Two assistants with the City of Phoenix Transit Police are being called heroes for rescuing a man who fell off a light-rail platform, onto the tracks and in the path of an approaching train. According to news reports, the man appeared intoxicated while standing on the Thomas and Central station last week. The police assistants happened to be on the platform as well, and saw the man as he fell off the platform. You can see the surveillance video here and read the story on KPHO-TV:
Police said the man was extremely intoxicated when he stumbled on the light rail platform near Central Avenue and Thomas Road, and fell head first onto the tracks. A train was heading right for him.
Many people are just now hearing about the story this week, so I thought I would post with a little update: plans are in the works to possibly honor Matthew Brandt and Terrell Granberry with an award, and don’t be surprised if you see more of these two guys on TV in the near future!
Continue Reading
Battle of the burgers along the light rail
Posted on 08. Mar, 2010 by Tony Arranaga.
There’s a battle of the $3 burger taking place along the light rail in Phoenix. Maize’s (Camelback station) has a Monday night special, toppings are extra. Down the road at Fez on Central (Indian School station), the restaurant has a three buck burger of the day on Monday nights. There are two other burger joints [...]
Continue Reading
Take me out to the ball game
Posted on 07. Mar, 2010 by Tony Arranaga.
Fellow transit buddy Yvette organized an outing with some friends to see a spring training exhibition game at the Phoenix Municipal Stadium. The Oakland Atheletics played the Milwaukee Brewers at the facility which is a short bike ride from the Priest light-rail station (Priest and Washington) and a 15 minute train ride from Downtown Phoenix. [...]
Continue Reading
The Art Detour detour: a walk on the wild side
Posted on 05. Mar, 2010 by Tony Arranaga.
UPDATE: city response
Graffiti artists in Downtown Phoenix are helping business owners battle tagging and blight, while creating a different kind of art walk during this weekend’s longest running self-guided art tour called Art Detour (here).
A collection of murals can be found in the Roosevelt District, and in an alley between 4th and 5th Streets in Downtown Phoenix. [...]
Continue Reading
Art Detour
Posted on 02. Mar, 2010 by Tony Arranaga.
In between working, blogging, and coffeebar potluck planning, I’m also volunteering to help Art Link put on a fantastic and educational Art Detour this weekend (March 6th and 7th). In case you’re not familiar with the event, Art Detour is a self-guided tour of the local artist studios and galleries in Downtown Phoenix. The event is [...]
Continue Reading
METRO budget cuts
Posted on 02. Mar, 2010 by Tony Arranaga.
Transit passengers will have an opportunity tonight to voice their concerns over proposed cuts to light-rail service. METRO is holding its budget hearings tonight in Downtown Phoenix and another one next Tuesday in Tempe. Meanwhile, the three cities which are served by the 20 mile starter line have also been holding their own budget hearings. [...]
Continue Reading
What’s in a name?
Posted on 01. Mar, 2010 by Tony Arranaga.
UPDATE: Twitter discussion
Station names should reflect the local landmarks along the 20 mile starter light-rail starter line in the metro Phoenix area, according to the folks over at the Arizona Rail Passenger Association.
Short, simple station names help riders find their destinations quickly. They help tourists know what is along the line. They make maps easier [...]
Continue Reading
Friends of Transit
Posted on 28. Feb, 2010 by Tony Arranaga.
Metro Phoenix transit advocacy group Friends of Transit invited me to tweet from the annual Friends of Transit conference at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown on Friday morning. According to its website, Friends of Transit educates the Greater Phoenix community about the benefits of a well-designed and accessible mass transit system. As you can probably surmise [...]
Continue Reading
Thank you
Posted on 28. Feb, 2010 by Tony Arranaga.
Dear Downtown Phoenix,
I figured ‘Downtown Phoenix’ would be the best way to address my thank you note for the Downtown Phoenix Coffeebar Potluck. After all, we came together as one community to showcase all the cool coffee bars and the great things happening in our urban core. The event was a great success! I originally [...]
Continue Reading
Google Transit and METRO light rail
Posted on 27. Feb, 2010 by Tony Arranaga.
UPDATE: screen caps of Google transit
The following is an email I received from Valley Metro explaining what’s happening with Google Transit, and when the service will possibly be available here in the Valley.
Have you heard of Google Transit, a feature of Google Maps that began in October of 2007 and now covers 445 cities worldwide? [...]
Continue Reading
I flunked my bicycle safety course
Posted on 23. Feb, 2010 by Tony Arranaga.
Over the weekend, I took a bicycle safety course at the Tempe Transportation Center. As you can see from the picture above, I failed miserably. In my defense, I missed the first two hours of the class because of the rain. Still, I flunked. Tom with Tempe Bicycle Action Group taught the course and is [...]
Continue Reading
Into the groove
Posted on 21. Feb, 2010 by Tony Arranaga.
Feel like kickin’ up your heels on a Sunday night? Looking to bring the weekend in for a nice soft landing? You’re in luck! There are plenty of events to help facilitate all this on a Sunday afternoon/evening in Downtown Phoenix. All of the locations below are just a hop, skip and a jump from [...]
Continue Reading
Downtown Phoenix grocery shopping
Posted on 21. Feb, 2010 by Tony Arranaga.
A vending machine magically appeared at my complex the other day. Come to find out, a neighbor (or two?) pushed to get one installed. Apparently, there is no where to buy snacks nearby. I mentioned the Phoenix Public Market to the vending machine neighbor. “Don’t they only sell produce?”
If you follow me on Twitter, you [...]
Continue Reading
Departures
Posted on 18. Feb, 2010 by Tony Arranaga.
UDPATE: link to eatslow, eventbrite
Phoenix Public Market employee Natalie Morris heads to Italy later this month, and with our help, plans to bring back a ‘trip gift.’ Morris will obtain her masters degree in Food Culture and Communication from the University of Gastronomic Sciences, which is just outside Parma. The year long program will focus on [...]
Continue Reading
Carfree in Phoenix part 4
Posted on 17. Feb, 2010 by Tony Arranaga.
As part of Valley Metro’s Try 1 in 5 month, I’m talking to professionals in Phoenix who live car-free. Whether you want to help clean the air, reduce congestion on the roads, or you want to get better acquainted with your city – professionals all around Downtown Phoenix want to experience life car-free in the urban core.
Dominic Fasano, [...]
