Hi, All, A couple of you have requested information about how to get around Phoenix without a car. I am a relatively recent transplant from New York City, and so I remain both in culture shock regarding the lack of public transportation, and also not well versed in it. There are walkable areas of the Valley, to be sure, but not a huge number of options for connecting between these. Certainly, once you are in downtown Phoenix, Tempe, or Scottsdale, there is enough density to make walking both viable and pleasant. As noted in an earlier email, Scottsdale has a free Trolley service that covers much of the tourist area: http://www.experiencescottsdale.com/plan-your-trip/transportation/the-scotts... . Interurban transportation is another story and the Valley is pretty sprawled As a side note, like most American cities, Phoenix had a pretty decent trolley system through the 1940s: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_Street_Railway . The residents recently voted in favor of a $31 billion initiative to improve public transportation, but that will do little to help us this week. There is a 23 mile light-rail line that runs from Tempe, past Sky Harbor, through to central Phoenix. It costs $2 a ride. It's great if you need to get from Downtown to the airport or the ASU Tempe campus. Unfortunately, many of the places you want to be aren't reached by the Metro yet, and the nearest Metro stop to the hotel is a 17 minute bus ride (or hour walk) away. The Valley Metro busses (http://www.valleymetro.org/) are also $2 a ride (or $6 for a full day pass purchased on board). Exact change is needed. The easiest way to plan a ride is via Google Maps' trip planner. Another option is biking, though it can be tough outside of the denser areas. There is a (newish) bike sharing system, but its website-- http://gridbikes.com -- is down :(. In any case, the bike stations are mainly downtown and in central Phoenix. The is a bike shop a couple miles from the hotel (http://bikebarnaz.com/) that does daily rentals, as well. As it stands, a car remains the best way to get around. Taxis generally need to be called ahead (outside of downtown there are not taxi stands), or, of course, there is Uber/Lyft. Or you can rent a car (there are links to a coupon code on the http://ir16.aoir.org site, or Silvercar at the airport: http://silvercar.com). But all else being equal, I would rent a Harley: http://www.eaglerider.com/ . Best, Alex -- // Alexander Halavais, Sociologist, Semiologist, and Saboteur Extraordinaire // Associate Professor of Social Technologies, Arizona State University // http://alex.halavais.net/bio @halavais