Phoenix is Hot
I went to Phoenix yesterday to go to a court appearance. Normally, I fly in in the morning, take a cab to court and then after my hearing take a cab to the airport and fly home in the afternoon. The cab is always expensive, but it is easy. Except that since the court is a federal building, the cab is not allowed to stop in front. The streets are all one way, so there is no logical spot to drop me and the cab usually stops really far from the entrance. This would be fine, EXCEPT it is Phoenix. It is over 100 degrees every time I go. Once the cab driver told me that the news said it was 110, but that it was probably 120 because they don't like to scare you on the news with the truth when the temperature gets too high. And yes, I was scared.
Anyway, they said it was 102 (so I figured 112 at the worst). I took a cab to court and took my jacket off before getting out of the cab. The cab driver dropped me a half a block from the entrance, but it was before 9 a.m., so I survived. The building is very unusual--it is about 6 stories, but one whole side is just glass surrounding a large (6 story) atrium that makes up half the building. Except that it can't be air conditioned. That's right 1/2 of the building is hot. It's not as hot as it is outside and the guards have fans, but if you stand in the hallways very long, you are very hot. The courtrooms are air conditioned and all the offices and even the cafeteria is behind two doors (so as not to let the cool out), but the air in the courtroom goes off at noon and of course I was so lucky that the judge let me keep going past noon for my hearing, but I digress.
So after court (at about 1 p.m. the height of heat of the day no less), I was thinking that this may be my last trip, because this case is pretty much over, so I decided to add a stop on my trip and go to the Hard Rock Cafe in Phoenix. [I collect tee shirts from the Hard Rock Cafe from all over--I think I have at least 30 (but for a while it was size small and now it is definitely size XL, so I could always use another one).] I looked it up on my iphone map and it was only about 5 blocks from the court. I asked the clerk if I could walk there and she looked horror stricken and said no. But she said that there is a downtown dash bus that I could take that I can get across the street from the court. Meanwhile I look up on my handy iphone how to get to the airport from the hardrock cafe and for kicks I press the button for a bus route. Easy, peasy, it is like a straight shot from the court (and the hard rock cafe five blocks in the direction of the airport) to the airport. Saving some money and taking the bus became my new plan.
I was careful to take off my jacket as I exited the building and it was not like walking into a furnace (like walking out of any building in Florida) [although, that maybe because of the special design of the federal courthouse--the atrium is hot, although not unbearably so, so you are already ready for pretty hot by the time you exit the building, but of course I digress (except not really)]. I walked around the front over to Jefferson and then up to the cross walk, just as the number 15 bus left the bus stop on the other side of the street. The number 15 bus was a good (safe) alternate to the dash, because I had already seen on my iphone map that it took me right past the hard rock cafe on the way to the airport. I crossed Jefferson and decided to walk toward the hard rock cafe to the next bus stop that I could see a block up. I was very hot, but the dash bus was right there, so it seemed like a reasonable endeavor. The dash bus was putting the wheel chair lift down, so I had plenty of time to make it, but still I was very happy to jump on the bus into the sweet air conditioning.
As I settled into my seat and looked around, I was rather frightened by the sight--the bus was full of very ragged, very hot and tired looking, very poor people. There was a desperation and depressed feeling that was palpable. I took a little firmer hold of my purse and realized that if I were homeless, riding a free bus would be the perfect way to beat the heat. My consternation at my fellow passengers was nothing to my dismay as the bus suddenly pulled out of traffic to make a left turn (off the street that would take me to the hard rock cafe) and barrelled two blocks to the next light before stopping in the left turn lane. I asked the driver if this bus went to the hard rock cafe and she said (much like the clerk now that I think about it)in a rather horrified voice, no. She admonished me for not asking earlier. She made her left turn and pulled into the next stop. She said it would take about fourteen minutes to get back where she had picked my up and that I could take the 15 bus. AND EVERYONE ELSE GOT OFF THE BUS. I'm not kidding. There were about 12 people on the bus and every one of them got off at that stop. I was surprised and concerned, so I asked the driver--is this the end of the line or something--is she taking a long break (and in my head I thought--is she turning off the air conditioner???). No she said. They are only allowed to make one loop per day. She kicks them off if they stay on past one loop. She was too busy with her routine of drinking from her water bottle and emptying her trash to see my horrified face.
Meanwhile a different group of homeless looking people got on the bus. A very crusty (I didn't look long enough to see what made up the physical crust) and odious old man got on and sat next to me. I said thank you to the driver and decided to walk. One half block on my way back to Jefferson, I was at a metro stop. Metro is not on my iphone, but the Metro little map showed that it went to the airport. I deduced that I was going east, so I was in the right place. It was slightly cooler in the shade of the metro stop, so I figured I would skip the HRC and go right to the airport. Then I remembered I needed a metro pass. Of course the kiosk was in the sun. The sun was glaring down on the screen and my choices made no sense, so I put my credit card in and picked the most expensive option--premium, express all day pass ($5.50). There was a sign telling me to swipe the card in front of the orange circle--weird.
The metro was there in minutes and I got in and sat down in the cool of the air conditioning. A guy and a girl who were obviously a couple, who were very sweaty and dirty got on the metro right after me and out of all the empty seats in the car sat right next to me practically stealing my purse with their eyes. And they stank. Almost overwhelmingly so. The metro turned onto Jefferson and the very next stop was a half a block from the hard rock cafe. It was fate. I got out and hoofed it back to the hard rock cafe. When I walked in to the blessed air conditioning, I was struck by how empty it was. There was not a single employee in sight. There were only a few customers (or I would have thought they were closed and forgot to lock the front door). It was about three minutes (that felt like a lot longer) before someone came out from the back to seat me. My diet coke (excuse me, pepsi--heartbreak) was there quickly enough and I soon started to feel human again. But it was clear that I was not dressed for the weather and since getting a tee shirt was part of the plan, I bought it and changed into it right away. All the employees (four at final count) loved it and commented each time they passed me. Not my intention, but I digress.
After lunch, it was back to the metro, only this time no unsavory companions. This time, the travelers looked like they were going to the airport or to work. Along the route, I looked at all the very tired looking buildings, junk yards, vacant lots and the thing that struck me (besides the fact that there were no people out--no people in sight outside at all) was all the American Flags--almost every building had a huge American flag painted on it. [Long semi-political aside deleted--who really wants to talk about Spain and the world cup anyway, but I almost digressed.]
At the stop for the airport, we had to cross the street to the shuttle bus for the airport, so it was more walking, walking in the hot, hot heat and then blessed air conditioning. There was no driver in the shuttle bus, but that didn't bother me or the 8 or so other passengers all too happy to wait in the cool bus rather than take our chances back outside. It was only a few minutes before another bus pulled up and dropped off our driver. I don't know why no one stole the bus--I mean, really it was just sitting there running with the air conditioning going with no driver in sight and no one around for a ways, except the 8 or so of us too exhausted from the heat and too happy to be out of it to think clearly enough for larceny. Answered my own question.
There was more walking at the airport of course, but it was a controlled climate, so I only whimpered a little. All in all, I'm not sorry that this may have been my last trip to Phoenix. I am not ashamed to say that I don't think I can take the heat.
Anyway, they said it was 102 (so I figured 112 at the worst). I took a cab to court and took my jacket off before getting out of the cab. The cab driver dropped me a half a block from the entrance, but it was before 9 a.m., so I survived. The building is very unusual--it is about 6 stories, but one whole side is just glass surrounding a large (6 story) atrium that makes up half the building. Except that it can't be air conditioned. That's right 1/2 of the building is hot. It's not as hot as it is outside and the guards have fans, but if you stand in the hallways very long, you are very hot. The courtrooms are air conditioned and all the offices and even the cafeteria is behind two doors (so as not to let the cool out), but the air in the courtroom goes off at noon and of course I was so lucky that the judge let me keep going past noon for my hearing, but I digress.
So after court (at about 1 p.m. the height of heat of the day no less), I was thinking that this may be my last trip, because this case is pretty much over, so I decided to add a stop on my trip and go to the Hard Rock Cafe in Phoenix. [I collect tee shirts from the Hard Rock Cafe from all over--I think I have at least 30 (but for a while it was size small and now it is definitely size XL, so I could always use another one).] I looked it up on my iphone map and it was only about 5 blocks from the court. I asked the clerk if I could walk there and she looked horror stricken and said no. But she said that there is a downtown dash bus that I could take that I can get across the street from the court. Meanwhile I look up on my handy iphone how to get to the airport from the hardrock cafe and for kicks I press the button for a bus route. Easy, peasy, it is like a straight shot from the court (and the hard rock cafe five blocks in the direction of the airport) to the airport. Saving some money and taking the bus became my new plan.
I was careful to take off my jacket as I exited the building and it was not like walking into a furnace (like walking out of any building in Florida) [although, that maybe because of the special design of the federal courthouse--the atrium is hot, although not unbearably so, so you are already ready for pretty hot by the time you exit the building, but of course I digress (except not really)]. I walked around the front over to Jefferson and then up to the cross walk, just as the number 15 bus left the bus stop on the other side of the street. The number 15 bus was a good (safe) alternate to the dash, because I had already seen on my iphone map that it took me right past the hard rock cafe on the way to the airport. I crossed Jefferson and decided to walk toward the hard rock cafe to the next bus stop that I could see a block up. I was very hot, but the dash bus was right there, so it seemed like a reasonable endeavor. The dash bus was putting the wheel chair lift down, so I had plenty of time to make it, but still I was very happy to jump on the bus into the sweet air conditioning.
As I settled into my seat and looked around, I was rather frightened by the sight--the bus was full of very ragged, very hot and tired looking, very poor people. There was a desperation and depressed feeling that was palpable. I took a little firmer hold of my purse and realized that if I were homeless, riding a free bus would be the perfect way to beat the heat. My consternation at my fellow passengers was nothing to my dismay as the bus suddenly pulled out of traffic to make a left turn (off the street that would take me to the hard rock cafe) and barrelled two blocks to the next light before stopping in the left turn lane. I asked the driver if this bus went to the hard rock cafe and she said (much like the clerk now that I think about it)in a rather horrified voice, no. She admonished me for not asking earlier. She made her left turn and pulled into the next stop. She said it would take about fourteen minutes to get back where she had picked my up and that I could take the 15 bus. AND EVERYONE ELSE GOT OFF THE BUS. I'm not kidding. There were about 12 people on the bus and every one of them got off at that stop. I was surprised and concerned, so I asked the driver--is this the end of the line or something--is she taking a long break (and in my head I thought--is she turning off the air conditioner???). No she said. They are only allowed to make one loop per day. She kicks them off if they stay on past one loop. She was too busy with her routine of drinking from her water bottle and emptying her trash to see my horrified face.
Meanwhile a different group of homeless looking people got on the bus. A very crusty (I didn't look long enough to see what made up the physical crust) and odious old man got on and sat next to me. I said thank you to the driver and decided to walk. One half block on my way back to Jefferson, I was at a metro stop. Metro is not on my iphone, but the Metro little map showed that it went to the airport. I deduced that I was going east, so I was in the right place. It was slightly cooler in the shade of the metro stop, so I figured I would skip the HRC and go right to the airport. Then I remembered I needed a metro pass. Of course the kiosk was in the sun. The sun was glaring down on the screen and my choices made no sense, so I put my credit card in and picked the most expensive option--premium, express all day pass ($5.50). There was a sign telling me to swipe the card in front of the orange circle--weird.
The metro was there in minutes and I got in and sat down in the cool of the air conditioning. A guy and a girl who were obviously a couple, who were very sweaty and dirty got on the metro right after me and out of all the empty seats in the car sat right next to me practically stealing my purse with their eyes. And they stank. Almost overwhelmingly so. The metro turned onto Jefferson and the very next stop was a half a block from the hard rock cafe. It was fate. I got out and hoofed it back to the hard rock cafe. When I walked in to the blessed air conditioning, I was struck by how empty it was. There was not a single employee in sight. There were only a few customers (or I would have thought they were closed and forgot to lock the front door). It was about three minutes (that felt like a lot longer) before someone came out from the back to seat me. My diet coke (excuse me, pepsi--heartbreak) was there quickly enough and I soon started to feel human again. But it was clear that I was not dressed for the weather and since getting a tee shirt was part of the plan, I bought it and changed into it right away. All the employees (four at final count) loved it and commented each time they passed me. Not my intention, but I digress.
After lunch, it was back to the metro, only this time no unsavory companions. This time, the travelers looked like they were going to the airport or to work. Along the route, I looked at all the very tired looking buildings, junk yards, vacant lots and the thing that struck me (besides the fact that there were no people out--no people in sight outside at all) was all the American Flags--almost every building had a huge American flag painted on it. [Long semi-political aside deleted--who really wants to talk about Spain and the world cup anyway, but I almost digressed.]
At the stop for the airport, we had to cross the street to the shuttle bus for the airport, so it was more walking, walking in the hot, hot heat and then blessed air conditioning. There was no driver in the shuttle bus, but that didn't bother me or the 8 or so other passengers all too happy to wait in the cool bus rather than take our chances back outside. It was only a few minutes before another bus pulled up and dropped off our driver. I don't know why no one stole the bus--I mean, really it was just sitting there running with the air conditioning going with no driver in sight and no one around for a ways, except the 8 or so of us too exhausted from the heat and too happy to be out of it to think clearly enough for larceny. Answered my own question.
There was more walking at the airport of course, but it was a controlled climate, so I only whimpered a little. All in all, I'm not sorry that this may have been my last trip to Phoenix. I am not ashamed to say that I don't think I can take the heat.
posted by KathrynVH @ 2:12 PM
1 Comments:
At July 17, 2010 at 2:18 PM,
Marcel said…
Have you heard about the enviromentalists that want everyone to turn off their air conditioning because it would save so much energy. They have not read your opus.
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