Aurora, Colorado

Denver, Colorado. I live here for a good reason. I've had professors from Paris say they came here for the beautiful change of seasons. Early fall is a dream. Walk around on a beautiful sunny day (in Colorado the sun shines brightly at least 300 days a year) as the changing golden, orange, bright red, or double-colored leaves rain down on you, floating, drifting rather, from the air and landing at your feat or in your hair. A month later, wear your sunglasses as the sparkling snow may blind you with its brightness. If you like to ride motorcycles, you might get lucky in January and have a day in the '50's. You out-of-staters might get a good laugh at the end of the day that started out with a snowstorm, inches of white powder on the streets, people in heavy jackets trudging through the wet icy roads, and ends with people in shorts walking along perfectly dry streets with no hint of snow. It is not uncommon to have a snowstorm and then have all traces of it disappear within twelve hours. Spring hits and pink, white, yellow, and green is everywhere as flowers greet our citizens cheerfully. Cotton cascades across breezes from the cottonwood trees. Then we have summer. This is an outdoorsy state, so prepare to hike, kayak, or rock climb in our beautiful, glorious Rocky mountains, or perhaps you'd like to fish on a crisp crystal blue lake.

Besides entertaining, ephemeral weather patterns, we have history here. We are in what was once known as the "Wild West." We have plenty of old houses and buildings here to take you back to the 1800's. We have cowboys and people own horses which could be kept in stables in the city. We also have culture such as fine restaurants, museums, theatres, and the elegant Brown Palace hotel which has hosted American Presidents since its existence in the 1890's.

Our people are VERY diverse. We are not all mountain men and cowboys (only some of us). I personally have had friends from Ethiopia, Vietnam, Mexico, and India. Though here in Denver, Mexico and Vietnam have the largest number of immigrants. We have neighborhoods celebrating different cultures.

We have great colleges, arenas, and places to see shows. While visiting here, you must see a concert at Redrocks, a beautiful, old, outdoor ampitheater in our foothills (our foothills are about as big as someone else's mountains), and it really is red. I like to see rock concerts at Redrocks, or go there when it's empty. I sit at the top and look down at the stage or up at the midnight sky and dream.

A short drive from Denver brings you to those foothills and then on to our wonderful, charming mountain towns. Going to some of them is like traveling back in time. Take a ride through the mountains on a train. You might get a little scared if you look out your window and see how far down it is to the bottom. It's also possible that you'll get inspired. Maybe you like to gamble. Go to an old mining town, Blackhawk. They have some great little casinos, or go see an opera. There's a great opera house. You could get there on a shuttle-bus, so you don't have to drive. I went to see a ballet, but that was in the heart of down-town Denver, near our large Auraria college campus. You could get there by bus or our light-rail train.

Denver has a lot of nightclubs. You could go dancing, or see a live band in LoDo (lower down-town), or go to the Comedy club. You could buy books at the Tattered Cover, the largest bookstore in the region. This town is happening. It's not too large and overwhelming, but it's not a little town by a long shot. I call it medium-sized. It's a great place to raise a family, or to party. It caters to all types and tastes, without making you feel lost. There's just one thing: people can't drive here. My theory is that it attracts people from so many different places that they all bring their own rules to the road. Good luck with that one. I suggest the light-rail, the bus, or your bike.

Laura H

Submitted: Saturday 21st February 2004, 1:10 AM

Privacy - Submit - Prizes - Conditions - Contact Us - HOME