As wonderful and whimsical as they are, my previous 9 favorite places just aren’t the same as my hometown of Phoenix, Arizona. I hear a lot of criticism about our town: bad schools, unlivable weather, nothing to do, ignorant people. I’ve found exactly the opposite to be true. I’m a warm weather kind of gal so the dry heat of Phoenix suits me perfectly. I prefer sunshine to rain and flip flops to... well, any other kind of shoe. I’ve experienced and observed the passion and determination of Phoenix teachers. I’ve had the pleasure of attending inspiring and entertaining local events, dining in unique restaurants, and brushing elbows with amazingly talented and dedicated artists. I’ve had conversations with intellectuals, activists, and compassionate individuals who, even if we disagree on issues, want to leave our city better than when they arrived.

As fun and exciting as traveling can be, I’m always relieved to arrive back at Sky Harbor (the best named airport) and to drive the familiar curves of the 101 toward home. The sunsets are amazing, the swimming pools endless, and the cheesy Western gear is so much fun. I sometimes romanticize living elsewhere, but Phoenix really is my home. And there’s no place like it.

I saw these on Apartment Therapy and was in awe. Artist Clement Valla takes images from Google Maps that, when viewed at the right angle, transform landscapes into warped and surreal representations. Valla says:

The images are screenshots from Google Earth with basic color adjustments and cropping. I am collecting these new typologies as a means of conservation--as Google Earth improves its 3D models, its terrain, and its satellite imagery, these strange, surrealist depictions of our built environment and its relation to the natural landscape will disappear in favor of better illusionistic imagery. However, I think these strange mappings of the 2-dimensional and the 3-dimensional provide us with fabulous forms that are purely the result of algorithmic processes and not of human aesthetic decision making. They are artifacts worth preserving.

View More Amazing Google Map Postcards

For the finale of this season’s Top Chef, they are having five chefs competing for the title. The lineup for this “all star” season was pretty impressive, but most of my all-time favorites were left missing. If I were to pick the five best chefs who didn’t win, from all the seasons, the group would look a lot different.

I would have picked: Kevin Gillespie - ginger beardie with lovable personality and comfort food awesomeness, Richard Blais - the wizard with the faux hawk and liquid nitrogen tank, Sam Talbot - tall and handsome with love for sweet and savory combinations, Bryan Voltaggio - the nicer and more professional of the brothers, Stefan Richter - everyone’s favorite carefree Euro. Now that would be a competition!

“Use what talents you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.”