Moving back to Chicago (transplants, insurance, buy)

[GT28107]

Almost exactly a year ago, I moved out of Chicago and headed west to Denver. Now it looks like I'm heading back to Chicago.

Denver is cool & the mountains are beautiful, but I'm over it.

Some random thoughts:

• Mild winters my butt. Denver still gets sub-zero temps & plenty of snow just like Chicago. The only difference is Denver gets more sun & the snow melts quicker. Also, it can start snowing in October out here. Very unpredictable. November snow in Chicago is rare.

• The sun in winter is great, but come summer it is borderline unbearable (can't even enjoy a ball game at Coors Field unless you're sitting in the shade). I know a couple of people in their mid-30s who already have skin issues because of the brutal sun out here (one is a CO native, the other has only been here 10 years!) I will say though, summer nights in Denver are amazing.

• I can count the times I went into the mountains on both hands over the course of a year. I never even tried skiing. No real interest. Plus, it's expensive. No wonder the rich folks are into it.

• Outdoor activities are nowhere to be found in the city & suburbs. You have to take day trips into the mountains to do anything fun. Hiking, skiing, etc. It's all in the mountains. When you work 5 days a week, it's tough to make time for that stuff.

• Denver is land-locked. It's one of those things that doesn't compute until later on. It's very easy to get caught up in your own little bubble.

• Downtown Denver feels more like a gigantic suburb than a major city.

• It sucked having to go out to a bar almost every week to watch Da Bears. Sports culture here is weak compared to Chicago. The bar I went to, almost everyone was a fan of a different city. Maybe a handful of Broncos fans.

• Not many people are CO natives. Transplants abound. There are actually little stickers that some people buy for their cars. NATIVE. I still get a kick out of this. Where else in the country would you ever see that? Imagine an IL native sticker, lol.

• I won't miss the cost of CO license plates and insurance. Ungodly expensive. I guess that's how they make up for the lack of tolls.

• One thing I will miss are the concert venues. Red Rocks is phenomenal. Even Fiddler's Green is a fun place for a show (I refuse to call it by the current corporate name). No parking fees at either venue and you can tailgate. Awesome. Only negative to Red Rocks was the fact that I wasn't prepared to walk from the south parking lot up to the actual venue. It was an honest-to-god hike up the mountain. I really didn't need a workout before the show.

The best part of the last year, though, was learning a new appreciation for not only a different part of the country, but for Chicago as well. It was a true learning experience and I don't regret a minute of it. I just think Chicago is a better fit for me at this point in time.