Hitting the Rez

My neighborhood is changing. Right down the street on the Salt River Pima Indian reservation is a brand new resort - Talking Stick. Next to that, the new Diamondbacks Spring Training facility is going up. Shana and I made our way through the cloud of cigarette smoke in the casino to check out the new hotel. It was Shana's first time in a casino and I pointed out the buffet and all of the people with their walkers and oxygen tanks and beer feeding the slot machines. Here's one of the resort rooms.

Next door is the old mall, the Scottsdale Pavilions. It's open, but under major construction (just stay off of Pima Road for the next few months, trust me) and adding lots of new stuff. I heard that the developers paid a pretty penny to the tribe to allow them to sell alcohol on their land, previously prohibited, making room for some higher end restaurants (and more close-by Happy Hour places!) It looks like a cool new theater is going in called Ultra Star with some neat features like in-seat snack ordering and seat reservations (don't worry Dan Harkins, Monday Movie Madness at Camelview will always be my favorite). So, there's a little tour. I'll give them a few more months to spruce up and go back for another review.