Learn me: Denver, CO

In reply to pres589 :

Sprawly isn't how I'd describe Denver, not at all.  The city itself is quite compact, I can get from my house to Coors Field in 20 minutes if there's no traffic.  

In reply to pres589 :

If you're not an outdoors person, Denver is not the place for you.  You end up missing out on the best part of being here at that point.

Funny how people priorities are different, you couldn't pay me enough to live in Philly. 

Nobody is ever lukewarm about Philly, always love or hate...

The urban core of the city seems strange because it is so underdeveloped and patchy. I don't have enough sense of the different areas yet so it seems kinds like it just kinda falls apart and spreads out. I'm sure it would make more sense if I spent more time there but when visiting I still compare areas to other places I have lived.

I am going to miss out on a lot of outdoorsy E36 M3 because my wife hates it and I am disabled. I will enjoy weather that seems to be on average nicer than almost anywhere else I have lived. My view is that at least it is there as an option.

You don't have to get all sweaty to enjoy the outdoors. Just taking a trip up into the mountains to soak in the vastness is good for the soul.

docwyte said:

In reply to pres589 :

Sprawly isn't how I'd describe Denver, not at all.  The city itself is quite compact, I can get from my house to Coors Field in 20 minutes if there's no traffic.  

I lived on the south-east side of Littleton.  Across the street was the, uh, other neighborhood to the east of it.  Going from where it seemed like things were going on, basically The Irish Snug / Tattered Cover on Colfax to where I lived took something like 45 minutes.  Being able to drive from where ever your house is to a bit attraction in the middle of the city doesn't mean it's compact.  It wasn't the worst of sprawl, by far, but I wouldn't call it compact.  

Sundays I would tear off on the motorcycle and run through the Eisenhower tunnel and see all the folks in their parkas and SUV's in the parking lot that I-70 would turn into going back into the city.  I did things in the outdoors, I just don't like skying.  Here's my little red SUV out with some others;

My point is that it would take far longer to get from a suburb to an attraction in the center of downtown in almost any other city.  Chicago, San Francisco, San Diego, LA (!!), Dallas, etc, etc are all have much more sprawl than Denver.

In reply to docwyte :

Good point; I have criss crossed the area easily and quickly when compared to other places. It does feel kinda different than most areas in terms of how it is developed but it would Probably quickly become familiar.

Southern California was high on our list but we decided it is more fun to visit than live there and get lost in the sprawl...

Probably a long shot but since you all have been very helpful so far...

Any recommendations for a Realtor in that area? I am setting up another visit now and with a little help I could easily see a few places, settle the details and sign some papers in an easy afternoon.

Also, I will need a cleaning service. I will want everything spotless before the movers (need to hire some, too) get there and also to keep it clean while living there. Finding just the right fit in a cleaner is tougher than it sounds and personal recommendations go a long way...

Thanks! 

Finally, it occurs to me that I do not know the preferred term for a resident of the city. Denverite? Denverinian? Denverino if you are not into the whole brevity thing...

Denite?

I was there last week. Been a handful of times. The growth is silly. So many more buildings and development than the last trip. Traffic was real rough this trip. Weird weather too. 75+ degrees and sunny one day, snow the next. Crazy wind! Was like tropical storm gusts. 

This trip i really found the unconventional traffic patters and ramps/bypasses annoying. 

Oh and the loss of power with the altitude. I drive a 2012 nissan frontier 4x4, pro-4x, about 60k miles at home in flat low Florida. Rented a 2018 version of the same truck, same engine, far less miles(11k) and it felt like it was a good 75-100hp less than mine. Like it could have been a 4cyl. Floor it and wait vs my truck in fl which is relatively quick. 

And im not exactly “in shape” anymore, but i could barely drag my suitcase into the hotel without being short of breath. 

But there is some fantastic food. I love asian food so i always visit “pacific ocean marketplace”, its by far the largest asian market ive been to. All the outdoor stuff, beautiful views. The legal weed deal is a beautiful thing if your into it. 

In reply to tb :

Co-workers husband is a realtor up there. Sells a lot in the north side. Westminster, Broomfield, etc. If you want I can grab his number and PM you it. Just let me know. 

pres589 said:

I moved from Philly to Denver back in 2010.  Still like Philly.  Still don't like Denver.  Denver's expensive, sprawly, and I don't partake in smoking activities (I have nothing against those that do, I just can't, too many issues with work and such to really consider it) that are popular there.  I lived on the east side of Littleton and it was nothing special at all.  At all.

 

Very interesting you say that.  I was born and raised in Philly, lived over 40 years there.  Right around 2010, we had the opportunity to move to Denver.  My company opened an office out there and they wanted me to move there to help lead it.  The office was in Littleton.  I spent about 3 or 4 weeks out there overall.  If it hadn't been for the fact that I simply couldn't stomach the winters (heavy snow one day, 70 the next), we would have gone in a heartbeat.  I really liked Littleton and the surrounding area, especially points north and west.  I thought it was beautiful.  I despise the "smoking" activities myself, think it has no business being legal, but that's just me...I don't even drink alcohol.  We turned it down simply because of their winters.  Four years later, we moved to Atlanta.  It's just "OK" here.  I love the weather, but very much miss Philly.

I'm really hoping that weed becomes legal throughout the US just so it stops becoming a defining characteristic of Colorado. We've got a lot more going on in this state than wacky tabaccy, but it's all anyone seems to think about anymore.

I could recommend a Realtor (R) on the Western Slope, but it's a bit of a commute to Denver

In reply to Klayfish :

Winters here are far more mild than in Philly.  If you were ok with the winters there, you would've been pleasantly surprised at the winters here.  Obviously more winter weather here than Atlanta....

docwyte said:

In reply to Klayfish :

Winters here are far more mild than in Philly.  If you were ok with the winters there, you would've been pleasantly surprised at the winters here.  Obviously more winter weather here than Atlanta....

 

I know they're more mild than Philly.  In fact, probably much more mild, as I lived closer to Allentown than Philly (not far from the base of the Pocono Mountains), and Nor'easters are common.  But I know that the Denver area could get snow as early as October and as late as well into April...and it would be very wild temp swings.  Neither of us, especially my wife, wanted to have days where it was below zero.   We ultimately decided that if we were going to relocate, we wanted a warmer overall climate.

In reply to TJL :

Thanks for the info, especially on the asian food market. My wife is from China and we incorporate a lot of her ethnic favorites into our everyday food. Sometimes it is VERY important to have just the right brand of product or absolutely necessary for various holidays...

While I am in horrible physical condition I am luck to be largely unaffected by the altitude. Very little shortness of breath or anything; perhaps it is just the years of pacing myself along. I'm bringing the car with the upgraded turbo to try to fight the power loss there but I know it kinda sucks. Not surprisingly I am planning to open up the exhaust a little more and hopefully dial in a few pounds of boost. I know of an excellent Subie tuner nearby and it has occurred to me that it might need another roll on the dyno and a professional tweaking once at altitude.

My '05 Legacy GT (2.5 STi turbo motor) is running midsize 16g internals in the turbo with improved intake and exhaust running 18-20psi... should I hold off on doing anything right now and plan on having it tuned out there for safe and reliable use at high altitude?

I personally like weed for several reasons and am cautious about it too for multiple reasons. For my chronic pain and poly neuropathy it is not as effective as pharmaceutical narcotics but it has far less dangerous and debilitating side effects. I have too many responsibilities to enjoy the pleasant buzz recreationally but it is nice that it works almost instantly and is very easy to control dosage. No matter where in the country I have lived I find that a large percentage of the population smokes weed sometimes without regard to the local laws.

bmw88rider said:

In reply to tb :

Co-workers husband is a realtor up there. Sells a lot in the north side. Westminster, Broomfield, etc. If you want I can grab his number and PM you it. Just let me know. 

Thanks for the offer, but I have already been relieved of that particular duty. You will never find a person more happily willing to delegate than I.

tb said:

In reply to TJL :

While I am in horrible physical condition I am luck to be largely unaffected by the altitude. Very little shortness of breath or anything; perhaps it is just the years of pacing myself along. I'm bringing the car with the upgraded turbo to try to fight the power loss there but I know it kinda sucks. Not surprisingly I am planning to open up the exhaust a little more and hopefully dial in a few pounds of boost. I know of an excellent Subie tuner nearby and it has occurred to me that it might need another roll on the dyno and a professional tweaking once at altitude.

My '05 Legacy GT (2.5 STi turbo motor) is running midsize 16g internals in the turbo with improved intake and exhaust running 18-20psi... should I hold off on doing anything right now and plan on having it tuned out there for safe and reliable use at high altitude?

If you have electronic boost control, the car should compensate on its own. If you have a manual boost controller, it'll need a few extra clicks at altitude to get to the same absolute manifold pressure. It should not require any different tuning either way. Peak power should be pretty similar unless your turbo is a small one, but the spool will suffer. Opening up the exhaust may compensate but some of it is just physics.

I don't care if people smoke weed or not or what state they live in. I'm just tired of it being the one thing people associate with Colorado.

In reply to Klayfish :

Weather patterns are something I have studied and ranked all throughout my search. I always find it interesting when I remember that Denver isn't terribly cold on average, but I'll take it. I made a strong push for a warmer climate because I know how grumpy the weather can make my wife and I don't want her affectation to manifest too strongly.

My choice would be Charlotte and the weather is a big draw just like Atlanta but Denver is ok with me. I actually prefer 4 seasons every year and cold doesn't get to me at all. We might be back in Chicago again if not for the frigid winters; definitely the coldest place we have ever lived so while we visit frequently it just will not happen!

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Thanks! I figured you would know all of this stuff; I used to know everything about turbos and tuning but the tech moves to fast for and old guy like me and I haven't a clue about best practices these days. The turbo is a VF40 housing modified to use a 16G center section which opens up more options and is more robust. Can't remember specs but think it was essentially a common "EVO 3" setup and it was making about 300 at the wheels but I don't have too much room with the stock fuel system. Currently tuned with a Cobb Accessport with a quick street tweaking of an off the shelf tune. It has a janky cat back setup that I want to replace after years of being parked next to the ocean and a really good downpipe with a new, good cat can't hurt while I'm in there... 

I haven't even made the move yet and I am already tired of the weed association too. I have, off and on, smoked for 25 years and most of my friends/family do, too. It really isn't a big deal in my mind, just an added nice feature that will make life a bit better for me. The logical systems and regulations in place seem to work well; I could get medical herb here in NJ now but the new, relaxed rules are still just too big of a pain in the ass.

I don't know Mitsu turbos or sizing, but if that turbo is good for another 20% above your current power level (assuming a magical fuel system) then it should have no trouble with the altitude change. That's REALLY oversimplified - basically, as long as your turbo isn't tapped out at sea level it should be able to compensate. This isn't new tech, but most people don't think too much about turbos and altitude.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Yeah, I understand that the basics don't change but like you said I never really think about it. I used to do a bunch of hill climbs in New England and would wind up on very steep mountains well above my sea level home and I did all of my own tuning then but it has been a decade and I had really easy to use software for that car...

Not that it matters but I think it is the 'larger' 8cm housing with a tdo5h turbine. The turbo isn't maxed out yet but the fuel system is totally maxed (strained?) and I don't really want to tear into it so I will happily settle for decent performance at altitude.

Is it a problem to get regular old 93 octane gas out there?

Fuel system needs won't change as they're tied to power levels.

91 octane is the best you'll find. Fuel generally gets worse as you travel west in the US. If you're tuned to take advantage of 93, you will likely need a bit of tuning. E85 is available if you want to have a little fun.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

I totally forgot about the fuel octane issue. Usually when I am somewhere else it is in a rental or an uber so I never fill up the tank.

Good enough excuse to get a pro to tune it again (like I need an excuse). I'm pretty sure that I have a 91 tune tucked away but really, why not? So far I have avoided all thoughts of e85, wonder how long that will last...

Thanks again

In reply to Klayfish :

Fair enough.  Can't remember the last time we had temps below zero here in Denver, rarely happens.  It's far more mild here than the North East.  Every so often we'll get a cold snap and it'll be single digits early in the morning, that's about it...