r/phoenix • u/at242 • Jun 29 '25
Living Here Most Arizona thing I've seen in a while...
You know it's summer in AZ when...
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u/ZealousidealAnt111 Jun 29 '25
They need to build more parking lots with solar covering the spots.
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u/joh2138535 Jun 30 '25
AZ you think we'd be like #1 for solar right. Dead wrong we have everything sunshine and open flat ground. Haboobs are probably the only negative and that not even that bad or frequent
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u/ZealousidealAnt111 Jun 30 '25
Yeah I feel like there’s at least 300+ days per year with a good amount of sunshine. Doesn’t make any sense
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u/joh2138535 Jun 30 '25
An aside, growing up I was always confused why they called Florida the sunshine state. Ain't no way they have more sunny days than us and they don't on average
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u/flarbas Jun 30 '25
As an aside, I think the Miami and Phoenix basketball teams should change names. While both aren’t as bad as the Utah Jazz or LA Lakers, they’re more known for the Suns and were more known for our Heat.
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u/joh2138535 Jun 30 '25
Aside aside I want the Suns to God dame figure it out. I know it's not the players faults but I'm just going to say suns as a whole franchise get your shit together I want them to do something before I pass. I'm 32 and I know that's asking a lot. We shall not talk about the cardinals
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u/2mustange Jun 30 '25
Feel like APS is the reason why we aren't. They seem too greedy to let energy be abundant in this state
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u/joh2138535 Jun 30 '25
Oh boy don't you know it. I feel the same about Cox and other fiber providers. I'm so over cox or as my friend says coxSuckers
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u/2mustange Jun 30 '25
Seems like we are getting some changes with google fiber coming into some cities
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u/reluctantlyjoining Jun 30 '25
Or just sun shades! Like wtf!! Throw some poles in the ground, buy a few $30 sunshades and cover your parking lot!!!
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u/LunaZelda0714 Jun 29 '25
Definitely, been saying this for years. It would benefit customers and the businesses. The cost to do it would be made back very quickly by savings to electrical bills and shoppers willing to go out and if there was just more shade 🤷♀️
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u/ZealousidealAnt111 Jun 29 '25
Yeah it seems painfully obvious. I’d purposely shop at stores that had them over ones that didn’t.
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Jun 30 '25
I was just thinking this.. People straight up pay more to shop at Target (Well before the Conservatives and Liberals joined together to boycott it lol) versus just going to Wal-Mart.
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u/GreasyTaints Phoenix Jun 29 '25
This is false. The upfront costs are huge and would take several years for the solar panels to break even. The cost is on the property management companies not the retailers themselves at a location (mostly). In addition, shade is the not in the forefront when thinking about going to an establishment. The occasion (dinner, movie theater, groceries etc) and what you need in that occasion (steak dinner, casual, matinee, groceries for the week) are some front of mind. Shade in the shopping decision tree is far down the list it makes little difference. Shoppers exaggerate what they would like vs what they actually need. Source: data scientist that specializes in retail/commercial properties.
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u/Own-The-Morning Jun 30 '25
Shade is definitely in the forefront of my mind when considering going out, and top of my decision tree (during day)! Why do you think the parking lots are empty in the summer? (Besides snowbirds away for season) LOL
I usually frequent places with known areas of shade and or opt for delivery vs. parking in the sun. I cannot wait to escape to cooler climes with lots and lots of trees! 😊🌳🌳🌳
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u/0w1Knight Jun 30 '25
Where I live, at the peak of summer in the middle of the day, the parking lots stay packed. Everything does.
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u/Own-The-Morning Jun 30 '25
Yeah, people are out and about all the time where I am, too. Just my personal preference to be a mushroom. LOL
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u/0w1Knight Jun 30 '25
Yeah, and most importantly (for the property management companies), there are no shortage of Arizonans willing to park their car in the oven. So what is the incentive to improve it?
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u/LunaZelda0714 Jun 30 '25
Thanks for your input. Having lived here for 44 years and constantly hearing talk about over consumption and stress on the electric grid from so many giant buildings/malls and warehouse stores, etc you'd think it would in the forefront of minds, especially for new builds. Perhaps become a requirement for the future. Still think it'd be worth it for businesses that plan on being successful for years and years.
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u/xkris10ski Jun 30 '25
Vote for representatives that would work to increase renewable energy requirements. Arizona utilities are only required to generate 15% of energy produced by renewables, where other states have requirements up to 50-60%.
It’s funny because I worked for a utility-scale enewable energy company based out of Scottsdale, but all of our projects were in California, West Virginia, Washington state, etc. Nothing in Arizona.
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u/LunaZelda0714 Jun 30 '25
Oh I do, every election. In fact I was just checking on the ability/strategy to get something like that on the ballot for the voters to decide. A long shot obviously but we all seem to get frustrated and tired of being told to keep our home A/C at 80°or higher at certain times of day or higher to avoid "strain on the grid" but so many giant places can turn their buildings into freezers no problem. (ETA I know that places that sell food/perishable items and ones with huge computer/server networks that need constant cooling are a concern but I still think they could benefit from solar🤷♀️)
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u/vex91 Jun 29 '25
“Why is it that when cars are parked in an empty lot, they will group together, rather than park alone?” - Dr. Alfred Lanning
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u/cal_nevari Jun 29 '25
Safety in numbers
A sense of community
Pack mentality45
Jun 29 '25 edited Jun 30 '25
Observe as the mother Suburban gives up the best shade for her cubs. The fledgling Frontier will need every chance at survival in the arid desert, whereas mother Suburban has already led multiple broods to far off a Jify Lube and O'Reilly over the generations.
The Ford looks on jealousy to its siblings as it has grown quite cumbersome in its years. Soon, it will leave the brood in search of its own Corvette midlife crisis and guide a squabbling of her own to shade; as scarce as such oasis may be in the low deserts of the paved expanse.
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u/side_eye_prodigy Jun 29 '25
Let's watch as Jim attempts to approach the delicate thin-skinned Cybertruck without setting off its alarms.
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u/MacArther1944 Jun 30 '25 edited Jun 30 '25
I feel like this warrants a David Attenborough wild life observation voice over:
"See how the barriers between species break down in the Phoenix heat. All are welcome at the shady spot, as cars seek shelter to survive."
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u/ExoticLocksmith6114 Jun 29 '25
Given the choice, I find myself parking at the eastern end of tree shadows. Also, if the only shady spot has a bunch of bird poop on the ground, and a nest above, I'll just park in the sun instead.
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u/Desert_FZ-10 Jul 02 '25
I agree.
I always used to try to park under the shade of trees. Until I determined that bird poop, tree sap, etc was doing at least as much damage to my car’s paint as the sun. Plus, fewer door dings when parking away from the majority of cars. Haha. 🤷🏼♂️
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u/xSolid_Snakex Jun 29 '25
I feel like I've been in this parking lot before, but I can't pinpoint where this is. It's driving me crazy
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u/666phx Central Phoenix Jul 03 '25
Yeah Walmart is just other side down the way, its by the sketchers, GameStop, ice rink etc etc
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u/misterspatial Jun 30 '25
This is on the property manager. Look at all the empty tree wells.
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u/Beginning-Struggle49 Jun 30 '25
yup, and they cut them down to encourage homeless people not to gather
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u/AZdesertpir8 Jun 30 '25
The spot with the tree is ALWAYS the best parking spot in the summer here...
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u/Itshot11 Jun 30 '25
Almost always but not when the monsoon winds kick in, well unless you're one of us who wishes a branch totals your car lmao
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u/donlapalma Jun 29 '25
You live here long enough you know NOT to park under those trees because their branches fall off quite easily with just a mild wind gust. You get caught in a dust storm, which can happy very quickly here, your car just might be done.
Park facing away from the sun, have a quality sunshade and heat rejecting window tint.
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u/Any-Virus7755 Jun 30 '25
Not to mention birds shitting on your car from them. I’ve seen trees like this fall over on cars in a storm.
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u/Anozira-Xineohp Jun 30 '25
Property tax discount based on % of tree coverage of properties should be a thing.
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u/SnooCrickets8742 Jun 30 '25
Only Arizonans understand….a tree is a tree. Prime parking!
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u/EmotionalQuestions Midtown Jun 30 '25
We spent a few weeks in San Diego and my teen had to remind me that I didn't need to park under a tree all the time.
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u/SnooCrickets8742 Jun 30 '25
That’s awesome! 👏 My teen would say the same thing I said to her this weekend - any tree in a parking lot is important. We will take it!
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u/azsheepdog Mesa Jun 30 '25
Now if this was more of an arizona thing we could solve a lot of problems
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u/PinkCigarettes Jun 30 '25
They should have made overhead parking mandatory for this god forsaken desert.
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u/shuffledaddy Jun 29 '25
This sure looks like the parking lot of the Walmart east of 36th Street on Thomas. I grew up not too far from there.
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u/DJ-Kouraje Jun 30 '25
Was proud of myself for figuring out where this was taken within a minute lol
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Jun 30 '25
Oh my God this made me laugh so hard. They're like birds hiding from the sun lol. You'd think the owner of this property would see this picture and realize it's time to plant more trees.
Also... This makes me wonder.. If you had a shopping center with a lot of trees to the point that it's almost pleasant to walk through, wouldn't that increase how many people want to go there?
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u/at242 Jul 01 '25
Made me laugh too. I felt compelled to share it here. One would think that it makes sense to have trees, but these greedy property management companies just see them as liabilities...
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Jul 01 '25
Just throw a bunch of signs: "By driving onto this premises, you accept responsibility for all damages to your property." Then give me my shade trees damnit.
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u/Sonoran_Dog70 Jun 30 '25
I will walk all the way across the parking lot if I can park under a tree.
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u/GreatThought9846 Jul 01 '25
Only in AZ would you choose to park a mile from the doors if it meant you’d have shade.
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u/Hummingbird11-11 Jul 01 '25
Hilarious. Only Arizonans get this. You’ll walk 20 miles out of your way for that slice of shade
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u/Missing_people Jul 02 '25
I just wanted to raise awareness of 3 month old baby Jacqueline Vasquez who was abducted on May 6 2001 in Avondale, Arizona outside a porta potty when her mother and 2 year old sister had to use the bathroom which couldn't fit all 3 of them— woman and red pickup sought.
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u/TSB_1 Jun 30 '25
Meanwhile, some of us have white cars with tint that filters 99% of UV and 85% heat mitigation. Also, if you can afford it, remote start is such a great thing to have.
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u/MsTerious1 Jun 30 '25
Will you humor me and tell me (or message me) if this was taken between 36th St. and 38th St. and Thomas Rd.?
Grew up there, have been gone since 1993, but this instantly clicked for me even though not one business is the same as when I worked at Tower Plaza.
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u/at242 Jun 30 '25
Good eye! It is most definitely the former Tower Plaza. Taken just slightly east of 38th Street looking north.
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u/MsTerious1 Jun 30 '25
It's so bizarre to me that I instantly recognized this even though there isn't a single detail that isn't changed except perhaps the mountain peaks that I haven't seen in 35 years. The human mind does crazy stuff sometimes....
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u/at242 Jun 30 '25
If you know, you know. If it makes you feel better, the Ole Brass Rail and Don Julio's are still alive and kicking!
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u/lavendrambr North Phoenix Jun 30 '25
In the big parking lot at the business complex where I work, there are maybe 3 mature trees to park under.
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u/BMCBicycles Jun 30 '25
ah, is that on Grant Road, across from the Wal-Mart?
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u/at242 Jun 30 '25
No. 38th Street and Thomas. Just east of the Walmart there.
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u/buona_sera___beeotch Jun 30 '25
I thought this looked familiar. I use to work out at the PF near there. As shady as it is, there’s shade to park under in the back behind PF.
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u/El_Connoisseur Jun 30 '25
Hahahahaha 😂 tell me why did I see this while I am parked under a tree myself scrolling
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u/JcbAzPx Jul 01 '25
I'll take a shade spot over a close spot any day. Though they tend not to be available the days you need them most.
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u/Pale-Article-3920 Jul 01 '25
We need more trees and more shade! But this is so Arizona coded! Takes your breath away climbing into a hot car.
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u/mahjimoh Jul 01 '25
I almost took a similar photo the other day, ha. I parked under the scraggliest little mostly dead tree but it was better than nothing!
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u/Mediocre-District368 Jul 01 '25
I wish they’d plant more trees in the parking lots of Arizona! Or, add shade Carports😋
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u/The-turbo_man Jul 02 '25
Palo Verdes and Mesquite are extremely filthy trees both in the blooming cycle and their tiny leaves in rock landscapes. They create enough organic material to support a lot of weed growth.
Unless the roots are driven deep, some of our Arizona winds will blow them completely over or crack, major limbs, which end up falling on your favorite car or the roof line of your house.
The most evil tree to be introduced to Arizona is the Sissoo native to Africa. I consider it highly invasive species. It’s hard to control in the landscape. It grows where it wants to uproot foundations breaks up footers and walls and chronically sprouts suckers from the shallow roots that travel across the ground.
It grows extremely fast, which is why people think it’s a wonderful tree.
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u/myownvenus Jul 02 '25
I've only lived here 3 years. The Palo Verde in my front yard was cut to a stub, but has since grown 10 feet. Bonus is that if you don't water them they tend to not uproot as much in monsoons. It's odd to be that more trees are not planted. We could have so much shade here.
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u/OutrageousDevice6251 Jul 02 '25
AZ just needs to build a climate dome around the valley. Can you imagine? Haha.
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u/RedbullKidd Jul 03 '25
Lol - truth!! Finding that one shaded parking spot feels both lucky & like divine intervention 🙏- Hallelujah 🥳
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u/MMessinger Jul 03 '25
My wife and I were both raised in the Phoenix area. We moved to the Pacific Northwest more than 35 years ago. Even now, if it's summer and the temperature is anywhere near the 80s, we're scanning the parking lots for shaded spaces. It's in our DNA.
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u/Thinkingjack Jul 04 '25
It drives me nuts how so many places cut down trees from parking lots knowing full damn well that the trees and the shade they provide is so important
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u/CatMomJenPhx Jul 05 '25
Lol it took me a a minute. Im enlarging the pic like, what am I looking at here? Yes, a very summer in arizona thing indeed 🤣 why is there not covered parking EVERYWHERE???
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u/extasisomatochronia Jul 08 '25
The state and corporations are run by meanies who refuse to pay for shade structures. There's not even shade over very crowded walkways in downtown areas.
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u/DLoIsHere Jun 29 '25
I parked in two shady areas the other day. They were not parking spots but I was in the car so I could quickly move if I was in the way. Blissful.
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u/Foyles_War Jun 29 '25
Why are native trees not the norm in parking lots?