(Photo by Christina Estes - KJZZ)

Downtown Phoenix near 3rd Avenue and Washington Street.

Downtown Phoenix is becoming known for interesting nightlife with bars and restaurants along with sports and arts venues. Public transit has caught on with the popularity of light rail.

And now that progress has been highlighted in The New York Times. Fernanda Santos is the Phoenix bureau chief for The Times and wrote "Phoenix focuses on rebuilding downtown, wooing Silicon Valley."