"A desert version of South Beach"

Scottsdale would be easy to hate. It's one of the richest suburbs in the country, it has awesome schools, it's the epitome of the New West.

But it's just so damn awesome.

We always compare the school districts where Corps Members are placed with the Scottsdale schools. "Well, only 40% of 3rd graders i the Roosevelt District can read, imagine if they were born in Scottsdale..." type deals. And it's Tempe's northern neighbor, kind of looking down at the rabble-rousing college kids who live beyond it's privileged borders.

But I went their the other day, and really enjoyed it.

(Side Note: I knew I would. It's totally my kind of place. But it's really fun to get caught up in the anti-suburbia frenzy when I'm working in a neighborhood plagued by gang violence)

There's a nice "waterfront" along an intermittent stream, a ton of great restaurants and resorts, and the heart of the Phoenix (and Southwestern) club scene. Every mall is like the Towson Town Center Luxury Wing. It's also cougar central...fifty-five never looked so good.

It bills itself as the "Most Western Town in the West", which makes no sense since it has a Saks and a Nordstrom and seven five-star resorts on one street (Camelback Road). But at least they deck these places out in fake adobe and statues of bucking broncos, so the illusion kind of works.

I haven't hit up the club scene there yet; I'll stick to my old stand-bys in the college town of Tempe while I'm living here for the summer and make time to explore during the year, when I have the time and cash to do so.

But it was really nice to go to a great restaurant, watch the World Cup (Ghana sucks) game in a pretty posh atmosphere, and then take a break from fixing all of the world's educational ills and just live the life of a yuppy international business major again.

I'm sure I'll be back soon.

peace and love from the grand canyon state,

pb