Thank you, Phil Gordon
Today’s daily reports on the new light rail scheduled to open for business December 27.
The article lists some of the routes and areas to be served. This is a notable bit of information from the article:
Those glory days are long gone. Today the restaurants, theaters, the once popular five-and-dimes, drug store, by-the-slice Pizza D’Amore, Orange Julius and the then-trendy basement level, Janitor’s Closet bar are memories. The once-fashionable shopping destination has become home to big box Wal-Mart, Target and Costco.
The daily has also misspelled the mall’s name. It has nothing to do with a deity. It was originally named in 1961 for Chris Harri, a Swiss-born farmer who owned and farmed the land where the original mall was constructed. The quiet man with bushy eyebrows, was known to everyone in the area simply as “Chris.”
We are assured extensions are planned over the next two decades. Valleyites are waiting to find out where our tax dollars will take us next. Maybe to the once majestic, now ghost-like Trotting Park west of Phoenix?
How many more longtime, family-owned businesses will be permanently closed due to construction barriers that inhibit customer access?
The article quotes Jack Tevlin, a retired city executive who was Phoenix’s deputy city manager for transportation when the Metro line of light rail was planned. He says he is familiar with the complaints. “People say: ‘I live in Paradise Valley. This doesn’t help me,’ ” Tevlin said. “But this is just the beginning.”
That sounds more like a threat than a promise. It’s doubtful there is a clamor for the plodding rail line, and the accompanying loss of a traffic lane, by residents of the exclusive area.
Good post and great walk down memory lane for longtime Phoenicians. But the meat of the article is right on! The metro is a tribute to our fool of a mayor, Phil Gordon and the costs are exorbitant to the taxpayers of the valley.
I still remember walking down those stairs to the Janitor’s Closet on my 21st birthday!!
This metro line is a huge boondoggle. The part about Chris-Town being a shopping destination is a joke!
The daily needs to take a count of all our entreprenuers who could not survive the three year construction nightmare. We’ve lost even more than tax dollars on this trolly-folly. Several shops that used to bring us to the central city finally gave up and moved out. Too bad this mayor has no plans to do the same.
What an absolute joke that the residents of Paradise Valley are looking for the light rail to ruin their businesses, leave their roads in shambles and take out a lane of traffic. I’ll believe this when The Republic endorses conservatives.
The light rail is a mess, has ruined entire neighborhoods and forced numerous business to shutter.
I, too, enjoyed the mental walk through Chris-Town. When Bullocks in Scottsdale was mentioned, it reminded me of the fabulous Texas based store named Sakowitz. Does anyone recall it? And remember the Magic Pan Crepery?
I lived in Phoenix from 70 to 73. I have been trying to find out what happened to those great buisnesses that I enjoyed at Christown. I now live in California and don’t know what the light rail is. I lived on 17th and Bethany Home road. Is there any way to find out what happened to the Miracle Mile deli or Pizza D’amore.
Thank you,
Brigid Price
Brigid,
I’m a native Arizonan and although I travel frequently, have maintained my home in the Valley so I’ll try to answer your questions.
As far as I know, Pizza D’Amore is no more. Miracle Mile delicatessen is still around. The original opened in 1949 on the Southwest corner of 16th Street and McDowell. I still remember a waitress named Carmen who worked there for years. A second location at Park Central now goes by the name Park Central Deli. There is only one still called Miracle Mile and that is at the Camelback Colonnade; at 20th Street and Camelback on the south side of the street.
Chris-Town, which was once a shopping destination, fell on hard times some years back, and locals began calling it Crips-Town due to its changing demographic. It lost stores and customers. Now it has reemerged as Spectrum Mall, housing big-box stores. Costco, Wal-Mart, Super Target and Ross are anchors. The days of Bullocks, Diamond’s/Dillard’s, Korrick’s/Macy’s are but memories.
The light rail is an overpriced fiasco that our current liberal mayor pushed through as a monument to himself — to help him in his desire to become governor. During its lengthy initial construction phase, longtime family owned businesses along Central Avenue (you might recall the popular Jordan’s Mexican restaurant, for one) have been ruined and closed. An entire lane of traffic is devoted to this monstrosity and in the short few months since the first lines have opened, the fares have already increased. Riders were enticed with free passes for a couple of days and curious crowds hopped onboard. Ridership is already tanking and there have been several collisions with cars.
Come back and visit. Phoenix is still unsurpassed for it’s scenic beauty and has many other enticements such as fine sports venues, a reconstructed art museum, fabulous resorts, fine shopping and excellent restaurants.
You can tell I’ve been around town awhile since I was able to write this entire reponse without once rsorting to using the nitwit’s verbal refuge: “awesome.”