Considering move - Brooklyn NY to Denver CO (appointed, real estate)

[BarryK123]

Originally Posted by eatsDEN

funny you mention this, folks in NYC and the surrounding areas that I know well seem to complain that the City is no longer the place they fondly remember - but rather is now a gentrified version of itself full of moneyed folks that doesn't 'get' what made the area what it was 'back in the day'

Don't know how old you are, but "back in the day," much of Brooklyn was a dump, Central Park was off limits, Times Square was the drug and porn capital, businessmen took taxis instead of the subway, etc. Much of the clean-up can be attributed to Giuliani, and I find NYC far more attractive now.

[eatsDEN]

Originally Posted by BarryK123

Don't know how old you are, but "back in the day," much of Brooklyn was a dump, Central Park was off limits, Times Square was the drug and porn capital, businessmen took taxis instead of the subway, etc. Much of the clean-up can be attributed to Giuliani, and I find NYC far more attractive now.

yes, this is all classic NYC!


to be fair, most of my friends in the area are involved in the service industry, and the
biggest gripe seems to be that there are really very few places where noise abatement
isn't basically a very significant limiting factor for their ventures - due to the costs associated with sound proofing
a space so that neighbors are not turning them in for violations and impacting their peaceable enjoyment of their home....

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by BarryK123

Don't know how old you are, but "back in the day," much of Brooklyn was a dump, Central Park was off limits, Times Square was the drug and porn capital, businessmen took taxis instead of the subway, etc. Much of the clean-up can be attributed to Giuliani, and I find NYC far more attractive now.

Urban legend and marketing give Giuliani the bulk of the credit. There has been a tremendous amount of academic analysis done on the causes of the crime drop in NY in the 90s. Check it out. Giuliani was a small part of what occurred.

[Mike from back east]

I though it was Mayor Ed Koch who made big strides cleaning up Times Square, and NYC in general. As far as the crime drop in the 1990s, at least a third of the decline is said to be due to Roe v Wade in 1973, i.e., much of the criminal class of the mid-1990s simply was never born to desperately poor single girls. More prisons and more cops on the street added to the decline in crime. As always, success has a thousand fathers, failure is an orphan. This info is explained in detail in the very interesting book "Freakonomics" by two economists who explain much of the hidden side of everything.

Now, lets get back to moving from Brooklyn (aka The Old Country) to Colorado.....

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by boombalati

I can basically live anywhere with my job, as I work from home. We both make great money She, however, is a nurse and will probably take a fairly significant pay cut. Her job here is great, and she has lots of opportunity - but she leaves for work at 7am and gets home at almost 9pm. I barely see her during the week - and she may have an opportunity for a straight up 7 to 430 gig in Denver.
-

Where? Just curious. Most hospitals here are on 12 hr. shifts.

[boombalati]

Originally Posted by MN_Ski

How into the outdoors are you? This may make or break your opinion on how you enjoy your time here. I have always felt that Denver was more of a homebase for outdoor enthusiasts. There are very few people who live here just because of the city, even though the city has had a lot of growth in recent years.

If you haven't been into the outdoors in the past, but are interested in getting into some sports, I would keep in mind that you will be basically paying for your location to the rockies, and might become bored in the short term. This is fine if you are cool with only living somewhere for a year or two (which seems to be most peoples time here), but if you want a long term life decision, you guys will really have to consider what is important to you. A lot of people move here wanting to get into it all, buying roof racks, skis, kayaks, clothing, tents, etc (which are thousands and thousands of dollars of investments), only to become over it after a season or two. Then they realize they are paying a premium for something they no longer care for. You will also need to own a good vehicle to get anywhere into the mountains, which may be a major factor for your living situation.

...Not trying to talk you out of your decision at all, but it's something to consider.

If you are seeking a more balanced mix major city and mountains, Seattle or Portland might be a more suitable choice. They aren't all that much larger than Denver, and you would have to deal with less sun, but those two cities seem to be doing a better job at offering a good urban lifestyle. And if mountains aren't really that big of a deal for you, but you would still like endless outdoor options, Minneapolis is also a great choice...you will also be able to actually "make it" there.

Well, we both have our own snowboarding equipment and I mountain bike in Vermont as often as I can - having my own bike. I used to do competitive mountain biking, and triathlon - and do extended backpacking trips each year.

Its very difficult getting out of the city on public transportation, so its hard to ride as much as I like. We've been skiing in Colorado a few times, and loved it. Vermont skiing pales in comparison. We don't have a car -so that is definitely a consideration.

[boombalati]

Originally Posted by Katarina Witt

Where? Just curious. Most hospitals here are on 12 hr. shifts.

UCDenver Oncology. She is an oncology nurse at Sloan Kettering in Manhattan.

[boombalati]

Originally Posted by Gorges

You're in the enviable position of not having anything to tie you down at the moment. Your job is portable and it appears your wife's job isn't ideal and she would welcome a change. If you really want a change in environment, I'd say go for it. You can always go back.

We moved from the DC area to Denver later in life for a job transfer right after our last kid finished college. The timing was right for us and we were open to a change. We'd traveled a lot in the west and were looking forward to a complete change. Some of the things that turn people off about the area, the brownness, barrenness, and distances, cowboy culture, were welcoming to us. After 2 years, we're still in the exploratory phase and aren't tired of it yet. There are so many places left to see that are within a 1- day drive. I'd say the move has energized us. We don't do winter sports but we are very active here with biking and walking. People say we look younger. It's just easier to be active outside with the low humidity.

If you make the move, make sure you are up for a real change and don't expect to recreate your NY lifestyle here.

That's interesting - My girlfriend said that she was in Denver for an interview and 5 of the people she met transposed 'Boyfriend' into 'Husband' much like you transposed 'Girlfriend' into 'Wife'. I wonder why that is?

On a different note - We don't expect to recreate our NYC lives, there is just no way to do that. We do love NYC, but I think a change would be good for her, with the lessening of work hours, and the ability to go back to school. She just got an offer for a job in Denver, and we will be contemplating it over the weekend.

Not sure yet!

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by boombalati

UCDenver Oncology. She is an oncology nurse at Sloan Kettering in Manhattan.

Ahh! Good for her! Good luck with your decision.

[Corelni]

Originally Posted by Bender303

My perspective is probably going to be a bit different than others because I .....

Denvers dining scene has grown dramatically in recent years and is definitely not all chains. Denver even made it to #3 on zagats hottest dining cities in 2016

https://www.zagat.com/b/the-26-hotte...ies-of-2016#24