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The Pulse of the City

Denver has a pulse. I have found myself missing the beat of the city lately. I left it with relative ease in June when we packed up everything and moved to Fort Collins, but now that we have had time to settle into our new house and new hometown, I spend a lot of time thinking about the last hometown.

Kids playing in the park, down the street from our old house in the Lowry neighborhood of Denver.

There is always the grass is always greener excuse, but that’s not exactly what I am feeling. I don’t want to be in our last house, although I absolutely loved it. I don’t want to be back in the old neighborhood, although I sort of liked it. I just miss things about Denver, things that maybe I thought Fort Collins had too, but I haven’t found them yet. For example, good restaurants. Denver has many of them. A hundred? I don’t know, but enough that there was always some eatery with a great reputation that you could go try for the first time every single time you went out to eat. Fort Collins has an inexplicable amount of restaurants, but finding a good one is as rare as finishing the NY Times Sunday crossword in one sitting. It’s quite the task, one that we’ve been surprised by. Thankfully, we were taken to a great one on Friday, Rare, a steakhouse at Mountain and College, right in the heart of town.

I guess I underestimated how much I was tuned into a Denver lifestyle after 15 years there. It’s a big city, especially by my standards. There was always something going on. That doesn’t necessarily mean we always partook, I mean, there’s never a need to go to some event on 16th Street, but similar activities were always an option. Prior to our time in Denver, we lived in Milwaukee, which is a noticeably smaller city, but still a city with a buzz and an identifiable scene. So, Kate and I have had 18 years of marriage in big cities, and nearly eight months in a certifiably small city.

Fort Collins has a pulse too. But I haven’t found it. It has felt so laid back and slow it appears lifeless from some angles. I suspect that I will find the beat of this city. Time will strengthen the bond as it always does. I guess I still feel bonded to Denver in a very strong way. I don’t want that to weaken, but I want my bond to FoCo to be just as strong.

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2 responses to “The Pulse of the City”

  1. Vicki Fogel Mykles Avatar
    Vicki Fogel Mykles

    Really?? There are oodles of great restaurants, fun events for families, parks to play in, bike trails to explore, close-in hiking adventures, arts & cultural activities to join,, new friends who just don’t know you are here yet. A lot of this “identifiable scene” you long for is centered in the vibrant Old Town area, not the featureless (my personal impression) southern suburbs – meaning you’ll need to bike, drive, or take the MAX for some of the fun stuff. If you have time, consider joining a city board or committee, getting involved with the FoCo Newcomers group, and/or finding a way to volunteer for a cause close to your heart. This will expand your social and cultural opportunities quickly. Don’t give up! FoCo has much to offer. And, you’re right, you just haven’t found it yet. BTW: One of the nice things is that Denver is not far away if you miss a few things! ;). VFM

    Reply
    1. bperica Avatar
      bperica

      I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that someone who has lived in a relatively big city for 18 years feels like a city of less than 200k can come across as a little quiet, nor that they might find the dining scene underwhelming. As for the identifiable scene being near Old Town and the description of where I live in Fort Collins as featureless and suburban, I gotta chuckle and take issue with that, grocery stores and movie theaters have to go somewhere. To me, Fort Collins is much too small to describe parts of the city proper as suburban. As for all the other things you mentioned, like I said in the post, time will tease out a vibe that grounds us here.

      Reply

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2 responses to “The Pulse of the City”

  1. Vicki Fogel Mykles Avatar
    Vicki Fogel Mykles

    Really?? There are oodles of great restaurants, fun events for families, parks to play in, bike trails to explore, close-in hiking adventures, arts & cultural activities to join,, new friends who just don’t know you are here yet. A lot of this “identifiable scene” you long for is centered in the vibrant Old Town area, not the featureless (my personal impression) southern suburbs – meaning you’ll need to bike, drive, or take the MAX for some of the fun stuff. If you have time, consider joining a city board or committee, getting involved with the FoCo Newcomers group, and/or finding a way to volunteer for a cause close to your heart. This will expand your social and cultural opportunities quickly. Don’t give up! FoCo has much to offer. And, you’re right, you just haven’t found it yet. BTW: One of the nice things is that Denver is not far away if you miss a few things! ;). VFM

    Reply
    1. bperica Avatar
      bperica

      I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that someone who has lived in a relatively big city for 18 years feels like a city of less than 200k can come across as a little quiet, nor that they might find the dining scene underwhelming. As for the identifiable scene being near Old Town and the description of where I live in Fort Collins as featureless and suburban, I gotta chuckle and take issue with that, grocery stores and movie theaters have to go somewhere. To me, Fort Collins is much too small to describe parts of the city proper as suburban. As for all the other things you mentioned, like I said in the post, time will tease out a vibe that grounds us here.

      Reply

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