Denver or Seattle? (Estes Park, Eagle: transplants, homes, buy)

[BlueWillowPlate]

Originally Posted by McGowdog

So, if a NOCAL/SOCAL were to move to Denver, where would he go for seafood? The only places I could say is Marc's for Mussels, Simms Landing, and maybe Tejadas (sp??) on south Broadway (about Belleview) for Red Snapper (and yes, that's a Mexican food Resturant with awesome fish).

Would anyone care to add to the list? Where would we send him for Rocky Mountain Oysters?

I tend to cook at home, so my go-to seafood place, when I really cared about what I was purchasing, was usually Whole Foods or Wild Oats, or Costco or King Soops (they can have some really good specials if you pay attention.)
The times I had Rocky Mountain Oysters, I was either in Ft Collins or Severance.
Sadly, another piece of Colorado is gone...SEVERANCE - Another piece of old Colorado slipped away Wednesday night when Bruce's Bar, the rural roadhouse renowned for Rocky Mountain oysters, closed amid toasts and tears.link Rocky Mtn News Online (http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5319643,00.html - broken link)

[tfox]

The Asian markets on Alameda and Federal are also a great resource for fresh seafood -- the quality is great and the prices could be the best in town. They'll even prepare filets for you -- although to explain what you want you might have to be multilingual! LOL

[brattpowered]

That's a tough one. Denver has wonderful weather, is cheaper, and is easier to bike around due to its flatness. Seattle has better seafood, is more scenic, and is more cosmopolitan. I lived in Denver and have visited Seattle, and I think that if I had the money I would go for Seattle. I just don't know if I could stay there too long because of the gloomy weather.

The main thing that would steer me away from Denver is its isolation. If you become bored with the city or the mountains, you had better learn how to entertain yourself. The closest cities that are as cool as Denver are Chicago, Austin and San Francisco-- all a 2 day drive or plane trip away.

[tfox]

Originally Posted by brattpowered

The main thing that would steer me away from Denver is its isolation.

Agree that there are pluses and minuses of isolation, but I'd like to point out that our isolation is something that makes Denver unique -- no other city is so far removed from other large cities as Denver. I think it makes Denver special. Instead of focusing on the lack of large cities around us, we can instead focus on the wide-open-spaces, wilderness, mountains, high plains, and deserts surrounding us.

[BlueWillowPlate]

Originally Posted by tfox

The Asian markets on Alameda and Federal are also a great resource for fresh seafood -- the quality is great and the prices could be the best in town. They'll even prepare filets for you -- although to explain what you want you might have to be multilingual! LOL

Just be careful that you're getting what they say you're getting.
Some Asian importers have gotten in trouble for false labels on their fish, also the Asian aquaculture regulations are not the same as ours.

[sunsprit]

This "fresh" seafood issue is not as big as some folks would make it sound.

If you're going to the Pike Marketplace, for example, you're seeing fish that came in iced down or recently frozen and thawed for sale.

From the same original sources, fish comes to Denver's wholesale fish broker (Seattle Fish Co.), by air freight just about as quickly as Seattle's wholesale market gets theirs. Of course, that's a wholesale outlet only, but they cater to the food service trade and some retail outlets.

I don't trust Kroger or Albertson's or Safeway to handle fresh fish; their frozen sources are thawed for the fish counter, for the most part.

The Asian markets on South Federal in Denver are OK, but you do need to be very careful about how it's been handled (and raised, for that matter).

The only way you'll get truly "fresh fish" in either Denver or Seattle is to be catching it yourself or buying it directly off the commercial boat when it comes to the dock. Seattle does have the advantage that some restaurants own their own boats or have direct arrangement with a boat.

For those who pursue sportfishing and really good eating, there's nothing like fish out of the water less than an hour or two, and promptly iced down when out of the water. Everything else is still 2nd best at it's best unless you're buying live.

[BlueWillowPlate]

Originally Posted by sunsprit

If you're going to the Pike Marketplace, for example, you're seeing fish that came in iced down or recently frozen and thawed for sale.

From the same original sources, fish comes to Denver's wholesale fish broker (Seattle Fish Co.), by air freight just about as quickly as Seattle's wholesale market gets theirs. Of course, that's a wholesale outlet only, but they cater to the food service trade and some retail outlets.

The Asian markets on South Federal in Denver are OK, but you do need to be very careful about how it's been handled (and raised, for that matter).
Seattle does have the advantage that some restaurants own their own boats or have direct arrangement with a boat.

.

When it comes to seafood, to me Seattle has two advantages: selection and cost.
The salmon my husband once brought home to Denver from Seattle was cheaper--and the Pike Place Market had a bit more to choose from than whatever Denver's Seattle Fish truck delivers to retail places that day.
The fish at Pike Place Market has a bit shorter route to your plate than the fish flown into Denver.

An Asian importer here in Florida got in a heck of a lot of trouble for mis-labeling his fish as grouper. And the farmed fish that comes in from Asia is not necessarily raised with the same sanitary and/or environmental standards that the USA endorses. Hopefully, this is now changing.

When I lived in Denver, we ate a lot of trout. And yes, fresh caught is the best.
It doesn't get much better than that.

[veekasaurus]

Had to post again after reading some of the responses - the rain is something you get used to. Maybe hard to believe, but it's true. It's also very mild weather in the winter which is great. I don't even carry an umbrella, just wear a coat with a hood.

But, I'll say it again - high housing prices and bad traffic. If you don't mind those two things, it's a beautiful place!

[Dan6200alt]

BTW, jump on over to the Washington-Seattle forum and check out some of the great photo threads there.

heres one:

http:////www.city-data.com/foru...pwrigtht1.html

[symed]

I actually made the move from Denver to Seattle.

If I had to do it all over again, I would have chosen to stay in Denver.

Why? The Weather.

After two months, the fact that there was a constant drizzle was driving me nuts.

It really affected my mood. So much that my friends suggested that I go out and buy a Sun Lamp.( I did not even know such a thing exsited until I moved out here)

The city does have a more modern feel to it when compared to denver. But it just does not match the energy and friendlyness of Denver.

The skiing is far superior in Colorado.(Snow in Washington is very wet)

In my opinion this is how the comparison breaks down.

Seattle:

Better Job market
Coast line
More cultural opportunities


Denver:

Weather
Better outdoor opportunities
Cheaper to live
Healthier lifestyle.
Weather
Denver Broncos.