Tell ChuckF about Denver

[ChuckF]

I'm considering doing a month-long course to get my CELTA certification over the summer. This is the most widely recognized credential for teaching English to speakers of other languages, and is coordinated by Cambridge University. There are only a few sites in the US that offer it. Houston and Denver are the ones convenient to me; the others are in Honolulu (no), NY, San Francisco, and San Diego (all too expensive).

The one in Texas is about 30% cheaper than the one in Denver, but I'm not sure I want to spend June in Houston. I know we have some Coloradans and Denverites here - what should I know about the city? I've been looking online, and it looks like a sublet would be affordable. Is the city walkable? Good public transit? I'm going to drive out there, so I'll have my car, but I'd prefer not to drive if possible.

The center is, according to Google Maps, in or very near Glendale. How's that area? Stuff to do, parks, etc?

[Dingfod]

June in Houston? Fuck no, not unless swimming through the humidity is your cuppa tea.

I've been to Denver quite a number of times, but my intimate knowledge of Denver is limited pretty much to downtown and making my way through the city on the Interstate highways. If your course was downtown or near downtown and you were living downtown or near downtown Denver is quite walkable. Otherwise, not that much.

[lisarea]

I had to look on Google Maps to see what Glendale is. It looks like it's right near Cherry Creek, which is the hoity toity place for rich snobs, so you should fit right in there.

However, if you ever wanted to slum it, you should be able to catch a bus or maybe the light rail into downtown.

As far as the transportation issue in general, Denver proper is really easy to get around in. The downtown area is small enough that you can walk pretty much anywhere, and there's a free shuttlebus on the 16th St. mall if you get lazy that'll take you from the lower downtown area where the ballpark and bars and Tattered Cover are, to near the capitol, where the library and art museum and stuff like that are.

And there are lots of other little neighborhoods surrounding the downtown area if you feel like branching out.

Anyway, come on out and we'll take you on a tour of the best cheeseburgers and beer and parks to go to when you want to do the booties with people you don't know or whatever.

[inland wave]

My experience with Denver for the most part is downtown and airport freeway travel in recent months. Haven't branched out, but I should start checking out communities on my travels to the mile high city. It seems that I will be spending a lot of time there this year. I will say that I like downtown a lot. It is great for people watching in the evening. Lots of night life and the baseball and football stadiums are within walking distance of most of the hotels downtown. The last time I was in Denver I stayed at the Magnolia Hotel and just loved it. It was during the world series and I thought the suite was very reasonably priced.

[lisarea]

PM me next time you're coming out, iw. I've lived in the area for a while, and while I didn't know where Glendale was, I do know some other stuff. Mostly food and beer related stuff, because that's how I roll. But I know a few other things, too.

[Ymir's blood]

I've heard that the whole town is overrun by hippies.

[lisarea]

I've heard that the whole town is overrun by hippies.

Where did you hear that, at your last skyclad drum and marijuana circle for Gaia or something?

[Ymir's blood]

I've heard that the whole town is overrun by hippies.

Where did you hear that, at your last skyclad drum and marijuana circle for Gaia or something?Hey, if you're going to accuse me of that, at least make it Hecate.

:shakeskull:

[Qingdai]

I've heard that the whole town is overrun by hippies.


Sounds more like Boulder to me.

[Dingfod]

I've heard that the whole town is overrun by hippies.


Sounds more like Boulder to me.:yeahthat:

[Ymir's blood]

I've heard that the whole town is overrun by hippies.


Sounds more like Boulder to me.
* Ymir's blood was poking. :unpoke:

[viscousmemories]

All I know about Denver is you have to drive through the Rocky Mountains to get there, where people zoom around you if you're going ONLY the 75 mph speed limit for fear of plunging off a cliff. :shudder: Oh, and my Dad's side of the family is from there, but I've never met any of them.

[California Tanker]

Find "The Meat Restaurant" near the train station. Known as "Rodizio", it's a Brazillian steakhouse. I go to it any time I'm in Denver.

NTM

[Dingfod]

Ah yea, Rodizio Grill. There is one of those in Salt Lake City's Trolley Square Mall. It was without question my favorite restaurant there.

[Qingdai]

I liked "El Taco de Mexico," but I haven't been there since 1990.

[ChuckF]

I had to look on Google Maps to see what Glendale is. It looks like it's right near Cherry Creek, which is the hoity toity place for rich snobs, so you should fit right in there.
Sweet, I love rich people.
Anyway, come on out and we'll take you on a tour of the best cheeseburgers and beer and parks to go to when you want to do the booties with people you don't know or whatever.
Kickass.

[inland wave]

Find "The Meat Restaurant" near the train station. Known as "Rodizio", it's a Brazillian steakhouse. I go to it any time I'm in Denver.

NTM

I found it the last time I was there, but haven't been there yet. One place a group of us had stopped at was down the street. Nice steak house, kind of pricey I think it is by the baseball stadium.

[inland wave]

PM me next time you're coming out, iw. I've lived in the area for a while, and while I didn't know where Glendale was, I do know some other stuff. Mostly food and beer related stuff, because that's how I roll. But I know a few other things, too.
Thanks for the offer I would love to meet up with you guys! I hope to get Ding to come along sometimes when he can get the time off.

[Sock Puppet]

No, you don't want to spend June in Houston. It's not as hellacious as, say, July, August or September, but it ain't no picnic neither. Other than me, there's not much to the place.

Especially Houston proper (I live in one of the communities outside it, to the southwest), which is a pretty crappy place. There are some nice things, such as the Galleria mall that has a no-foolin ice-skating rink on the bottom floor, and some Legitimate Theater & such, but culture is still fairly sparse. And the drivers are completely nucking futs. They might as well stop pretending and codify that drivers have the right of way; it'd be safer for the pedestrians to KNOW that they're on their own.

One good thing about downtown Hooston: there are subterranean tunnels that are air-conditioned. If you're willing to take a fairly roundabout route, you can get to just about anywhere that's worth going to by spelunking around, and never see the baleful sun.

But you were asking about Denver. Uthgar should be around eventually to give you the lowdown; he lives in the right state, anyway, and he's an opinionated bastard.

[Uthgar the Brazen]

Shut up and move it, Texibitch.

Public transit in the greater metro area is fairly well put together and run. Downtown should definitely be no problem in that regard. NEVER DRIVE DOWNTOWN. That can't be repeated enough.

Cost of living downtown, however, is frequently hellacious, so you might consider actually living in one of the non-Lakewood 'burbs where it's still high, but not quite so stupidly high. I hear there's a nightscene, but I'm a yokel almost out on the damned prairie who doesn't put up with that nonsense. That, and it's for the a) young and b) beautiful. Uthgar ain't none of those no more. :jabba:

[lisarea]

Public transit in the greater metro area is fairly well put together and run.

Unless things have changed a whole lot in the last few (I'm old, so by 'a few,' I might mean like ten) years, though, you want to avoid many local buses, including those running along Colfax and Federal. But if you stick to light rail, the express lines, and the obvious commuter routes, you should be fine.

No lie: Once, I was on the Federal bus with maybe five-ten other people when this really scary looking guy WITH A CHAINSAW got on and sat right next to me, trapping me in.

I could see the bus driver's look of abject horror from the rear view mirror.

(I eventually got up the nerve to excuse myself and get around the guy so I could get off at totally the wrong stop. And then some guys decided to start circling the block making hooting sounds at me, and I threw shit at their car.)

FUCK I HATE THAT BUS.

[Uthgar the Brazen]

If you're on Colfax or Federal, you're already doomed, bus or not.

[Dingfod]

... I ... eventually got up the nerve to ... making hooting sounds ... and I threw shit at their car.Have you ever been on display in a zoo?

[vremya]

The last time I flew through Denver the airport smoking lounge was like the island of lost souls. Really creepy. (That was two years ago, and they might have gone 100% smoke free by now.) That's all I can tell you about Denver.

[inland wave]

Find "The Meat Restaurant" near the train station. Known as "Rodizio", it's a Brazillian steakhouse. I go to it any time I'm in Denver.

NTM

I found it the last time I was there, but haven't been there yet. One place a group of us had stopped at was down the street. Nice steak house, kind of pricey I think it is by the baseball stadium.

It is called the Chop House.

[California Tanker]

was like the island of lost souls. Really creepy.

Well, that airport (the newer, current one) did have to be exorcised a while back.

http://www.westword.com/1995-05-31/news/political-seance/

Rumors that the new airport was built atop a Native American burial ground have circulated for years, though copious archaeological research has never found any evidence to support them. What's more, a group of Indians already blessed the airport in a religious ceremony eight years before. But Allrunner, a volunteer member of the city's "DIA Spiritual Resolution Committee," says it was best not to take any chances. Allrunner, who is part Cheyenne, succeeded in convincing representatives of the Montana Cheyenne to come to DIA and calm the Indian ghosts in a nighttime ritual conducted on Easter weekend.

NTM

[lisarea]

was like the island of lost souls. Really creepy.

Well, that airport (the newer, current one) did have to be exorcised a while back.

What a bunch of superstitious hooey.

Everyone knows what's really under DIA. Six-story underground prison camps where the space aliens and the Queen of England are going to imprison us in 2012. (http://www.westword.com/2007-08-30/news/dia-conspiracies-take-off/full)

[Uthgar the Brazen]

was like the island of lost souls. Really creepy.

Well, that airport (the newer, current one) did have to be exorcised a while back.

What a bunch of superstitious hooey.

Everyone knows what's really under DIA. Six-story underground prison camps where the space aliens and the Queen of England are going to imprison us in 2012. (http://www.westword.com/2007-08-30/news/dia-conspiracies-take-off/full)

:lol:

I'd forgotten all about that. Good times!