Desert West Skate Park

A Civic investment for the good of Maryvale. Beautiful work Phoenix and the other people and institutions bringing this place into being.
I can’t believe I wrote that.
Why?
I’ll get blogably personal here, but it all ties to the first two sentences which say it all and you need read no further.
I was conceived, gestated, born and spent my first two or three years within blocks of the 101 and North Alvarado Street in Los Angeles. The mouse about to get whacked by Monopoly Man on the Western Exterminator HQ was my Mickey.
The times, good fortune and determination allowed Dad to slowly pull, and later, propel us from the tiny flat under the Hollywood Freeway.
When I moved to Globe in 1985, it’d been 31 years since I’d lived ashore in an urban or suburban setting. In ’88, the times and somebody’s determination propelled mine and me into the Valley of the Sun.
To one who once had bayside free room and board on a San Francisco island (not Alcatraz, Yerba Buena), but at the drop of a gang plank drove 200 miles into the mountains to escape it, moving to a despised crowded yarn ball of streets lined with look-​alikes and gravel was a tough move.
I got used to it. The pretty good mass transit. Phoenix’s amorphous bipolar indeterminate cow town or Metropolis personality. Efforts to force it to grow up and be a Big City. Ripping out the city core, scattering power and wealth from first and Washington to 24^th and Camelback. The UFO Landing Site Park dedicated to Pioneers. A Gran Prix! Just like Monte Carlo! The Squaw Peak pot way, some of those pots still in place.
Things have changed. Lots.
Across the valley are those little shieldy red-​white and blue signs, «Phoenix, AZ — All American City.» My little kid inner cynic muttered, «Yeah, yeah, yeah» as Baseline Road’s agriculture found Phoenix’s Highest and Best land use — cheap, sprawling subdivisions. Punctuated with big box sales.
Now that I’ve twisted everyone’s tail, I’ll tell you I’ve learned a lot. I’m understanding how Our Hot City could be an All American City.
Some people care deeply. They want some good civic things where they live. 100% honestly, I don’t mind providing tax dollars to make those good things happen.
The Desert West Community Center, park and skate park is one of those places. It is one of the Excellent Places of Phoenix. Weaving my way through the Community Center on my way to find the work of Cota and Breeze, several moms conversed in the inner court. Some daughters watched others doing synchronized cartwheels on the lawn. The sand box play area looked like an anthill. The skate park surged with waves of young people, with slight adult oversight, working on balance, motor, physical fitness and social skills. An energetic fruition of vision, cooperation and dedication.
The Isaac School bridge across McDowell is a near-​perfect reflection of the neighborhood and it’s millenias-​deep culture. Created by cooperation and dedication.
Embracing our rejected river, the Rio Salado.
Look at our bus stops. I’m loving them. The beautiful agave mosaic on the Isaac School bus stop lights up and glows in the westering sun. Our excellent light rail, installed in spite of sensible-​growth and planning deniers, has community reflecting art at many beautifully designed stops.
There’s visionary, fun architecture across our valley. Western Savings near-​empty punch card building and Business Center is a delightful chunk of Frank Lloyd Wright inspired tower. The business center at Thomas and Central with giant flute player bronze dedicated to the Navajo Code Talkers. It’s one of the places sheltering courtyards and fountains.
The bridges over our irrigation canals are sturdy, useful, graceful structures providing lots of service to bikers and pedestrians. Our saved Carnegie Community Center. By the capitol we sold off.
There are Community Centers, parks, art and all manner of civic infrastructure making Phoenix what it is. When caring citizens get involved with city officials, good things happen. The real personality of Our Hot City slowly appears. Not cowboy, Metropolis, Snowbird, or East L.A. Something personal, Southwestern, Euro Americano Afro Asian Indigenous.
I also just had great city service on a mildly complex water supply issue and feel all warm and fuzzy about it.
I’m finally understanding why Phoenix could put up those little, boasting red white and blue signs, «All American City.»
Yup, this Big Hot Sprawler surrounded by Sister Sprawlers has its share of troubles, poverty and injustice. It’s finding All American answers, Village by Village.
Breeze’s newest mural, «Phoenix Rising» is in the alley behind the Mat and 1 N 1^st. View it!

The only reason this place is good is because Grindline Skateparks added on to the existing joke of a skate park. It’s what you expect from the Grindline builders, flowing transitions, some big walls, stairs in the shallow, and the second biggest cradle I’ve ever skated.
2 problems about the skate park: my attention span falls apart after an hour of skating the bowl (the rest of the park sucks shit) & part of the bowl drops downhill which causes loss of speed.
If you’re familiar with Grindline parks & want some bigger transitions to ride check this place out.