Downtown Dad

A lot has changed since my Dad's first day of work in downtown Phoenix over fifty years ago. Back then I think he just rode his horse in to town and tied it up outside the old Valley Bank building. I remember my ears would pop riding the elevator up to his floor. The 33rd. Or was it the 34th? These days the firm is in the brand spanking new Cityscape (complete with temporary handwritten "girls" and "boys" signs on the bathroom doors). The light rail slides by right out front and there's no room anywhere to tie up your horse. Condos, a swimming pool, a bowling alley and the first grocery store downtown has seen in decades is going in to the slowly rising tower next door. It's impossible for me to explain, but the office building has three corner offices on each corner. That's twelve per floor, making those high maintenance, big ego'd attorneys happy (my pretty low maintenance Dad has always had the greatest views and probably wouldn't care either way, but - wow - it must help to keep those billable hours rolling). After seeing the future, we met Susan for a walk down memory lane to Hanny's, the old men's clothing store that sat vacant for years. It's now a swanky, reclining leather seats, good food place, run by those amazing AZ88 in Scottsdale folks, complete with the Alice in Wonderland mirrored bathroom entrance - push on a door and see what you find. Times are a changing in good old Phoenix, but it's still fun to head downtown for lunch with Dad, even without the horse.