Negatives about living in the Denver, CO area (Aurora, Holly: amusement park, condo)

[zenkonami]

You very fairly point out that this is a thread about negatives, so I won't continue to rail on most of your points as you're correct, they are your perspective and you're absolutely entitled to express them.

Originally Posted by CO_Transplant

Well if you've only been here a year, what does the term "outsider" mean? Wouldn't most Coloradoans consider you an outsider?

For what it's worth, I was born here, and I live here now. I only meant outsider meaning "people that don't live or haven't lived in Colorado", and it was not meant to be a direct comment on yourself as you obviously currently live here.

I haven't come to a complete stop on any freeway here longer than a couple of second. It's just the inconsistent speeds that drive me bonkers. There is no concept of traffic flow in this town. The freeways in LA have flow. If people are stopped, it's for a good reason. If traffic is moving along at 10 MPH, you move along at 10 MPH. Here it's 55 to 0 to 40 to 10 back up to 65. Why?

Personally I've had the opposite experience, so I couldn't tell you.

What is an "average" sized city? What are we considering average? Why is Denver so content being average? Be unique and fun for a change!

Average SIZE. Extraordinary city But certainly not so for everyone.

LA's Mexican food is the best in this country. Tito's Tacos? The taco shops in East LA? Utterly divine.

The Mexican food here is so watery that I can just basically pour the whole plate into a margarita glass and drink it. Not appetizing at all.

Difference in taste, then. I find most of L.A.'s Mexican food to be bland, flavorless and full of filler. I've had the opposite experience (for the most part, mind you) in Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado.

We're talking about Denver proper. The mountains are unfortunately not part of this city. Sure, they provide a distant backdrop on the days the particles from manure and the slaughterhouses don't completely obscure them. LA proper is right on the ocean and actually has mountains within city limits! Even Phoenix has inspiring cacti and a way array of natural wonder. Denver proper just does nothing for me.

My time in Phoenix kind of bored me of those majestic Saguaro, which is a shame, but I understand your point. A lot of what I like in Denver includes some of our bridges, some of our industrial architecture, our trains and railyards, how distinctive some of our neighborhoods are (and no, I'm not going to compare them to the distinctiveness of Los Angeles, but I will compare them to other cities that claim "neighborhoods" across middle America.)

Re: IKEA -- because it's fabulous
Re: BeauJos -- because it's just pizza

That's not how you felt about Tito's Tacos

I want to Denver to be great. Why can't we have cattle racing down the street and a Trader Joe's and 7 lane freeways? There would truly be something for everyone. I hold out hope that with the growing population that Denver's glam factor will go up. It's depressing to see that people don't want the same.

Because wider freeways in conjunction with poor urban planning results in increased sprawl resulting in longer commute times. You can get that kind of build out ANYWHERE in the country. People often come to Denver because it IS less populated than L.A., New York and Chicago. They don't want that kind of population pressure, and they don't want that increase in traffic. I don't think most people want Denver to be glamorous, either. If they wanted that, they'd move to L.A. or New York. All those things that make those cities glamorous and desirable are also the things that inspire the negatives of those cities...high cost of living, long commute times, pollution or garbage challenges, cockroaches, distance to nature, noise, fast pace...some of the varied reasons why some people want OUT. Personally, I find it depressing that people want Denver to be these other cities.

Why don't we have a Trader Joe's? I don't know. They are a very good store, but we do have local alternatives. They may not be as "fabulous" as TJs, but they are local and they are ours. We get to take pride in what Coloradans do for themselves instead of always relying on outside influences (which we have an abundance of anyway.) That's what makes our local brewing industry so special. Why come to Denver if you just want it to be like somewhere else? Why not just live in that somewhere else?

Anyway, I respect your point of view, even as I disagree with it, but as I said at the beginning, it is a "negatives" thread and your points are well taken.

[WhereTheSidewalkEnds]

Originally Posted by CO_Transplant

I don't live in Highlands Ranch! I have never mentioned Highlands Ranch in any of my posts. I'm a resident of LoDo.

I apologize - got you mixed up with the person complaining about chain restaurants but lives in Highlands Ranch.

So you smell the stink of dead animal bacteria and death constantly in LoDo. Really?

[zenkonami]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

Albuquerque & Santa Fe has an extremely unique local architecture, with the flat roof neo (or one might say, faux)-adobe homes everywhere, which gives it a very unique sense of place. You can drive/walk around ABQ and you most certainly won't confuse it with Phoenix, or San Diego, or Orange County, or Denver. Albuquerque also a very distinct local native New Mexican "Spanish American" culture as well as many local pueblos that's very different from even other heavily hispanic areas in the US.

Fair call. Last time there was in Rio Rancho which was fairly indistinguishable from suburban Las Vegas, but you're right that isn't really representative of Albuquerque as a whole and is a very small (and new) area.

I will say, though, that I find comparison's of Denver architecture by others to be "indistinguishable" from homes in Kansas City or Sioux Falls to be a bit off the mark. It's unlikely that I would mistake, say, St. Louis homes for Denver ones...with the exception of some of the Ranch style homes. A Ranch style home in Phoenix, Denver or St. Louis will often look pretty similar...same one story brick buildout, etc...with the exception that Denver's often appear slightly smaller from the outside. Of course, I can't stand that style of building

But I have not seen the same kind of Victorian or MCM homes around the country that I have seen in Denver...not in a proliferation sense. They may be there, certainly, but tend not to be defining characteristics of local architecture. I also think we discount some of our older downtown architecture too quickly, even if our modern architecture can be a bit bland.

And yes, I probably am a touch overzealous or even defensive about Denver. I've lived a lot of other cities, but this is the first one (not including some time outside of the country) that I felt was well balanced for me in my adult life. Not too hot, not too cold, etc... There is a little bit of everything here that I've been looking for...it's not perfect, by far, but I can't seem to imagine finding anywhere else in the U.S. that comes closer to what I want out of a city. That fervor is less the result of the place being new (I've lived in too many "new" places, so I know better) and more to do with just finding something that, overall, has greener grass than anywhere else I've lived...or browner...whatever.

[Scott5280]

Originally Posted by jkcoop

I apologize - got you mixed up with the person complaining about chain restaurants but lives in Highlands Ranch.

So you smell the stink of dead of animal bacteria and death constantly in LoDo. Really?

Lower Downtown..translation new urban loft homes for young ex Los Angeles hipsters .Must be the smell of hopps over at the Wynkoop bringing them all here.

[Cupcake77]

I am guessing Co_transplant is over weight and probably never been out of California their entire life.
They don't seem to be interested in the outdoors and any activities in Colorado

This is why Colorado is the thinnest state for the past 7 years because people are health concious and very active. People ski, hike, bike etc.... Co-Transplant doesn't seem to give a toss about any of that.

Instead they are interested in IKEA which is great for college kids and people starting a home. They had an IKEA in Dallas and the Texans loved that store, it was so packed we would have to walk a mile to get in. Trader Joes, the quality is really poor compared to sprouts or whole foods. But TJ is cheap. So from what I can tell they like cheap stores and gucci. Co-Transplant would make a good Texan.

[Cupcake77]

Originally Posted by Scott5280

Lower Downtown..translation new urban loft homes for young ex Los Angeles hipsters .Must be the smell of hopps over at the Wynkoop bringing them all here.

My brother has 2 friends that live in Lodo and both have been unemployeed for 2 years, Maybe Co-Transplant smells them.

[Scott5280]

All this talk about Gucci? I suppose if one needed a Gucci outlet close by in Co they could move to Aspen, the down side for Co transplant is they only use Ikea for firewood up there.

[Cupcake77]

[quote=CO_Transplant;18006010
3) Standoffish people. I feel an odd coldness emanating from people here that I have never felt before. It's as if everyone takes themselves too seriously and can't be bothered being friendly. People here do not hold the elevator at work even if they see me rushing toward it, give loads of attitude with customer service as if they're too good to hold their job, and rarely smile in general.![/quote]


Maybe you should be asking yourself why people are so rude to you.

[noimagination]

All this talk about Gucci? I suppose if one needed a Gucci outlet close by in Co they could move to Aspen, the down side for Co transplant is they only use Ikea for firewood up there.

Would you go so far as to call Aspen a bastion of fabulousness?

[CO_Transplant]

Zenkonami: Points well taken on this end as well! I do love Denver's beer culture and while the overall climate disappoints me, the weather can be very nice at times.

Originally Posted by jkcoop

I apologize - got you mixed up with the person complaining about chain restaurants but lives in Highlands Ranch.

So you smell the stink of dead animal bacteria and death constantly in LoDo. Really?

I smell it moreso when I'm on the east side of town. There have been quite a few mornings where I have gone out to work and have had my senses completely overtaken by the smell of cattle and other farm related stuff. It's just shocking being in the middle of a city with those types of odors.

Originally Posted by Cupcake77

I am guessing Co_transplant is over weight and probably never been out of California their entire life.
They don't seem to be interested in the outdoors and any activities in Colorado

This is why Colorado is the thinnest state for the past 7 years because people are health concious and very active. People ski, hike, bike etc.... Co-Transplant doesn't seem to give a toss about any of that.

Instead they are interested in IKEA which is great for college kids and people starting a home. They had an IKEA in Dallas and the Texans loved that store, it was so packed we would have to walk a mile to get in. Trader Joes, the quality is really poor compared to sprouts or whole foods. But TJ is cheap. So from what I can tell they like cheap stores and gucci. Co-Transplant would make a good Texan.

Definitely not overweight at all! I couldn't fit into the fabulous clothes I wear if I was much more than a size 4!

The thing that I outdoor most about Colorado is the outdoor culture. I just wish Denver proper had more to offer. I also wish it wasn't the only topic of conversation so often. Endless conversations about powder are completely uninteresting to me.

Many Friday afternoons you can find me on the westbound 70 with half of Denver, slamming on my brakes every 20 seconds for hours on end, in a desperate attempt to get up to the mountains accident free!

I am on my first job out of college! I love to spend money on looking amazing, while being thrifty with furniture because I know I will be leaving soon!

Originally Posted by Scott5280

All this talk about Gucci? I suppose if one needed a Gucci outlet close by in Co they could move to Aspen, the down side for Co transplant is they only use Ikea for firewood up there.

I would love to be able to shop at Gucci here in Denver! Can't wait for IKEA too. That is, if I'm still here!

Originally Posted by noimagination

Would you go so far as to call Aspen a bastion of fabulousness?

Yes. It's just too far away for me to drive for fabulous fashions. Hopefully Gucci is on its way to Denver.