Best Free Ride PHX SKY TRAIN Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport skyharbor.com/PHXSkyTrain It’s like something out of Tomorrowland at Disney Word. Sure, the technology isn’t all that futuristic. But how many rides give you a bird’s- eye view of the top of a jumbo jet? Or the sweeping vistas of the mountains and sunsets that remind us why we live here in the first place? The driv- erless PHX Sky Train takes you from the 44th Street Light Rail Station, over the taxiway, and right into Terminals 3 and 4. In the summer, the extension to the car rental facility opened. It’s free and runs every three to five minutes. It’s a great way to avoid the traffic or expensive parking at Sky Harbor, and here’s a tip: You can avoid the lines to check your bags at the terminal by doing it at the 44th Street station. You’d pay for this at Tomorrowland. But here’s the best bit, besides the views: It’s free. constituency — wealthy, conservative seniors — would be the ideal voter base for the former tyrant of Maricopa County and close ally of former President Donald Trump. It seemed like the perfect comeback race. Much to our amusement, it was not. Dickey prevailed over Arpaio in the August election. The months of hawking pink underwear to fund the campaign, it seems, did not get him across the finish line. It’s fitting that the former sheriff’s last, most insignificant election would end this way. At least, we hope it’s the last one. Best Killjoys MIRABELLA AT ASU 65 East University Drive, Tempe 480-317-4444 retirement.org/mirabella-asu Mirabella at ASU in Tempe touts its resi- dents as an “intergenerational community fueled by lifelong learning and collegiate energy.” You might as well add “unrelenting party-poopers” to the description, since they helped snuff out a thriving electronic dance music venue nearby. The senior- living apartment building, which is owned by Arizona State University, debuted in late 2020 along University Drive near Myrtle Drive across the street from restaurant, bar, and music venue Shady Park, a longtime hub for live music and EDM that was closed down at the time due to the pandemic. When it reopened and resumed DJ events on its outdoor patio in March 2021, Mirabella residents weren’t pleased with the noise. Months later, a spat over the issue unfolded on social media. In response, Shady Park owner Scott Price installed step-pyramid roofing and other sound- reducing elements. It wasn’t enough. The codgers at Mirabella filed a lawsuit against the venue and sought an injunction against gigs. In April, a Maricopa County Superior Court judge ruled in Mirabella’s favor and imposed stringent noise restrictions on Shady Park, causing Price to nix future shows and inspiring fans of the venue to stage protests. The decision is currently being appealed. Best Name Change DON BOLLES AVENUE Fourth Avenue and Osborn Road In a time when the debate has turned ugly around who we should commemorate or not, it was heartwarming, even inspiring, to see that Phoenix changed the signs on a short block of Fourth Avenue at Osborn Road. This is a brief walk from where Arizona Republic investigative reporter Don Bolles was blown up in a car bomb attack at the Clarendon Hotel in 1976. He died 10 days later, and within days, the nonprofit organization Investigative Reporters and Editors met for its first national conference. Bolles was a member of IRE, which rallied a team of reporters to investigate his still-unsolved murder. It resulted in a 23-part series about wide- spread corruption in Arizona and propelled IRE to become the preeminent organi- zation promoting investigative journalism. Around here at Phoenix New Times, we share that mission, so when the street signs were changed to Don Bolles Avenue, we felt it was richly deserved and long overdue. If one kid looks at that sign, Googles the back- story, and is inspired to hold the powerful accountable, then it’ll be worth the strip of aluminum it’s painted on. Best Republican Politician RUSTY BOWERS Rusty Bowers, current speaker of the Arizona House, has a long, sometimes trou- bling record at the state Capitol. For decades, he’s been an enigmatic figure in Arizona politics, and in addition to his 18-year career at the state House, he’s also a sculptor and father of seven children. Until recently, his record was fairly in line with that of an old-school Arizona Republican. He’s not a fan of marijuana, nor of funding public education. But this year, we have to give Bowers some major credit for being one of the only Republican lawmakers in the state to stand up to the bizarre, never- ending claims of election fraud that have 38 BEST OF PHOENIX 2022 | WWW.BESTOFPHOENIX2022.C0M | SEPTEMBER 29, 2022
