Hello downtown Phoenix people! It’s T.J. Triolo, your guide to staying inside. Unfortunately, this is the last ever Downtown Digest I’ll write because I’m graduating.
This is my farewell edition. To be honest, I’m crying as I write this. There’s something that feels very wrong knowing I’m not going to be writing these anymore, but my life will go on. I have plans too. Once more places reopen, I will live in a van (I bought one already, and its name is Forrest because it’s forest green) and travel around, doing freelance work and blogging. Wish me luck on this new journey, and thank you for being my audience for the last couple years.
It’s been great downtown Phoenix! Here are your weekly resources.
4H at Home Webinar
Wednesday May 6
12-12:30 p.m.
Elizabeth Sparks from the University of Arizona’s 4H Cooperative Extension is offering a free 30-minute webinar for anyone interested in adding some healthy foods to their diet. Everyone could use a little more healthy food, so check it out! This session focuses on smoothies and salad dressings, both of which I happen to like a lot. I try to eat a healthy diet … sort of. But cookies cause some problems. And chocolate. And cheesecake. But hey, all things in moderation, right?
ASU for You
Arizona State University is offering online educational resources for a variety of people, with different lesson plans, curriculums and more. Whether you’re still in middle school, a teacher, a college student or looking for a career change, there’s something here for you. Personally, I don’t think I’ll take advantage of any of these courses myself; after completing four years of college, I need a break from schoolwork!
PLAY @ Home – Movement
This video helps kids and families learn yoga, including poses, breathing techniques and more. Yoga is a great way to control stress levels and get more flexible. I’m pretty rough at most of the poses myself, considering my flexibility level is about that of steel. With that said, this is the perfect way to get more flexible, which can help reduce injuries when exercising! Now if only my ankles were more stretchy, maybe I’d stop rolling them so much while trail running and hiking.
Virtual White House tour
Whether you agree with who’s in the White House or not, it’s one of the most important buildings in our nation’s history. Google Arts & Culture created a virtual tour, allowing you to see inside this legendary building from the comfort of your couch. At some point I’d actually like to tour the White House in person, but for now an online tour will have to do!
Paia Bay Cam
One of the most calming settings in life is the beach. I picked a beach cam here that lets you view Paia Bay on the island of Maui in Hawaii. Why a beach on Maui? It’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. It’s definitely the only beach where I swam off the shore and saw colorful reef fish in the incredibly warm and nice water. I miss it to this day, even though that was almost three years ago, and I badly want to go back to Hawaii. So let a little bit of calming beach scenery brighten up your day and check it out!
To quote the ending of one of my favorite TV shows, “And on that bombshell, it’s time to end.” Thank you so much for reading my columns all this time. I’ll never forget my time at Downtown Devil, and I’m so sad to be leaving. Goodbye, everyone, and I hope that some of you stumble across my work in the future. – T.J.
Contact the reporter at tjtriolo@asu.edu.
Downtown Devil's community section editor. I also write the Downtown Digest, a weekly column with things to do, with experience writing news articles and creating news videos as well. Graduating from ASU in May 2020.
