Arizona Aloha Festival Back in Tempe! is a post from: Rail Life

The Arizona Aloha Festival will be here before you know it! In fact, it is this coming weekend, March 13th and 14th, 2010. Somehow, this one snuck up on me. I try to follow this festival, because it is a lot of fun and the people that put it on are really nice. When I spoke with planning committee chairperson Lacretia Bacon today she sounded really excited about the lineup for the 2010 Aloha Festival. They have added some new entertainment, some more food choices, and have even added a “work-shop” element to the festival. ( crafts, etc.)

At last year’s Aloha Festival, I had a great time enjoying the music, shopping, eating good food, and meeting some really cool people.

For us “locals,” the Aloha Festival is a way to feel like we are visiting “the islands”, but for the people here in the valley that are from the islands, they get to feel like the islands are coming to them.  “The goods we have here, you can’t get them in other places” (around town), said Lacretia.

This year, there will be a raffle to win 80,000 Hawaiian AirMiles which is enough for two people to fly to Hawaii along with 5 nights in an ocean view condo at Aston Paki Maui. Raffle tickets are just $5!

What: 16th Annual Arizona Aloha Festival

When: March 13th and 14th from 10am-5pm

Where: Tempe Beach Park

How Much: FREE to enter

Getting to the Arizona Aloha Festival is easy if taking the light rail. Just head to Tempe and exit at the Mill Avenue station. From there, head north on Mill to Tempe Beach park. I was told that nearly 10% of last year’s festival goers took light rail to the Aloha Fest and that they hope to have the number “double or triple” this year. Lacretia tells me, “We love having people ride the light rail to the festival, there’s no parking hassles with light rail.”

Watch the AZ Aloha Fest web site or check out the Arizona Aloha Festival Facebook page for more details and updates.

Time For ASU Baseball With Valley Metro and Friends is a post from: Rail Life

What is more fun than a spring baseball game at ASU’s Packard Stadium? How about a FREE spring baseball game at ASU’s Packard Stadium?

Rail Life is teaming up with Dave’s Electric Brewpub and Valley Metro so that a bunch of us can enjoy an ASU baseball game on Saturday, March 20th 2010. The tickets are courtesy of our friends at Valley Metro RPTA and the good grub is courtesy of our friends at Dave’s Electric Brewpub. Beginning early next week, we will start making the tickets available so, stay tuned. You might want to leave a comment here if you want to be one of the first people to get tickets. ( hint, hint )

What’s the deal? In true Rail Life style, we want to have as much fun as possible. When the cool people at Valley Metro RPTA told me they had a bunch of baseball tickets for us to use, my fun meter immediately went ballistic. What did I do? I called my friend Christina at Dave’s and and came up with a “game plan.” Christina will graciously allow us to hang out at her restaurant before the game and even put out some appetizers for us to munch on. ( Any type of drink you choose or normal menu items will be on you. ) Basically, we have 70 tickets to give away and want to invite our friends to an ASU baseball game on March 20th. Game time is 1:00pm and we will be meeting at Dave’s for fun and food at 11:00am.

Remember, taking the bus or the light rail to ASU is easy. Valley Metro has bus and light rail schedules on their site and the Tempe Transportation Center is visible from Dave’s! (Valley Metro’s Facebook Fan page also has more information!)

I spoke with ASU about the tickets and found out that we will be in the lawn area where we can hang out on blankets or chairs that we bring. This will be a perfect way to spend a spring game with a bunch of really cool people! ASU tells me they allow people to bring bottled water and snacks like peanuts, seeds, etc. If you have specific questions on what we can and can’t bring, please contact the ASU ticket office.

Beginning next week, I will be working with The Social Latte and with Network and Connect to come up with some fun promotions and ways for us to give away the tickets to the game, so stay tuned! It looks like RailGating is starting early this year!

Remember Sun Devil fans, “Your Life Is On The Line!”

Google Fiber – Tempe Shoots For The Stars is a post from: Rail Life

Google Fiber coming to Tempe? Yeah, it could happen! When I first heard about this, I immediately thought it would be COOL. Thankfully, so did many of the leaders of our city. The application is in and we are ready to rock! According to a Google Fiber web site, they plan to test ultra-high speed broadband networks in trial locations across the country that will deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most of us have access to today. Google Fiber will run open access networks over 1 gigabit per second. I’m no rocket scientist, but I am pretty sure that is smokin’ fast. Who knows what researchers at ASU or other innovative companies could do with Google Fiber in Tempe? 

Check out this information about Google Fiber from our friends at the City of Tempe: Don’t forget to check out the cool prizes you can win, too!

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Google giving away free high speed fiber to competing city – Tempe going for it with #GTempe campaign:

What could you do with networking speeds 100 times faster than they currently are?

Google is taking applications from communities that want to find out. They’re offering to install free high speed fiber in at least one community in America. Cities have to compete with each other to get it. The deadline to enter is March 26. (Details on this: http://www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi/ )

Tempe wants that fiber. We want it for our 175,000 residents, for our 175,000 workers, for our 4 million visitors who travel here annually for fun and business and for our 200,000 college students. Why do we want it? Tempe, Arizona is known for innovation. We think that the combined brain power of all these people, with this fiber, can change the world. We’ve already done so much.

You can help convince Google that Tempe is the best place to showcase their fiber. Tell us how you can change the world, or at least your corner of it, if you had access to the kind of speed that Google fiber promises.

Send us a video, a Tweet, a photo, a note. Tell your friends and followers. We’re working on our video right now! We’ll bring everything together on our website http://tempe.gov/googlefiber. Let’s make sure Google understands how passionate we are about this!

Your enthusiasm will be rewarded. The most creative video will win fabulous Tempe prizes, including an overnight stay at the Tempe Aloft Hotel. You’ll get to help us decide which video will win the prize. Downtown Tempe Community is giving away $10 gift certificates to the first 50 people who post a photo to Flickr that shows how they would change the world using the speed of Google fiber. Who said there’s no such thing as a free lunch? Other prizes will be announced over the next couple of weeks, too.

Tweet: @tempegov #gtempe #tempe

Youtube.com: Use this in your title: One Community Changing the World, Tempe, AZ , #gtempe

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/groups/gtempe/

Email us: kris_baxter@tempe.gov

Got other ideas on how we can make a statement to Google? Let’s hear them!

Call 480 858-2059 or email kris_baxter@tempe.gov

One community changing the world … Tempe, Arizona

Links

• Read about Google’s fiber and nominate Tempe!  http://www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi/
• Send us a Tweet to appear on our page! www.twitter.com @tempegov #gtempe
• Learn about the Grand Prize! (Link to http://www.starwoodhotels.com/alofthotels/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=3102
• Downtown Tempe Community www.downtowntempe.com
• City of Tempe www.tempe.gov

OUR APPLICATION PARTNERS

• Arizona State University
• Terralever
• Sitewire
• Keane Creative 
• US Airways
• Zion and Zion
• Raillife.com
• Downtown Tempe Community

Phoenix Sky Train To Connect Light Rail Riders is a post from: Rail Life

The PHX Sky Train, a massive public works project now under construction at the east end of Sky Harbor Airport, recently became the topic of media attention when it was not included among the projects receiving federal stimulus funds announced by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. Unfortunately, there is a lot of confusion surrounding this project, and some of the misconceptions have been amplified by inaccurate reporting in the local media. The Sky Train project is of interest to me not only because of my support of rail transit in the Phoenix Metro Area, but also because I observe its construction every day during my commute to work. Whether I’m driving my own car or using a combination of light rail and bus route 44, I’ve witnessed the transformation of 44th Street between Washington Street and University Drive.

Despite careless wording in some media reports, the Sky Train is not a light rail extension. Instead, it’s an intra-airport transit system that uses equipment and technology distinct from light rail. In fact, in the strictest sense of the word, the Sky Train is not really a train at all. Instead of traveling on rails, it will use automated vehicles with rubber tires that travel on a fixed guideway. This design is fairly typical of intra-airport transit systems around the world. The Sky Train will be elevated over much of its route, a necessity within the busy environment of an airport. While mixing light rail trains with car traffic has been controversial due to train vs. car accidents, the issues would be much greater if trains were mixed with taxiing aircraft. In addition, security considerations mandate that the train not provide ready access to “sterile” areas beyond TSA checkpoints.

The construction currently underway will culminate in the opening of Phase 1 of the project in early 2013. This initial phase will connect three key destinations: The 44th St. / Washington light rail station, the East Economy parking garages, and Terminal 4. While this may cover only a portion of the large Airport, it addresses areas of heavy traffic. Right now, nearly 1,000 passengers per day connect from light rail to the Airport via the existing fleet of silver buses. Still, many arriving passengers at Sky Harbor complain that the light rail connection is insufficiently marked and too hard to find. Imagine how many more passengers will transfer to light rail when it can be reached via a quick ride on the highly visible Sky Train, which will pull up alongside Terminal 4.

Terminal 4 is also the most logical terminal for the Sky Train’s first phase because of its dominant role at the Airport. That terminal is a major hub for both US Airways and Southwest Airlines and handles approximately 80% of Sky Harbor passengers. It is also Phoenix’s gateway to the world since international flights from foreign carriers like British Airways and Aeromexico arrive and depart from there. Beginning in 2013, passengers using Terminal 4 will have a much quicker and more convenient means of connecting to both the parking garages and the light rail station to the east. What remains to be addressed in Phase 2 are the other terminals and the rental car center, which is located at the Airport’s far west end near 16th Street and Buckeye Road.

The official reason given for building the Sky Train in two phases is that doing so spreads out the cost over a longer period of time. As with any public works project, cost has been a source of controversy. This train’s length, longer than most intra-airport systems around the world, has resulted in a project cost almost as great as the initial 20-mile light rail starter line now in operation between Christown and west Mesa. Although the costs may be similar, the funding mechanisms for the two projects are distinct. The light rail line was funded by a combination of dedicated transit sales taxes and federal assistance. The Sky Train is being funded by the Airport itself with revenue collected from a variety of fees charged to airlines, passengers, vendors, and other airport users.

Beyond the desire to spread out costs over a longer period of time, there’s another reason why it may not make sense to build the Sky Train all at once. Sky Harbor’s long-term plans call for the demolition of the existing Terminal 2 and the construction of a new “West Terminal.” It seems logical to have all future construction at the west end of the Airport completed, or at least fully mapped out, before building the Sky Train in that territory. With those reasons in mind, Phase 2 of the Sky Train is scheduled to be completed in 2020. That’s a long way off, and the Airport’s attempt to garner federal stimulus funds was an attempt at a modest acceleration of the timetable. Specifically, the funds, had they been awarded, would have allowed the Sky Train to extend to Terminal 3 directly and Terminal 2 via a pedestrian walkway as part of Phase 1 in 2013. The rental car center would still not have been connected until 2020.

In coverage of the denial of stimulus funds, media reactions have tended to focus on the negative without regard for the dramatic construction already underway. It’s important to understand that this project is simply continuing along its original schedule. The only outcome from LaHood’s announcement is that Terminal 3 and Terminal 2 will have to wait until Phase 2 of the project, instead of being moved up to Phase 1. In an email, Claire Simeone Stern, Public Information Officer for the City of Phoenix Aviation Department, states: “If we had been awarded the $122 million federal grant the train would have connected to Terminal 3 (with a pedestrian walkway to Terminal 2) as part of the first phase. So, the funding would have enabled the project to go a little farther, a little sooner. However, since we were not awarded that grant we will continue on our original schedule.”

In other words, the Sky Train project is going forward even without the federal funds that were sought for a modest acceleration of its construction. Anyone traveling along the involved segment of 44th Street, formerly known as SR 153 before ADOT turned it over to the City of Phoenix, can see the construction all around. Ground just south of Washington Street is being cleared for the Sky Train’s eastern terminus, and a pedestrian bridge connecting that facility to the existing light rail station is already in place. Down in the East Economy parking area, structures are being built that will support the guideway as it is threaded between the two garages. In light of the ongoing work at the east end of the Airport, reports of the Sky Train’s demise have been greatly exaggerated.

Phoenix Sky Train Entrance

Photos and article by David Bickford

Can Night Rail Survive Cuts? is a post from: Rail Life

The squeaky wheel… You know the ones, they get out and make themselves heard. It was a bunch of squeaky wheels that introduced the Night Rail concept last year and it “could” be the ones to help save late night light rail ridership now.

There was a lot of great stuff coming out of the Friends of Transit Conference last week, and I began hearing more about the possibility of keeping the late night hours from some of the tweets from the conference . Today, Sean Holstege is in fact reporting on AZ Central that “Light-rail cutbacks may preserve late trains on weekend.”

In Phoenix, they have a huge say in what happens with the light rail schedules and budget. This is gonna be interesting. Here is a re-cap of some of the proposed changes up for consideration:

• Eliminate Friday late night service until 2 a.m. –  train would stop running at 12 a.m. on Fridays. (Estimated annual savings – $64,120)

• Eliminate Saturday late night service until 2 a.m. – train would stop running at 12 a.m. on Saturdays. (Estimated annual savings – $40,320)

• Change peak service hours FROM 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. TO 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Estimated annual savings – $70,560)

• Change service hours FROM 4 a.m. to 12 a.m. TO 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. (Estimated annual savings – $89,880)

• Reduce peak hour service from every 10 minutes to every 12 minutes. (Estimated annual savings – $112,280)

• Reduce peak hour service from every 10 minutes to every 15 minutes. (Estimated annual savings – $138,880)

So, what say you? Is this good for the Phoenix light rail system? Do businesses benefit from these later hours? Give us your two cents…

late night light rail riders enjoy “night rail”

Rail Life “Flickr Pic” of the week – Singin’ The Blues is a post from: Rail Life

All this talk lately about light rail service cuts and political posturing kind of sounds like some people are singing the blues because there will be changes made to the frequency of the trains, the starting and stopping times, etc. Well, most of what we have seen or heard really ain’t that bad…

Speaking of not that bad, check out the mad photo skills of my new friend Adam from High Dynamic Reality Photography. Adam was kind enough to add some cool stuff to our Flickr group and this recent pic of the light rail bridge caught my eye.

Thanks Adam!

Remember, Rail Life has a Phoenix Light Rail Group on Flickr. Basically, we want to share some of our pictures from the community and allow people to add their pics (or videos), as well. These can be light rail related, but we also want pics of your favorite spot, restaurant, sports team, community, event etc.

Great Arizona Beer Festival Rockin’ the Rail Life is a post from: Rail Life

This headline definitely got my attention…

22nd ANNUAL GREAT ARIZONA BEER FESTIVAL TO FEATURE ARIZONA’S LARGEST FESTIVAL SELECTION OF SPECIALTY AND MICRO-BREWED OFFERINGS

Remembering last years festival at Tempe Beach Park, I have been looking forward to this years event. The Great Arizona Beer Festival in Tempe is a really fun event. To get to the Beer Festival in Tempe, just hop on the light rail and head to the Mill Avenue Station. From Mill, just head North to Tempe Beach Park and you are ready to sample over 200 beers. Well, you probably won’t make it to 200 but, I think you can have fun sampling a “few.”

Purchase tickets for the AZ Beer Festival on line or at these cool locations:

1) Dave’s Electric Brewpub – 502 S. College,

2) Tempe Sun Devil Liquors – 235 N. Country Club,Mesa

3) SunUp Brewing – 322 E. Camelback, Phoenix

4) Robbie Fox’s Public House – 640 S. Mill, Tempe

5) Rock Bottom Brewery – all 4 Valley locations

6) Tops Liquors – 403 W. University, Tempe

Our friend Sarah (one of the Arizona Beer Festival’s publicists) recently told me that “we anticipate having more beers than last year…which was 203! Still waiting on a few last-minute registrations before we have the final count, but as far as we know, that should be the most beers at any festival in AZ.”

While this might be Arizona’s biggest and best beer festival, there is also a LOT of entertainment and some really good grub for all to enjoy. Check out the live music, cornhole beanbag games, some serious paintball action and a ton of food vendors on site to keep the munchies at bay.

When: March 6th and 7th

Where: Tempe Beach Park, 54 W Rio Salado Pkwy. Tempe, AZ

What Time: 2pm – 6pm

More Info: Visit AZbeer.com, friend AZ Beer Fest on Facebook follow AZ Beerfest on Twitter

Getting There: Take the light rail to the Mill Avenue Station. If driving, leave your car at one of the Park and Ride lots for FREE.

How Much: General Admission tickets are $40 ($10 off the gate price) Bring your Designated Driver for just $20. VIP tickets are $80.00 Beer Fest VIP’s enjoy early admission (1pm), catered food and casino games in private VIP Pavillion, and free Festival T-shirt. VIP tickets also include entry to “The VIP Experience” presented by 944 Magazine. Enjoy a private VIP seating area with catered food, electronic lounge, separate restrooms, early admittance (1pm), a free event tee shirt and a gift bag.

From the Beer Fest site we also get this description: “ General admission and VIP tickets include entrance to the event, a souvenir tasting mug, 24 sampling tickets and enjoyment of live music on stage.“

So, come on out to the Great Arizona Beer Festival in Tempe. It is sure to be a LOT of fun…

A press release went out last month about the event and I am passing it along incase you missed it.

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TEMPE, Ariz. ­ (Jan. 15, 2010) ­ Thousands of beer lovers from throughout the region are expected to flock to Tempe Beach Park the weekend of March 6-7, 2010 for the 22nd Annual Great Arizona Beer Festival.

The annual festival is the primary fund raising event for Sun Sounds of Arizona, a reading service for people who are blind or whose disability prevents them from reading printed material, such as newspapers, magazines and best-selling books.

Presented by azcentral.com, the festival is dedicated to the enjoyment of fine craft brews. More than 7,000 beer aficionados, Arizonans and guests attend this weekend-long festival each year to celebrate and sample more than 200 specialty and micro-brewed beers ­ more than any other festival in the state ­ from all over the Southwest and beyond.

The festival also features live music, games, a variety of great food, and fun for people age 21 and over. This year¹s live entertainment will be provided by local bands Big Nick and The Gila Monsters (Saturday, March 6) and Major Lingo (Sunday, March 7).

Additional event sponsors include 944 magazine, which is the presenting sponsor of the VIP Experience. Casino Arizona is the Safe Ride Home Sponsor, KDKB is the official FM Radio sponsor, and Yelp.com is also a featured sponsor.

This year¹s event will include several exciting new components, such as:

· For the first time in the history of the festival, select beers will be judged by a panel of representatives from azcentral.com, 944 magazine and DRAFT magazine.

· The VIP Experience, presented by 944 magazine, will feature casino-style gaming including blackjack, Texas Hold Em poker, roulette and craps, with opportunities to win and bid on raffle and live auction prizes with casino ³winnings.² All proceeds benefit Sun Sounds of Arizona. The VIP area will also feature a variety of other games and catered food.

· Guests can try their luck in the virtual paintball laser shooting gallery, a new attraction that offers a realistic paintball experience without the mess of traditional paintball presented by Tempe Paintball. A perfect score qualifies guests for a prize drawing.

· Also, returning this year, the popular beanbag game Cornhole will be hosted by tournament organizers Cornhole Arizona.

· The Designated Driver pavilion area will feature free massagesprovided by Arizona School of Massage Therapy, a variety of non-alcoholic drinks provided by The Pop Shop, and designated parking.

· Leading up to the event, the GAZBF will host a variety of online contests and promotions through azcentral.com, 944.com and their fan pages on social media sites Facebook and Twitter.

³I think this year’s event is going to be a great one! In addition to great beer and vendors, we have a lot of new ideas to entertain the crowd,² says Sue DesParte, chair of the 2010 event. ³I¹m also looking forward to raising as much money as possible, since every nickel we earn goes directly to Sun Sounds of Arizona.²

Tickets are $40 in advance and $50 at the gate for general admission, including up to 24 different beer samples, or $80 in advance/$90 at the gate for VIP admission. In addition to catered food, shade, VIP entertainment and games, separate restrooms, and other amenities, VIPs may also enter an hour before the festival starts and will receive a free event T-shirt and gift bag.

Designated drivers receive general admission entry to the festival for only $20 and VIP entry for $30.

The Great Arizona Beer Festival will be held on Saturday, March 6 and Sunday, March 7 from 2 to 6 p.m. Tickets are available at www.azbeer.com and at participating pubs and retail outlets. Call 480-774-8300 for details.

Google Transit Coming Soon To Rock The Rail Life! is a post from: Rail Life

Have you heard of Google Transit, a feature of Google Maps that began in October of 2007 and now covers 445 cities worldwide? Google Transit helps you get around town using the “Get Directions” feature of Google Maps and the option to use public transit.

Valley Metro has been working with the 14 member cities of the Regional Public Transit Association (RPTA) to bring this feature to Valley residents. We’ve covered a lot of ground in the testing phase, but it’s a big Valley with a lot of transit routes to verify so we’re not yet ready to introduce it for use. Here’s a little more about what Google Transit will do once it’s online (using a test account set up for us by Google): Like any trip using Google Maps, I input my origin and destination. In this case I want to leave the Valley Metro offices to go to the Phoenix Zoo. I’ve expanded the options section to tell Google I want to leave the office at 10:00 am, and I want to use public transit.

When I click on “Get Directions” the map shows me public transit options, and I can click on the bus icon to get more information on the route selected.

The text on the left side of the Google Transit webpage gives me the specifics of the trip, and shows multiple transit options if they are available. Note that all Valley Metro Transit Book information is uploaded to Google Transit – the transit feature knows that a Route 3 bus is scheduled to depart Central station at 10:14, and should arrive at the Phoenix Zoo at 10:47 am.

More complex trips for Google Transit may involve taking an Express Bus or RAPID to downtown, connecting to METRO Light Rail, and then walking to your final destination. Add to that the comprehensive time schedules involved with each transit route, and you can see we’ve got our hands full. It takes careful coordination to get all of the correct information in the right format to Google so that residents can use an accurate online transit service. Once the service is online, our Share The Ride users can see their Google Transit options with just one click. Their origin and destination information is already saved to their profile, along with their commuting schedule. A “Show Transit” button will change their commute map into a Google Transit map, as shown below in a demonstration account.

ShareTheRide users can then find carpool, vanpool and transit options for their commute all in one place, using one account. When can you see, test and travel around the Valley using Google Transit? We hope to have it ready by the end of April, and we’re working closely with transit agencies around the Valley to make that happen. We know Google Transit will help both residents and tourists visit all the great destinations the Valley has to offer.

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Big thanks to Valley Metro for sending this information to Rail Life today! We are REALLY looking forward to Google Transit being available here!

METRO Seeking Public Input on Service Changes is a post from: Rail Life

As we recently have noted, bus and light rail service cuts are “probably’ coming soon. Here is a copy of a press release issued today giving people a reminder of their opportunity to participate in the process.

Provide input on potential METRO service changes

PHOENIX — Two public meetings are scheduled to hear rider input on service change options for METRO light rail.  Any changes would occur in July 2010.

Tues., March 2, 6 – 8 p.m.

METRO light rail boardroom

101 N. 1st Ave., Ste. 1300, Phoenix

Closest station:  Washington/Central Ave. (westbound) or Van Buren/1st Ave. (eastbound)

Tues., March 9, 6 – 8 p.m.

Tempe Transportation Center

Don Cassano Community Room

200 E. Fifth St., Tempe

Closest station:  Veterans Way/College Ave.

Changes are being considered to address a decline in sales tax revenue as a result of the slow economy.  Sales tax revenue is the largest funding source for transit service Valleywide; fare revenue supports the balance of operating costs at approximately 25 percent.  While METRO ridership has surpassed all first-year projections, riders’ fare revenue contribution cannot keep up with the drop in sales tax collections.

Public input will help METRO and its member cities determine the fiscal year 2010 – 11 METRO operating budget and schedule.  The budget is scheduled for Board approval in the May timeframe with any changes occurring on July 26, 2010. 

Review the service change options and other opportunities for comment at www.metrolightrail.org. 

About METRO 

METRO is responsible for the development and operation of the region’s high-capacity transit system.  The first 20-mile light rail line opened Dec. 27, 2008 and served 11.3 million riders in 2009.  Ridership exceeds projections by 34 percent on weekdays and fairs as well or better on Saturdays and Sundays.  METRO will continue to refine its 20-mile operation, while also planning for 37 miles of future extensions.

Coffee Talk – Light Rail Style is a post from: Rail Life

The list of coffee bars along the light rail line is pretty darn impressive, certainly by Arizona standards. Yeah, we have a Starbucks or two, but the places that seem to be getting some real attention are locally owned shops with that oh, so cool vibe. You know, Lux, Lola, Cartel, Fair Trade, Royal etc. etc.

I must admit, a coffee snob I am not… BUT, I have been to all of these places and I really do enjoy hanging out at them.

If you know them or you don’t, I hope you will come check out the Downtown Phoenix Coffeebar Potluck THIS Saturday from 10am – 12pm right off of the Roosevelt Light Rail Station at Portland Park. One more thing to consider is the fact that they will also be sampling pastries and desserts! Yep, bring your sweet tooth and have some light rail fun in the park!

Big thanks to Tony, our friend in Phoenix who has been the one to put this cool event together. From Tony’s Facebook event page we see that:

Each coffeebar is donating samples of their signature pastry or dessert for the event.

In return:

-during the event, be sure to Tweet about which dessert you liked the best. (Earn more good Karma points by posting a picture!)

So, get out of the house this Saturday and have some fun, light rail style…