Ever since the family-sans-mom vacation my dad, brother and I went on in the summer of 2005 to Colorado, I’ve been disgustingly in love with the state. The mountains are breathtaking EVERY time they’re seen; the quaint, touristy mountain towns are so welcome and inviting; and the weather…my God the weather! It’s perfect out there. Yeah, they still get snow, but it doesn’t stick around long. 60-70 degree days in January aren’t unheard of and the sun is always shining.
So I just returned from my first trip out there since the aforementioned 2005 trip and I am just-as-if-not-more-so in love with Denver and Colorado as a whole than I was before. This trip, the majority of was spent in Denver proper, bumming around downtown and taking in lots of what the city has to offer. Compared to Milwaukee…well, there is no comparison.
Denver is bustling, growing, expanding and thriving. There was new construction happening all around LoDo. Condos, high-rise office buildings. Signs of a city not stagnant or even at the outskirts of a downward spiral much like Milwaukee has felt to me for a long time. Seeing Denver in all its glory only confirmed my suspicions.
Sunset over Denver
What a phenomenal town. In every respect. The infrastructure is incredibly well thought out even though there aren’t many streets that go straight through the city from one side to another, it was still very, VERY easy to find my way around. And downtown is mostly very easy to navigate, too. Thanks in particular, to the VERY wide streets (minimum three lanes) which the majority of were one-way it seemed. It has the big-city feel of Chicago with all the skyscrapers towering on the horizon (yet left emasculated by the enormous Rocky Mountains behind them), but none of the congestion (cars or people) that Chicago “offers.”
I’ve been having a pretty large and unsatisfiable itch to leave Milwaukee for some time. I found out a good friend from college made the move to Denver last June and has been loving it ever since. He went without knowing anyone besides the aunt and uncle he’s currently living with while he gets everything figured out and, after speaking with (and now visiting with) him, I’ve decided that, without a doubt in my mind, Denver is where I need to be.
Plus, being so close to other important and fun towns like Boulder and Golden to name a few is another huge selling point. There is literally so much to see and do it’s almost intimidating.
It’s a long way away. It’s a very huge change. It’s a climate I used to think I hated (but when I realized just how much the humidity of Milwaukee sucks, I saw how wrong I’d been this whole time). It’s exactly what I need. And I’m making the move next summer for sure. Being there amongst the people, seeing how alive and well the city is doing and feeling how young and vibrant it is all sold me. People were so friendly and welcoming it was hard not to feel like I was already at home.
Plus, you just cannot beat that western view. 
Tags: Boulder, Colorado, Coors, Denver, Golden, Mountains, Rockies
