Nothing gets as disappointing in a skydiver’s book as a skydive cancellation, especially due to unsuitable weather conditions. When you have spent a great deal of time thinking, planning, and at times even daydreaming about the experience…all you want to do is try it! Can you skydive in the rain? Professional skydivers are aware that certain weather conditions can hamper this activity. Such as the clouds that affect visibility, wind chills, and more can dictate whether or not you can skydive. For this and much more, here is everything you should know about skydiving in the rain:

Can You Skydive in the Rain?

While many enjoy the rainy the season, this doesn’t exactly apply to skydivers. As it turns out, there are some laws in place for skydiving if the weather isn’t clear skies. If this is your first time skydiving, these rules are in place so you enjoy the experience with little-to-no risk. Skydiving while it is raining can be a rather unpleasant experience. Here are some reasons why:

1. It Hurts!

As any skydiver will attest to, this is the primary reason why going for skydiving while it is raining is a terrible idea. What you need to understand is that when you are skydiving while it is raining, the relatively little drops from above are not patting you gently! The pointy ends of a raindrop are hitting you as you drop past them towards the ground.

2. Your Clothes Will be Soaked, and the Wind Will Make You Chilly

As the droplets hit you, your clothes will be wet. It’s rather unpleasant to be skydiving at fast speeds, with wet clothes. The wind going through your wet clothing will make you rather cold, too. The rain can also add extra weight to your parachute.

3. Unexpected Delays:

Naturally, rain, of course, comes from the clouds; and if you are familiar with several skydiving terms, you know about ‘weather holds.’ In essence, this is a delay at the scheduled drop zone which is mandated by the FAA rules when it is raining. When there is rain, the aircrafts carrying skydivers ‘loads’ will apparently wait for a green light to proceed when the weather is assessed as clear enough to allow departure. This wait may potentially mean hours of anxious waiting. The best time of day to skydive will be when the weather has cleared and the temperatures aren’t too high.

Bottom Line

Rain, unfortunately, can turn an otherwise exciting skydive experience into a gloomy, unbearable affair. Why? Looking at the reasons as mentioned earlier of why you shouldn’t do it, the rain can influence what makes skydiving fun. Having said so, it is then apparent that the answer to can you skydive in the rain is probably not.

A 15-story Marriott hotel is coming to downtown Phoenix’s Arizona Center in 2019.

The 200-room AC Hotel Downtown Phoenix, part of the Marriott-owned chain, will stand at 5th Street between Fillmore and Van Buren streets. It is the second tower planned for the property, which is in the midst of a significant renovation.

“This is the first time real dollars have been spent,” Matt Root, CEO of Arizona Center owners Parallel Capital Partners, said. Previous owners had not invested heavily in a major renovation like currently underway, he added.

After purchasing Arizona Center about two years ago, Parallel has initiated a number of changes that are now starting to take effect.

These changes include the hotel plans, which come on the heels of a May announcement of a 31-story residential tower also coming to the site, and the retail renovation project.

The refresh, which began in March, is expected to wrap up by the end of January.

What hotel will bring

Construction on the hotel will begin in April, with an estimated completion date sometime in late 2019, according to Jeffrey LaPour, president of contractor LaPour Partners.

The hotel will remove a lawn on the east side of the Arizona Center block, but will not block walkways through the mall’s retail space, as the renovation construction is doing now.

Despite the removal of the large green space, Root said landscaping is planned around the building.

“The economic impact downtown will be job creation,” Root said, adding the hotel’s presence will feed into Arizona Center’s business.

AC Hotels is a Spain-based European chain purchased by Marriott, and operates as a subsidiary of the hotel giant. This and another Phoenix location are part of a larger expansion into North America.

Retail renovations affect businesses

The Arizona Center’s current and planned changes already are affecting businesses at the outdoor mall.

Amber Cesena, general manager of 1130 the Restaurant at Arizona Center, said the retail space renovations have “really affected business quite a bit.”

Work on the front of the mall on Third Street makes it look closed, Cesena said. The narrow walkways inside the plaza, which weave through sections of construction zones, can lead to confusion and frustration.

She added that a drop in customers was expected, due to extensive changes, but thinks the improvements will take 1130’s previously business back “to 100 percent and beyond.”

Cesena also looks forward to the potential of more business from hotel guests and people in the residences, although she is “sad to see a lot of landscaping” removed.

Like the hotel, the residential tower will remove a green space, on the northwest corner of Van Buren and Fifth streets.

Cathy Eden, an employee at the downtown Arizona State University campus across the street, said she’s had “no problems” with the renovation construction.

Eden, a lifelong area resident who lives in the Willo Historic Neighborhood, said the construction noise, dust and narrow walkways have not made her want to stay away from the center.

“I’m just happy with what’s going on downtown,” she said.

Cesena welcomes any new businesses and restaurants coming to Arizona Center. No new ones have been, though. Fewer options means fewer people are coming to the mall, she said, and increased competition keeps her on her toes.

When she began working at Arizona Center in 2000, the mall was “booming,” Cesena said, but has since dropped in popularity. “It’s nice seeing it become a place to be.”

Downtown grows around center

LaPour said Arizona Center was a good fit for the hotel because of the “facelifts” happening at the mall and in downtown at large.

“It’s a really good time” to build business downtown, he said, because new offices and cultural attractions will bring more out-of-towners to the area.

The residential tower coming to Arizona Center will have 350 apartments with lease prices aimed at higher-income residents.

“A younger, creative and more affluent demographic” are attracted downtown, Root said. “The transformation of downtown is exciting.”

LaPour said downtown’s recent and rapid growth will continue. “In five years, people aren’t even going to recognize downtown.”

Original Article At: AZ Central

With sunny skies and a year-round average temperature of 75 degrees, Phoenix is a great choice for meeting planners looking for the right city for their events and conferences. Phoenix is a convention-friendly city that lives up to its reputation. As the major metropolitan city within the fastest-growing county in the U.S., Phoenix offers an exceptional collection of hotels and resorts with more than 27,000 guest rooms and modern meeting facilities. From luxury resorts to budget-friendly hotels to dude ranches and other unique sites, you can find the perfect venue for your needs.

The Phoenix Convention Center encompasses 900,000 square feet of rentable space. Located in the heart of downtown Phoenix, the Phoenix Convention Center is within walking distance of major attractions such as Chase Field, Talking Stick Resort Arena, CityScape, and Roosevelt Row, as well as many shops, restaurants, and bars. Incorporating some leisure around events is not a problem in downtown Phoenix.

There is seldom a cloud in the sky in this desert city, which makes it a favorite meetings destination any time of the year, not to mention a great place to swing a golf club. Known as the golf capital of the world, Phoenix has an abundance of championship golf courses. Phoenix’s prime Sonoran Desert location also creates unlimited opportunities for uniquely Southwest outdoor adventures such as horseback riding, hiking, hot-air ballooning, and off-road desert tours in jeeps and Hummers.

Vibrant and cosmopolitan, Phoenix gives visitors plenty of good reasons to wash off the desert dust and dress up for an evening out. Phoenix provides a wide array of cultural and performance sites and stages. The Phoenix Art Museum features 40,000 international works of art that span centuries of time. Performance locations such as Symphony Hall, the nationally ranked Arizona Theater Company, the critically acclaimed ASU Gammage Auditorium, and the Herberger Theater Center host award-winning performances nightly.

Visitors find it easy to get around Phoenix with ample transportation options.

Upon arrival into Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, visitors can board the PHX Sky Train® to move between the airport’s busiest terminals and the nearest Metro Light Rail station. It is free to use and operates 24/7, arriving at stations every three minutes. The train takes about five minutes to travel from Terminal 4 to the light-rail station at 44th Street and Washington.

Sky Harbor is located only five miles from downtown Phoenix, and arriving passengers can make that trip aboard light rail for $2. With 35 stations in the metro area, and trains arriving every 10 minutes, the light rail moves the masses in a hurry. The 26-mile system carries riders to hotels, restaurants, museums and sports arenas in Phoenix, and also links to the nearby cities of Mesa and Tempe. A one-way ticket costs $2, and an all-day pass is $4. Passes can be purchased at ticketing machines located at each stop.

Alternatively, a taxi or ride-share trip takes under 10 minutes and typically costs $15-20. Taxi fares are metered at a rate of $5 for the first mile and $2.30 for each additional mile. One-way taxi fares from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to downtown Phoenix, approximately three miles, are $15 and up.

Original Article at: cvent supplier network