From the category archives:

West Valley

It’s a Grind in Peoria

by Chris Butterworth on June 24, 2009

in West Valley

I need to be in Old Town Peoria this morning at 8:00, so I leave the house at my usual way-to-early time in the morning and head that way.  I like to get where I’m going before traffic gets bad, and I can always find a coffee shop to work from, right?

This morning I criss-crossed South Peoria for 20 minutes before finding It’s a Grind on Thunderbird and 84th Ave.  (technically it’s probably considered north of South Peoria, but it’s the closest I could find!)

Its a Grind 2

The quick review:

a clean, wobble-free table, a strong cup of coffee, a friendly girl behind the counter, free wi-fi, blue-sy music at a reasonable volume, and the only option in this part of town..!  Overall, better than average in just about every category, although nothing stands out to me as outstanding, or very different from any other coffee shop.

ps. Safeway at 83rd & Cactus displays a big sign advertising their cafe inside.  Here’s a tip: what Safeway calls a ‘cafe’, other stores refer to as a deli.  sheesh.

Your grateful for this cup of joe Realtor,

Chris Butterworth

 

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chris

Chris Butterworth is a Realtor. He's also a husband, father, writer, amateur photographer, and self-proclaimed tech junkie. And he's an all-around good guy!

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SoHo in Peoria?

by Chris Butterworth on March 2, 2009

in West Valley

Can downtown Peoria become a vibrant center for art and artists, similar to the SoHo district in Manhattan?

Last summer the City of Peoria hired an arts consulting firm to develop an arts and culture plan.  Recently the firm unveiled their proposal, featuring plenty of live-work space.

I’m not convinced the plan will succeed, but I applaud Peoria for trying.  I can picture downtown Peoria being cool & hip - it’s already a little bit quirky, urban, and walking-friendly, but it definitely needs some revitalization.

I’m concerned about the amount of competition from the Phoenix Arts District and Tempe’s Mill Avenue, which are already connected to each other by the light rail.  And there are only so many artists out there; Peoria might find themselves on the outside looking in on this one.  On the other hand, being only a couple of miles from Glendale’s stadium district, including Westgate and Park West, could be advantageous.

Your wishing the project great success Realtor,

Chris Butterworth


chris

Chris Butterworth is a Realtor. He's also a husband, father, writer, amateur photographer, and self-proclaimed tech junkie. And he's an all-around good guy!

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ASU West cuts MBA program

by Chris Butterworth February 11, 2009 In The News

When the smoke from the budgetary cuts clears, The College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences will be the lone college remaining at ASU West.
reported on AZCentral.com

All graduate degrees, including the W.P. Carey School of Business master’s program and the School of Global Management, will cease to exist at the west campus.  The College of Education [...]

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Photo Radar goes live in West Valley

by Chris Butterworth October 21, 2008 Northwest Valley

photo credit:  azcentral.com
I’ve been watching the photo radar progression over the last few months.  First the local police forces stepped up their radar patrols to catch speeders and slow down traffic.  (I was lucky enough to receive a warning!)  Next came the use of moveable photo radar - a van equipped with photo radar is [...]

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Realtors wanted

by Chris Butterworth June 10, 2008 Northwest Valley

I’m looking to add one or two realtors who know the North, West, or Northwest Valley, to my team. You don’t have to be a writer, but you do have to put your heart and soul into customer service.

We’re getting to the point where we need help servicing our clients. Our other choices [...]

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Glendale Glitters ushers in the Holidays

by Chris Butterworth November 30, 2007 West Valley

This is a great way to spend an evening. We were there on Sunday last weekend for the season opening lighting of the trees. Well, we missed the actual lighting, and the trees were lit up when we arrived. But it was fun anyway. They had crafts, food, pony carriage rides, a chorus & orchestra [...]

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West Valley Population Explodes – my unscientific opinion

by Chris Butterworth September 10, 2007 Buyer Help

Every morning my oldest son & I join thousands of other Phoenicians in the tradition of parents taking their kids to school. However, in our case it’s a little more of a journey than it is for most people; we leave our house in the Arrowhead area (Northwest Valley) and travel to ACT School in [...]

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Listing in Litchfield Park, Wigwam Creek

by Chris Butterworth September 5, 2007 Listings

We have a listing in the terrific community of Wigwam Creek in Litchfield Park. This is a fairly large single level home (2,134 sq ft) with 4 bedrooms and 2 baths, and is being offered at $279,000. You can learn everything about it at www.5438Rattler.com .

 
Please note: while this web site’s main [...]

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Own a pro sports team: West Valley Blades for sale

by Chris Butterworth August 2, 2007 General Musings

This doesn’t relate very well to real estate, except maybe as a testament for how far the Valley has grown. But still, how many times have we second-guessed ownership of our favorite teams? “I would have drafted so-and-so.” “That was a stupid trade.” “I can’t believe they hired that coach!” The list goes on and [...]

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The Dodgers Spring Training facility gets approved: another feather in Glendale’s cap

by Chris Butterworth July 4, 2007 West Valley

As Steve mentioned earlier today (he beat me to the punch!), the Dodgers will be playing spring ball in Glendale in 2009, along with the White Sox if they can find another team to fill their spot in Tucson. This is good news on several levels – more baseball locally, more economic impact, more support [...]

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Westgate City Center

by Steve Nicks May 15, 2007 General Musings

As I wrote in a previous post back in January (Click Here to read) the AVP Volleyball Tour that travels the country highlighting the best players in sand volleyball made a stop in Arizona this past weekend.  Previously they had called Tempe home, but changed the venue this year to The Westgate City Center in [...]

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Saguaro Ranch Park in Glendale

by Chris Butterworth May 14, 2007 West Valley

I’ve lived in Peoria for nine years now (after having spent most of my life in Arcadia), and although I’ve been to Saguaro Ranch Park before, I didn’t realize just how historic it is. This park, located on the west side of 59th Ave just south of Peoria, has a rich history of over 100 [...]

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