Moving to Boulder....

Thats right I'm moving to Boulder. I came out here to visit some phriends of mine a just fell in love with the area. Colorado is freakin' awesome!!!!

 

The Sovereign Nation of Boulder, LOL? Yes, it's sort of a culture unto itself. Depending on your tastes you'll either love it or hate it. I live nearby and used to work in Boulder. There's a large population of "trust fund babies" living there who have never worked and don't have a good appreciation for the realities of day-to-day existence and survival. As a result, some of the laws and practices are just a little "different." It's hard to explain, but once you get there, you'll figure it out.

The University of Colorado is there if you're into the university scene at all. If not, I'd recommend keeping your distance; it's got the reputation of being one of the top party campuses in America. I was a pretty rowdy student in my day, but I prefer a bit more solitude anymore.

That's not to say Boulder is all bad - it's not. For shopping there's the 29th St. Mall which is an eclectic collection of boutique-type shops and restaurants. For more conventional shopping, Flatiron Crossing Mall is just down U.S. 36 in Broomfield. Colorado is a pretty outdoors-oriented place to live, so bring your shorts, t-shirts, and sunscreen. Life at 5300+ above sea level exposes you to a lot of unfiltered UV rays. There's the Bolder Boulder, an annual 10K race/walk/festival (www.bolderboulder.com ) that's held over Memorial Day. There was also the Boulder Kinetics competition held at the Boulder Reservoir in early Summer, but that's been going through a transition. They're trying to revive it. Boulder has easy access to a lot of trails in the foothills for hiking and biking - both of which are local pastimes. The Pearl St. Mall is a collection of "New Age" shops, boutiques, and restaurants. It's also a gathering area for hippies of all ages, particularly by the courthouse. During the summer, the Pearl St. Mall has a lot of high-quality street performers. We go there at least once every summer just to see what's going on.

Skiing/snowboarding are big winter activities. The nearest ski area to Boulder is Eldora. Winter Park isn't very far. Heading west on I-70 you come to the larger resorts/ski areas including Loveland, Arapahoe Basin, Keystone, Breckenridge, Copper, Vail, and Aspen. Steamboat Springs is further north. If you're in the mood for a road trip, Telluride and Durango (formerly Purgatory) are in the southwest. Wolf Creek just gets crazy amounts of snow. Colorado is also home to one of the remnants of the Great Inland Sea - the Great Sand Dunes National Park in southern Colorado. There's also Rocky Mountain National Park, Dinosaur National Monument, and.... We're also withing striking distance of Yellowstone, Mt. Rushmore, and the Grand Canyon. If you're into motorcycle rallies, Sturgis, SD is just a few hours away. New Mexico, particularly Taos and Santa Fe, is a fun getaway for a laid back long weekend.

Downtown Denver is only about 30 minutes from Boulder. Denver has the more mainstream offerings including teams in all the major sports (Nuggets - NBA, Broncos - NFL, Rockies - MLB, Rapids - soccer, Avalanche - NHL, Mammoth - lacrosse). There's also the Denver Center for the Performing Arts ( www.dcpa.org ) for theater, opera, etc. Most all the major concerts come through Denver. The major ones appear at the Pepsi Center, but there are smaller, more intimate venues such as the Paramount for others.

Okay enough. I've lived here for 19 years. I wasn't real sure about the place when I moved out, but now I can't think of another place I'd rather live. The weather's nice, lots of sunshine, the snow isn't quite the pain people make it out to be, at least in metro Denver. More of a nuisance. The people are pretty open-minded although Colorado Springs is a community of conservatism.

Anyhow, I hope you enjoy it here!

 

Will be moving there in early June right after Wakarusa. Moving there to get my medical license and eventually get my Psych degree.

Sure beats living in Kansas!!!!

I did alot of hiking(entire Appalachian Trail) when I lived back East so I'm looking forward to moving there. I stayed at my phriends place up in Gold Hill and didn't have time to get acclimated so I didn't do any hiking. How long is the typical acclimation time?

 

I never really noticed the altitude when I moved out. That was 19 years ago. I haven't been to Gold Hill in several years. There used to be a great restaurant there for brunch - the Lick Skillet Cafe. That's relocated to Boulder so I don't have any reason to make the trip up there.

Prior to movng out, I'd been in New Jersey for three years and Boulder was a nice change. The first day I was there I took my wife's car to get it washed. This guy started talking to me about the weather and how nice it was. Coming from New Jersey, I wasn't used to anyone talking to me unless they had an attitude. It was great just finding a friendly voice. I missed that during my New Jersey sentence, LOL!

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention Red Rocks as a great site for concerts! That's where the video was shot for U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday." Take I-70 west out of Denver. Just west of Green Mountain there's an exit for Red Rocks Park. Head south and follow the signs to the amphitheater. During the warm months there are concerts constantly; it's just a matter of finding a group that matches your tastes. It's great to be there when there's a thunderstorm out on the eastern plains - really a wild light show - with live music!!

 

Hey all! I just moved out to the Boulder area, and I love it! Thanks for all the suggestions for things to do. I loved visiting Pearl St. The street performers were amazing. Nothing like them in Oklahoma, LOL.