Phoenix

Phoenix, the capital city of Arizona, is comprised of about 10 major suburbs and is known as 'The Valley'. Even though a resident might be from Gilbert or Scotsdale or Glendale, he or she will still refer to him or herself as being from Phoenix. The whole city is on a grid system, and there are several converging inter- and intra-state freeways and highways. There is a short period of mild weather from December to March, but 100-120 degree weather rules the rest of the months. In August/September there is a limited period of a few weeks called 'Monsoon Season' where it rains for several hours. Phoenix is home to the biggest party school in the nation, Arizona State College. A beautiful campus set in the middle of downtown Tempe, it is in the middle of several points of attraction, including the newest baseball stadium, Bank One Ballpark - also known as BOB. ASU is a growing college of about 50,000 students, most of which are as hot as the weather. Despite being a major, metropolitan city, Phoenix is distinctly dull and soul-less. It has no major theatre companies or enriching artistic outlets. It's at best a glorified rest stop for folks on their way to California. It's a web of suburbs comprised of 'pink houses' - developments that rely on the same four or five architectural structures to create identical houses with pink or salmon colored roofs. Like most of the manufactured homes, the people are fake - as in silicon implants and liposuction. Phoenix also has the rare pleasure to host a large population of what natives call 'Snow Birds'. Snow Birds are a flock of elderly couples and singles that come into The Valley during the three or four months of mild weather and stay in their homes in Sun City and Sun City West until summer begins and they travel again to the norther, cooler climates. They drive very slowly, clog up the freeways, and generally annoy the public.