Questions about Downtown Living: Run? Bike? Commute to DTC? (Denver: apartment, renting)

[coyoteloon]

Here's a couple of questions for any folks living in a downtown Denver. I plan to move to Denver in the first half of 2010, and I'm liking the idea of living in a nice downtown/LoDo condo or apartment. I have two questions:

(1) I enjoy running and biking (road bike). I try to keep fit, and don't want to spend time on a treadmill or stationary bike. What kind of options does a downtown resident have, if they enjoy going out for a 5K run or a one-hour bike ride?

(2) I'm a software engineer, so there's a good chance I'll wind up working in the DTC. How's the LoDo-DTC commute? Is the light rail system a legitimate option to using I-25?

[steveindenver]

Don't be fooled by the DTC marketing. There are tons of tech jobs in downtown Denver as well as north of the city too. That said, the commute from downtown to the tech center would be against the grain and likely 18-25 minutes most days.

There are tons of places to jog and bike in Denver. We have a decent bike lane system and a great path system that runs all over the metro area. Both the Cherry Creek and Platte trails are heavily used and meet up just outside of REI.

You will want to consider the reality that LoDo has no close proximity to most services, gas and grocery come to mind, and can be a loud place to live especially in the summertime as the bars are letting out.

If you go a bit further east from the city you have close proximity to two great parks for running, City Park and Cheeseman, a bit south Washington park is the place in Denver for 20 somethings to pose and posture.

[Rockhopper11]

Originally Posted by steveindenver

There are tons of tech jobs in downtown Denver as well as north of the city too.

Tons of jobs (these days)?

Originally Posted by steveindenver

There are tons of places to jog and bike in Denver. We have a decent bike lane system and a great path system that runs all over the metro area. Both the Cherry Creek and Platte trails are heavily used and meet up just outside of REI.

True and don't forget the 7k race coming up early next rear (race of the green I think through Lodo and LoHi). Question - what is the name and location of that small coffee shop that serves Brats and Lattes off the bike path just south of REI ??

[FentonForche]

Denver is an urban jogger's paradise. If you get a place in the Platte Valley next to the REI superstore, you can hop right on to paved trails at Riverfront Park--you could trot over to Confluence park and run along Cherry Creek all the way to Cherry Creek Mall and back. You could figure out the closest connect point to the highline system and run there. Basically, there are way too many options to list. I believe you could jog all the way to Fort Collins on nothing but paved trails dedicated to bikes and feet.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Best way to go from downtown to DTC would be light rail; you can walk/job/bike to your job from the light rail station (yes you can take your bike on the train). The northbound afternoon commute logjam on I-25 from the Tech Center area starts about 3:00 and is a parking lot for hours. Much worse than my commute going the other way in the afternoon "rush" hour.

[Katarina Witt]

If you are coming here w/o a job, there's a good chance you could end up working most anywhere. I'd say, keep your options open by renting in a central location until you know where you'll be working. There are tech jobs scattered all over the metro, with some hubs in the Tech Center, downtown, Broomfield and Boulder.