is, 110 degrees is 110 degrees. Traffic is awful, and gets worse when the snowbirds arrive. Restaurants are unimaginative, food is meh. Housing is cheap, but you’re living in a backward red state, so not worth it. If you do it, live in Scottsdale…anywhere else is shit. I vote no, bigly.

Best restaurants?

hillary clinton STILL LOST! 😂

R166, there used to be a Navajo place that had fry-bread/Indian tacos. That's not a food I'm used to seeing where I'm at, so I found it pretty cool.

The desert scenery around Phoenix can be magical, especially just before sunset. But Arizona has just gone too far MAGA and i could never live there.

[quote] If you do it, live in Scottsdale…anywhere else is shit.

oh, Hell no. Scottsdale is as right-wing as they come.

No! It’s too hot!

But it's a dry hate.

sedona? casa grande? sierra vista? lake havasu?

hellhole lacks water

It’s not a dry heat during monsoon season

My best friend from high school lived there for 20 years, so I visited her in Scottsdale several times. Parts of Scottsdale are very nice but overall metro Phoenix reminds me of Riverside, California and other unsavory parts of the IE

What gym has the hottest dudes?

As I've told my children, "I'd rather be dead in California than alive in Arizona."

And the lack of gracious amenities is shocking...my son Buster had to do my hair the entire time I was there.

It’s my first time in Phoenix, and I must say I love it much more than I anticipated. Yeah, it has a really trashy side, but it also has some beautiful desert scenery and architecture. Downtown isn’t great, but it’s better than its reputation. It’s more walkable than I expected, albeit who wants to walk when it’s 107 degrees. People here are very laid back and overall quite friendly. It’s easy to strike up conversations with strangers, and people nod at you and say hey along the way. It reminds me of the South as far as friendliness, which is critical to me

Pete in AZ

Very friendly chill people here

[quote]But Arizona has just gone too far MAGA and i could never live there.

Biden won Arizona, R169. Phoenix proper, like most major cities, leans Dem... So does Tucson, Tempe, and Flagstaff as well - ya know, places with universities and things to do.

OP Only if you have a second home to retreat to between May and October. -say, in northern Canada. It isn't living, it's baking. And the urban sprawl is a crime against the climate given the water issue.

The heat is truly unbelievable. You might as well live in an oven.

It also has a higher murder rate than Dallas and Chicago. Ditto property crime.

I wouldn't.

It has a decent food scene

SO is there ANY town in Arizona that is both safe, plenty of things to do, and near one of the major cities for sporting events and concerts?

It’s Arizona. Phoenix is the only major city nearby

Apache Junction is gorgeous.

The topography is quite beautiful. I love how the rugged mountains ⛰ surround the city

Didn't someone say there were a disproportionate amount of tops in Arizona? Or was that just a feverish dream I had?

Hmmm

I'm sure it's been mentioned, but it was named after River Phoenix.

Does the city have snow plows?

The info at R105 is all I need to know. Pass.

I've only been a couple of times, but I would worry about the politics of those around me (incoherent MAGAisms) and if there were enough educated people to befriend.

I love it

It's a dump.

Not a dump but clearly not anything special.

Weren't we told just a few weeks ago Phoenix actually has a huge underground aquifer?

The nastiest, self centered CUNT I ever knew lives there so that’s a hard NO from me.

supposedly, phoenix while bigger is safer than tucson?...

People never really trash Phoenix all the way. They will list out the shortcomings but reserve a little affection for it. There’s something that they can’t hate all the way.

R199 Surely, you aren't referring to me.

there are smaller AZ towns that really might be something that would appeal / check those out

(Prescott, Flagstaff, Bisbee, Jerome, ....not YUMA)

Prescott and Yavapai County are full of patently insane people, containing the largest Oath Keepers group in the country. YCSO uses an Oath Keepers auxiliary group for citizen patrols. Although Paul Gosar has moved to the adjacent congressional district after redistricting, he has enormous support here. Ron Watkins, believed to be the 'Q ' in Qanon, ran for Gosar's seat. The Republican County Recorder, in charge of elections, resigned after receiving death threats not because she refused to certify Trump the 2020 winner, but because local GOP officials felt he should have won by an even bigger margin. In other words, sane people should stay well away.

There was a cute young youtube twink from Flagstaff about five years ago that I used to follow. I wonder WHET him.

The place was dirt cheap when I moved into it 8 years ago but not so much now.

As long as you stay inside the central Phoenix area, you can find what you are looking for in other major cities, like great restaurants, sports venues, and a few museums. The architecture is also better in the central Phoenix area, because every suburb in every direction looks identical, with beige houses that all look the same, with red tile roofs, and the garage being the main architectural point of interest for the house. The central area has historic neighborhoods with some very beautiful old homes and tall palm tree lined streets. Unfortunately there is an overabundance of malls, strip malls, and chains. If it is a chain, it is in Phoenix. The long summers are pretty hellish, but the rest of the year the weather is almost as perfect as California's weather. Excellent Mexican restaurants, excellent pizza restaurants, and surprisingly, LOTS of vegetarian and vegan restaurants. Lots of great ethnic restaurants (Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, Ethiopian, Chinese, Middle Eastern).