My city’s cooler than yours.
Far from sea level, but close to a whole lot of other stuff
Guess what. I’m moving to Denver!
I’m pretty excited about my decision, not only because I have dear friends there and because I love the Rockies (the mountains, not the baseball team) and because I’ve missed Colorado ever since I moved away in 2006, but also because the Mile High City has lots of car-free appeal:
Paradise with a capital “P”
My new apartment in the Capitol Hill neighborhood got a Walk Score of 97 out of 100, giving it a “Walkers’ Paradise” rating. I’ll have eight bus stops, eight restaurants, eight coffee shops, and eight bars all within a mile radius of my place—plus five libraries and the state capitol. I followed my own advice!
Down with RTD
Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD) covers a pretty large metro area, going to the suburbs, the airport, and even Boulder. I used to use RTD quite a bit when I lived in Boulder, and one of my favorite things about it was that you could call them and reach a live person. Then, you could tell that person where you were and where you wanted to be, and that person would tell you where the nearest bus stop was, which bus you needed to take, and when the next one was arriving. I wonder if they still have that service or if their “MyStop” automated telephone service has replaced it.
Can't wait to walk those streets!
B-Stations all over the place
Just last month (in preparation for my arrival??) on Earth Day, the city launched the “B-Cycle” bike-sharing program, with 400 “B-Cycles” available at 40 “B-Stations” around the city. Denver claims B-Cycle is the first “large-scale” program of its kind in the country. I’m not sure what that means for SmartBike DC or for New York’s pilot bike-sharing project, but I suppose I can overlook a little hyperbole in the name of bike-sharing.
OD on UV
If there’s a place you could do it, it’s here. With the area’s touted 300 days of sunshine a year, you rarely have to worry about getting drenched on the walk to work. And even if the tourist bureaus and chambers of commerce are stretching the truth a bit, there are still enough blue-sky days to make walking, biking, and bus-waiting enjoyable rather than endurable.
Think your city’s more car-free-cool than mine? Bring it.
Car-freely,
Amy
I’m so depressed. Pfaffenberg 8 gets a walk score of 8 points, 90% of users have a better score than this. I want to move.
There is a positive side though. They don’t take into consideration the amazing wooded area right behind us that provides space for our dog walking needs, hikes to the nearest castle or simply a nice stroll on the River Wupper. Yes, it is true, we can’t “go out” or grocery shop in our neighborhood but many people can’t hike in theirs.
I look forward to visiting you in Denver and checking out all the places around your new apartment, I’m especially anxious to visit the Spicy Pickle!!
Proximal natural areas are indeed invaluable. Lexi’s woods are beautiful, and you’re fortunate she lets you play there with her. Here, mountain trailheads require a 15-20 minute drive, but I live four blocks from a paved, creekside running/biking trail, the end of which I’ve yet to have the stamina to discover. The Spicy Pickle might be a franchise around, because there was one in Fort Collins last time I looked. I remember it being pretty good. I’ll look into it and let you know.