The final BCS standings are out and Ohio State will be facing Florida in the BCS National Championship game January 8 right here in Glendale at University of Phoenix (nee Cardinals) Stadium. My sympathies to Michigan, who likely were more deserving of the trip to the desert.

Ohio State fans should be familiar with the Valley, if not Glendale, as the Buckeyes won the national championship here in 2003. From what I was told it was the greatest college football game in history. I missed it - I was on my first date with my lovely wife, watching The Two Towers. And I only remind her of this every couple of months. As for the Gator folk, welcome to a whole new world - what you will see here bears little resemblance to the Valley the last time you were here in 1996.

College football playoff debate aside, what is there to do in Glendale?

There's Glendale Glitters in downtown. There's shopping at Arrowhead Towne Center, as well as micro-brewed beer at Rock Bottom where you can find the name of a truly talented real estate agent and beagle owner permanently etched on a keg. You can play a round of golf at the Legend at Arrowhead Ranch or any one of the dozens of other courses in the West Valley.

Check out a Phoenix Coyotes game - you have to get here early or late, as they play at home December 30 and not again until January 11 - or for something completely different, go to the Arizona Sting's National Lacrosse League opener on January 5 against Colorado. (Don't hold me to it, as I haven't checked the schedule, but I'm fairly sure I'll be there with the family - my wife fell in love with the Sting last season.)

AMC Theaters just opened at Westgate - my daughter and I watched Happy Feet there yesterday - and when all else fails, you can sit inside the newly-opened Gordon Biersch mere steps from the stadium and watch the world go by over a hand-crafted lager.

And this list doesn't include the Fiesta Bowl sanctioned events, including the Fiesta Bowl parade through downtown Phoenix.

With all of this to do, only one question remains ... will Maureen take her Columbus Best Blog on the road? The first beverage is on Tobey if she makes the trip.

(c) Jonathan Dalton, 2006 / Jonathan Dalton's Arizona Homes

Have you ever dreamed of living on the golf course? How about living in Arrowhead Ranch, Glendale's premier master planned community?

What if you could do both at a must-be-seen-to-be- believed price? Now you can!

Welcome to Lakeside at Arrowhead Ranch, located just north on Union Hills Drive and west of 75th Avenue and nestled along the rolling fairways of the Arrowhead Country Club. 

This well-cared for home features a spacious master bedroom with walk-in closet, an extra second closet and a master bathroom with a jacuzzi-style tub and separate shower. The countertops are relatively new, as is the carpet and tile in all the places you would expect. The house is newly painted inside and out and comes with a security system and security door.

Enjoy the large play pool as you watch golfers hack their way around the links. Or sit in the jacuzzi in the gazebo an enjoy an umbrella drink or two under the stars. Or even put an artitifical grass mat and work on your short game after hours - we won't tell the golf course rangers if you don't! (Okay, we're kidding about that part. Please golf responsibly)

And all of this is in Arrowhead Ranch, with easy access to Loop 101 and Interstate 17 and all the convenience the area offers - endless shopping options at the Arrowhead Towne Center, a night of theater at the newly-opened Broadway Palms, baseball at the Peoria Sports Complex and both the Cardinals Stadium and Glendale Arena just down the loop. There's even an In N Out Burger with extended hours for your late night "double-double" fixes.

Best of all, this home is offered at just $339,000 - well below a recent appraisal. The sellers' need to sell is your gain. So don't delay. For more information or to schedule a showing, please call us at 602-502-9693 or e-mail us at Info@DaltonsAZHomes.com or Info@ArrowheadRanchLiving.com.

P.S. - the dog you see standing on the patio is really cute, we know, but he doesn't convey with the rest of the backyard. You'll have to settle for the built in gas barbeque, pool, spa and wonderous unobstructed views of the Arizona sun setting over the Country Club's links. We think you'll still manage quite nicely.

Listing courtesy of Let's Talk Real Estate with permission of homeowner.

(c) Jonathan Dalton, 2006 / Jonathan Dalton's Arizona Homes

Overheard in the parking lot before last night's Cirque de Soleil show at Glendale Arena: "This is why this whole thing is destined to fail."

The scenario: walking to the arena from the parking area and crossing over some dirt medians caused by the construction at the Westgate project. A resident of the East Valley (apparent from his disdain for having crossed Central Avenue for any reason) was complaining loudly about the admittedly cross-country trek to the arena.

The larger scenario: we were walking just east of Glendale Arena - a few hundred yards north of the new Cardinals Stadium, a few hundred yards south of Loews' new movie theater (a first in the Valley - the Loews portion, not the movie theater, just west of where the residential condos are being added and directly south of a building whose purpose I'm still working out.

Yep, Westgate clearly is a failure. Dork.

If you follow sports you've heard about the supposed East Coast bias in the media. If you don't follow sports, you probably can get the same experience watching presidential returns - we don't really matter much out here (see: Florida, New Mexico, 2000). In the Phoenix area, there's a severe East Valley bias because it was the East Valley that grew long before the West.

Times have changed, though not everyone in the streets (north-south roads on the east side of Central Avenue are Streets, those on the west are Avenues) seems to realize it.

With the Cardinals and the Fiesta Bowl having moved to Glendale, Tempe is left with the Insight Bowl. It's a cute bowl - I was there last year - but it's not the Fiesta Bowl. Gammage remains the primary location for full-scale Broadway productions, but if you drop one step, there's now a Broadway dinner theater in peoria to match the one in Mesa. The Coyotes left downtown for Glendale.

More and more, the places to be are either in downtown or the West Valley.

So, Westgate destined to fail? Um, probably not. For many, the time's come to take off the street-shaded sunglasses and see what has blossomed out west.

(c) Jonathan Dalton, 2006 / Jonathan Dalton's Arizona Homes

Today I'm starting a series of neighborhood profiles ... what better place to start than in my own backyard.

Daybreak (actually four separate subdivisions - Daybreak Units 2 through 5) is located on the southeast corner of Greenway Avenue and 67th Avenue in Glendale. The homes are slightly older - built in the mid- to late 1980s for the most part - but as a tradeoff sit on lots considerably larger than what you will find in many newer subdivisions. Also, the majority of the homes are block construction - another feature of the late 80s that can't be found in newer homes.

There is no HOA and many of the homes feature RV gates that are more than decorative. Mine's not among the ones used as I'm currently toy-less but I digress. Despite the lack of HOA, pride of ownership shows throughout the neighborhood and home values have appreciated nicely over the years, just as they have in much of the Valley. It's the type of neighborhood in which a beagle (who shall remain nameless) can run free and know he'll make it back home safely.

Daybreak is conveniently located - we are three blocks from Pioneer Elementary School, six blocks from Cactus High School and just over two miles from Rock Bottom (and the rest of the Arrowhead Towne Center.) The Peoria Sports Complex is five minutes away as is Pullano's, home to the best wings in the West Valley.

There are three supermarkets within a mile of the subdivision as well as numerous restaurants. Also, the Thunderbird Graduate School of International Management is only a half-mile away.

Daybreak features just over 250 homes, the majority of which are owner-occupied. I'll add some additional sales data later, but the turnover rate for the neighborhood is somewhat lower than what you'll find in other parts of Glendale. People who move to Daybreak tend to stay there for a while. Even with a Realtor (and a beagle) as a neighbor.

For more information on Daybreak or other neighborhoods in Glendale, please visit my primary website at http://www.daltonsazhomes.com.

(c) Jonathan Dalton, 2006 / Jonathan Dalton's Arizona Homes

W. Trails Drive - Glendale - $449,000

Elegance abounds in this beautiful home in Sierra Verde.  Four bedrooms, a loft, formal living and family rooms and a spacious master suite are spread across nearly 2,700 square feet in the heart of Arrowhead Ranch.

The sellers have added multiple upgrades for the new owner - travertine floors with tile inlays downstairs and in the baths, hand-tiled kitchen backsplahes, granite countertops and upgraded carpet. The master bath features double sinks, separate shower with a jacuzzi-style tub and a walk-out balcony with views of the Hedgpeth Hills in northern Glendale.

You'll also enjoy the backyard oasis, complete with a wide variety of citrus and fruit trees.

I sold this home in late April for $444,000, with close of escrow in late May.

(c) Jonathan Dalton, 2006 / Jonathan Dalton's Arizona Homes