What my Phoenix, Arizona was like in 1989


In 1989 I really had no intention of moving back to Arizona. I had been laid off from my job in Los Angeles, was collecting unemployment and had been working hard on getting my next job there when I decided to go visit Phoenix, you know, see some old friends - good for the soul.

I called a good friend of mine from my college days at ASU and asked if I could sleep on his floor for a couple of days. I remember calling the number and talking to his wife and being so surprised that she had gone from just speaking Spanish to being perfectly comfortable talking to me on the phone in English, in just six years! I had known her, from going to the wedding, and also visiting them quite often (and stealing the nose from their baby - an old trick I must have picked up from when I was little, where you use your thumb, and say "Look! I got your nose"! (¡Mira tengo su nariz!).

It was in summertime and I had forgotten how hot Phoenix was - even at night. My hosts were out when I arrived (I hadn't specified a particular time) and I tried to stay comfortable in my car. Even after sundown it's crazy hot in Phoenix! Obviously living in California had made me forget that.

I've always loved just roaming around, and sentimental journeys, so I would just get in my car and drive. Just for fun I stopped at an apartment complex to ask how much the rent was, and I was amazed! It was a nice place, and much cheaper than my place in Canoga Park (a suburb of Los Angeles). And I can still remember the lady saying, "Now, it would be a little more expensive if you wanted to live on the golf course..." Yes, it was on a golf course! I went back outside, figured where the best place to be was, and a few minutes later I had signed a lease.

Saying goodbye to Canoga Park

This is where the goats were, 15th Avenue and Butler. The "Parade of Homes" is back there, on 11th.

After I did a quick run back to Canoga Park to get my stuff (yes, I lost my deposit, but who cares?), I spent a lot of time at "the Greens", which was the name of the apartment complex, lounging around the pool. I would often walk over to the little farm on Butler to see the goats (it's a park now) and I would just walk through the neighborhood marveling at how wonderful it was. It just seemed so friendly, and so safe. Even the goats seemed glad to see me! I didn't grow up in Phoenix, but when I came back there, it was a feeling of coming home that I never felt anywhere else.

I decided to stay in Phoenix, and eventually I bought a house in Glendale (a suburb of Phoenix), where I hope to spend the rest of my days.
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