It was 20 years ago today...

That I moved from Sarasota, Florida, to Phoenix.

Aside from a brief timeout for bad behavior, during which I was exiled to Southern California, I have happily called Phoenix my home since 1988. The city has changed dramatically in that time; the population has increased by about 16%, the traffic has increased by about 2000%, the summers have gotten hotter, and the winters colder. This is the first place that ever felt like home to me, and this is the longest I have lived in one place.

When I moved here, there was no Highway 51, no Trader Joe's, one independent theater, and no one went downtown except for First Fridays. In 1991 you could go to First Fridays and literally take over the empty galleries, eat all the food, and they actually served drinks. The Ice House had great parties and installations. Now, while it's so much more fun (well, except for the Ice House), sometimes you have to wait in line to get a good look at a cool painting. And, while you could easily get on the Art Detour back then - just sign up, which we did in a short-lived gallery called Artcentricity, the art is so much better now and the shuttles so much more organized.

We didn't have the cool Wil Bruder library, or the remodeled Art Museum. But we had the Refreshments, the Gin Blossoms, the Pistoleros, and all the other great Tempe-based bands. We had Long Wongs, Chuy's, and the Library - Mill Avenue was a street lined with independent stores rather than corporate chains. But now we have at least 3 great Irish pubs and some high quality concert venues. No one will ever miss the pit that was the Coliseum.

I have some of the same friends I made that first year (hey Mark and Greg), but most have moved on, because Phoenix remains a transient place. The upside of that is that people are always moving here - I meet new people every year.

When I leave, I will miss most of it. I just can't believe I've lived somewhere for 20 years.