By Tommy Acosta
Sedona, AZ –The jig is up. The cat is out of the bag. The chickens flew the coop. The cover’s blown. The bubble has burst. The secret’s out. The cow snuck out of the barn, and the beans have been spilled: Sedona is now officially a world-class destination point, and no matter how you cut the cake, skin the cat, or slice the pizza, a crowded town this summer is our destiny.
Sedona is all over the news and travel websites. Everyone’s talking about it. The word is out that Sedona is one of the most beautiful places in the world, imbued with an energy that can be termed cosmic, at the very least.
There is always a slow season as we head into the summer, but not this summer because people are going to flock here from all over to hike our trails, ride ATVs, climb our mountains, experience metaphysical growth, heal, eat at our fine restaurants, listen to our music, enjoy and buy art, relax at our spas, and bask in the beauty that is Sedona.
We had better take steps to ease the impact the crowds will have on our daily lives as we traverse the city going about our daily routines.
Building a new parking garage and completing the Forest Road extension are good examples of the forward-thinking Sedona officials need to exhibit.
But is that enough to dull the pain of a half-mile-long traffic jam?
One good hack is to go on Waze or Google Maps to get updates on traffic during certain times of the day. There are always times when things slow down, and we can get out and do our errands.
Also, make reservations with our restaurants if going out to eat so we can get a one-up on the tourists.
For some, the influx of visitors is a major inconvenience, but for the business community, it’s a godsend.
It’s going to be a great summer for the hospitality and lodging businesses, as well as for the tour establishments. Just about every small business in Sedona is going to profit.
As more and more people visit, many will be captivated by Sedona and want to make it their home, or at least a second home they can rent out as short-term rentals and visit for a few months of the year.
The magic of Sedona is simply irresistible. Many consider it the epicenter of the new renaissance for spiritual fulfillment, the geographical location where humanity jumps into the future of humankind’s evolution.
Not to mention Sedona being the capital of UFO activity in the universe. Who knows? Even the ETs visit Sedona for a little R&R.
If you look just right out of the corner of your eye, you might catch one shopping at Safeway.
Weddings, corporate events, seminars, and retreats—everyone is going to want to be here. We have become a global destination, so we might as well get used to it.
People will be drawn here like moths to a flame. And they will settle here if compelled by the vibrant and seductive Sedona energy.
We, as locals, will have to readjust our lives to accommodate the coming growth.
Our elected officials must do all they can to mitigate the impact of crowded streets and expanded rush hours. But as much as they can or cannot do when you come down to it, our adjustment belongs to us and us alone.
Get over it. Get into it.
We are not the owners but stewards of our beautiful city.
Bear that in mind when stuck in traffic. Meditate. Listen to music or an audiobook on patience. Enjoy the red rock backdrops and relax.
Be grateful you live in this magical, whimsical paradise.
And love thy neighbors as thyself.
I mean the people in the cars surrounding you when stuck in traffic. (:->
8 Comments
Dude, nothing has changed….If the market crashes like it did in 2008, it all cools down. Just silly thinking the cat is now out of the bag. Where have you been?
Now as for housing, it will get worse as corporate greed, and venture capitalists will continue to ruin the whole country and make it harder for people to live the dream of homeownership!
The middle class is dead, its never coming back.
Agree; it’s been about the same since we moved here in ‘08….re tourists numbers, and the traffic. “People” have always destroyed beautiful places-everything and anything is search of money.
It would be interesting to know how many visitors we get each year!
Joan Shannon:
There is a solution to the trafic jams on H179, at least a lot of it. I have made this suggestion to the City Council over rhe last several years many times without one single reply, Also our former City Manager Justin told me to “forget it, Sedonans have to face reality’ and when I asked “which reality is that?” and reply was: “that Sedonans have to face the reality that this is no longer a residential town but, a resort town and that is the focus we are and will be working on for the furture”. NOW: traffic on H179 could be mitigated to a degree and that would be to have ADOT remove it as a “State Scenic Highway”. ADOT conducted a traffic study some years ago and discovered via cell phone pings that 55% of the traffic coming into Sedona went through Uptown Sedona heading North and never stopped here”. Yes, ADOT will undoubtedly resist but, no war has ever been won on one battle, our City Council should persist and produce evidence that traffic in the future will be so heavy (which ADOT stated) that it will often be at a stand still and therefore A RISK TO THE HEALTH AND WELFARE OF SEDONA’S RESIDENTS DUE TO FIRE AND POLICE UNABLE TO RESPOND TO URGENT 911 CALLS IN TIME TO SAVE A LIFE.
Constant requests would be needed for meetings with ADOT many times. ADOT never wanted to restrict H179 into town to one lane in each direction but, a small minority group persisted until ADOT gave in. Same persistence from a minority group against the City Council and ADOT ended ADOT handing over W89a to the City with fifteen million cash. So the City lost control on that stretch of highway. Yes, some were for and against and I am not advocating for either side just giving examples of what can be achieved with patience and persistance, We have a Planning & Zoning Commission who does not care about any of this and why not: because they are appointed and not accountable to us. There are two current prime examples but, it would take too long to expplain at on this site,
Joan, some.good points. Just a couple corrections
The check ADOT was going to write to Sedona for 89A to west sedona city limits was $10 million, plus a total redo of the pavement, allocation for lights and sidewalks. Great deal and we would be in charge. And we would have not had an 11% increase in light pollution, and the now LEDs on 89a which are awful. No thanks to the shortsightedness of certain uninformed Sedona residents.
Regarding 179, southbound is never backed up after Talaquepaque. So building 2 lanes southbound, big waste of time and money.
Nothbound is another story, and hopefully the under bridge walkway will help big time. We know the stoppage that pedestrians cause.
We also know that the mixture of tourist traffic and local traffic would have been extremely dangerous, plus 11 traffic lights. Another dangerous situation with causes crashes, just like we see constantly on 89a in west Sedona.
The backups on 179 are now caused by a total city screw-up up in Uptown, and after another $4 million spent, it still is backing up to the Y,
thank you city government for your total incompetence. Who was fired? No one.
Tommy, you have a sick sense of humor. That video is the most depressing thing I have seen in a long time. I’ll bet you got a big chuckle out of it. It’s not funny.
The video claims to be “a normal day” in Sedona traffic. Traffic is NOT like that everyday and not like that even with tourist influx unless there has been a vehicular accident or breakdown causing it.
Also I love how people who were 100% against any safety regulations for OHV/ATV’s on city roads are so worried about traffic flow and safety! Talk about hypocrisy! But that’s Sedonite’s for ya, bitchin about things just to bitch!
Just plan your trips around the busy times for tourists.
So basically don’t leave your house between Thursday night and Monday morning, unless it is a holiday weekend, then make it Tuesday.
Enjoy the view.