Info about denver, co

[Michael Vincenzo]

Hey guys! I would love to get some input about the city of Denver, CO. I am planning a visit there in March, but will only be there for a short weekend trip. If anyone has lived in Denver, or lives in Denver, could you provide information about neighborhoods and or suburbs of Denver.

 

A few things that are important to me are convenience to green spaces (parks) and the Denver International Airport. I am also interested in information about gay friendly neighborhoods inclusive of houses and not just apartments.

 

Any input would be greatly appreciated. I am, of course, using all of the resources available to me online, but personal experience from like minded guys is important to me.

 

Thank you!

[+ sam.fitzpatrick]

A few things that are important to me are convenience to green spaces (parks) and the Denver International Airport.

 

Although I have not lived in Denver, I have been several times on business trips. Based on my experience, there is no place convenient to the airport.

[+ deej]

In Denver, it's hard NOT to have access to green spaces. It's a lovely city that way.

 

Forget easy access to DIA. It's isn't close to anything.

 

While there, monitor weather forecasts. If they use the phrase "up-slope" GET OUT!

[Guest Merlin]

The airport is a full hour away from Denver. There are of course, hotels relatively near the airport, but they would not be convenient for either escorts or clients.

[JoeyBryant]

Hey Mike,

 

fixing to send you a PM...

 

The airport is not a full hour away from Denver. Unless you're taking the transit, it's more like 15-20 min. without rush hour. But it's certainly not convenient and rather boring and industrial/corporate.

[+ azdr0710]

The airport is a full hour away from Denver.

 

while DIA is, actually, not at all a full hour away from Denver, it's not at all necessary, or suggested, to be near it.....just find a place in town convenient to what you really are interested in

[Steven_Draker]

The airport is 25 miles away from downtown. It's a long stretch.

 

The old airport (Stapleton) used to be much closer to the city.

 

Stay in downtown and make sure you stop by the Denver Art Museum. I love Denver.

http://milehighmoneysaver.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Denver-Art-Museum.jpg

[jackboy48]

Cheesman Park and Capital Hill were once the epicenter of the Gay community in Denver. Gay Pride and The Aids Walk still start off in Cheesman Park and it's still known as a place to "hook up" for all kinds of nonsense. One of the local groceries is a "King's Sooper" which is known by everyone in the Denver as the "Queen's Sooper." There are many high and low rise buildings around Cheesman, but it is also a very pleasant urban neighborhood, adjacent to the beautiful Botanic Gardens and Congress Park to the the east. City Park, the Denver Zoo, and the Museum of Nature And Science are just 2 blocks to the North, so there is a very interesting figure 8 jogging path between the 2 parks, 5K to 10K, depending on whether or not you go around City Park Lake. The views of Denver and the Rockies are quite amazing from various points in each park. A few blocks to the South is Washington Park which is the pride and joy of the Denver Parks, it's beautifully landscaped and surrounded by a most unusual neighborhood of restored brick bungalows from the 30's and 40's. Wash Park attracts the "jock" community from all over Denver, especially the ones who feel the need to show off their physiques while jogging with their dogs. The "Gays" are well accepted throughout the Denver area, but other gay neighborhoods are Baker, Uptown (home of the GLBT Center, several bars and restaurants), Mayfair, and now The Highlands. LoDo (Confluence Park) is a very "urban" area and good for access to the sporting venues like the Pepsi Center for the Nuggets. Larimer Square and Downtown have most of the centrally located hotels near either the Performing Arts Center or the Convention Center, which is also proximate to the Cherry Creek Bikepath and runs throughout Denver.

 

The hotels out by the airport are great for maintaing access for an early morning flight or a very late night arrival, but are literally miles and miles from anything else. If you do stay in Central Denver, getting in and out of the airport can be a "Bear." Rental cars require a 10 or 15 minute shuttle ride to the terminal, and once you enter the terminal, it can be at least another 30 minutes to your gate. Check-in is another level than Security, which is still very awkward after all these years, and has frequent "jams." Then you need to take a "train" out to one of the concourses and your gate can still be a few hundred yards away. It's easy to navigate, just very lengthy.

 

Nextdoor to the Denver Art Museum is the very new Clifford Still Museum, which encases almost the entire output of this one artist's life.

[Michael Vincenzo]

Thank you all for the feedback! In regard to accommodations in Denver, I am already set. Although I am visiting Denver in March on a work related visit, the main purpose of my visit is to determine if Denver would be a good place for me to live. I have never felt that FL was a good fit for me and this year will be my last year here, for sure!

 

I am trying to make my visit to Denver as efficient as possible and much of the feedback I have received has helped make that possible. Specifically, I am looking for a neighborhood to, possibly, call home. Priorities for me include close access to a park where I can play with my dogs; preferably a grassy park that does not have strict leash laws. I would also like to be close to the pulse of the city, but I certainly prefer to live in a quiet neighborhood. I have looked at apartments online, but would prefer to rent a house in a good neighborhood that would have somewhat easy access to highways, expressways, and roads that would make a trip to the airport somewhat reasonable.

 

I appreciate all of the information provided. I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

[RockCreekRunr]

Michael,

I'm an avid runner, nature-lover and all-around outdoorsy type myself. If my career didn't require me to live in DC, my preferred place to live would be either Denver or Salt Lake City. I hope you have a great weekend trip there and end up loving Colorado as much as I do.

[JoeyBryant]

Thank you all for the feedback! In regard to accommodations in Denver, I am already set. Although I am visiting Denver in March on a work related visit, the main purpose of my visit is to determine if Denver would be a good place for me to live. I have never felt that FL was a good fit for me and this year will be my last year here, for sure!

 

Wow, you and I have a lot in common! (as far as relocating scenarios). I lived in Florida until half way thru college. You'd really just have to check it out and see how you feel about it, but I don't think 1 weekend would be long enough. You'll be in tourist mode and will indefinitely have a good time. My 1st time coming here, I stayed for about a week, and then stayed for another 2 months later in the year, but took me til about my 3rd visit to want to stay.

 

I'm not sure about leash laws, but they are very dog friendly here. They don't have kids here, they have dogs. 2-3 per household.

 

Some of the things about Denver that take time getting used to in contrast to Florida is the lack of humidity on a consistent basis, frigid temps occasionally and ALWAYS having to wear a sweater/coat at night from October-April-ish. I miss walking out of a bar wearing just a half open buttoned up shirt at night.

 

My main thing is the distance from all other cities. I like to travel every month, but I'm not sure how long I want to keep doing minimum 500+ mile trips before I see another city with a significant gay population. So it's real easy to get a bit claustrophobic here in the first year or 2. There's the slopes, but I've not met anyone who does it regularly, and the main people who go are die hard skiers/bikers and pretty much only care about that and don't really include anybody else except the same group of buddies they've been doing it with for years.

 

Otherwise, I think you'll prob like it. To be in the middle of nowhere, you won't really feel like it if you stay in the city parameters.