The Phoenix Agents » Lifestyle

AMC Esplanade 14 movie theater will re-open as posh Fork & Screen

Heather — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 19:20:00 +0000

Biltmore-area movie-goers have undoubtedly noticed that the AMC Esplanade 14 movie theater at 2512 E Camelback Road has been closed down this summer. In August, the Esplanade will reopen as the latest site of AMC’s newest concept, the upscale Fork & Screen.

With this renovation, AMC is trying to attract the posh “dinner and a movie” crowd to the Biltmore location. The new movie venue will offer luxe décor, top-shelf cocktails, wait staff and bartender service and even private suites in which to watch the movies.

Oh, and for all you jobseekers out there, AMC is currently hiring wait staff, bartenders, back-of-house people (dishwashers, cooks, etc), and even a theater manager. Search available openings on CareerBuilder.com, using the employer name “TD-AMC Dine-In Theatre”.

Sources & Links for this story:

http://www.amctheatres.com/dinein/forkandscreen/

http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/jackalope/2011/05/amc_esplanade_14_fork_screen.php

AMC Esplanade 14 movie theater will re-open as posh Fork & Screen is a post written by The Phoenix Agents at Thompson's Realty. If you're reading this anywhere other than a feedreader (rss subscription) of ThePhoenixAgents.com, the site you're reading this on is guilty of copyright infringement.

Heather Barr is a Realtor and a happy workaholic. She eats more than someone her size ought to be able, and is a runner as a consequence. Her TiVo's full of spy thrillers, police procedurals and Whedonesque sci-fi.

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Happy Independence Day!

Heather — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 03:50:38 +0000

Happy Independence Day everyone!

image credit to StockExchange user MeiTeng

Happy Independence Day! is a post written by The Phoenix Agents at Thompson's Realty. If you're reading this anywhere other than a feedreader (rss subscription) of ThePhoenixAgents.com, the site you're reading this on is guilty of copyright infringement.

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Home ownership remains central to Americans’ sense of well-being

Heather — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 15:09:08 +0000

Nearly nine in 10 Americans say homeownership is an important part of the American dream, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll. And they are keen on making sure it stays that way, for themselves and everyone else.

Read the entire story in the New York Times.

Home ownership remains central to Americans’ sense of well-being is a post written by The Phoenix Agents at Thompson's Realty. If you're reading this anywhere other than a feedreader (rss subscription) of ThePhoenixAgents.com, the site you're reading this on is guilty of copyright infringement.

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Make your own non-toxic bathtub cleanser

Heather — Wed, 11 May 2011 19:42:53 +0000

I found this recipe on Apartment Therapy (they credit Natural Home magazine with originally publishing the recipe). Seems to me you could go green AND save a bunch of money using this to clean your bathtub, instead of buying expensive commercial brands of cleansers.

Silky Bathtub Scrub

1 cup baking soda in a medium-sized mixing bowl
1/2 cup liquid castile soap
5-10 drops of antibacterial essential oil, such as lavender, tea tree or rosemary (optional)

Pour baking soda into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add liquid soap a little at a time, stirring continuously. Stop adding the soap after the mixture begins to resemble cake frosting. Mix in drops of essential oil. Store in an airtight jar for up to 1 year.

This sounds really interesting to me! I’m going to give it a go, this afternoon. Would you ever think about trying it? Do you have any money-saving or green tips for household cleaning tasks?

Make your own non-toxic bathtub cleanser is a post written by The Phoenix Agents at Thompson's Realty. If you're reading this anywhere other than a feedreader (rss subscription) of ThePhoenixAgents.com, the site you're reading this on is guilty of copyright infringement.

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Hiking tips for Phoenix, Scottsdale visitors

Heather — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 12:50:47 +0000

It’s gonna be a hot one today, folks! The metro Phoenix area is slated to see 98 degrees Farenheit today.

If you’re visiting the metro Phoenix-Scottsdale area and you’re considering hiking some of our beautiful mountain trails today, take note… it’s hotter than you think, and the trails are steeper than you think.

Remember that our firefighters routinely pull tourists (and sometimes even locals) off the mountain trails on stretchers and take them to the E.R.

Here are some tips to keep you safe when you’re hiking the desert mountain trails of the metro Phoenix-Scottsdale area. Tips courtesy of the Scottsdale Parks department and the Phoenix Parks Department, and you can see more tips on their websites.

Always tell someone where you’re going, when you’ll be back, and stick to your plan!
Hike with a friend; it’s safer and more fun.
Bring lots of water, three or four times as much as you think you need. The Scottsdale Parks department recommends at least one gallon of water per person, per day. I personally think that a standard-sized 16 to 19 ounce bottle is enough for about 15 minutes when it’s really hot outside.
Wear a hat! If you’ve forgotten a hat, cover your head with whatever’s handy
Wear and carry sunscreen, SPF 15 at minimum. Reapply more often than you think you need to.
Wear closed toe hiking shoes, or at least wear sneakers.
Rest 10 to 30 minutes for each hour of walking, depending on your overall level of fitness.

Get some info on the trail before you go. The Phoenix Parks department has a wonderful online library of information about the trails, their length, their degree of difficulty, locations of Park Ranger ramadas, etc. The City of Scottsdale also has a wonderful online resource about their hiking trail system.

Trail etiquette

ALWAYS stay on a designated trail. City ordinances prohibit trailblazing.
Learn to share the trails with all other users.
In general, bike riders yield to both hikers and horseback riders; hikers yield to horseback riders. However, for all trail users, downhill yields to uphill. Use common sense and courtesy while on the trails.
Announce your intentions and slow your pace when passing someone on the trails

Well dear reader, I hope you have an enjoyable experience hiking our desert southwest trails! I’ll be out there on South Mountain, sweating it out with the rest of you today, April 1, 2011.

Just wondering… have you ever thought of buying a vacation property in the metro Phoenix region? I am a Realtor, after all, so I tend to talk about property values all the time. Can I ask what you paid for your seasonal rental? I know, it’s a pretty personal question. But we’re on the Internet, so nobody will hear your answer. Did you know that you can pick up a vacation condo in the metro Phoenix area for as little as $25,000 to $50,000? Really. And after 3 or 4 years of price declines in Phoenix, it is possible to pick up a small home in several metro-Phoenix communities for about $100,000, give or take $25,000.

Want to do a little online home browsing? Search Phoenix-area homes for sale, online. When you’re ready for a Realtor’s help, contact us, The Phoenix Agents at Thompson’s Realty. Real people, making real estate, real simple.

Hiking tips for Phoenix, Scottsdale visitors is a post written by The Phoenix Agents at Thompson's Realty. If you're reading this anywhere other than a feedreader (rss subscription) of ThePhoenixAgents.com, the site you're reading this on is guilty of copyright infringement.

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The New Normal: save money on laundry detergent

Heather — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 05:18:26 +0000

A while back I re-posted a money saving laundry tip from the blog HomeEc101. It mentions the many ways white vinegar can help you save money when you do your laundry at home. See the original money saving laundry tips there and over here too. Then the super-awesome Sarah Cooper of CoopCrafts dropped by and mentioned that she makes her own laundry soap.

Wha???

I was baffled, and intrigued. I googled around her site and found the CoopCrafts recipe for homemade laundry soap. I got more intrigued. I went shopping. I decided to give it a whirl.

retail box of 20 Mule Team Borax household cleaner

retail box of Arm and Hammer "washing soda" laundry additive

Retail bar of Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap

retail box of Arm and Hammer Baking Soda

First you grate the bar castile soap very finely (this is especially important for cold water washing).

I used the smaller of the 2 lemon zester options on my kitchen box grater.

box grater for kitchen use

Then I mixed the soap crumbles with 1 cup each of the Borax, Washing Soda, and baking soda.

Et voila! Laundry detergent.

Estimated total cost for about 5 cups of detergent = maybe $2.00. Use 1 tablespoon per laundry load, 2 for big loads or very hard water.

GoogleCalculator tells me that’s 80 loads of laundry worth of detergent… for about $4! I stored it in my laundry room, in an old heavy-duty plastic bucket with lid.

: retail package of Kirk’s Original Coco Castile soap

Dr. Bronner’s isn’t the only castile soap out there. It does come in many scents, but it’s a bit pricey at a little over $4 per bar. I found a cheaper version at my local supermarket where Kirk’s Original Coco Castile soap is about $1.39 per bar. I found all the ingredients I needed locally, at my regular supermarkets.

I also have begun adding about 1/3 cup of white vinegar to the rinse water and gave up my regular fabric softener. Holy laundry revelation, Batman! I can hardly even begin to describe the positive difference: Soft, fluffy towels. Super clean and clean-smelling laundry. No static cling. No more chemicals going down my drain into the public water supply. No more rendered animal fat on my clothes.**

Making my own laundry detergent and using white vinegar in the rinse water has been a revelation to me. I can’t believe I spent a fortune for all those years on commercial laundry soaps. Never again will I buy All, Cheer or any of the others.

You should try this at home. It’s a ridiculously easy way to start if you’re baffled by how to live a little greener and reduce your carbon footprint on the planet. Plus your laundry will come out cleaner with no static cling.

**you do know that fabric softener is largely made of rendered animal fat, don’t you? that’s a bunch of dead, boiled animals all over your clothes

disclaimer – I do not own sticky-stain-makers, otherwise known as children. Your mileage may vary. Parents, you might want to try this on your own laundry first and work your way up to the truly nasty piles of laundry-like filth kids can create.

The New Normal: save money on laundry detergent is a post written by The Phoenix Agents at Thompson's Realty. If you're reading this anywhere other than a feedreader (rss subscription) of ThePhoenixAgents.com, the site you're reading this on is guilty of copyright infringement.

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Where do people who move to Maricopa County come from?

Chris Butterworth — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 18:51:55 +0000

This is a GREAT map. (hat tip to John Wake for finding it.)

We often talk about the number of “net new” people who move to Maricopa County each year, and our gut feeling tells us most of them come from the Midwest and Northeast. But I’ve never been able to confirm that.. until now!

Click on the map to view an interactive version, where you can see the population shift for any county in the country!

Your lost a days’ productivity to checking out counties Realtor,

Chris Butterworth

Where do people who move to Maricopa County come from? is a post written by The Phoenix Agents at Thompson's Realty. If you're reading this anywhere other than a feedreader (rss subscription) of ThePhoenixAgents.com, the site you're reading this on is guilty of copyright infringement.

Chris Butterworth is: Realtor. Analyst. Husband. Father. Writer. Amateur Photographer. Triathlete. Soccer Dad. Big fan of technology, efficiency, and the Arizona Wildcats.

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Save money on laundry

Heather — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 13:24:00 +0000

Found today’s money saving tip on HomeEc 101, a nifty blog about all the things you were supposed to learn in your high school Home Economics class but probably didn’t pay attention to.

You can use Borax or vinegar in your laundry to save money. I never knew this, did you?

Vinegar is a cost-conscious alternative to liquid fabric softener.
Borax in the laundry water gives you soft water. This is especially helpful for many folks in the metro Phoenix area, since we have notoriously hard water which causes detergent buildup.
You can use either vinegar or Borax to strip away detergent buildup.

Do you have any great laundry tips? Or other household tips? Thanks to the New Normal economy we’re all struggling living through, every money-saving and time-saving tip is very, very welcome. Post your comments below!

Disclaimer: this blog does not currently provide paid/sponsored reviews of products, services or blogs. This blog post author received nothing of any value in exchange for writing this post.

Save money on laundry is a post written by The Phoenix Agents at Thompson's Realty. If you're reading this anywhere other than a feedreader (rss subscription) of ThePhoenixAgents.com, the site you're reading this on is guilty of copyright infringement.

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Snow in Phoenix

Heather — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 05:11:00 +0000

Although it’s rare, sometimes we Phoenicians have to protect our desert plants from freezing temperatures. Our Tucson branch manager, The HouseChick, a.k.a. Kelley Koehler wrote about prepping your cactus for the few freezing nights. Click on over to see cups on cactus and the new trend, bags on cactus.

Thinking of visiting the Phoenix-Scottsdale area to get away from cold, snow and ice? Don’t despair. It’s rarely this cold in the Valley of the Sun. Weather.com predicts we’ll be back to our usual sunny and warm 75 degrees by about the first full week of January 2011.

Need a vacation rental? Thinking about buying a winter vacation home and want to look at a few Phoenix or Scottsdale homes while you’re here?

Contact us. We’re Realtors, we’ve been helping buyers and sellers in the metro Phoenix area for a combined 10 years. We routinely help buyers find vacation homes, and we help investors choose appropriate rental homes, as well as handling typical residential real estate sales. Check out client testimonials, then give us a call.

video courtesy of AZfamily.com (“Snow Falls on Phoenix Suburbs”, by Jennifer Thomas of AZ Family.com and originally published December 30, 2010 at 3:14pm)

Snow in Phoenix is a post written by The Phoenix Agents at Thompson's Realty. If you're reading this anywhere other than a feedreader (rss subscription) of ThePhoenixAgents.com, the site you're reading this on is guilty of copyright infringement.

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Phoenix’s reverse traffic lanes: vote!

Heather — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 17:49:00 +0000

(image credit to Stock Exchange user http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1280927; hat tip to Downtown Phoenix Voices.org for leading me to the survey)

The City of Phoenix is offering a survey on the usefulness or danger of their “reverse traffic lanes” on 7th Avenue and 7th Street.

I personally think these reverse lanes are an innovative method of handling Phoenix’s growing rush hour automobile congestion. Other people contend they’re dangerous and should be eliminated. Go, cast your vote.

Vote on Phoenix’s reverse traffic lanes here.

Phoenix’s reverse traffic lanes: vote! is a post written by The Phoenix Agents at Thompson's Realty. If you're reading this anywhere other than a feedreader (rss subscription) of ThePhoenixAgents.com, the site you're reading this on is guilty of copyright infringement.

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Arizona crime rates up? Not really.

Heather — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 12:36:00 +0000

Yesterday a local talk radio station aired a long interview with a local expert criminologist and a 20-year veteran Sergeant of the Phoenix Police Department.

Campaigning local politicians talking about a rash of murders in the desert, but the FBI Crime Index shows crime sharply down statewide and in Phoenix since 2005.

The FBI statistics measure two types of crime: property crime and violent crime. Violent crimes include murder, negligent homicide, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Property crimes include burglary, theft and car thefts.

In Phoenix, violent crimes are down 22% since 2005.
Phoenix’s homicide rate has dropped by 50% over the past 4 years.
Phoenix area property crimes are down 30% since 2005 while auto theft fell by 50%.
Statewide the numbers show a 24% drop in property crimes and a 14% drop in violent crimes.

Despite the widely perceived need for SB1070, Phoenix police have been checking the immigration status of people they arrest since 2008. A review of arrests since 2008 shows no significant increase in arrests of Hispanics, the majority of illegal immigrants in the area.

If you want facts instead of election season hyperbole, listen to the interview on Arizona’s falling crime rates.

Arizona crime rates up? Not really. is a post written by The Phoenix Agents at Thompson's Realty. If you're reading this anywhere other than a feedreader (rss subscription) of ThePhoenixAgents.com, the site you're reading this on is guilty of copyright infringement.

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