Denver Vs San Diego (state, largest, compared, population)
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San Diego is one of my favorite cities. IMHO it's the #1 best city in California. I've visited many times. The first time I drove there when I was living in Phoenix at the time, I was BLOWN AWAY. And still am. Had a chance to attend SDSU for grad school but chose USC instead (probably the right decision in the long run). I also tried twice to move there, flew in for interviews once in 2009 and once in 2010. Those jobs didn't pan out, so I'm back in Denver now where I grew up. Time will tell if I stay here long term or end up moving again.
SD has an extremely rugged topography. The entire city is spread out over canyons, valleys, mesas, hills, and coast. The climate, in terms of in-town, day to day life, is absolute best climate in the world. Warm days and cool nights. Possibly even better than the actual Mediterranean. It's the definition of perfection (not if you're way inland like El Cajon, though). Everywhere you go, there are flowers and all kinds of plants and shrubs. The air smells fresh and fragrant. The architecture is so cheerful looking, IMO. I absolutely love the Spanish "mission" style architecture that is prominent throughout California. SD really had a unique sense of place-- won't confuse it with any other part of the country.
Denver, on the other hand... at its absolute best is tolerable. At its worst, it's downright ugly and depressing. The mountain view really isn't that great. I think a lot of people that visit or move to Denver are from the middle of the country, where they've never seen a mountain before, and are impressed. The Rocky Mountains are great when your actually in them (and when they're not burning), but the view from Denver, at the ground level (not a helicopter view of the skyline) is a shallow, distant mountain view. And it's only a view in one direction-- there's absolutely nothing out east to do or look at. Ironically, the closer you get to the mountains, the less of the mountains you see. When you're in far west Lakewood/Golden by E-470 and I-70, right where the plains meets the mountains, all you see are little foothills, since the actual peaks are miles to the west. The city itself is built on rolling plains, that while definitely not paper flat, doesn't have any views to look at either. Outside of a few of the historical center-city neighborhoods that have some nice architecture, Denver has one of the most drab and dismal looking built environments of any city I've ever seen. Without much exaggeration, every building here is either brown or gray colored. I was thinking about buying my first house, but not only am I realizing that not only is Denver not very affordable, but there is very little property in this town that is appealing enough to even want to own.
Another annoying thing about Denver is that the flagship universities (CU Boulder, CSU Fort Collins) are in college towns located 30-60 minutes away from the center of the city. Neither Denver nor its immediate suburbs have any major universities. DU is a small private school and doesn't count. UCD/Metro doesn't count. The actual "intellectual center" of Denver is in Boulder, which leaves Denver itself kind of empty. Denver is more about sports, beer, and bikes than anything else. Not that there's anything wrong with that, I just wish there was more in addition. And forgot to mention, while we have all four major professional sports teams, all 4 of them suck...
Denver has some of the worst pothole-ridden roads of anywhere in the country. This is a place that will take a nice car and turn it into a beat up rattle-mobile in no time. No wonder why the cars here suck compared to southern California.
The downtown areas are a wash. Lodo is about the same as Gaslamp. I'd argue though that's Gaslamp's 5th Ave has more action packed block after block on the same street than any one street in Denver. Not even LA has a pedestrian friendly street that dense with action. However, San Diego has tons of cool areas to hang out in outside of downtown. In Denver, pretty much everything worth doing is concentrated downtown and the neighborhoods adjacent to downtown; once you're outside of the urban core, the suburbs of Denver are so boring you can be bored to tears.
Now on the plus side, Denver has a way better economy and job market than San Diego (although both cities are very hard for a newcomer trying to relocate. Once you already live here and are established here with local work experience, it's easier to find jobs). If your into skiing (and I am-- last year was a crappy season but in 2010/2011 I went skiing 20 times) and/or exploring the high country, Denver has it... San Diego doesn't. Cost of living, making ends meet, Denver is better hands down. Same or even better wages than SD, but lower housing costs (which are rapidly increasing, though still way less than anywhere in CA). And depending on who you are as a person, things like exotic visual scenery, climate, etc, might not matter much on a day to day basis.
Neither Denver nor its immediate suburbs have any major universities. DU is a small private school and doesn't count. UCD/Metro doesn't count. The actual "intellectual center" of Denver is in Boulder, which leaves Denver itself kind of empty. Denver is more about sports, beer, and bikes than anything else. Not that there's anything wrong with that, I just wish there was more in addition.
The University of Denver (DU) is a very well known private university. Saying it doesn't count would be like saying Tufts University doesn't count for Boston or Cal Tech doesn't count for LA. Also, The University of Colorado Denver Medical School (UCD) is ranked 4th in the entire US. Doesn't count?
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And forgot to mention, while we have all four major professional sports teams, all 4 of them suck....
2 of those 4 teams made it into their respective sport's playoffs last year. Saying all of Denver's team's "suck" is quite an overstatement. Don't forget about Denver's 5th professional sports team, the Colorado Rapids (MLS), who also made it into the playoffs. Considering San Diego's non-existent sports fan base, bringing up sports in a Denver vs. San Diego thread isn't even fair for San Diego. Exactly how many San Diego Chargers games were blacked out last year due to the lack of fan attendance? This would be unprecedented and unheard of in the Denver sports market.
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In Denver, pretty much everything worth doing is concentrated downtown and the neighborhoods adjacent to downtown; once you're outside of the urban core, the suburbs of Denver are so boring you can be bored to tears.
Isn't this true for most cities in the US? This is far from being unique to Denver.
Everything else you stated was opinion and you're entitled to that.
San Diego is one of my favorite cities. IMHO it's the #1 best city in California. I've visited many times. The first time I drove there when I was living in Phoenix at the time, I was BLOWN AWAY. And still am. Had a chance to attend SDSU for grad school but chose USC instead (probably the right decision in the long run). I also tried twice to move there, flew in for interviews once in 2009 and once in 2010. Those jobs didn't pan out, so I'm back in Denver now where I grew up. Time will tell if I stay here long term or end up moving again.
SD has an extremely rugged topography. The entire city is spread out over canyons, valleys, mesas, hills, and coast. The climate, in terms of in-town, day to day life, is absolute best climate in the world. Warm days and cool nights. Possibly even better than the actual Mediterranean. It's the definition of perfection (not if you're way inland like El Cajon, though). Everywhere you go, there are flowers and all kinds of plants and shrubs. The air smells fresh and fragrant. The architecture is so cheerful looking, IMO. I absolutely love the Spanish "mission" style architecture that is prominent throughout California. SD really had a unique sense of place-- won't confuse it with any other part of the country.
Denver, on the other hand... at its absolute best is tolerable. At its worst, it's downright ugly and depressing. The mountain view really isn't that great. I think a lot of people that visit or move to Denver are from the middle of the country, where they've never seen a mountain before, and are impressed. The Rocky Mountains are great when your actually in them (and when they're not burning), but the view from Denver, at the ground level (not a helicopter view of the skyline) is a shallow, distant mountain view. And it's only a view in one direction-- there's absolutely nothing out east to do or look at. Ironically, the closer you get to the mountains, the less of the mountains you see. When you're in far west Lakewood/Golden by E-470 and I-70, right where the plains meets the mountains, all you see are little foothills, since the actual peaks are miles to the west. The city itself is built on rolling plains, that while definitely not paper flat, doesn't have any views to look at either. Outside of a few of the historical center-city neighborhoods that have some nice architecture, Denver has one of the most drab and dismal looking built environments of any city I've ever seen. Without much exaggeration, every building here is either brown or gray colored. I was thinking about buying my first house, but not only am I realizing that not only is Denver not very affordable, but there is very little property in this town that is appealing enough to even want to own.
Another annoying thing about Denver is that the flagship universities (CU Boulder, CSU Fort Collins) are in college towns located 30-60 minutes away from the center of the city. Neither Denver nor its immediate suburbs have any major universities. DU is a small private school and doesn't count. UCD/Metro doesn't count. The actual "intellectual center" of Denver is in Boulder, which leaves Denver itself kind of empty. Denver is more about sports, beer, and bikes than anything else. Not that there's anything wrong with that, I just wish there was more in addition. And forgot to mention, while we have all four major professional sports teams, all 4 of them suck...
Denver has some of the worst pothole-ridden roads of anywhere in the country. This is a place that will take a nice car and turn it into a beat up rattle-mobile in no time. No wonder why the cars here suck compared to southern California.
The downtown areas are a wash. Lodo is about the same as Gaslamp. I'd argue though that's Gaslamp's 5th Ave has more action packed block after block on the same street than any one street in Denver. Not even LA has a pedestrian friendly street that dense with action. However, San Diego has tons of cool areas to hang out in outside of downtown. In Denver, pretty much everything worth doing is concentrated downtown and the neighborhoods adjacent to downtown; once you're outside of the urban core, the suburbs of Denver are so boring you can be bored to tears.
Now on the plus side, Denver has a way better economy and job market than San Diego (although both cities are very hard for a newcomer trying to relocate. Once you already live here and are established here with local work experience, it's easier to find jobs). If your into skiing (and I am-- last year was a crappy season but in 2010/2011 I went skiing 20 times) and/or exploring the high country, Denver has it... San Diego doesn't. Cost of living, making ends meet, Denver is better hands down. Same or even better wages than SD, but lower housing costs (which are rapidly increasing, though still way less than anywhere in CA). And depending on who you are as a person, things like exotic visual scenery, climate, etc, might not matter much on a day to day basis.
While I disagree with your views on the University of Denver and some other observations. Objectively what you stated is pretty straight up or certainly could be debated. My whole negative reaction to people on this sight is when they intentionally try to bash Denver which wasn't your purpose. Having met you in person several years back I believe you to be a pragmatic and realistic person.I know you are native..thanks for the NON BIASED imput. You of course know by now I love Southern Cal, and San Diego..could care less about skyline..ect..but I do have a hair trigger for Colorado bashers. Fair enough post. I agree San Diego is my favorite larger California city, but coastal OC still calls me like sirens stronger than anywhere else on that coastline. I do believe San Diego could be described as America's finest city..still I am a homer at heart and will always prefer most things Colorado if nothing else soley out of comfort level." Who knows," maybe we could meet up again in La Jolla or Gaslamp.
Last edited by Scott5280; 07-16-2012 at 08:51 PM..
While I disagree with your views on the University of Denver and some other observations. Objectively what you stated is pretty straight up or certainly could be debated. My whole negative reaction to people on this sight is when they intentionally try to bash Denver which wasn't your purpose. Having met you in person several years back I believe you to be a pragmatic and realistic person.I know you are native..thanks for the NON BIASED imput. You of course know by now I love Southern Cal, and San Diego..could care less about skyline..ect..but I do have a hair trigger for Colorado bashers. Fair enough post. I agree San Diego is my favorite larger California city, but coastal OC still calls me like sirens stronger than anywhere else on that coastline. I do believe San Diego could be described as America's finest city..still I am a homer at heart and will always prefer most things Colorado if nothing else soley out of comfort level." Who knows," maybe we could meet up again in La Jolla or Gaslamp.
Funny thing is, every time I've lived somewhere else (with the exception of the first 2.5 years in Phoenix when I absolutely loved it there), I've felt homesick for Denver. It felt so good to come back here and visit. The whole time I lived in LA I couldn't wait to get out of there. But now that I've actually been back here for 2+ years as a "young professional," I don't find it to be that great anymore. I feel like a stranger in my own hometown. Now whenever I go on a trip somewhere, it feels like a major letdown to come back home.
Part of it may be this summer, the weather has been such a drag-- disgustingly hot and humid and polluted this year. I actually think the winter is a better season than the summer in Denver. If it's not freezing cold and/or snowing, it's usually quite tolerable.
Re SoCal, I feel similar to the way you do... if I were to move back there, I would probably move to OC rather than SD. More job opportunities in OC, plus access to LA (and SD) for day trips. Last time I was there I explored Laguna Beach, which I believe may even one-up La Jolla in terms of scenery. Cleaner looking water too.
San Diego is one of my favorite cities. IMHO it's the #1 best city in California. I've visited many times. The first time I drove there when I was living in Phoenix at the time, I was BLOWN AWAY. And still am. Had a chance to attend SDSU for grad school but chose USC instead (probably the right decision in the long run). I also tried twice to move there, flew in for interviews once in 2009 and once in 2010. Those jobs didn't pan out, so I'm back in Denver now where I grew up. Time will tell if I stay here long term or end up moving again.
SD has an extremely rugged topography. The entire city is spread out over canyons, valleys, mesas, hills, and coast. The climate, in terms of in-town, day to day life, is absolute best climate in the world. Warm days and cool nights. Possibly even better than the actual Mediterranean. It's the definition of perfection (not if you're way inland like El Cajon, though). Everywhere you go, there are flowers and all kinds of plants and shrubs. The air smells fresh and fragrant. The architecture is so cheerful looking, IMO. I absolutely love the Spanish "mission" style architecture that is prominent throughout California. SD really had a unique sense of place-- won't confuse it with any other part of the country.
Denver, on the other hand... at its absolute best is tolerable. At its worst, it's downright ugly and depressing. The mountain view really isn't that great. I think a lot of people that visit or move to Denver are from the middle of the country, where they've never seen a mountain before, and are impressed. The Rocky Mountains are great when your actually in them (and when they're not burning), but the view from Denver, at the ground level (not a helicopter view of the skyline) is a shallow, distant mountain view. And it's only a view in one direction-- there's absolutely nothing out east to do or look at. Ironically, the closer you get to the mountains, the less of the mountains you see. When you're in far west Lakewood/Golden by E-470 and I-70, right where the plains meets the mountains, all you see are little foothills, since the actual peaks are miles to the west. The city itself is built on rolling plains, that while definitely not paper flat, doesn't have any views to look at either. Outside of a few of the historical center-city neighborhoods that have some nice architecture, Denver has one of the most drab and dismal looking built environments of any city I've ever seen. Without much exaggeration, every building here is either brown or gray colored. I was thinking about buying my first house, but not only am I realizing that not only is Denver not very affordable, but there is very little property in this town that is appealing enough to even want to own.
Another annoying thing about Denver is that the flagship universities (CU Boulder, CSU Fort Collins) are in college towns located 30-60 minutes away from the center of the city. Neither Denver nor its immediate suburbs have any major universities. DU is a small private school and doesn't count. UCD/Metro doesn't count. The actual "intellectual center" of Denver is in Boulder, which leaves Denver itself kind of empty. Denver is more about sports, beer, and bikes than anything else. Not that there's anything wrong with that, I just wish there was more in addition. And forgot to mention, while we have all four major professional sports teams, all 4 of them suck...
Denver has some of the worst pothole-ridden roads of anywhere in the country. This is a place that will take a nice car and turn it into a beat up rattle-mobile in no time. No wonder why the cars here suck compared to southern California.
The downtown areas are a wash. Lodo is about the same as Gaslamp. I'd argue though that's Gaslamp's 5th Ave has more action packed block after block on the same street than any one street in Denver. Not even LA has a pedestrian friendly street that dense with action. However, San Diego has tons of cool areas to hang out in outside of downtown. In Denver, pretty much everything worth doing is concentrated downtown and the neighborhoods adjacent to downtown; once you're outside of the urban core, the suburbs of Denver are so boring you can be bored to tears.
Now on the plus side, Denver has a way better economy and job market than San Diego (although both cities are very hard for a newcomer trying to relocate. Once you already live here and are established here with local work experience, it's easier to find jobs). If your into skiing (and I am-- last year was a crappy season but in 2010/2011 I went skiing 20 times) and/or exploring the high country, Denver has it... San Diego doesn't. Cost of living, making ends meet, Denver is better hands down. Same or even better wages than SD, but lower housing costs (which are rapidly increasing, though still way less than anywhere in CA). And depending on who you are as a person, things like exotic visual scenery, climate, etc, might not matter much on a day to day basis.
I disagree on a few points, but It was a good post showing how it really is.
San Diego is one of my favorite cities. IMHO it's the #1 best city in California. I've visited many times. The first time I drove there when I was living in Phoenix at the time, I was BLOWN AWAY. And still am. Had a chance to attend SDSU for grad school but chose USC instead (probably the right decision in the long run). I also tried twice to move there, flew in for interviews once in 2009 and once in 2010. Those jobs didn't pan out, so I'm back in Denver now where I grew up. Time will tell if I stay here long term or end up moving again.
You were right to choose USC over SDSU, just a more prestigious school overall.
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SD has an extremely rugged topography. The entire city is spread out over canyons, valleys, mesas, hills, and coast. The climate, in terms of in-town, day to day life, is absolute best climate in the world. Warm days and cool nights. Possibly even better than the actual Mediterranean. It's the definition of perfection (not if you're way inland like El Cajon, though). Everywhere you go, there are flowers and all kinds of plants and shrubs. The air smells fresh and fragrant. The architecture is so cheerful looking, IMO. I absolutely love the Spanish "mission" style architecture that is prominent throughout California. SD really had a unique sense of place-- won't confuse it with any other part of the country.
In my first response to this thread, I mentioned not caring for Denver's flat topography and dry air. Does your skin ever get used to it, or must you always use chap stick and lotion? LOL
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Denver, on the other hand... at its absolute best is tolerable. At its worst, it's downright ugly and depressing. The mountain view really isn't that great. I think a lot of people that visit or move to Denver are from the middle of the country, where they've never seen a mountain before, and are impressed. The Rocky Mountains are great when your actually in them (and when they're not burning), but the view from Denver, at the ground level (not a helicopter view of the skyline) is a shallow, distant mountain view. And it's only a view in one direction-- there's absolutely nothing out east to do or look at. Ironically, the closer you get to the mountains, the less of the mountains you see. When you're in far west Lakewood/Golden by E-470 and I-70, right where the plains meets the mountains, all you see are little foothills, since the actual peaks are miles to the west. The city itself is built on rolling plains, that while definitely not paper flat, doesn't have any views to look at either.
Now this is about as honest a description of Denver's setting that I have ever read. If you think about it, while the Rockies reach 14,000 ft above sea level, they really only rise about 9,000 ft above Denver because of Denver's base elevation. The tallest peak in SD is 6,500 ft from sea level. Perhaps that's why I also don't think the Rockies look that impressive to me from Denver. The mountains around LA are actually taller than the ones surrounding Denver since they reach 11,000 ft within sight of the ocean. I also think people would be surprised to see how treeless the mountains are until you get to Idaho Springs or so. It looks very similar to the mountains just east of SD.
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Outside of a few of the historical center-city neighborhoods that have some nice architecture, Denver has one of the most drab and dismal looking built environments of any city I've ever seen. Without much exaggeration, every building here is either brown or gray colored. I was thinking about buying my first house, but not only am I realizing that not only is Denver not very affordable, but there is very little property in this town that is appealing enough to even want to own.
Washington Park is my favorite neighborhood in Denver.
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Another annoying thing about Denver is that the flagship universities (CU Boulder, CSU Fort Collins) are in college towns located 30-60 minutes away from the center of the city. Neither Denver nor its immediate suburbs have any major universities. DU is a small private school and doesn't count. UCD/Metro doesn't count. The actual "intellectual center" of Denver is in Boulder, which leaves Denver itself kind of empty. Denver is more about sports, beer, and bikes than anything else. Not that there's anything wrong with that, I just wish there was more in addition. And forgot to mention, while we have all four major professional sports teams, all 4 of them suck...
One thing for sure, SD will never have all 4 sports team...LOL I do agree that Denver is a big sports town. SD is the ultimate fair weather fan town. We only root for winners here, which means it's not very often.
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Denver has some of the worst pothole-ridden roads of anywhere in the country. This is a place that will take a nice car and turn it into a beat up rattle-mobile in no time. No wonder why the cars here suck compared to southern California.
Trust me, our potholes are just as bad.
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The downtown areas are a wash. Lodo is about the same as Gaslamp. I'd argue though that's Gaslamp's 5th Ave has more action packed block after block on the same street than any one street in Denver. Not even LA has a pedestrian friendly street that dense with action. However, San Diego has tons of cool areas to hang out in outside of downtown. In Denver, pretty much everything worth doing is concentrated downtown and the neighborhoods adjacent to downtown; once you're outside of the urban core, the suburbs of Denver are so boring you can be bored to tears.
I, too, think that the Gaslamp packs more punch in a smaller area. If you add East Village, which is adjacent to the Gaslamp, then you can add even more restaurants and bars to the mix. And I'm so glad you brought up the other areas of the city with pedestrian activity. Hillcrest is more vibrant than Capitol Hill, North Park is busier than Highlands, Ocean Beach with it's hippy vibe, Pacific and Mission Beach are always happening any night of the week because if it's young population. Then there is Coronado, Del Mar, Encinitas, La Jolla, all of which have their own vibes and busy commercial districts.
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Now on the plus side, Denver has a way better economy and job market than San Diego (although both cities are very hard for a newcomer trying to relocate. Once you already live here and are established here with local work experience, it's easier to find jobs). If your into skiing (and I am-- last year was a crappy season but in 2010/2011 I went skiing 20 times) and/or exploring the high country, Denver has it... San Diego doesn't. Cost of living, making ends meet, Denver is better hands down. Same or even better wages than SD, but lower housing costs (which are rapidly increasing, though still way less than anywhere in CA). And depending on who you are as a person, things like exotic visual scenery, climate, etc, might not matter much on a day to day basis.
Well said. Like I said earlier, Denver and SD and very similar and that's a good thing
In my first response to this thread, I mentioned not caring for Denver's flat topography and dry air. Does your skin ever get used to it, or must you always use chap stick and lotion? LOL
No, your skin does not adapt-- you need to use some kind of product. I used to have eczema problems all over my hands, elbows, legs. I finally wisened up and saw a dermotologist, who told me to start using Aquaphor (main ingredient is petrolatum). That stuff works like magic. I use that stuff daily all over and don't have any problems anymore with the dryness. Lotion doesn't work though-- you need to use a cream. Also, I sip water all day long (and at night) to stay hydrated.
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Now this is about as honest a description of Denver's setting that I have ever read. If you think about it, while the Rockies reach 14,000 ft above sea level, they really only rise about 9,000 ft above Denver because of Denver's base elevation. The tallest peak in SD is 6,500 ft from sea level. Perhaps that's why I also don't think the Rockies look that impressive to me from Denver. The mountains around LA are actually taller than the ones surrounding Denver since they reach 11,000 ft within sight of the ocean. I also think people would be surprised to see how treeless the mountains are until you get to Idaho Springs or so. It looks very similar to the mountains just east of SD.
That's all very true. This is a picture I took a few years ago, on I-70 about 20 minutes into the foothills west of Denver, showing the bold part of your quote:
BTW, if you're interested in the geography of Denver, a cool photo tour I took shows a good example of how the mountain views change from the east side of Denver (Aurora) as you drive all the way to the west side (Golden):
And then this same photo tour continues here, showing how the mountains change from when you first enter the foothills until about 45 minutes later when you get close to the Eisenhower tunnel (includes the picture posted above): https://www.city-data.com/forum/color...-ski-area.html
Nice......the only other post worthy of a response simply because it doesn't mention number of highrises and population density.
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Urbanity:
Both cities have a nice urban area with a nice gay area. One thing that Denver has done is put all its major sports venues in downtown and along with the theme park really give it a festive feel.
I'd say Hillcrest is more vibrant and happening than Capitol Hill. It also seems more visibly gay than CP. This weekend they are inagurating a 65 foot gay flag on the main drag. Right in front of the nation's first gay brewery.
I would say this is a tie as both cities are very outdoorsy with a lot of things to do.
I'd give the edge to SD here just because we have easier access to outdoor activities. I live less than 15 minutes from the beach and 10 minutes from hiking trails that reach the highest point in the city. Both of which can be a pit stop before or after work.
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Things to do:
Again I think this is a tie as both cities have a lot to do.[b]
I agree here, although I think there are more different areas to explore in SD
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Economy:
Denver and the state of Colorado has a much better economy then San Diego and the state of California.
Agreed
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Schools:
This is one area I don't know since I never had kids and never went to k-12 schools in both cities.
No kids here, either.
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Universities:
Denver has some great universities with CU and CU medical, DU, Metro, and San Diego has UCSD, San Diego State, USD etc. I think this is a tie as well.
DU and USD are in the same category, but I'd put UCSD in a tier above CU.
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Suburbs:
This is a tie as well. Both cities have great suburbs with great tech parks.
Suburbs are the same everywhere, right?
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Climate:
In my opinion Denver has the better climate as it experiences all 4 season yet its not to hot in the summer and not too cold in the winter.
Colorado is too dry for my tastes.
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Location:
I have to give this one to Denver as its in the center of the country thus its easier to get anywhere in the nation.
Totally disagree with you here. Denver is way too isolated to me. No where to drive for long weekends. SD is close to LA/Palm Springs and 5 hours away from Vegas.
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Transportation:
I would say a tie as both cities have a international airport and a major interstate system as well as mass transit.
DIA is much larger, but I think the freeway system in SD is better.
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Shopping:
From my experience both cities have great shopping and again its a tie.
You can find the same same stores everywhere, really. For upscale shopping, SD is better. We've got Ferragamo, Jimmy Choo, Gucci, Carolina Herrera, Kate Spade, Bloomingdale's, among others.
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Culture:
I think this one goes to Denver as the Buell center is the second largest in the world and Denver gets all of the major Broadway shows and the museums are world class.
While SD's museums are nothing to write home about, Balboa Park does have the largest cultural complex west of the Mississippi River. I will say our live theater scene is pretty good. Lots of productions originate here and make it to Broadway.
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My pick:
Personally I like Denver over San Diego and think its a much more interesting city with better cultural events and restaurants. However in all honesty it really its a close call and I could see why someone would like San Diego especially if they do not like snow and like the beach.
And my pick is SD. I find SD more interesting than Denver, in most areas. We've got better ethnic restaurants and markets, and just more things to see and do on your day off. The craft beer scene here is just as good, if not better than Denver's. More variety and areas of nightlife to choose from, also.
I do agree that depending on one's preference, either city is great.
Last edited by sdurbanite; 07-17-2012 at 12:18 AM..
No, your skin does not adapt-- you need to use some kind of product. I used to have eczema problems all over my hands, elbows, legs. I finally wisened up and saw a dermotologist, who told me to start using Aquaphor (main ingredient is petrolatum). That stuff works like magic. I use that stuff daily all over and don't have any problems anymore with the dryness. Lotion doesn't work though-- you need to use a cream. Also, I sip water all day long (and at night) to stay hydrated.
That's all very true. This is a picture I took a few years ago, on I-70 about 20 minutes into the foothills west of Denver, showing the bold part of your quote:
BTW, if you're interested in the geography of Denver, a cool photo tour I took shows a good example of how the mountain views change from the east side of Denver (Aurora) as you drive all the way to the west side (Golden):
And then this same photo tour continues here, showing how the mountains change from when you first enter the foothills until about 45 minutes later when you get close to the Eisenhower tunnel (includes the picture posted above): https://www.city-data.com/forum/color...-ski-area.html
Yeah, I've spent plenty of time in the Western Slope during both summer and winter, and my nose always bled and my knees were always ashy looking that it looked like I had been kicking flour....LOL
I've driven thru the Eisenhower tunnel many times and you are right, once you exit, it becomes the Colorado that most people think of.
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