Born and raised 22yr old FLORIDIAN moving to Denver Metro Area!!! In October!!! (Kim: neighborhood, school) - Colorado (CO) - City-Data Forum

Kim42088 · 09-07-2010, 05:07 PM

Hello to all,

My family and I are moving to the Denver Metro are at the end of this month/ beginning of Oct. I am 22 and have never lived out of the state of Florida. Needless to say, I am worried about such a harsh climate change for myself and my 4 yr old (my husband has lived in Iowa as well as Nebraska so he'll adjust fine I'm sure). Any help or advice on how to keep myself and my son warm for the winter that we'll face would be much appreciated!
Also as I have never moved out of state like this, I am worried that it will be hard to make new friends especially in such a big city. Any advice on making friends and meeting genuine, relaxed atmosphere type of people in the Denver area would also be great!
Lastly, my husband and I like to enjoy a night out every now and then, but do not enjoy lots of drunken, rowdy, college kids nor being shoulder to shoulder in club-like scenes. Given this, does anyone have advice on which bars and pubs to go to, and which ones to stay away from? (I particularly like Irish Pubs!)

Thanks in advance for your replies,
Kim

2bindenver · 09-07-2010, 08:34 PM

Hi Kim & welcome to the metro area.

Where are you going to be?

Dreaming of Hawaii · 09-08-2010, 12:38 AM

Kim,

Regarding the winter cold, you will need sweaters and at least one good winter coat. Also a good pair of snow boots and gloves. That said, Denver winters are not like winters in the midwest. We have lots of sunshine, and with the dry air even 30 degrees doesn't feel real cold. i suggest you do a forum search, because weather has been discussed many times.

Regarding meeting people, it should be fairly easy. You can meet other Moms with their kids at the neighborhood grocery store or at the playground. Once he starts pre-school, you will meet other parents at the school. It really is all up to your attitude.

Good luck and enjoy your new adventure.

tfox · 09-08-2010, 11:07 AM

LOL.... don't listen to those who tell you about our mild winters. For those from Minneapolis or Chicago, yes, they're mild. For a Floridian, you are in for a shock.

The only tip I can give you is dress in layers. In winter it can easily be 10 degrees in the morning and 60 degrees in the afternoon. Winter can often give you all four seasons in a single day here! (Or sometimes just deep freeze all day long) The average temperatures in mid winter are 43 degrees in the afternoon and 16 in the morning, but those are just averages as it can be much higher or much lower. You'll see occasional sub-zero temps in winter, though not every year. So, get lots of layers that you can put on and peel off as needed.

Most people from eastern climates struggle as much with winter aridity as with cold. It's dry here year round, but winter is the driest time of year. You'll probably need to get used to some heavy-duty lotion as a daily ritual.

dnvrsoul · 09-08-2010, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tfox

LOL.... don't listen to those who tell you about our mild winters. For those from Minneapolis or Chicago, yes, they're mild. For a Floridian, you are in for a shock.

The only tip I can give you is dress in layers. In winter it can easily be 10 degrees in the morning and 60 degrees in the afternoon. Winter can often give you all four seasons in a single day here! (Or sometimes just deep freeze all day long) The average temperatures in mid winter are 43 degrees in the afternoon and 16 in the morning, but those are just averages as it can be much higher or much lower. You'll see occasional sub-zero temps in winter, though not every year. So, get lots of layers that you can put on and peel off as needed.

Most people from eastern climates struggle as much with winter aridity as with cold. It's dry here year round, but winter is the driest time of year. You'll probably need to get used to some heavy-duty lotion as a daily ritual.

Also, your body will need to "build" up to being cold-so your first winter will be brutal-you have less red blood cells but you will be fine..good luck!

zenkonami · 09-08-2010, 11:45 AM

Most of the Irish I know is downtown or near downtown.

Scruffy Murphy's on 22nd & Larimer
Katie Mullen's (bottom floor of the Sheraton) on 16th & Court
Irish Snug on Colfax & Downing (? - close to Downing)
Fainting Goat on 9th & Broadway
Celtic Tavern (http://www.celtictavern.com/modules/wfchannel/ - broken link) on 18th & Blake

There are some others but that should get you started. Google or Yelp for more info, but I tried to leave out the usual College / Hipster pubs (Snug can get a little crazy or a little sports bar-ish from time to time, but not too often.)

Kim42088 · 09-08-2010, 11:56 AM

[/quote]Most people from eastern climates struggle as much with winter aridity as with cold. It's dry here year round, but winter is the driest time of year. You'll probably need to get used to some heavy-duty lotion as a daily ritual.[/quote]

Thanks everyone for the replies! Ive heard how dry the air is up there but have never thought about the effect it would have on the skin, lotion's not something I'm used to having to use so that will be new. Thank you for that.

Noone's said anything about great bars and pubs to hand out at.

One of the first things we'll want to do when we get there is check out the nightlife so any tips on that would be much appreciated!

bhcompy · 09-08-2010, 05:15 PM

Lotion(Eucerin or Aquafor are good for what Denver throws at you) and possibly humidifiers are a good thing for your first winter. Some children seem to get those odd nosebleeds often, so even more so for children to have a humidifier going at night

newhandle · 09-09-2010, 08:20 AM

I moved here a year ago for retirement. I found people welcoming, lots of organizations to join. I never had a regret for one second. I am as busy now with my friends and volunteer work as I was working, but it is more fullfilling. Biggest adjustment was the altitude which took a few weeks for me and the dry air in winter. Except for a few bitter cold days a year, its no colder than Va. and the snow certainly doesn't linger like it does back east, and they sure clear the roads of snow fast. You may notice people here don't know how to drive in the rain! (And for some reason at a stop light, lots of people leave a car length between their car and the car in front.)

KBandLollipop · 09-09-2010, 09:48 AM

Kim, I am moving out at the end of this month from Iowa! I will be close to downtown in the Capitol Hill area and am 25 so if you ever wanted to get together I'd be down : ) I won't know anyone either, but feel that it will be pretty easy to make friends. I think you will be just fine because your daughter will be an easy way for you to meet other parents. The winters?? They're going to be a nice change for me because Iowa winters SUCK (which is one of the reasons why I am relocating), but it might be a bit of a shock for you. Who knows you may end up loving the snow and chilly temps? Only one wait to find out right? hehe

Kally B.