A Southerner Visits Denver (Parker, Center: broker, construction, quality of life)

[yukon]

I've seen many postings on the Colorado and Florida forums from fellow Floridians asking about Denver, so gang, here's my take on Denver after visiting over Labor Day.....



They don't serve grits in Denver. You want grits, go visit Atlanta. Or bring your own instant ones and order a cup of hot water.

Order the rocky mountain oysters at your own risk. They aren't the same as gulf oysters by a long shot.

Cole slaw in Denver is made with vinegar, not mayo. Not saying it's bad, just different.

They don't have any Steak N Shakes. They do have Cheeburger Cheeburger, which IMHO is better anyway. And they have more flavors for the milkshakes

Don't expect pulled pork at the BBQ places. And no, hot links are not the same as smoked sausage.



OK, kidding aside, Denver is an awesome city.

I couldn't get over how friendly everyone is. Even better, the drivers respect cross walks. And bikers. And pedestrians. I heard one horn honk in the four days I was there, and it was deserved - driver was reading something and didn't go when the light turned green. Today, back in Tampa, I heard six horns in one day. None deserved.

The variety in community personalities is amazing. Even the "cookie cutter" communities that many posters bemoan had personality. My favorite sight was a bus stop on N Parker - stockbroker type in a suit & briefcase, mom and daughter in sari's, retired couple, and some students waiting for the bus, all chatting with each other. Talk about diversity!

The city was pretty clean too, and I only saw one person tossing trash from their car - a smoker tossing out a ciggy butt. Flowers were colorful and gorgeous. I found it easy to navigate all over the city - yes, you can easily get around without getting on a freeway. And did I mention how friendly everyone was? It's worth repeating



The best advice I can give is take a few days and visit the city before you decide to move - or not move - to Denver. The posts on this forum are helpful, but they really can't give you a 3-D feel of the city.

Give yourself 3 days if you can. The first day, don't be surprised if you find yourself saying, "ewwww" as you drive around. I don't mean this in a rude way, Denver. I've lived on both coasts and everywhere in between, but always south of the Mason-Dixon line, so many things in Denver seemed foreign the first day - like basements. And if you're from a city that isn't pedestrian friendly (like many southern cities), you're going to think the bikes on the patios mean kids everywhere and people walking around are thugs or druggies. By Day 2, you'll realize this is the norm - MANY people bike and bikes on the patio are just that - bikes on the patio. And the "thugs" walking around? Just residents getting in their workouts....or walking to the grocery store because it's so gorgeous outside. By Day 3, these things won't seem so foreign, and that's when you'll get the real feel of Denver.

You did yourself proud this past weekend, Denver. I was very impressed! Two thumbs up!

[vegaspilgrim]

Yeah, right now if I had to rank my preferences of where I want to live in the US, Denver is #1. Florida (no offense) is #50. Okay, maybe #49, tied with Mississippi. On one hand, Denver has a lot of problems, just like any other big metropolitan area. Crime, pollution, traffic-- it's all there. You can't be blind to that. On the other hand, when you look at the TOTAL package-- everything you get by living in Denver, and for the price, I think it's a great deal. I would definitely say though that it's an acquired taste. Nice to hear that you liked it, Yukon. Ideally, if you can, visit in the winter as well so can experience what Colorado is like in different seasons.

[Micktooth]

My family and I move here from New Orleans last year. There is no comparison. The people and the quality of life here are wonderful. We do miss some of the food, but then again I have lost 25 lbs. since moving here!

[yukon]

Hot dang! Does that mean if I moved to Denver I could find some fellow Saints fans?

[BSL63087]

I didn't know the Saints had any fans until last year

If you are a football fan Denver will not disappoint you it's probably one of the top 5 best NFL towns out there.

[Katiana]

I always love hearing other's opinions of our fair city.

[yukon]

Bite your tongue, BSL, the Saints have ALWAYS had fans. I remember going to games back when they played in Tulane Stadium - fans would stomp their feet and make the stands vibrate - cool if you were standing underneath (gawd I'm old!). I admit, my #2 team would be Dallas. Sorry, Denver. But I'm not a Bucs fan, so maybe there's hope after all...and you did get one of our good players.....

Something else I noticed on my visit, that new visitors should keep in mind. Much of the construction in Denver is old. My guess is 3 stages mainly, initial establishment and boom (1890-1920 maybe?); second boom 1950-1970-ish maybe, then the current boom. Or at least that's what the architecture seems to reflect. Anyway, on initial look, it elicits a "ewwww" because your first thought is old, dark and run down. However, after you drive around a bit and look closer, you realize it's not run down - just old. As in historic. As in Denver had the sense (and soul) not to destroy its history but to celebrate it and build around it. Many cities demolish the old stuff to make room for the new stuff that doesn't age nearly as well. Anyway, once you realize this, you can start looking past the initial age and learn to look not at old, but how has it been kept up? There's a big difference there.

I say this because so many are coming from areas of new development, and without looking closer, they're going to think the worst of the older parts of town...which happen to be the interesting parts.

Yep, Denver is one cool city. But I didn't get a clear view of the mountains Friday was pure brown, Saturday was gray smoke like the Great Smokey Mtns, and Sun/Mon was cloud cover and rain. Wah!

[Katiana]

It is very interesting to hear that someone thinks Denver looks "Old". Go to the Pittsburgh forum and people are always bashing the west for it's new, bland, etc, etc, etc. Of course, 90% of them have never been anywhere west of Cleveland Ohio

[BSL63087]

I actually like newer modern looking buildings and such. I think that's why I like Dallas so much because almost everything there is newer.

[BSL63087]

Originally Posted by yukon

Bite your tongue, BSL, the Saints have ALWAYS had fans. I remember going to games back when they played in Tulane Stadium - fans would stomp their feet and make the stands vibrate - cool if you were standing underneath (gawd I'm old!). I admit, my #2 team would be Dallas. Sorry, Denver. But I'm not a Bucs fan, so maybe there's hope after all...and you did get one of our good players.....

heh, I was just teasing. The 'Aints haven't had much to cheer for in the past but with the team they have now I think they are going to be at least a playoff contender for years to come. I was actually pulling for them last year to get to the Super Bowl but not win it . I'm from Indiana so I'm somewhat of a Colts fan but more of a Peyton Manning fan than anything. I've always been sortof a Cowboys fan since I was a little kid because I grew up right in the Aikman-Smith-Irvin days so it was hard not to like them but I think I'm close to converting to a true Cowboys fan because I'm probably going to move to the Dallas area. I can't wait for their new stadium, it looks amazing. Dallas has some fan friendly owners-- Mark Cuban and Jerry Jones. The American Airlines Center is unbelievable how nice it is. Tom Hicks (Rangers owner) is good too. Most people don't like him but I find it hard to not like a guy who goes out and spends $250,000,000 to get the best player in the league. Unfortunately things didn't really work out but I think the Rangers have a solid future ahead of them.