Yet another scouting Denver post...

[LarsMac]

Well, IMHO, Snow is really not a significant factor in Denver area.
I mean, yes, it can snow a foot or more at a time, but you can go most of the winter without seeing enough snow to worry about. When it snows, you just deal with it. It comes, and it goes away.
The snowplows clear the major streets up fairly quickly.
Besides, not many people around here actually know how to drive in snow. You find that out whenever it does snow.
Public transportation is not as good as back east. If you want to use it, you need to plan your job and home locations to make it work for you.

Yes, Fly into DIA, and rent a car. Get a GPS navigator to help find your way around.

[Count David]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

However, Colorado Springs still might be worth checking out for a day. There's a lot to see and do there and it's a beautiful small city. I'd also see Boulder, maybe go to Fort Collins and check out some breweries, spend a day or two in the mountains, go skiing, etc. Personally I'd be bored out of my mind spending 5 whole days on a vacation just in Denver itself. If you were a tourist from Nebraska or Iowa seeing Denver might make your eyes light up, but you being from DC, Denver itself has nothing special that you can't get on the east coast. You can see pretty much everything you need to see in the downtown/central core part of Denver in a day and a half. It's the location and the nearby mountains that make it unique. I'd rent a car and really explore.

LOL, we spent MOL 7 days here during our fact-finding trip in December 2006.

Here's what I remember doing:
-flew in from ONT on "Ted"
-rented a Jeep
-The en espanol K-Mart in North Aurora (in the middle of the night IIRC)
-eating at restaurants we didn't have where we came from, like Ruby Tuesday, Applebee's, and Bennigan's ()
-saw my first Super Wal-Mart (GVR)
-East Colfax Ave
-Denver Mint (highly recommended, and free)
-Denver Zoo (w/Christmas lights)
-Colorado Springs, including: the cog up to Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods, and shopping for clothes
-stayed at a different hotel/motel every night, from airport inns, to Motel 6 in A-town, to more expensive DTC hotels
-house-hunted in Lakewood (never came to fruition obv)
-a trip up to Morrison to see Red Rocks
-a trip to Thornton/Northglenn to see what it was like lol
-walked on water at Sloan's Lake (yeah, it was frozen)
-didn't go to NW suburbs or Boulder at all
-didn't go beyond the foothills
-there was a nice snowcover the whole time, no snowfall, and it was sunny/cool every day

We felt like we ran out of time (I remember wanting to do the Coors Brewery, which we still haven't done ). So we came back six months later and have been here most of the time since.

[JBPisgah]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

I'd also see Boulder, maybe go to Fort Collins and check out some breweries, spend a day or two in the mountains, go skiing, etc. Personally I'd be bored out of my mind spending 5 whole days on a vacation just in Denver itself. If you were a tourist from Nebraska or Iowa seeing Denver might make your eyes light up, but you being from DC, Denver itself has nothing special that you can't get on the east coast.

This is why you should spend most of your time in Denver, if that's where you will be living. You will like Colorado, I'm sure. But will you like Denver? Spending time in all these places is more of a vacation. Also, nobody mentioned the lack of green, my pet peeve. Be sure to soak it in before you move.

[davebarnes]

Originally Posted by JBPisgah

Also, nobody mentioned the lack of green, my pet peeve. Be sure to soak it in before you move.

Mine neighborhood has lots of green. I can walk to 10 MMJs.

[TheLoneGMan]

Originally Posted by 80skeys

In Denver you find a sort of scaled-down, diluted approximation of this in places like Capital Hill.

Though I live in Mt. Pleasant, Capital Hill is actually my favorite part of D.C. so that bodes well.

Originally Posted by JBPisgah

This is why you should spend most of your time in Denver, if that's where you will be living. You will like Colorado, I'm sure. But will you like Denver? Spending time in all these places is more of a vacation.

Makes sense to me. I'd be living in Denver, so if it's mind numbing. I'd rather find out now as opposed to later. The mountains and trails outside the city will all be a pleasant surprise/addition.

Originally Posted by livecontent

It has been said that public transportation is not going to get you to everywhere you need or want. So, change your needs and wants to other needs, wants and desire that fits the lifestyle of the carfree or carless person.

Of course you cannot go everywhere--so do not go everywhere. Of course, sometimes it will take longer--so take longer and relax.

Livecontent

At the risk of sounding hippie, holier than thou-ish I completely agree with this and glad I got the "alternative" viewpoint. I'm well prepared wait to move until I can procure a job that is realistically transit accessible. If I have to pay a little more to rent within walking distance, so be it. Then I'll zipcar to nature on the weekends! (who am I kidding, I'll be at home watching TV)

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by TheLoneGMan

Though I live in Mt. Pleasant, Capital Hill is actually my favorite part of D.C. so that bodes well.

I think the previous poster means the Capital Hill area of Denver. I, too, have lived in the DC area (actually Frederick, MD) and there's a difference. It's hard to describe, but you'll feel it. We are far removed from "the beltway" here.

[KaaBoom]

Originally Posted by TheLoneGMan

From Miami, live in D.C. currently but pretty sick of the East Coast so I wanted to see what the fuss about Denver/Colorado was about with a trip. Had a couple of questions for the ever resourceful people at city-data.

1) I want to travel during the snowiest month to see if I can handle the weather. This would be March, correct?
2) Right now I see the flights are about $80 cheaper heading into Colorado Springs, then Denver. Is it advisable to just fly into Denver or can I go into C Springs and catch a bus or shuttle or taxi up the highway?

When I lived in Denver in the 1990s, I flew out Colorado Springs several times to take advantage of lower airfares. The biggest problem is there is zero public transit serving the Airport. I used to use a airport shuttle bus to get from Denver to the Colorado Springs Airport. But that seems to be out of business now.

You will probably have to take a taxicab from the Airport to Downtown Colorado Springs, and then take the Front Range Express bus to Denver.


Frex - FrontRange Express

Originally Posted by TheLoneGMan

3) I know how to drive but haven't owned a car in years. Is the public transit in Denver enough for a quick 5 day trip? Will I be able to see enough the city or should I plan for the inevitability of buying a car.

Public transit will get you around for five days. You can decide after that if you will need to buy a car or not.