Best Tweet-Up 2009 | East Valley Friday Nights | People & Places | Phoenix
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Best Tweet-Up

East Valley Friday Nights

By now you've heard of Meet Up. And you've probably heard of Twitter, another social-networking site that allows you to . . . Well, so far, all we can see is that it allows you to waste time at work when you've exhausted your options on Facebook. But have you ever heard of a tweet-up? Believe it or not, we had trouble choosing the best in town — there are several regular events, a hybrid knock-off of a meet-up for Twitter users curious to see the people they're tweeting with.

Created by Twitter user and local social media expert @Evo_Terra, a.k.a. Travis Unwin, "East Valley Friday Nights" is designed to give anyone looking for a good time a place to meet new people — away from the keyboard. EVFNs have gone down at such places at Roka Akor in Scottsdale and (at the end of every month) Whole Foods in Chandler, where the bar staff triples to account for the 40- to 60-person crowd. Often, venues hosting EVFN will offer incentives to attend such as extended happy hours. Search for "#evfn" to join in the fun. If you're not on Twitter, visit www.phoenixfridaynight.com for details.

Best Shameless Tweeting

P.F. Chang's China Bistro and "superfan" Adam Aponte

When we got a press release last summer stating that a self-proclaimed "superfan" of P.F. Chang's China Bistro was about to go on a seven-state road trip in order to eat at as many different (and yet exactly the same) restaurants as possible — all for the sheer joy that Mongolian Beef brings him — we were a little skeptical. To say the least. The kicker was that this fan was going to document every noodly, rice-filled, or fried meal of his trip on Twitter. C'mon. Would you have bought that? But the biggest surprise came when we met said superfan, Adam Aponte, at the send-off party Chang's threw for him (and as many members of the press as they could muster). He was completely serious. He really loves P.F. Chang's. As it turned out, what had really taken place was not an event of extreme marketing genius, but an event of extreme marketing luck — taken to shameless, tweet-filled measures, of course. But we can't blame you, P.F. Chang's marketing team, for taking advantage of a crazy fan and a new social-networking tool for publicity purposes. For, indeed, Mr. Aponte had written you an e-mail explaining his love and dedication to your mu shu chicken and lettuce wraps (which just happened to mention his upcoming road trip). And we have to admit you were really quite generous (in return for the continual tweets): At least you comped his meals!

Best Twitter Drama

RealSheriffJoe versus JoeArpaio

Though he's since sissied out, changing his handle from "JoeArpaio" to "FauxSheriffJoe" and adding a clear disclaimer explaining that he's "satirizing" our sheriff (who twitters under RealSheriffJoe —or at least, someone on his staff does), for a while JoeArpaio seemed to have some people fooled. Then a local TV station killed the joke, sorting out the whole matter in a light-hearted piece. Still, tweets like, "The common taco? Just a cheap knockoff of a hot dog. Don't be fooled into thinking it tastes better because it's 'different,'" are at least better than the trite slogans posted by the real deal, whose most interesting post so far was a parting shot at beloved Mesa Police Chief George Gascón, who left to take over San Francisco's department: "Bye [sic] the way, i woudl [sic] like to wish the new San Francisco chief of police luck. I think this is a good move for both cities . . ."

Best Twitter for a History Buff

@azhistory

Everyone seems to complain about Phoenix's lack of natives and abundance of out-of-state transplants. And though we love this city, that mix can lead to a shallow sense of history. What a shame. Prideful nostalgia is a crucial ingredient for a sense of place. But in our modern world, the Internet can give us anything we lack, and the tweeter @azhistory knows this. Add it to your Twitter list and you'll be treated to a healthy peppering of (what else?) AZ history. Through YouTube slideshows of old photographs, links to articles, and announcements of new books, you'll be an Arizona native in no time. Or, at least, you'll probably know more history than anyone really born here.

Best Facebook Update

Christa Severns

It wasn't as ill-advised as blabbing about her sex life — or noting something euphemistically suggestive like "Christa is higher than a kite." But Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon's soon-to-be-ex-wife, Christa Severns, certainly touched off a firestorm when she posted this on Facebook last spring: "Christa Severns is thinking of changing careers and taking up lobbying the city of Phoenix. Hell, everybody else does. I can write a fabulous RFP."

The update was immediately assumed to be a dig at her ex's sister, Gail Gordon, who works as a lobbyist and whose team had been hired by the winning bidder for the airport Sky Train project. The Arizona Republic reported on the comment, reportedly without even contacting anyone it was quoting — and that angered at least one state public information officer to the point that he de-friended his reporter "friends." (Yes, the fallout did remind us of junior high schoolers getting their notes intercepted in the hallway.)

For her part, Severns, communications director for SCF Arizona, handled it with grace; we've heard she's agreed to be a guest speaker in at least one journalism class this fall. And she taught us all a valuable lesson in Media Ethics 101: Reporters are your friends only until they can use you for some really juicy copy. Sorry!

Best Old-School Bulletin Board

Fifth Street Community Board

In the current hyper-digital age of instantaneous tweets and Facebook status updates blasting out the latest news and gossip 24/7, it seems downright Luddite to use something as lo-fi as a bulletin board to get the lowdown on downtown Phoenix culture. Such is the case with the bulletin board on Fifth Street in front of the Tumbleweed Center's Drop-In Gallery, as we regularly check out its colorful cornucopia of Xeroxed fliers, silk-screened posters, handbills, and other DIY ephemera for the latest events and announcements. Erected last fall by the community-minded cats at the gallery (which features works by homeless artists), the cylindrical-shaped board has clued us in on upcoming indie and punk gigs, future gallery exhibitions, local bicycle co-ops, and a nearby organic garden. (There's often also info on chemtrails, UFOs, and other tinfoil-hat topics.) A few hand-written missives are also occasionally pinned up, including one hastily written note asking God, "Why hast thow [sic] forsaken me?" Dunno, but thanks for asking.

Best Lo-Fi Way to Get Answers

Phoenix Public Library, Telephone Reference Line

Imagine this: You need answers. But you're not sitting in front of a computer or within reach of an iPhone. Never fear, telephone reference is here. Forget Google, and Wikipedia — at the Phoenix Public Library telephone reference desk, real people are ready to answer your calls and give you useful information. Picture the Katharine Hepburn movie Desk Set, in which Ms. Hepburn plays Bunny Watson, the head of the well-run research department at the Federal Broadcasting Company. Bunny's world is full of reference books and chatty banter, and the filmic predecessor to PPL's Telephone Reference department. Need to know the population of Vatican City, or the year Wade Boggs was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame? Telephone reference is only a call away. Oh, sure, the librarian on the other end of the phone might do a Google search to answer your question, but isn't it nice to know you can still pick up a phone and speak to a human being? One note: The staff cannot give medical advice.

Best Stickers

"Sticker Phiends" Art Show

Art crimes move from the street and into a legal art space during this yearly exhibit. Curated by graffiti and gallery artist Mad­One, the show showcases adhesive art as well as one-of-a-kind screen prints by urban artists from around the country. The show, which usually hangs in the winter or spring, has exhibited at various downtown spaces, including HoodRide Bodega and Space 55 Theatre, so check out the Spraygraphic Web site for future show details.

Best New Art Gallery

Alta Space Gallery at Alta Phoenix Lofts

As high-rise condos and huge developments, like the proposed CityScape, start crowding downtown Phoenix, the arts community is bracing to be overrun with chain stores. That's why we're glad to see places like the Alta Space Gallery crop up in a new condo building. Rather than crowding the bottom floor with a Pottery Barn or an American Apparel, Alta Group built an art gallery adjacent to their leasing office. The space is open and airy, with stamped concrete floors, exposed ductwork, and two walls of floor-to-ceiling windows. It's too early to tell exactly what niche the gallery's artists will fit in, but the opening show of sculptor Pete Deise's miniature "Tangle" sculptures on concrete pedestals, combined with contemporary encaustics and wall reliefs from the eye lounge artists, gives us hope that the gallery means to showcase local artists and not sell out to national well-knowns.

Best Addition to the East Valley Arts Scene

SunDust Gallery

Valley residents are tired of hearing how two of their beloved 'burbs (Mesa and Chandler) rated in Forbes magazine's Top 10 Most Boring Cities. So we were thrilled to see Ron Floyd, a well-known art professor and president of the East Valley Art Guild, unveil a new multi-purpose art space in a historic downtown Mesa storefront in mid-September. The SunDust Art Gallery is a new permanent home for the Art Guild, which has over 250 members, from high school students to an octogenarian grandmother. The light, airy space also features two art galleries and art storage space, and Floyd plans to host monthly music events, poetry slams, and art classes. If SunDust is any indication, Forbes can take its list and shove it next year.

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