phoenix rising

028
LET’S GO
PERSONNEL PICKS
Name: Robert
Anderson
PHOENIX RISING
AIRTRAN AIRWAYS CREW MEMBER ROBERT ANDERSON
FEELS RIGHT AT HOME IN THE SOUTHWEST.
CREW CUTS
His regard for the area’s earliest inhabitants
hoenix has an almost magnetic pull for
extends to his favorite cultural haunt: the Heard
flight attendant Robert Anderson. He’s
Museum (www.heard.org), which showcases the
lived all over the country, but the beauty
best in American Indian art.
of the Southwest keeps calling him back. “This
When it comes to food, Anderson finds even
place gets in your blood,” he says. “Once you
more to love in the traditions of the Southwest.
drink the water, it’s part of you.”
One of his favorite spots is Carlsbad Tavern
Anderson has been charmed by the area’s
(www.carlsbadtavern.com; 480-970-8164), a
natural features since he first arrived in 1979.
New Mexican-style joint where menus come
“The desert has its own beauty,” he says. “It’s
equipped with a 10-point Chili
not just a bunch of rocks. There are
Heat Scale.
mountains in the middle of the city,
And for an authentic Arizona
but within an hour you can drive
experience, he suggests a visit to the
north and be in pine trees.”
historic Reata Pass Steakhouse (www.
Anderson also appreciates the city’s
reatapass.com; 480-585-7277). “It’s
development history. “Because it grew
got a rustic, cowboy environment,”
so late, Phoenix is a relatively new
Anderson says. “You eat out in the
city. But it does have old sections, like Casa Grande Ruins
desert on picnic tables, and at night
the Encanto district,” he says. Studded National Monument
they’ll build a campfire by your table.”
with Spanish Colonial and Mediterranean
Over the years, Anderson has tried living in
Revival houses, the fashionable district dates
other cities. But that Southwest spirit has proved
back to the 1920s.
hard to resist. “I’ve left Phoenix three times, and
Anderson also savors the region’s
I’ve come back three times,” he says.
archaeological treasures, such as the Native
Somehow, the environment, history and food
American ruins at Casa Grande Ruins
always lure him back. For this urban cowboy,
National Monument (www.nps.gov/cagr) and
there’s no better place to be. —Karen Werner
Montezuma Castle (www.nps.gov/moca).
P
Position with
AirTran Airways:
Flight Attendant
Favorite thing about
his job: “I like the
lifestyle of being a
flight attendant—you
can make your own
schedule, you travel
and it’s fun.”
Favorite thing about
Phoenix: “It’s an
outdoor environment
with sunshine 345 days
out of the year.”
Favorite Phoenix
shopping experience:
Scavenging for furnishings at Razmataz (www.
razmatazstore.com),
an Arizona chain of
discount import stores.
“It’s got stuff piled
high in this warehouse
environment. It’s like
searching for the
diamond in the rough.”
ROBERT ANDERSON: JASON WISE
Favorite way to
unwind: Hiking local
trails with his wife and
two Golden Retrievers.
“It’s good communication time. We look at
the city lights, walk and
really talk.”
GO MAGAZINE JUNE 2009
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15/5/09 08:25:24