Bike to Work Day
Today is Denver's annual Bike to Work Day. While I try to bike to work everyday, it's fun to see others trying it. It's also fun to look back in this blog and see what past years were like.
In 2004, I'd just landed a gig with OpenLogic (when there was only 2 employees). The commute was great, but I only rode to work once that whole summer. I never returned to "the office" for the rest of that contract. In 2005, I'd just started working for Virtuas and didn't have a bike. Last year, I rode to The Hive.
This year, I'm riding to LinkedIn Denver (yes, we still need to decorate). I have to say, this seems like one of the best years yet. I've never enjoyed working in an office as much as I have this year. However, with 4 Mac Pros in one room, we might have to buy a window A/C unit. The room we all work in is a good 10-15 degrees warmer than the other rooms.
So are there any good resources on the net to explore Denver? I live in Michigan and am trying to not be the last one out of the burning building. ;)
Denver, is my number 1 choice to relocate but I'm having a hard time exploring the area remotely. :)
Posted by Mike on June 25, 2008 at 09:05 AM MDT #
Posted by Matt Raible on June 25, 2008 at 09:13 AM MDT #
Sorry, I should have been more explicit...
Really, places to live. Buy a house, raise some kids with good schools, etc. Not too worried about jobs at this point. Anything is better than the market in MI. I would likely telecommute back to the office in Michigan. (Yeah, most people try and move closer to work!)
I've been through there several times. Before I got "married with children," I used to ski out there at least once a year. But I never spent much time in Denver itself.
Say you have a good senior developer/architect salary, here in Michigan that is around $95 to $110. That get's you quite a bit here. I have heard the cost of living is higher, but never any exact numbers.
Thanks!
Posted by Mike on June 25, 2008 at 09:36 AM MDT #
The median home price in the Denver area is purportedly $222,550, but what that gets you can vary wildly - see this Denver Post article for examples.
Certain neighborhoods in the city proper can be much more expensive than others, due to a mixture of (a) proximity to work/shopping/entertainment, (b) safety (perceived or real), (c) access to outdoor recreation. And lately, having access to mass transit is a factor in some real estate pricing. (Light rail access along the southern I-25 corridor recently opened, which makes commuting from the southern suburbs dramatically better.)
If you have children, school districts may be a consideration - Denver Public Schools does not have a great reputation, whereas I've known a number of parents who moved to the south-east side of the area to be in the Cherry Creek school district. BVSD is also highly-regarded, but Boulder county is not cheap.
Being closer to the mountains doesn't seem to make the difference it used to, as traffic in the mountains is regularly so incredibly heavy that it's a long, hard drive to the central mountains almost anytime. Much of Colorado is a very urbanized state nowadays.
Posted by Rich on June 25, 2008 at 10:51 AM MDT #
I used to ride my bike to work, back when I worked at a building that had a shower. It's 86 in Denver right now, so I'd be thinking twice before biking to work today, if I worked in a building without a shower. heh. (These days, I work from home and don't have a bike, so I guess it's a moot point.)
It's very cool that LinkedIn has an office here now. I think every dot-com company should open up dev offices in Downtown Denver, just in case I need work options some day. :)
Posted by David Simmons on June 25, 2008 at 02:13 PM MDT #
Posted by Emily on June 25, 2008 at 03:22 PM MDT #
I've spent my last vacation on Denver - march´08 - (Northglenn more precisly), and I got suprised about how denver people like to ride bikes!!! I could see that because there´s a bike store near my home. And a really good one =D
Wish I could go to work riding my bike every day... If I lived in Denver, sure I´d!!! Not in winter, of course =D, then I would go with my snowboard... Hahahahaha...
I really like linkedin! And it never crossed my mind that you guys would be in Denver... Lucky you!!! =D
Posted by Bruno Lima on June 25, 2008 at 03:43 PM MDT #
So glad to hear you like LinkedIn work that much, Matt! whoohoo!
Wow, Bike to work day in Denver had a great turnout this year. I work weekends and had the day off but no guilt since I bike 5 days a week anyway. ;) No car so no chance to change my mind on biking, even in the snow or heat. Of course once I'm going the endorphins kick in and never regret the ride. Have to stay away from traffic cuz I just can't worry enough to watch for cars when I'm that happy!
Denver is very expensive for me to live. Guess it depends on your income. Love Colorado too much otherwise I'd stop hanging in here.
Posted by Christina on June 26, 2008 at 11:24 AM MDT #
Posted by Mike on June 27, 2008 at 07:20 PM MDT #