Is Denver Overrated?

[00:00:00] As I was editing this episode of Square State Colorado, I noticed a few things. I noticed that I didn't talk about the nightlife. We don't really have a concentrated entertainment district like we did in previous years

[00:00:12] but I feel like that's coming back and also I don't go out in the same way as I used to. I didn't talk about our restaurants until the very end of the episode and I didn't talk about the traffic which legit really sucks.

[00:00:23] Instead, I'm struck by the fact that I focused heavily on two areas of frequent conversation here in town. The downtown business corridor and the unhoused crisis and how people are experiencing it both from a citizen's perspective as well as potentially tourists.

[00:00:42] The first impression stuff that sticks with people who don't know a city beyond the things that they see. When I think of the question is something mid or low key mediocre or overrated when

[00:00:53] talking about a city, there are just so many things to consider when answering that question. There's just different components that make a city be something incredible and amazing to the person experiencing it. I've had the good fortune to visit 45 states in numerous other countries.

[00:01:11] The idea of a place being mid or overrated is just so subjective. If you feel that dimmer is overrated, then for you it is. I'm not going to argue with you. For me though, dimmer is my hometown and there are so many beautiful things about

[00:01:28] it even when there's so many things I want to improve. I love the people. They truly are really nice. I love when I'm on the bus and some person randomly says, hey, can someone help pay for my fair and people do?

[00:01:43] I love when folks tell me about a cool resource program or space and I enjoy it and it's just magical. I love going to the mountains and hiking and camping, snowboarding when I'm up for it.

[00:01:55] Or watching a Broadway show at the dimmer center for performing arts, listening and watching live music oftentimes free or heading to watch one of the mini professional sports teams that we have, play again. I love that it often feels like anything is possible here.

[00:02:11] People are pretty open to whatever is you dream about. Like I don't feel like if someone says to me, hey, I'm 72 and I'd like to start a snowboarding team. Do you think that's possible? No one's like, no, you can't do it, you're too old.

[00:02:26] They're like, dude, do it. Maybe we're a helmet, but yeah, that sounds good. But those things, those experiences of dimmer, they're not obvious. I also didn't talk about how dimmer is one of the best coffee towns in the US. How we have amazing sport.

[00:02:41] It's one of the best places to enjoy theater in the country like the theater is unmatched. If you love live music, dimmer and my view is the number five city in the United States

[00:02:52] for enjoying live music and I've included a link in this episode, show notes so you can check out why I say that is. I'm told the beer scene is pretty good.

[00:03:02] I just don't drink beer, but I know for sure that it is if you know one of the best scenes in the US. But you can meet people really easily here, even though we can be a little flaky, low key. We are a little flaky.

[00:03:16] Ultimately though, dimmer is a city that has its good and bad aspects to it, just like every other city. And while I don't believe it's overrated, I do believe that not every place is for everybody.

[00:03:30] Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter, Cal Town, Denver, to gain more insights into the city of Denver and the state of Colorado continue listening to the episode. Is Denver overrated? This isn't the first time that I've seen posts where people ask the question, is Denver overrated?

[00:04:08] What's interesting about this discourse, especially on Twitter, is that it feels like people had one really bad experience here, typically during the earlier part of COVID, and now that's what defines Denver to them until the end of time.

[00:04:22] It's 2024, where six months away from 2025 and I have some thoughts about this weird cognitive dissonance that I'm observing around the idea that Denver is or is not a good place to be. I have some thoughts that I've marinating on for a while now and it's time to share

[00:04:39] them. COVID and Denver. Let's be very clear about the fact that the beginning of COVID 2020 until about, I'd say early 2023 was a really tough time to be in Denver. Roth, however, I would argue that many cities across the United States and the world had

[00:04:59] the unfortunate amplification of societal problems coming to light during that time. In the case of Denver, we really saw how bad our unhoused problem had gotten as well as other things associated or adjacent to that problem. We had conversations around affordability, safety, cleanliness, mental health and visible

[00:05:21] drug usage had to be had more than once. We couldn't pretend anymore, not when there were in campments everywhere. And to add insults to injury, some of our western cultural quirks also made it difficult for us to address the issue.

[00:05:38] Should we live and let live this situation and not intervene? What's the best way to intervene or how can we be who may in our support of our neighbors who were and are in pain? Because surely, being unhoused during a global crisis is a mentally painful and physically

[00:05:57] painful experience. In October 2020, I even recorded a podcast episode entitled, Denver You're Getting A Little Sloppy, where I talk about how I was experiencing the city at that time. So when I see some of the critiques and criticisms of the city, I get it. It's now 2024, almost 2025.

[00:06:17] And I think it's about time to talk about what it feels like to hear people put down the city of Denver. Act like things are the same. Bitch about issues that are actively being worked on. I'm just so over it.

[00:06:30] I have some thoughts about the current level of vitriol, like literal vitriol, that I see on almost a daily basis about the city. By the way, it's not the first time I've seen and experienced this feedback.

[00:06:44] But I feel like it's time for me to say something because I'm just so over it. Maybe your time here is done. I don't feel like people cling to places, people, and moments in time well past when they need to move on.

[00:06:59] If a place person or space no longer serves you, maybe it is time for you to leave. Maybe just maybe Denver is not right for you anymore. In fact, part of why I continue to love my hometown that I grew up in is because I've left

[00:07:15] it more than once. It does not matter if you're a third generation Colorado, a person who moved here during the pandemic or someone who's moved here most of your adult life. Sometimes it's just time to go.

[00:07:28] I want to address some of the things that I've seen on Twitter specifically on the day that I'm working on this podcast. So someone was talking about homeless people and encampments being everywhere. Now very candidly during 2020, through about 2022, I would argue that this is how it felt

[00:07:48] and there's no pushback on this experience. This point of view, we saw it. There's social media coverage, news coverage, it was a thing. One thing that has been interesting though to experience in 2024 is having older women around me say, I've noticed that things feel safer.

[00:08:07] But I will say I've also noticed it as well and I'm downtown weekly on purpose. I can work from wherever I like and I enjoy heading downtown. I make a point of going to downtown Denver. I love going to the events.

[00:08:23] I go to base camp where the former Market Street station was. I go to Union Station. I'm really looking forward to when they complete the remodel in mid July. I love heading to Civic Center Park and enjoying Civic Center eats.

[00:08:38] I had a phenomenal time at the outside festival and really loved experiencing, finally, one of the 16 street mall blocks that has been completed. It's actually really beautiful. And I see the vision that they have for them all. I keep hearing that downtown is in a death spiral.

[00:08:58] This is actually really important conversation to be had and I feel like I will do a completely different episode on this, but I do want to address it, especially from the perspective of a long-term resident. This is not the first downturn that downtown Denver has had.

[00:09:16] And what's interesting about those downturns? Typically there's always been a boom afterwards. One thing that is very notable about the specific downturn that we've experienced, post-COVID is a couple things, COVID shut down business and safety issues during that time were definitely a problem.

[00:09:39] Work from home in Denver or like hybrid work from home and in office. That's just never going to go away. These folks are never going to let that go. You're going to have to pry work from home or hybrid schedules out of their cold dead hands.

[00:09:54] They're never going to let it go. In fact, it's I think it's going to increasingly become a really attractive part of living here is having that flexible schedule. There's the 60 street mall Renault that's been going on forever. There's the learn it feels like it's been going on forever.

[00:10:11] There's a learner square renovation, just lingering negative perceptions of downtown post-COVID. Work of perspective about the fact that downtown Denver and Denver have had very, very sharp boom bust cycles throughout its history. Denver's been known for this and what is going on with the Denver pavilion?

[00:10:33] I have a lot of questions around the Denver pavilion's particular but post-16 street mall construction projects. For the pavilions in particular, I'm curious to see what they begin doing at the beginning of 2025 because that section of the 16 street mall project will likely be the last part

[00:10:56] to finish to be completed. So I want to see that they're working to get people into all that vacant retail space. I think they've just been sitting on the pavilions and waiting for this project to be done.

[00:11:10] And so I'm going to be paying attention and looking to see, are they bringing in new retailers and experiences? Like it's weird. It's not weird to me that they aren't doing it now because it's just too difficult

[00:11:24] to get the kind of foot traffic that they need to make it make sense for or a store to be there. But beginning of next year, I need to see what they're doing because it doesn't make sense that they wouldn't be bringing in new retailers.

[00:11:38] The other day, I was walking through downtown and in recent months, I've been struck by the following. How many people there were downtown? You, the person, perpetually bitching about downtown might not be coming into the city.

[00:11:51] You may have come down in 2021 and saw someone smoking meth and thought, you know what? I'm not coming back. And honestly, I feel that. I feel that because unfortunately, I did have that experience. I was at Union Station.

[00:12:04] I was about to get on the train and there was a young lady, and she was smoking meth. And the thing that was really sad about that was she was the same person that other people had seen.

[00:12:15] So one of the things that I find interesting is Denver's big little city. So I literally described this person to someone close to me and they're like, oh yeah, I remember her. I haven't seen this person. So I'm hoping that they got the help that they need.

[00:12:28] However, since that time and that was around, I want to see that was like 2022. And I was like, oh hell, like what the heck? However, things have gotten significantly better since then. I'm not quite sure to be candid where Mayor Mike has put some of these chronically unhoused

[00:12:46] folks. I don't know what's going on with all that. But the feeling and the perception of being in downtown in the space spaces around downtown does feel safer. And it's not like you're seeing all the visual distress that we were seeing before. It's interesting.

[00:13:06] And people literally are spending time downtown, not just tourists, but a lot of tourists. And I've had a great time down there. I've enjoyed new restaurants. I've enjoyed the events. It's been great.

[00:13:18] I've loved all the events such as going to see frozen, hearing about Zach Brian at Empower Field, or heard that was a party. All the huge as festivals at Civics in her part had an amazing time at Juneteenth, even though it was hottest fuck.

[00:13:35] It was so hot and it's interesting seeing slowly, but surely all of the businesses slowly beginning to dot themselves along the western part of the mall. And you'll notice that I said the western part, which is where most of the 16th Street,

[00:13:51] small renovations are starting to complete themselves that like it's getting closer to the end with some of those blocks. And in fact, one of the block that opened the first one is on that side of the mall.

[00:14:02] It's going to be interesting to see what happens as the year moves forward. And then there's this wild idea that business wouldn't come back once the renovation is done. I think it's very weird short sighted and I find it bizarre.

[00:14:17] If you're a business owner, if you're someone looking to be in downtown Denver right now and you've got some additional money to kind of get you through that friction point that currently they're in like I'd wait another six months.

[00:14:30] Then you're trying to negotiate a really good lease term so that you can get your business in and get used to running things and be there to really take advantage of this next iteration of the mall.

[00:14:44] And for those of you who are like, well, you're not from here because someone made that assumption on a recent Facebook post that I was interacting in likely because I'm black. Let's be clear. I grew up here. I'm genetics so I am older than I wanted it.

[00:15:01] And I have the lived perspective of living here and a lot of cities across the US are about to be hit with really large infrastructure projects that the city of Denver in hindsight actually made this smart move of dealing with during the most difficult of times.

[00:15:19] It has been painful. It's been like living in a giant home, Rhino project. However, I think in the long run having those projects completed will benefit us. Experiencing Denver now. I love that the new bike lane on Broadway is complete and people are using it.

[00:15:39] I remember taking a bus and everything was depressing and it's COVID times and people are being weird. And I'm just like, when is this project going to be done? Because you would see it like things torn out of the street and the streets blocked off

[00:15:53] and I'm like, what is the vision for this? And now that it's done, it's so cool. Now there are people zipping up and down their part of the street. I love seeing all the people enjoying rooftop bars, patios and watching the cars go by from

[00:16:09] burned down and immensely popular new music and bar of venue on South Broadway. And while I wish Lairnmer Street the northern end in five points remains shut down, every time I'm over there it's busy as hell. It's crazy.

[00:16:25] I love heading over to compliments park and watching people ride the waves as I head over to take the old fashion trolley or just enjoy sitting in Centennial Gardens. There was nothing better than participating in the Denver Nuggets victory parade last

[00:16:39] year and being in community with some of the greatest basketball fans in the country. I loved sitting quietly after hanging out with people and reading a book during a silent book club meetup. There's nothing better than taking the busding up I 70 because that drive really does suck

[00:16:55] now and exploring different mountain towns without having to use my own personal vehicle. There's nothing better than watching boards of people come down to downtown to watch a baseball game at the course field and hopefully get a $3 beer before it's time for a regular pricing.

[00:17:13] And there's nothing better than enjoying people watching at the different farmers markets around town. Please bring back roasted chile as an opinion nuts though. I miss them. What we need to do better. Here's a thing. Let's be clear. No one is saying Denver is 100%.

[00:17:29] Okay, how could it be? But I'm 100% convinced of the following. Most of the people who are complaining about the city stopped enjoying the city a Denver years ago and would be better served by boobing.

[00:17:41] Many of the people who complain about the city quite frankly do not have an emotional connection to the city and always had the intention of dipping out when things got too tough. We do need to bring the costs of living down. Things are just way too expensive.

[00:17:57] Many of the people complaining about certain aspects of the city have a right to be concerned about the problems that we have and to make those complaints. I think it's really important. We should not pretend like there aren't problems plaguing the city.

[00:18:12] Denver is no longer a small town. It has big city issues that we must address and there has to be continued conversation, aggressive action and focus on moving things forward. However, people are so disingenuous about the idea that downtown Denver in particular is never going to come back.

[00:18:30] Blah, blah, blah. Downtown Denver stays coming back. Okay, don't believe me? Here are a few notable moments in its history and I'm sure I'm missing a few. These are moments when things went bust. The Gold Bust, the Silver Bust, the Great Depression, the oil bust in the 1980s.

[00:18:47] In 80 and 10, Bob Bell broke up. You've got to be a certain like Gen X to know this. But when they broke up that company there was a ripple effect in Denver because I could as soon as it was headquartered here.

[00:19:00] The savings in the loan debacle as I'm saying this, that was an issue. The dot com bust, 9-11. That one's interesting because international students who would have normally come to CU and do and use CD to study, they stopped coming to America.

[00:19:19] And so that was a huge thing. We lost millions of dollars in economic activity. 2008 to 2010, you know, the whole real estate debacle. 2020 to 2023 COVID. So we're now starting to come out of that. The truth is there are changes happening in Denver that I do not like.

[00:19:37] There has to be a middle round. We're not hearing each other. This is why I like having a podcast really. It's important to critique the places that we live in. It's also important to be candid about the fact that the last time you went to downtown

[00:19:51] Denver was January 2021 and you didn't return. I ask the following questions, how can Denver rebuild trust with people both in the city and beyond that it's a great place to visit, especially post 16 street mall renovations.

[00:20:08] Like for some people, it's just not going to make sense to come down to them. It won't make sense. No matter how much I tell them, it's there's a lot to do. Like I've taken people on tours of downtown like friends who've come from out of state

[00:20:24] and they're like we're having so much fun. But if you've decided that everything about it is hell, I don't know that I can convince you otherwise. Another question I have is how can all of us be heard as we share what our different

[00:20:37] visions of the city should and could be? Why is it so hard to get? People to believe this time. What people are saying about our current lived experiences in town? If you have to record videos of people in distress, maybe live somewhere else where

[00:20:56] you don't have to do that or maybe use that energy to share local businesses to support instead. Like if you have a following like that why are you filming people who are in pain? I don't understand that.

[00:21:12] Why don't you just go to a restaurant and be like, hey, we understand that this is going on and we wanted to tell people about you. Why not do that? I just I don't understand it. It's weird. Life is short.

[00:21:25] No one wants you to be miserable and if being in Denver is so God damn awful. If it's so fucking awful for you, it's time to go. Go. Just like with any city, it might just be time for you to go. We will not take it personally.

[00:21:41] That's one less car in the road and that's okay. I am just so tired of people bitching because it's not doing anything. It brings down the atmosphere. It's not like people are saying, or here's how we can propose growing revenue in Denver by bringing XYZ businesses here.

[00:22:00] Or here's how I spent locally at Denver Small Businesses this week. I don't hear that from you. So move on. You'll be happier and so will we? Move on. It is jarring to feel like we're living in a completely different city than the one that

[00:22:16] we keep hearing constant complaints about. And I say this as a person who grew up here, when I tell you how different Denver and Boulder because I grew up in both towns are for me to see the growth and the traffic and it is wild to me.

[00:22:33] It does my head in. The things change people. If there is one constant thing change and it's likely that the truth of the experience of Denver that we're all having is quite honestly somewhere in the middle of what all of us are sharing. Finally, happily.

[00:22:51] Denver also has a pretty solid food scene and I'm also tired of people eating at in and out and saying that we don't have good food here. We do. It's just not a food city yet because if you're in a food city anywhere you go, the

[00:23:07] food is going to be good. Here you still have to know where to go. But there is good food here and I've met people who are foodies from other cities from very cosmopolitan cities and they're like this, we've had some of the best food we

[00:23:21] have ever eaten here. So I'm tired of this. Some of this disingenuous crap with that too. However, that's a different podcast episode. So I leave you with this final question. Is Denver mid and am I just overreacting or are you overreacting or is it just time for

[00:23:40] people to move on?