Time To Rock The Mountain Again is a post from: Rail Life

It’s no big secret that my family and I love to hike / walk up “A” Mountain in Tempe. I can’t believe that it has already been more than three years since a bunch of us gathered at “Mill’s End Coffee Shop” before trekking up the mountain for the first time after the light rail line opened.

In the past few years, a lot has changed around here. Mill’s End Cafe is gone and the SUPER COOL Ncounter on Mill has taken its place. This Saturday, April 14th at 8am we are joining our friend and candidate for Mayor of Tempe, Michael Monti, for a fun morning of good grub and a great hike. ( See “Hike “A” Mountain With Michael Monti” for more info. )

One thing is for sure, the conversations will be awesome. If you have never had a chance to meet Michael, take this opportunity to learn more about the rich history of Tempe, as well as how we can continue to make things better for our community. Rail Life supports Monti 100% because we have taken a lot of time to research the race, meet the candidates, and determine who is most qualified to run the city. Without a doubt, we feel that Mr. Monti possesses the leadership skills, business skills, and the right attitude of service to run our city.

Please join us Saturday morning. This will be a FUN hike and all are welcome and encouraged to join us. Yes, you are welcome even if you could care less about the mayor’s race!! :)

As you can see in the pic below, my kids enjoy their hikes. They have grown a bit in the past few years since we took this photo, but they still tend to have a LOT of fun on the mountain. :)

What: Tempe Hike Up “A” Mountain

When: Saturday, April 14th at 8am

Where: Meet at Ncounter – Head to the mountain

Why: Have some fun with friends

Ncounter is located right across from the light rail station on Mill Avenue. If coming from Phoenix or from the east valley, make a fun trip out of it and take the light rail to Mill Avenue. Remember, the Park and Ride locations are FREE, and it is real easy to purchase a light rail pass for your trip! If driving to the event, parking will also be available at Monti’s La Casa Vieja! :) Any questions? Just let me know in the comments below or on our Facebook page!

Michael Monti rockin’ the Rail Life shirt at the light rail grand opening festivities in December of 2008.

ShareTweet

Football Fantasy On Ice is a post from: Rail Life

We all love ASU football, we all have a fantasy, or two ( maybe three ), and nothing quite says that the holiday season has arrived in Arizona quite like ice skating. Right?

As usual, there are a ton of things happening along the line this weekend. Heck, these three things don’t begin to come close to all that is going on, but they will draw some crowds.

Football:

First up, it’s the final home football game of the season for the Sun Devils. After the last few games, many people are more than disappointed in the season, so far. Hopefully, people will come out to support the 24 seniors playing their last game on their home turf.

Kickoff for the ASU game vs Cal will be FRIDAY at 8:15PM. Be there. Wear Gold.

Fantasy:

It’s that time of year again, time for the Tempe Fantasy of Lights Parade along Mill Avenue. Thousands gather along mill Avenue to see dozens of floats, balloons and holiday-decorated vehicles. Following the parade, Mayor Hallman will light the 50’ holiday tree located near the MADCAP Theater. Santa will also be around for some sweet photo ops for you and the kids.

Parade starts at approximately 6pm Saturday evening.

On Ice:

Why in the world would you fly to Rockefeller Center when you can head to CityScape for all of your ice skating fun? This Saturday, the NRG Ice Rink at CityScape opens for the season. There will also be a tree lighting ceremony at approximately 6:30.

This year’s ice rink is bigger and better than last year. For $10 you can skate in the desert. Yes, the skate rental is included. You should check it out!

So, the holiday season is upon us. I hope you don’t o.d. on turkey and that you survive the madness that is Black Friday. Enjoy some football, catch a parade, and keep rockin’ the Rail Life…

Gobble Gobble – Give It Back is a post from: Rail Life

Well, it’s time for Nick’s 9th annual turkey drive! While I totally get the fact that this time of year is stressful and VERY busy for most of us. Heck, we have 50 million parties, events, fundraisers etc. to cram into the holiday season. Hopefully, your schedule isn’t “too” crazy but, here’s the deal. Some people don’t have 50 million things to do. They don’t have a place to eat, to call home, to share the holiday season with. To me, that sucks.

I want to tell you about a man I met last year while driving to deliver a truck load of turkeys to the Salvation Army. Rob and I stopped at a Circle K to get a drink, when we were leaving the store, a guy walked up to us and asked what we were doing with all of the turkeys. After I told him we were delivering to a shelter, he asked if he could have one. You see, he had no home. He had no plans for Thanksgiving. My question to him was, “do you have a way to cook this?” He said that a friend had a stove that he would use. When I handed him a turkey, he gave me a sincere “thank you” and told me that he would never forget me. That thank you was one of the best feelings imaginable and was more gratifying than the previous eight years of us doing this Turkey drive.

I believe that many people have a desire to help others this time of year but find it difficult to do so because our lives are so busy. If you would like to help by making a financial donation, we will do all of the work for you! I’ll be purchasing frozen turkeys to deliver to the Salvation Army Turkey Drive. (I can provide receipts, if needed.)

If you are able to donate one dollar or a hundred ( or more), I am able to purchase frozen turkeys all at once for delivery to the Salvation Army on Thursday the 17th. Yes, I am serious, even one dollar helps! Over the years, we have found that collecting donations is the easiest way to help the most people. I will  give you my office address or I can pick up donations up until about noon on the 17th of this month. You can always email me at nick (at) raillife (dot) com or contact me for more info! I am out and about a LOT, so it makes picking up your donation pretty easy! If you are in Tempe, donations can be dropped off at my office between 9am and 5pm Monday-Friday, just let me know if you need directions. I also have a PayPal account for those who would like to donate online.

Last year, with the help of my friend Rob, we were able to deliver over 1400 pounds of turkey for needy families! Big thanks to Rob Sell at Sell Home Inspections for all he does. Rob  ( and his truck ) is a huge help in hauling the turkey! We both have a BLAST delivering birds every year and want to thank you for your donations to such a great cause.

Please help. Every single penny is GREATLY appreciated. We want to make it easy for everyone to help others this Thanksgiving. I would also like to wish you and your families a wonderful holiday season!

We will be delivering turkeys to the Salvation Army as part of the 3TV Turkey Drive on November 17th. Yes, I said November 17th and no, that isn’t much time to raise money so PLEASE contact me SOON if you are able to help.

We chose to work with Channel 3 TV again this year as they do a great job with the Salvation Army giving to needy people in our community. I sincerely hope you will join us!

5 shopping carts FULL of Turkey!

Turkey mountain!

Remember, any amount helps. We buy turkey at the seasonal sale price, so any amount can be very helpful. Thanks so much for all of your generous help over the years. Together, we are able to help a lot of people!

ShareTweet

Walk The ( Urban Wine ) Walk is a post from: Rail Life

Phoenix area light rail riders are in for a great treat this weekend! We can all participate in the Downtown Phoenix Urban Wine Walk. Attendees of the Urban Wine Walk will choose from 17 participating restaurants / bars that are all located within walking distance from light rail stations.

“You’ll make the jump from novice to wine expert as you sample 2 oz pours on a diverse list of over 50 wines. From deep red Cabernets and Pinot Noirs to sweeter Chardonnays and Rieslings, the Urban Wine Walk has something for all tastes. Pours are priced between $2-$4 and restaurant hosts will provide Wine Walkers with tasty palate-cleansing snacks along the way.” – DowntownPhoenix,com

Participants are encouraged to “PRINT THEIR LIST AND MAP” of participating locations before heading out on your excellent adventure. As usual, there will be some cool things going on at the Downtown Phoenix Market this Saturday. Yes they are participating in the Wine Walk, but people that get to the market early enough will get an Urban Wine Walk Gift Bag.

Downtown Phoenix:

• 1130 The Restaurant
• Arrogant Butcher
• Brick Pizzeria & Wine Bar
• District American Kitchen & Wine Bar
• Icon Lounge at the Wyndham Phoenix Hotel
• Kincaid’s Fish, Chop & Steak House
• Networks
• Nobuo at Teeter House
• Phoenix Public Market
• Province at The Westin Downtown
• The Rose & Crown
• Sam’s Café
• Steve’s Greenhouse Grill

Camelback Corridor:

• Maizie’s Café
• Hula’s Modern Tiki

Tempe:

• Caffe Boa
• My Big Fat Greek Restaurant

The map below is from our “Light Rail Drinks” page where we try to give people ideas of where to grab a brew, a glass of wine, or some great coffee along the line. To find the participating restaurants of the Urban Wine Walk, make sure to print a copy of their maps to take with you. For this weekend, I tried to change the icon colors on this map to show you which places are participating, but the big GOOG only seems to be showing the new colors when it wants to. (?) Either way, you can click on the map and zoom in / out of the areas, etc.

View Light Rail Drinks in a larger map

Some Urban Wine Walk particulars:

When: Saturday, September 24th 11am – 6pm

Who: You! As long as you are 21

How Much: FREE to walk, wine pours average $2-$4

Why: Um, why NOT?

Don’t forget to purchase a light rail pass for $3.50. Also, the Park and Ride lots are FREE.

Make sure to tell your server that you are participating in the Wine Walk so that you get their specials. DowntownPhoenix.com/WineWalk has all of the details. You can also get their Twitter updates for helpful information.

Seriously folks, this Urban Wine Walk is great stuff. I love seeing people make these things happen. Our light rail community loves this stuff and so do a BUNCH of people that don’t normally ride. Including places from Mill Avenue in Tempe to Central Phoenix to the Camelback Corridor help people get a great feel for some of the MANY fun things we have to do along the Phoenix light rail line. Of course, you can feel free to stop by any of the other great wine bars along the way. Portland’s, Cheuvront’s, House of Tricks, and La Bocca are just a few that come to mind. Have fun, stay safe and keep rockin’ the Rail Life…

ASU Fans Getting Excited For Duel is a post from: Rail Life

So, I’m getting pretty pumped about the upcoming ASU football season. Brock seems ready to lead the team, we have some crazy defensive talent and a bunch of us are ready for some serious RailGating action.

Everyone remembers last year’s Duel in the Desert down in Tucson, right? That game was a great example of this awesome rivalry. Thankfully, this year’s Territorial Cup is in Tempe, where it belongs. If you EVER have an opportunity to attend one of these game, you are a fool to pass it up. The whole season builds up to the Cup, records are thrown out the window, and electricity fills the air.

Yesterday, I was talking to some friends about getting a bunch of people together for the annual ASU vs. U of A game. By the end of the day, we had purchased a total of 35 tickets in section 18. I hope to have that number reach 50 ( maybe 100? ) before all is said and done. With the crazy crew already committed to joining us, I’m pretty sure we will have a LOT of fun! Please let us know if you would like to join in on the fun!

Section 18 is in the north end zone, it has a good view of the field and of the large screen. We currently have tickets in rows 24,25 and 26. Seriously, you should join us!

Single game tickets go on sale to the general public on August 18th. Thankfully, I am a season ticket holder and have been able to take advantage of buying tickets early AND at a discounted price. Yes, membership has it’s privileges! :) I’m pretty sure they will still let me buy more tickets. They are only $25.00 right now, that’s the deal of the century, folks! Watch the RailLife Facebook page for more details. I can assure you, the pre and post game parties will also be a LOT of fun.

Of course, you should RSVP for our first big RailGating party of the year on our Facebook events page. It’s going to be a blackout, you don’t want to miss it! 

The Devils have been working hard in the off season, there is a buzz in the air, and we hope that a BUNCH of people will come out to support the team this year. Check out the 2011 ASU Football Schedule and get yourself some tickets.

ShareTweet

Join The Gang For Baseball And Brew is a post from: Rail Life

I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but there are at least three things I’m pretty sure of.

1. There are a LOT of people that ride the light rail to see the Diamondbacks play baseball at Chase Field.

2. They sell cold beer and tasty grub at Dave’s Electric Brewpub.

3. Some super smart people work out of GangPlank in Chandler, AZ. Some of them drink beer.

So, what do all three have in common? That’s easy. This Thursday, August 11th, a bunch of the cool kids from Gangplank ( and their friends ) will converge upon Dave’s Electric before heading downtown to catch a baseball game at Chase Field.

The map below will give you an idea as to how close Dave’s is to the light rail station near Sun Devil Stadium.

View Light Rail Drinks in a larger map

Some things to consider when heading to see the Diamondbacks from Dave’s.

Purchase a light rail pass: For just $3.50 you can ride the light rail to and from Chase Field.

Park and Ride: All park and ride lots are FREE. If you don’t live near the light rail line, these lots are always a good bet and a great value.

The stop at 3rd St/Jefferson is VERY close to Chase Field and US Airways Center. Most people know that there is a light rail stop at 3rd St/Jefferson near Chase Field, but new riders might not realize that this is an east bound train. Not to worry, you just need to know your way around.

If you are coming from GangPlank, you can also take the LINK bus to light rail and head to the station across from Sun Devil Stadium at 5th and College. Once you leave Dave’s, you will exit at 3rd and Washington and walk south to the arena. When going home, jump on the 3rd and Jefferson station right outside of Chase Field and head back east.

View Phoenix Valley METRO Light Rail in a larger map

I “borrowed” the following information from Gangplank:

To minimize out of pocket costs, once, we arrive at Chase Field we can stroll over to the box office and buy tickets for the bleachers – most likely in sections 140-142 (or wherever you’d prefer to watch the game.)

Here are the particulars:

Ticket Cost: $18.25 (including service fees for bleacher seats)

Pre-Game:

What: Craft Beer & Pub Fare at Happy Hour Prices

Depart for the game:

About 6:00 (That should give everyone enough time to arrive at Chase Field, Purchase Tickets, Concessions and arrive in our seats pre-first pitch.)

So, remember… All are invited, this is an “unorganized” event billed as a great excuse to have some fun with friends. Kids are FREE at Chase during the Houston series. Yes, there will be kids at the ballpark, so if you hear some tough guy saying he is staying home, please remind him that there is enough room for ALL to do their own thing.

Have fun rockin’ the Rail Life, y’all!

Rail Life Pic Of The Week – Gotta Love San Francisco is a post from: Rail Life

So, I had a LOT of fun in San Francisco this past week with some great friends. I got to stay at the infamous Jack Shack and hang with a bunch of great people at REBarCamp for that 4th annual event. This first pic was taken from the roof of The Shack during happy hour. The views are amazing, what a great part of the city!

Of course, the conference was awesome, I learned from some of the best and brightest minds in the real estate business. Yeah, we had a little bit of fun, too. I chose this pic because it has a bunch of great people represented in it.

In keeping up with the RailLife theme, I thought I would share this video of the San Francisco BART which got me to the airport safe and sound…

Gotta Love San Francisco!

ShareTweet

Get Happy – Stay Late at Phoenix Public Market is a post from: Rail Life

So, will you be able to say that you have been doing happy hour at the Market since before it was cool? Well, even if you have not yet been there for a happy hour, you are now in luck! Tuesday-Friday you can enjoy $1.00 off beer and wine while enjoying some of their great appetizers, soups, salads, etc. Grab a few friends, a six pack and/or a bottle of wine and chill out downtown. The Market might not have been your first thought when trying to find a spot to hang with some friends, but I can assure you, it is a great fit.

The press release below talks about the plans for the new happy hour and the latest late night spot to hang out in the PHX. For the time being, we still have late night light rail hours. We would encourage people to use em’ before we potentially lose them! It’s been a couple of years since the light rail hours have been extended on the weekends. Hopefully, the late weekend hours will continue well into the future so that people can enjoy stuff like this.

PHOENIX PUBLIC MARKET URBAN GROCERY AND WINE BAR LAUNCHES HAPPY HOUR; LATE NIGHT TO COME

PHOENIX – Phoenix Public Market, a program of the local non-profit Community Food Connections, has announced that they are launching a happy hour and late night at their indoor Urban Grocery and Wine Bar. In the spirit of the Market’s mission, both will feature the food, wine and beers of Arizona’s own producers in order to support our growing, local foods and family farms movement.

“I am so grateful to be able to be a part of a place that is active in supporting Arizona’s own” stated Natalie Morris, the Market’s Arizona wine and beer buyer. “With a selection of over 45 Arizona wines and an ever-growing Arizona craft beer menu, it seemed only logical that the next step for us was to showcase their work in every way we could. Who wouldn’t want to raise a glass in support of a good cause?”

Happy Hour is officially underway and runs Tuesday-Friday from 5-7pm with $1 off of both glasses of wine and bottles of beer. The Market’s full menu including appetizers, sandwiches, salads and soups are available.

Late Night is set to launch Friday July 8^th and will be featured every Friday following from 8pm-12am. The lounge, wine bar and patio will be open for drinks and will feature the Market’s seasonally-changing appetizers and new Late Night menu.

I am really glad to have become friends with Cindy and Natalie over the past couple of years. The vision they have for the Market is awesome and they have done a TON of great things for the community. For update of all things happening at the Phoenix Public Market, check out their Facebook page and follow them on Twitter.

Give the Market a try for a fun happy hour. You’ll be glad you did…

ShareTweet

2 Big Dawgs: A Glutton For Punishment is a post from: Rail Life

A while back, I mentioned a place called the Dawgfather Grill and the fact that they have a King of Dawgs challenge for anyone that is up for some serious gastronomic punishment. Not surprisingly, two of my friends that are known to do some out of the ordinary things once in a while have decided to take the challenge.

**Update, 6/24/2011 – Dean and Jay gave it a GREAT try. Here is a short video from their challenge**

First, my buddy Dean Ouellette. Some of you might remember “The WalMart Bet.” Yeah, he lost that one and had to spend 24 hours in a WalMart. Anyone that would make that bet is an obvious glutton for punishment. Currently, Dean is “training” for a chicken wing eating contest. The KOD challenge only makes sense, right?

Next up is our friend, Jay Thompson. Yeah, he’s the guy that has a serious love for fast food, which doesn’t necessarily make him a glutton for punishment, but you’ll just have to trust me on this one.

So, you guessed it, Dean and Jay are going to take the King of Dawgs challenge at the DawgFather Grill. If you want, you can come see the carnage for yourself. The challenge take place tomorrow June 24th at 1:30pm.

The DawgFather Grill is located at:

4727 N Central Ave Phoenix, Arizona 85012 – Very close to the Central and Camelback light rail station.

Anyone is invited to come watch and talk a little smack. If you think you’ve got what it takes to eat a huge 24” french baguette with SIX 1/4 pound dogs ( that’s 1.5 lbs, if you are counting ), 1 pound of grilled steak, 1/2 pound of grilled peppers and onions, 1/2 pound of cheese sauce and a pound of tater tots, please step up and give it a shot!

Here is some more information about the challenge:

AzFamily Helping in the Heat is a post from: Rail Life

So, it’s getting HOT outside, right? Have you ever taken a minute to think about how many people in Arizona are in need of basics like drinking water during the hot summer months? Well, thankfully,  Carey Peña from channel 3TV  and azfamily.com have introduced a very cool social media campaign designed to help many of the homeless and elderly in our community.

Help us raise 20,000 bottles of water!

Social media is a great way to help spread a message and 3TV is doing their part to help a lot of people get through the hot summer months in Phoenix.   All YOU have to do is go to www.azfamily.com/water and “Like” the page and a bottle of water will be donated for people in need this summer! For each “LIKE” a bottle of water will be donated to the Salvation Army!

During the summer months, when the National Weather Service declares an extreme heat warning, members from The Salvation Army’s Extreme Heat and Hydration Project respond by setting up hydration stations at 12 locations throughout the valley. In addition to the free standing hydration stations, Phoenix police cruisers are equipped with ice chests and bottled water to provide heat relief during their normal circulation of Phoenix. 3TV’s bottled water drive provides all the water for these efforts.

Additionally, after you ‘Like’ 3TV, you can also ‘Like’  Air Conditioning by Jay, and for each ‘Like’ on their Facebook page, Air Conditioning by Jay will donate another bottle of water. That’s 2 bottles of water for needy people in our community!

After the Facebook campaign, 3TV’s Annual Bottled Water Drive will be held June 16, 2011 from 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at The Salvation Army located at 2707 E. Van Buren in Phoenix. That day valley residents are encouraged to drop off bottled water to help the cause.

Huge thanks to these sponsors!

The Salvation Army – Facebook – www.facebook.com/PhxSalArmy

Air Conditioning by Jay  – Facebook -  www.facebook.com/acbyjay

Remember, it’s a social thing… You can follow the #3tvWater hash tag on Twitter for the most recent updates, and follow 3TV on twitter @azfamily  for up-to-date news and information!

Of course, you can also find Carey Peña on Facebook and follow her on Twitter, as well.  And, hey, it’s ok to “LIKE” RailLife on Facebook if you want too. :)

BIG thanks to Carey Peña along with Lori Santa Maria and Blanca Esparza at 3TV for taking the time to speak with RailLife.com about their super cool campaign!