Flagstaff Makes Kiplinger's 2009 Best Cities List

This year Kiplinger says it's all about jobs when choosing the 10 Best Cities. They were looking for safe havens during the current recession. University and government jobs are a part of that environment.

Here's the list of top 10:

1. Huntsville, Alabama
2. Albuquerque, New Mexico
3. Washington D.C.
4. Charlottsville, Virginia
5. Athens, Georgia
6. Olympia, Washington
7. Madison, Wisconsin
8. Austin, Texas
9. Flagstaff, Arizona
10. Raleigh, North Carolina

Looks like quite a diverse line-up, across the country. Read more about the picks and their methodology at Kiplinger 2009 Best Cities.

A Christmas Carol at Grand Canyon Railway Depot

After its send-off in Los Angeles, the Grand Canyon Railway Depot in Williams, Arizona, will be the first stop for the cross-country train tour promoting “Disney’s A Christmas Carol,” new 3-D film from Robert Zemeckis, starring Jim Carey.

A sneak peek preview of the movie in Disney Digital 3-D will be featured in an inflatable theater, but don't expect to get a peek at Jim Carey. Unfortunately, he won't be along for the train ride.

"Featuring four custom-designed vintage rail cars full of behind-the-scenes attractions, entertaining demonstrations, and fun activities, the tour will have its inaugural stop at Los Angeles’ Union Station over Memorial Day Weekend, from May 22nd through May 25th. During the next 24 weeks, the train will make 40 stops in 36 states, as it travels its way across more than 16,000 miles of track. The tour will finish at New York’s Grand Central Terminal over the weekend of October 30th through November 1st."

--Disney Train Tour

The three-day event is free and there is still time to make last minute plans to head to the Grand Canyon Railway Depot to be among the first to get a preview of Disney's latest holiday movie, A Christmas Carol.

For more info: Grand Canyon Railway

Flagstaff: National Train Day

National Train Day is May 9, 2009. Marking 140 years of connecting travelers from coast to coast, National Train Day commemorates the day the first transcontinental railroad was created.

Read about the final spike ceremony on May 10, 1869, at Golden Spike National Historic Site and 140th anniversary--Golden Spike and Transcontinetal Railroad at Promontory Summit.

"Train travel is deeply rooted in American culture and it shows great promise to become a growing part of our country's transportation future," said Emmett Fremaux, vice president marketing and product management, Amtrak. "National Train Day gives the public a glimpse into how the train shaped the country and how it will continue to do so by showcasing how train travel provides greener travel options with clean technology and greater efficiency through high-speed rail travel."

Amtrak services Flagstaff twice daily on the Southwest Chief line, stopping at the Historic Train Depot on the original Route 66. According to the company's 2008 fiscal year report, it was the busiest Amtrak station in Arizona. The historic train station is also the city's official Visitor Center making it the perfect stop for anyone looking for directions, planning travel, details about area attractions, dining suggestions or local history.

For more information about National Train Day. For more information about Flagstaff visit Flagstaff CVB.

Ranger Lecture: Science on the Edge

As a part of the Ranger Lecture Series in Flagstaff, called Conversations on the Edge, the Grand Canyon Association and Cline Library at Northern Arizona University will host Science on the Edge: Preserving Grand Canyon National Park’s Natural and Cultural Resources. Martha Hahn, Chief of Science and Resource Management, Grand Canyon National Park, will highlight some of park's current projects, giving a behind-the-scenes look at the role the Division of Science and Resource Management plays in preserving and protecting Grand Canyon.

Hahn has been Chief of Science and Resource Management at Grand Canyon National Park since May 2007. She previously worked at Grand Canyon in the mid-1980s. She oversaw the Glen Canyon Dam Environmental Studies and Colorado River resource management and planning, and served as the management assistant to the Superintendent.

When:

Wednesday, May 6, 2009
7:00 p.m.

Where:

Cline Library
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, Arizona

Cost:

Free and no reservations are required.

Science on the Edge: Preserving Grand Canyon National Park's Natural and Cultural Resources is part of the 2009 Ranger Lecture Series in Flagstaff, called Conversations on the Edge. The lectures feature specialists from Grand Canyon National Park's Division of Science and Resource Management speaking about the National Park Service's work to monitor, manage and preserve Grand Canyon's natural and cultural resources for present and future generations.

Conversations on the Edge lectures are sponsored by the Grand Canyon Association, Grand Canyon National Park and Cline Library.

If you can't attend the lecture, you'll be able to see the video on the new GCA YouTube Video Channel.


For more info: GCA Community Lecture Series