Square State Colorado

19 Realities About Denver Life that Denverites Don’t Share

One of the funniest things about Denver life and Coloradans in general is how we like to troll people. We collectively don’t share some of the best things about our state. This happens partly because I think some people are gatekeeping. Seriously. The other reason is that people are enjoying the benefits are living here. We’re so used to the great things that we get to enjoy on a daily basis. Many of these realities about Denver life that we don’t share are pretty amazing. Today I’m spilling the tea.

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Cowtown Denver

19 Realities About Denver Life

I’ve been lucky enough to visit 45 of the United States. During those travels I enjoyed experiencing the United States, meeting people in new to me towns and reflecting on what I love about Denver. And even though I get asked “There are Black people in Denver” every time I’m in another state, there are other surprising realities about Colorado life that people don’t know about.

• Denver’s weather is really nice–When I went to college out East, I was completely confused every single time someone would ask me about what it’s like to live in such horrible weather. In fact, I was completely baffled. Denver’s weather is really nice all year around and sadly because of global warming, it’s even nicer than it was before. But, the weather can change aggressively in a day. It can go from warm, snow, melt and then hot again in 6 hours.

• How to get into local speakeasies-There are a number of really cool speakeasies in town. And even though at the heart of a speakeasy is that it’s a hidden and cool space-some are ridiculously difficult to get into or find.

• Neighborhoods vs. Downtown-Most people spend more time in local neighborhoods vs. the city Center especially post COVID. When the 16th Street Mall wasn’t under construction I would walk up and down the Mall a couple of times a month. However, most people still would spend more time in their immediate neighborhoods, parks or the mountains. There are so many beautiful micro community spots that I feel like we’ve done a terrible job of sharing with others.

• Enjoy the live music-There is so much live music in Denver and around the state that it’s absolutely possible to attend several FREE concerts a week. There venues that offer free concerts in Denver, in adjacent communities and in the mountains.

• The coffee is so good! The local coffee scene rivals the craft beer scene. Colorado is known for our beer, but the coffee scene is competitive with Portland, Seattle and New York City’s coffee scenes. What makes this scene stand out are the following:
  • Freshly roasted local beans
  • Knowledgable baristas that are passionate about coffee
  • The ridiculous number of coffee shop options
  • Community members who are passionate about coffee quality

Denverites Love to Have a Good Time

• Denverites DO exercise a lot-This isn’t an urban legend. Coloradans love exercise and like to weave it into the fun things that they are doing. I’m going to share some examples below.
  • Let’s go hiking and then happy hour afterwards.
  • Head out for a bike ride and then a beer
  • Skiing and the an epic apres ski party
  • Walking around and then hang out at a coffee shop

• So many amazing bakeries-The pastry scene REALLY good here. I feel like a lot of budding bakers had way too much time on their hands during COVID and were able to perfect some truly incredible pastry treats. From yummy croissants, freshly baked donuts, Asian pastry shops (with Parisian influences) and more. There are so many bakery concepts to eat your way through. You’ll find many of these bakeries at local farmers market around town.

• Sushi is good here-Denver is a shockingly good place to eat great sushi. I’m not making this up. We have fresh (alive) fish flown direct from Japan daily that is sourced by many of the sushi restaurants around town. I’ve heard from numerous people who aren’t from Colorado (not biased) that the sushi is fantastic here.

• The Theater scene is HUGE here-One of my favorite things about Denver is that so many Broadway musicals and serious works are debuted in town. It’s often said that Denver has the second largest theater district in the United States. I truly enjoy attending events at the Denver Center for Performing Arts and have taken groups, friends and family and have headed over on my own to enjoy a play.

• Comedy scene is unrivaled-If you love comedy and are looking for something to do while you’re here, there are a number of venues to check out. Well-known comedians regularly make their way through town and are even beginning to perform at Red Rocks.

• Driving is rough here-If you’re familiar with Jon Stossel he is a reporter who started to produce dramatic shows about dramatic things. There was an episode produced about Colorado’s traffic. It’s so bad. We have so many people moving here from different states, tourists and constant construction=crappy traffic.

Everyday Life in Denver

• The Train to the Plane-Just take the train to the airport. I used to take the bus direct from Boulder to Denver International Airport. Then when I moved to Denver and the train was built-I never drove to the airport again. The airport officials are about to begin a massive road project heading to the airport which is making an even stronger argument to take the Train the Plane. It’s $10.50 direct and is a 37 minute ride. There’s security on board and typically your fare will be checked.

• Transplants and long time locals do annoy each other-This is real. I feel like the rapid growth in the state has created some friction between longtime residents and new arrivals. I think this is to be expected and a normal type of tension that occurs.

• Patio life rocks-There are so many patios to hang out on. In fact, I am able to sit and enjoy being on a patio all year long. Most coffee shops and restaurants will try to have a front or back patio if possible. Remember the earlier comment that was made about Coloradans trolling people about their weather? We frequently do it from our patios.

• Denver is a big little city-While Denver has grown significantly since I was a kid, in many ways it’s still very much a big, little city. You will see the same people around town, people will get to know you and it’s easy to meet people locally (if you show up regularly)

• The Mountains are Calling and I Must Go–Spending time in the mountains is necessary and now that the state has expanded transit access to the mountains via the Bustang service-more people can enjoy the outdoors.

We Love to Have Fun

• Lots of Opportunities here-Denver is expensive. Which sucks. But, there are a lot of opportunities here and it’s a small business friendly state. If you can keep your living expenses low, the sky is the limit.

• We love to have a good time-But, there isn’t really a party/club district anymore. COVID killed the party district and I think it’s just now beginning to grow again. We love festivals, live music, having fun random experiences and shenanigans. Think of Denver as New Orleans younger slightly nerdy sibling.

• Coloradans work to live-We don’t live to work. When people ask “What do you do?” Often people are referencing the activities that they’re enjoying vs. the actual work that they’re doing.

Realities About Denver Life

As much as we love fitness, we love donuts. Denverites love to have a good time and the large number of festivals, food events and opportunities to have fun is unmatched. Denverites and other Coloradans are sometimes a little closed mouth about what living in Colorado is really like. If you live here, do you have other observations about life in Denver and Colorado that you would like to add?