This facade is from a mid-rise downtown Phoenix, Arizona office building. I spent the morning walking around the downtown area to see if my opinion about our city center has improved, sadly, it is as boring as ever. Seedy bars or posh grills for lawyers, politicians, and business people with nothing like a cool eatery to be found. Not a bookstore, nor an art shop, no funky antiques, clothes, or doo-dads. The only coffee shop is a Starbucks with a few cramped sidewalk tables and chairs.

In front of every building, the smokers congregate, requiring non-smokers to scurry by instead of enjoying a walk below the high-rises. I strained to hear music or find a busker but this downtown area is on par to be as lonely and vacant as some random spot outside the villages of the Hopi Reservation. Our city government is spending hundreds of millions trying to bring life here, not understanding that diversity, entertainment, and life are requirements to foster such an environment. Adding insult, the price of real estate and the cost of renting are becoming so exorbitant here in Phoenix that even before a dynamic downtown can be scratched out, the people who create these types of life are priced out of being here – what a shame.