Travel + Leisure recently published the results of a on-line nationwide survey ranking 25 of our country's major cities in multiple categories. Miami, for instance was voted "Most Attractive People" amongst the 125,000 survey takers. Philadelphia, apparently, place 25th.
So how did Denver fare? I've put the rankings below along with some commentary.
In the Top Ten
~Athletic/Active -- 1st. With all there is to do here, I'm not surprised. And as Denver becomes more packed with people, bikes are becoming increasingly more present. And having over 300 days of sunshine every year promotes outdoor play.
~Active/Adventure Vacation -- 2nd. Lots to do, lots outdoors. Six Flags for the amusement park, Water World for hot summer days, Ski Train to Winter Park for winter, I will never be able to emphasize how much there is to do here.
~Environmental awareness -- 5th. See that guy in the suit picking up a wrapper and throwing it in the trash? Yeah, he's a lawyer. Yeah, he makes an obscene paycheck. And yeah, he cares. That's also why he takes LightRail to work and rides his bike at home.
~Public Parks and Access to the Outdoors -- 6th. City Park, Cheeseman Park... we have a Parks and Recreation webpage for crying out loud. http://www.denvergov.org/Default.aspx?alias=www.denvergov.org/parks_recreation
~Summer Vacation -- 7th. Well of course, besides that you can always hop on over to the mountains for some cool refuge from the heat waves, Denver's summer calendar is jam packed with events -- many free. People's Fair, Taste of Colorado, and First Friday are just a few that come to mind.
~Winter Vacation -- 7th. I'm a native, I don't ski or snowboard. But where else do you have sunny snow days? Or even more bizarre -- warm snow days. Though I have to admit, the bizarre blizzards of late are a bit irksome.
~Family Vacation -- 7th. Again, the summer fairs are actually great places for kids. There are lots of family oriented events in Denver. Not to mention the Museum of Nature and Science (which should be reopening its new version of Hall of Life soon), the Zoo, and an array of cultural and art events that will appeal to even the smallest critic in your family.
~Intelligent -- 8th. Perhaps it's because Denver is home to the Auraria campus (housing three different schools) or perhaps it's the competitive nature of the medical programs. Or perhaps we're just a bunch of nerds who enjoy learning.
~Peace and Quiet -- 8th. I suppose? I don't necessarily consider the city to be peaceful and quiet, but I suppose bars all close by 2 a.m., so after that it tends to be quiet. And they days definitely have a lot of peace to them -- not the honking, swearing, and yelling of cities in movies.
~Cleanliness - 8th. Well, the sky is definitely more blue here. And just take a look at our environmental ranking -- this hasn't gone unnoticed in the capitol city and you'll be hard pressed to find a city of its size with cleaner streets.
~Skyline Views -- 8th. Turn one direction and you have skyscrapers (including the "cash register" building) cutting against a ridiculously blue sky. Turn the other way and you have mountains. Not bad.
~Traffic -- 8th. I can't really write about this one. I have some road rage. For the most part, people know where they are going, they drive 2-8 miles over the speed limit and most are unfazed by the narrow and one way streets. The problems are tourists who have not looked at a map, and the college students who are convinced they are invincible and drive like maniacs, forgetting that even if they are immortal, the people they nearly hit are not.
~Affordability -- 9th. It's hard to have objectivity on this one as a poor recent college grad. And by recent I mean two years ago but I still have loans. Still, shop around for an apartments and you may be surprised at some of the low prices. And if you are feeling some pressure from the 8.5% tax in Denver, you can always make a trip up to Fort Collins where the tax is only 6 and some odd percent.
~Safety -- 9th. Which is why I don't understand everyone who freaks out about nighttime. Here are some hints -- don't walk around alone, don't go to East Denver, avoid being ON East Colfax after dark, avoid Cheeseman park, try not to look lost. Basically, apply common sense. Yes people get mugged and shot. Find me a city where that doesn't happen.
~Relaxing Retreat -- 9th. I think the opposing Action/Adventure and Relaxing Retreat categories do a great job of explaining Denver. It's a city, a fairly large city (around 2.5 millions people). If you want city life with high stress and nightlife, you will find it. If you want to hang out on your deck and sip wine with your friends, you'll find that too. The blend of Denver is pretty magical.
So there you have the categories for which we placed in the Top Ten. Want more? All of Denver's rankings can be found here:
http://www.travelandleisure.com/afc/2008/city/denver
Courtesy Travel + Leisure.
~Friendly -- 10th. We're a big city. And you don't necessarily smile at people on the streets -- unless you're visiting from Pueblo or something. But store clerks are around to help you, and if you look lost enough, someone will stop and get you going in the right direction.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Capitol Hill part 1
Visitors to Denver tend to stay in the “downtown” area – the area called LoDo. This is somewhat understandable as LoDo is home to a variety of galleries, hotels, restaurants, etc. It even has its own website www.lodo.org and its own membership (you can check it out on the webpage). But really, the nightlife of LoDo is overrated, overpriced, and overdone. Unfortunately, even Denver locals can fall pray to this trap. Where else is there to go? Anyone who has tired of frat boy, sorority girl atmosphere of most of LoDo’s late night bar scene might try an unexpected change of pace.
Capitol Hill. A surprising number of people have negative reactions to those two words. Startled gasps and wide eyes precede questions like, “Have you ever been mugged?” and “Aren’t there drug dealers down there?” Of course, from tourists questions are more along the lines of, “Is that near Four Points? Or is it Five Points?” and “Isn’t it… dirty?” People seem highly surprised to learn that Capitol Hill is a diverse neighborhood that may not metaphorically bloom with freshness and sunshine, but which certainly presents a myriad of things to do, surprising nuances, and a diverse nightlife.
So the next time you find yourself looking for a night out in Denver but don’t feel like getting all dolled up exactly like every other person at the bar, throw on whatever ensemble you want – it can be bizarre, people won’t really notice – and head to the Hill. Stop in at The Park Tavern on Saturdays between 10 and midnight to get one-dollar wells, wine, and drafts (if you can’t make Saturday try for times when you get chips for drinks, you’ll understand when you go) or swing by the Streets of London Pub for some transplant brews and some stereotypical British eats. Don’t fill up too much on the snacks there though, because Benny Blanco’s pizza is a must. Nestled near a records store and bar that this writer has yet to visit, Benny Blanco’s calls out to drunk and/or hungry with it’s little neon sign proclaiming “PIZZA”. Customers cram inside, lucky to fit five standing people, and order giant floppy slices of “Bronx style” pizza starting at $2.00 for a slice of cheese. This writer recommends letting alone the perfection and skipping the toppings. (Though if you’re ever in the mood to try the “cheese dicks” drop me a line and let me know how – and what – they are).
And as you stagger home with your friends, smile politely at the man who offers you cocaine and then advises you to get an M.A. because a Bachelor’s is worthless, avoid Cheeseman park at all costs, try not to make eye contact with the prostitutes, and make sure to grab some water, because in the morning, there is an entirely different world you’ll want to explore – headache-free.
Capitol Hill. A surprising number of people have negative reactions to those two words. Startled gasps and wide eyes precede questions like, “Have you ever been mugged?” and “Aren’t there drug dealers down there?” Of course, from tourists questions are more along the lines of, “Is that near Four Points? Or is it Five Points?” and “Isn’t it… dirty?” People seem highly surprised to learn that Capitol Hill is a diverse neighborhood that may not metaphorically bloom with freshness and sunshine, but which certainly presents a myriad of things to do, surprising nuances, and a diverse nightlife.
So the next time you find yourself looking for a night out in Denver but don’t feel like getting all dolled up exactly like every other person at the bar, throw on whatever ensemble you want – it can be bizarre, people won’t really notice – and head to the Hill. Stop in at The Park Tavern on Saturdays between 10 and midnight to get one-dollar wells, wine, and drafts (if you can’t make Saturday try for times when you get chips for drinks, you’ll understand when you go) or swing by the Streets of London Pub for some transplant brews and some stereotypical British eats. Don’t fill up too much on the snacks there though, because Benny Blanco’s pizza is a must. Nestled near a records store and bar that this writer has yet to visit, Benny Blanco’s calls out to drunk and/or hungry with it’s little neon sign proclaiming “PIZZA”. Customers cram inside, lucky to fit five standing people, and order giant floppy slices of “Bronx style” pizza starting at $2.00 for a slice of cheese. This writer recommends letting alone the perfection and skipping the toppings. (Though if you’re ever in the mood to try the “cheese dicks” drop me a line and let me know how – and what – they are).
And as you stagger home with your friends, smile politely at the man who offers you cocaine and then advises you to get an M.A. because a Bachelor’s is worthless, avoid Cheeseman park at all costs, try not to make eye contact with the prostitutes, and make sure to grab some water, because in the morning, there is an entirely different world you’ll want to explore – headache-free.
Introduction
A transplant to Fort Collins (which I consider a town, not a city) I find myself frequently telling people that I love Denver because:
"I need tall buildings"
"I miss the arts community"
"I need diversity"
"Just... there is something... it's hard to explain to someone who isn't a city person"
Typical responses include:
"That's a stupid reason"
"There are arts here"
"Fort Collins is diverse"
"I'm a city person!"
My normal arsenal for a repartee includes:
"What an intelligent retort"
"There is nothing here quite like the Santa Fe arts district and First Fridays"
"Fort Collins is full of white people who all grew up in Fort Collins"
"No, you aren't. If you were, you would understand"
You can see why this has become a frustrating cycle of illogical arguments and childish retorts. So I have begun this blog. Partly as an outlet for my fondness of Denver, and, I hope, partly as a guide to visitors to Denver, recent transplants who find themselves sitting at home possibly despondent, and also to provide some humor and insight for any reader who stumbles upon this little experiment. I hope to include the occasional video as well, and I cannot tell you how amusing I think that will be.
"I need tall buildings"
"I miss the arts community"
"I need diversity"
"Just... there is something... it's hard to explain to someone who isn't a city person"
Typical responses include:
"That's a stupid reason"
"There are arts here"
"Fort Collins is diverse"
"I'm a city person!"
My normal arsenal for a repartee includes:
"What an intelligent retort"
"There is nothing here quite like the Santa Fe arts district and First Fridays"
"Fort Collins is full of white people who all grew up in Fort Collins"
"No, you aren't. If you were, you would understand"
You can see why this has become a frustrating cycle of illogical arguments and childish retorts. So I have begun this blog. Partly as an outlet for my fondness of Denver, and, I hope, partly as a guide to visitors to Denver, recent transplants who find themselves sitting at home possibly despondent, and also to provide some humor and insight for any reader who stumbles upon this little experiment. I hope to include the occasional video as well, and I cannot tell you how amusing I think that will be.
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