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My Colorado Springs Vacation Report
My boyfriend, Brian, and I just got back from our trip to the Springs from 9/27 – 9/30. We are definitely planning on moving to town next October at the end of our lease here in Bay Area California. So, I obviously liked what I saw. Here’s a brief rundown.
We flew in 9/27 and got there and checked into the Crowne Plaza by supper time. We drove around a bit looking for a close place to eat (the Plaza is on the south-ish end of town). We didn’t feel like doing much that first night, so closest was the answer. The Macaroni Grill was packed, so we went to Chili’s. Haven’t been to Chili’s in years, mind you.
The vibe was exactly what I expected and hoped for. A nice man held the door for us as he exited and we entered. We sat next to a family with two daughters in their early teens, a mom, and a military dad. They seemed nice and had fun at the table. The food was still Chili’s, blah—and waaay too big portions, but we expected that. Plus, hey, we’re on vacation.
That night we scouted out the Plaza and found a nice gym, indoor and outdoor pool and each had a Jacuzzi. We vowed to go at least one night.
The next morning we ate at the Denny’s next to the Crowne Plaza and learned of the locals who frequent that particular Denny’s. The conversations overheard went something like, “where’s Jim? Said he was gonna come here.” “I haven’t seen him.” Another patron: “I seen him yesterday he said he was comin.” First patron: “Where were you yesterday? I came by. Didn’t see you or Jim or anybody.” Waitress: “We mighta been in the back. You need to ask.” First patron: “Oh ok, I just thought you’d be here.” I had oatmeal and eggs and it was Denny’s, nothing great. What I really enjoyed was the view of Pike’s peak out the windows and the crowd. Homey, safe, lovely, kind people. Not at all the hustle and bustle of careless, snobby northern California folk like I’m used to.
We went out to Garden of the Gods that morning and fell in love with the sites. We are amateur hikers and had a blast hitting the different trails and taking snapshots. I found a series of rocks that looked like a big face but Brian didn’t see it. The air was crisp and clean and the sky was so blue against the red rocks. We weren’t yet fully acclimated to the altitude so we took it easy on the trails. We made a promise to come out there at least monthly during good weather once we move.
We drove around the Briargate area and saw some great communities and gorgeous houses. We drove for a few hours, until about 3pm. We decided when we buy a house it will be in District 20.
Then we hit up Phantom Canyon Brewing for happy hour and played free pool while trying out the brews. I had two Demolition Creams and Brian had one ale and one IPA. We had the lobster and shrimp spaghetti and the hummus appetizer. Both were very fresh and very yummy! I'll be trying to replicate that citrus cream pasta sauce until we get back. We played three games and had a great time. After, we were feeling a bit tired so we watched Monday Night Football in the hotel instead of at a sports bar like I wanted.
The next morning we drove around all over COS. We went past the Olympic Training Center all the way to the Academy, on the outskirts of town, to the Target in Briargate (amazingly huge and empty!). We got a Frisbee at the target and headed back over to the Aquatic and Fitness Center planning to play there. Well, it’s covered with bird (duck?) poop so my flip flops weren’t cutting it. We headed out to drive around and check out the houses a bit more. We made ourselves tired checking out houses, so we hit up a Starbucks and headed out to Manitou Springs. We played the arcade and penny games and walked around. It was actually warm and humid that day. We lucked out and ended up in the Springs for your hottest week of the year, I guess.
We were still a bit tired after our fun, so we got Carl’s Jr. for lunch/dinner and headed to the hotel. That night we did check out the pool and Jacuzzi and we were alone the whole time. It was nice and the indoor pool water was so nice. Though I didn’t love the Crowne Plaza by any standards, that was the best pool and Jacuzzi I’ve been to in a long time.
We watched the local news like we’d been doing every night – it’s a great way to learn about a place. We flipped through all the local news stations and we still joke about the “slap me some skin” sports segment. Can’t wait to get back and see that one again.
Our last morning is windy. Really windy. We expected this, since we’d been watching so much news, but it made us a bit stressed out since we’d be taking a tiny little plane to Denver before flying back to San Jose. More on that later.
We drove around the north end of town and ended up at The Egg and I for breakfast. Yum! I had eggs benedict and the eggs were so fluffy. I’ve been home trying to poach eggs like that and I can’t seem to get them as nice and fluffy. Oh well, I’ll have to go back. Brian had some kind of eggs scramble and he said it’s better than normal. Better than mine? He assured me not.
We decided to hit up a movie since we had only a couple of hours to kill so we watched The Informant at the Carmike Theater. It was us and one other person, plus one other couple. Noon on a weekday, so that was to be expected. The movie theater was small but clean, as was the mall overall. Some stores were empty, but we aren’t big fans of malls anyway, so it was a pleasant place to walk through.
Overall, what I was looking for in Colorado Springs was the quality of the people. I found that in spades. The people, as Brian puts it, “seem happier than in California.” They are genuinely nice to each other for the most part, and we had various theories as to why. Of course, that’s the cynical Californian in us. How could they be so happy? What makes them be so nice to each other? Why do they look out for each other and why don’t we detect sarcasm in their voices? Hm. The girl at the Starbucks in Briargate was probably the perkiest, happiest person I’ve heard all my life. One could say she should lay off the Via samples, but I think she’s just happy. She lives in a happy community with a beautiful landscape and great weather. Who wouldn’t be happy?
We head out to the airport and the wind is really going strong. I’m half-afraid, half-excited that we may get delayed overnight. I want to see my cats, but it would be a happy accident to have to stay another night. There are so many places we didn’t get to. We drove around Tejon street but we didn’t eat anywhere or even stop. The Suntara (sp) Grill was recommended to us and we didn’t get a chance to eat there yet. Oh well. Next time…though next time will be when we live in the Springs. Yay!
So, our plane was allowed to fly to Denver, and it was the absolute scariest 15 minutes of my life. 18 rows of people and only myself, Brian, and the guy over in the other aisle next to us seemed the least bit frightened. One guy read his newspaper the whole time we dipped, dive, fell, and soared along the route barely above the cows. From now on we’ll fly Southwest straight to the Springs on a big plane. No more hoppers for me.
Since we got back, I’ve been back to checking rental listings on Realtor.com and craigslist. Now that I have a better idea of the layout of town and what it all actually looks like – you can only tell so much by statistics and pictures – I know that we’d be comfortable renting a house for a couple years in any part of town until we can buy a home in the north side of town. I work from home as a 1099 employee so Brian will need to find work (hopefully downtown as an admin/IT clerk for a law firm since that’s what he does now) and we’ll need to save up a down payment. We are both excited about this plan and can’t wait to make it happen.
I hope that helped, at least a little! Forums are one thing and I really appreciate all I’ve learned on this forum. When I visited Colorado Springs I fell in love with the place, the vibe and the people. I look forward to joining you there next year.
Last edited by misscassandra; 10-05-2009 at 12:30 PM..
Reason: spelling! sorry
Good to hear a Bay Area take on Colorado. I am from the Bay Area and you hit on all cylinders with your report. Yes people are happier and the Egg and I is a great place for breakfast. The job part is the only thing keeping me and my family in the Bay Area but that may become something I will overcome with savings, family help and the willingness to do just about any job. Good luck and you guys are making a good move. Make sure to check the California habits at the border.
That's great that you had such a fantastic time on your trip here. I moved out to the area myself from San Jose just about one year ago, and there are indeed many things I like about living here. There are also some things I really miss about CA, but I won't go into those now.
Just, if i may offer you one piece of unsolicited advice, be very cautious about over-romanticizing this place before you commit to the final decision. It's true that there are many nice, happy people here, and it's also true that sometimes things like shopping and just motoring around town feel a little less hectic here... BUT... I knew very many nice, happy people in San Jose as well, I think it has more to to with your own attitude than about the poeple or the place. Also, I've actually been stuck in traffic as much or more here than I ever was on San Ho... If you come out again, try heading north on i25 anywhere near rush hour or try getting in or out of COS/Manitou on a busy weekend via Hwy 24.... I'm not saying it's unbearable, but it probably won't seem so quaint and idyllic at that point either. Also, about the weather, it was really nice while you were here, but right now it's overcast, supposedly in the 60s but with no sun and a big wind chill it seems more like 40... and we're only two weeks past summer right now.
Don't get me wrong, I really like it here... but there are trade-offs... for me the trade-offs have been more than worth it so far, but I urge you and anybody who moves to get a as realistic a picture of it as possible before moving.
Don't get me wrong, I really like it here... but there are trade-offs... for me the trade-offs have been more than worth it so far, but I urge you and anybody who moves to get a as realistic a picture of it as possible before moving.
Thanks! If there is one thing above all that I am most thankful for in regards to this forum's members, it's the realistic portrait you paint. We didn't experience what you mentioned, but I'm sure we will when we head out there. I have experienced much more traffic in and around San Jose then we experienced out there, so perhaps the locals were on vacation as well.
I really appreciate your input. It helps balance out everything for us and makes it all the more real.
Thanks! If there is one thing above all that I am most thankful for in regards to this forum's members, it's the realistic portrait you paint. We didn't experience what you mentioned, but I'm sure we will when we head out there.
I really appreciate your input. It helps balance out everything for us and makes it all the more real.
You're welcome...
Admittedly, I was pretty spoiled as far as traffic in the bay Area. I commuted from the northern end of Sunnyvale to Downtown SJ via 101 and 237 totally against traffic, so it was pretty rare that we hit any real significant delays.
COS's traffic woes stem more from a lack of freeway infrastucture than from an overabundance of people. I25 is all they have and it's just 2-lanes most of the way. I live north of town and don't commute, so I rarely get stuck in the worst of it, but anytime I have to head into town after about 3pm on a weekday, I can expect some pretty significant slowing most of the way, even though that's supposedly 'against' traffic. Also, I'm pretty certain that Academy Blvd. usually has as many cars on it as Stevens Creek or San Tomas ever did... The absolute worst traffic I've been stuck in since I got here was trying to get back into COS from the high country via Hwy 24 on a warm summer Sunday afternoon.
Quote:
Originally Posted by misscassandra
I have experienced much more traffic in and around San Jose then we experienced out there, so perhaps the locals were on vacation as well.
If it was a nice-weather weekend, they were probably all up in the high country.
Last edited by treedonkey; 10-05-2009 at 01:53 PM..
Thanks for a super trip report, that sort of thing makes our day.
- Egg and I is a fine place, shame they close at 2PM, eggs are on my dinner menu as well as anything else.
- I don't think SWA flies into COLO SPGS, only Denver. Frontier flies in here. Then again, DIA is only a 75 minute drive from Briargate.
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Thanks for a super trip report, that sort of thing makes our day.
- Egg and I is a fine place, shame they close at 2PM, eggs are on my dinner menu as well as anything else.
- I don't think SWA flies into COLO SPGS, only Denver. Frontier flies in here. Then again, DIA is only a 75 minute drive from Briargate.
My pleasure! I could have written so much more and shared pics but I'm no photographer so I'm sure they wouldn't do it justice.
Bummer about Southwest, but we'll be driving from Caifornia when we move (with two cats in the car!) so no more flying there for us. We'll need to save up for the big move.
Nice to see you liked it here. I did too, when I moved here 25 years ago.Now it's all the same to me. Been to all the "tourist" sites(you can only do that so many times) After 25 years I really can't say I find this place all that romantic as you layed out in your post, OP. The city is in a dire budget crisis and they are going to have to cut a lot of services(the police and fire departments can expect major layoffs).The public transportation sucks and will suck even more when they cut out the weekend and evening services. Sorry, but I'm planning on leaving for the Denver area after I complete my schooling-this town just blows.
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