Downtown Living

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by DenverAztec

I live a few blocks off Broadway and love it, but work in Saudi Aurora. I would love to work downtown as I could walk to work. I don't rent and believe buying is the best option as you get decent space and the prices are coming down again due to the amount of foreclosures. I will never move to the burbs as it feels like everyone wants to know your business and you have to drive to get to anything. Some folks like that but I prefer being in the thick of it.

That has not been my experience in Louisville. There are many "walkable" opportunities, and my neighborhood is not "Peyton Place". (I am probably dating myself, LOL.)

[DenverAztec]

You are not dating yourself katiana, I remember "Peyton Place". Like you said earlier, it is just what works for the individual and walkable to me is more then a few streets of business. It is walking to a variety of not just restaurants, but also theater types (Mayan, Fillmore, DCPA, Esquire, Curious theater), galleries and museums (art district on Santa Fe, Denver Art Museum, galleries on south Broadway and in the Golden Triangle), late night ice cream (Licks), Parks (Washington, Governor's, Cheeseman, Alamo Placita), historic neighborhoods with hundreds of homes that are over a hundred years old and have enormous trees to match....All of this without even mentioning the 16th street mall or LoDo. All walkable and within 2-3 miles of Capitol Hill/Governor's Park. This is what makes Denver one of the more walkable cities in the U.S.

[Katiana]

I agree with your assessment, Denver Aztec. My daughter lives in Denver and loves it. She also loves Louisville, which also has old houses, big trees, walkable neighborhoods, lots of family friendly activities. I love the old neighborhoods of Denver as well. We used to live in Sloan's Lake.

[DenverAztec]

I love the Sloan's Lake area, that is where I grew up and went to Lake Junior High School. I have always been a city person and will always be as it just feels right for me. If I grew up in the burbs or in the mountains, I would feel differently. My dad was born in Lafayette but was raised in Oak Creek, just outside of Steamboat Springs. My mom is from the same town as their fathers were coal miners. As a kid, he drove us to the mountains every weekend just to get out of the city. I had to walk in his shoes to know why he just prefered the hills.

[ronaldl79]

I'm 28, single, nokids. Found an apartment. Looking to purchase a condo Downtown at some point. This is a "test run" to see how I like living Downtown -- Something I've never done before in any city I've lived.

Originally Posted by BarryK123

Just wondering about your demographics - age, family, etc? Are you in a condo, apt, loft, etc?

[mikalabrynn]

Originally Posted by ronaldl79

I'm 28, single, nokids. Found an apartment. Looking to purchase a condo Downtown at some point. This is a "test run" to see how I like living Downtown -- Something I've never done before in any city I've lived.

What apartment complex did you rent at? Do you like it? I'm apartment shopping....

[ronaldl79]

Thomas Jefferson Apartments. I found them on Craigslist. The building is four blocks away from Broadway and 16th Street Mall. It's an older building (1942), but in the month I've lived here now, its grown on me. I'm a pretty picky person when it comes to choosing a place to live. Very picky, so to be living here says a lot.

All of the units have remodeled kitchens, tile flooring, etc. To be as close to Downtown as I am and all the conveniences, it's a real bargain. My studio is $540/month and includes all utilities. For a single guy with no kids, it's a good starting point for Downtown living.

Originally Posted by mikalabrynn

What apartment complex did you rent at? Do you like it? I'm apartment shopping....

[wanttomoveeast]

Originally Posted by DenverAztec

you have to drive to get to anything.

This is my biggest beef with where I live. It is nothing like downtown. I really don't think any burb compares to living in the city. No matter how much you can walk to things, it just isn't downtown. And yeah, for me, living downtown is preferable because I work here. My DH though... he works in Parker. He used to work in Lafayette. It's always different. So then he'd benefit to by living in a centralized area.

We are still happy owning. And we are finally seeing the benefits of things like equity.

[ladyfish]

wanttomoveeast,

I think we're the same person. I would looooooove to live downtown or in a neighborhood in the "city" -- baker, capitol hill, etc. We could have rented a fairly cheap apartment (not the best quality) in one of those neighborhoods, but we chose to invest in a townhome in a good location (for people who like safe schools and all that, next to a bike trail) that was a huge fixer-upper foreclosure. When we sell it, we *should* be able to make about 15k off of it if we sell it for the lower end of the prices this neighborhood is listed at now. My husband says that when I'm done with school we can sell the townhome and move closer to the city, so I'm working my butt off to graduate (another year and a half ... and that's a Master's ) BUT my real goal is to move to Portland, Maine, or somewhere up northeast. I looooooove New England falls, trees, landscape.

[wanttomoveeast]

Ladyfish: ha! That's funny. I've never been to New England, are the winters bad? I hate winter. When we have a mild one, I'm ok, but I really hate having to try to walk to work and jump over heaps of snow. I also hate walking like an old lady for fear I'll slip and crack my tailbone on some ice.

I'm looking for Miami. We love the heat. We also want a change of scenery. That should do it.

I looked into grad. programs when I finished last year, but I decided that I didn't like any of the programs CU offered. Actually, I liked one program, but the jobs I could get from that I didn't like. oh well. Perhaps I'll find a better program elsewhere. Congrats to you for doing it, I actually miss college at this point.

When we saw what was being offered rent-wise and for how much, we thought sheesh, if we want to downsize and live in a crappy apt., can't we just do that in Miami? It seemed like a waste of money to move downtown (Denver). So for now we'll just sit tight. We are making home improvements too.

You should come to the happy hour tonight! See the thread titled "Happy Hour". I'd love to meet you in person.