#i predict no icon war there's enough people to choose from right | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sylvanfreckles · 3 years

Text

Don’t Look (FebuWhump 23)

Fandom: Supernatural Summary: Sam and Dean are ambushed and captured by a powerful demon with an ancient lineage. Help is on the way...if they can survive.

(CW for some body horror/sores. Basically, skip if something like rashes and sores would upset you. It’s not terribly graphic, but I know this can be a real phobia for some people).

* * *

“This is obviously a trap, Dean!”

Dean rolled his eyes and sandwiched his phone between his head and shoulder, flapping his fingers at Sam in the universal “won't stop talking” gesture. Sam didn't look impressed.

“Look, man, it's just a bunch of demons,” Dean replied. He checked the clip in his gun, tucked a couple spares into his belt, and reached for an angel blade. “Don't see what has you so worked up.”

“Will you please just wait for me?” Cas's voice was strained, and Dean could practically see the impatience in every line of the angel's face. “I'm less than two hours away.”

“Are you talking while driving?” Dean smirked at Sam, though Sam just shook his head and started double-checking his own gear. “Always the little rebel, ain't ya?”

He waited while Cas spluttered in outrage. “We'll be done before you even get here,” he said, talking right over whatever point Cas was about to make. “And, hey, they've got a drive-in movie theater in this town. We can make a field trip, I think they're playing one of the new Star Wars movies.”

Cas was still talking when Dean hung up the call. He shoved the phone into his pocket with a chuckle, then caught Sam staring at him. “What?”

Sam shook his head again and shoved the trunk of the car closed. “Would it kill you to wait for him anyway?”

“And miss all the fun?” Dean slapped his brother on the arm. “Dude. It's demons. Practically kindergarten stuff for us.” Anyway all the big players were downstairs—or dead—so it wasn't like they had anything to worry about.

His brother was still bitch-facing about it when Dean shoved him down the path toward the abandoned hotel. “All right, I'll buy him a root beer float or something, and he'll get over it by the time that little rolling droid he loves so much shows up on screen.”

“BB-8?”

“Dude, I'm getting second-hand embarrassment just knowing you know that.”

Sam turned around and spread his arms out, walking backward down the path. “At least I don't know all the Starfleet captains by first name.”

“Hey, Star Trek is an important part of our cultural history,” Dean retorted, shoving his brother in the chest to keep him moving. “Star Wars is for nerds.”

* * *

The old hotel was empty, apart from the faint dusty of sulfur on some of the decrepit furniture. There were some tracks in the dust, which was a little weird for a bunch of demons, Dean had to admit, but the tracks were recent enough to prove there was demonic activity here.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. Dean pulled it out and made a face at it, swiping over the icon to ignore the call.

“Dude, he's probably worried,” Sam whispered.

“Yeah, he does that,” Dean shot back. He turned his phone off and shoved it back into his pocket. “He does that too damn much. We can handle one little nest of demons.”

Predictably...at least for Cas and Sam...and Dean, too, though he was loathed to admit it...they could not handle the “little” nest of demons.

The tracks lead them down to the old pool house, but before they'd even crossed the yard they'd been swarmed. The brothers had fought valiantly, back-to-back, and taken out a handful of the attacking demons but there were just too many. They were overwhelmed, hauled into the pool house, and tied to a couple of rusty old poolside chairs.

Dean jerked against his bonds—he could probably work himself free, given enough time. One side of his face had swollen up and his lip was busted up. Sam wasn't much better off, between the gash on his forehead bleeding enough to cover most of his face and the obvious dislocation to his left shoulder.

Well. Now he was gonna have to apologize to Cas for going in without him AND for getting himself and his brother captured. And injured. It would have to be a root beer float and popcorn and downloading the rest of the Star Wars movies for the weekend.

The demons were lined up along the sides of the pool now. They'd put Sam and Dean on the side nearest the shallow end, looking down the length of murky, stagnant water. Dean exchanged a look with his brother—what now? They'd been captured and beat up and tied up for, what, the world's worst diving contest?

The water rippled. Dean stared down at it in shock when a woman's head appeared at the deep end of the pool. But she wasn't swimming, she was...walking? And each step brought her further and further out of the water, the algae and slime cascading off of her body without leaving a trace behind. She was tall, with long, wavy blonde hair that fell almost to her hips. Her body was wrapped in a flowing green dress with a plunging neckline that showed off her...er, other features.

And she was walking on the water now. Because of course. Dean rolled his eyes so hard he almost sprained something. While there was something otherwordly about this whole thing, it was so obviously some demon princess bitch pretending to be a minor goddess or something.

She reached the shallow end of the pool and just stood there, looking at them. Dean glanced down at her bare feet, which were resting on the rippling water as easily as though she was standing on solid ground. “Nice trick,” he commented, smirking up at her. “Special power or just full of hot air?”

The demon in the green dress tilted her head to study him—nice try, bitch, that's Cas's thing—and blinked, her eyes clicking to beetle-black. “I am Vephar. Lord of the waters.”

“I'm Dean,” Dean replied, ignoring Sam's hissed warning. “Lord of the highway.”

Vephar studied for a moment, then raised one arm to point at his face. Pain erupted from his forehead to his chin and his brother called his name in a panicked voice. Vephar turned to face Sam next. “Who are you?”

Gritting his teeth, Dean rolled his head back enough to make eye contact with his brother. Sammy was shooting him a panicked look, obviously concerned by whatever the bitch had done. God, it still hurt. Most of the time when these bastards attacked telepathically it was like a cut from a razor, or a punch that somehow bypassed your muscle to hit you right in the organs. This was just...this was wrong. It ached and burned and felt wet somehow.

“I'm Sam,” his brother finally said, when Vephar took a step toward him. “Just Sam.”

“And why are you here, 'Just Sam'?”

Sam shot a look at Dean, who tried to shake his head subtly. “We were just looking around,” Sam finally stammered out. “The-the hotel. It's abandoned, we thought we could find something to sell in it. You know, the market for copper wire is pretty high right now.”

Vephar tilted her head to the other side. “No,” she intoned after a few seconds. “You're lying.” She raised her hand again and Sam jerked back with a cry of pain. Now Dean could see why his brother had looked so horrified. Instead of cutting or bruising, Vephar had raised an angry-looking line of oozing sores on his brother's face. It reminded him of nothing so much as Nick's face when Lucifer was burning through him...or Cas when he'd taken the souls from Purgatory.

“I was once a grand duke of hell,” Vephar explained, walking back down the length of the pool. “I commanded my legions and churned the mighty waters. I rode the seas in glorious battle, until I was betrayed and bound in this place.”

Dean grunted, tugging at the bonds on his wrists as the urge to dig his fingers into his face became nearly unbearable. “Sucks to be you.”

Vephar turned back to face him and raised one delicate eyebrow. “Indeed.”

Then she raised her hand and Dean threw his head back with a scream as another line of pain lanced up the other side of his face.

“What's binding you here?” Sam asked. “Maybe we can break it? Set you free?”

She tilted her head again, her black gaze boring into Sam's. “You're lying again.”

“Sammy, no!” Dean surged against the ropes uselessly as sores burst into existence around his brother's neck. “You bitch!”

“Temper,” Vephar replied calmly, and then the horrible, burning, wet pain was streaking down his chest under his shirt. Every shift in position made the fabric of his clothing rub against the sores, until it felt like he'd covered himself in sandpaper instead of a t-shirt.

“I don't get much to play with here,” the demon bitch said. She had that damn hand up in the air again, her index finger extended, and she waved it back and forth between the brothers as though trying to choose which one to torture. “I hope you last longer than the last ones.”

Dean was steeling himself to shout—distract the bitch, insult her, make her focus all her anger on him to give Sammy a chance to escape—when the door to the pool house exploded inward.

“Cas!” Sam's voice was thick with warning as the demons that had been lining the sides of the pool turned to swarm the angel. Dean grit his teeth and refocused his efforts on freeing himself. Cas was good—damn good—but there were well over a dozen demons, and heaven wasn't exactly running on full power these days.

He saw Cas go down. Dean threw himself backward with a jerk, finally crashing the chair into the stained tile of the pool deck. Something in the chair had cracked and his ropes were a little looser, and he fought to break himself free.

“Close your eyes!”

Dean swore and tucked his head toward his shoulder, squeezing his eyes shut. Even then the burst of grace was almost enough to blind him. Damn, Cas hadn't done that in a long time. He hoped his friend still had the juice to recover from an attack like that.

Blinking back the sparks in his vision, Dean rolled onto his side and tried to push himself to his feet. He could see the smoking, empty meatsuits of the demons scattered in a half-circle around Cas, but Cas wasn't looking so good. He had sunk to one knee, and several bloody tears in his trench coat showed where the demons had gotten a few hits in before he'd smited them. Smote them. Whatever.

“Angel!”

Dean threw himself forward and tried to grab Vephar around the ankles as she stalked out of the water toward Cas. The smiting hadn't been enough to end her, though she seemed to be staggering a little and there was black sludge trickling out of her nose.

Cas struggled to his feet, but he was empty-handed—Dean could see a glint of silver just a few feet away, but Cas couldn't reach it before Vephar had a hand around his throat, backing him into the wall.

“I'm going to enjoy this,” the demon bitch sneered. “Angels are so much more...resilient...than humans. Don't you agree, 'lord of the highway'?”

Dean let out a cry as more pain tore through the side of his face. It felt like the sores were swelling, and his stomach nearly revolted when he felt liquid oozing down his neck.

“Hey! Bitch!”

Vephar whirled around, just in time to catch Sam's knife in her throat. Damn, but the kid had good aim. They'd been trying to copy Ruby's blade for years now, and while Sam had never come up with something to match it in power, the runes he'd started carving into the knife he tucked into his boot still did some damage.

The demon released Cas to tug uselessly at the knife in her throat. She glowered at Sam and started to raised her hand, but Cas tackled her from behind.

He'd gotten his angel blade back, during her moment of distraction, and drove it deep into her back, giving it a vicious twist as she screamed out her dying breath.

Dean collapsed in relief. It felt like the sores were still on his face, but the pain had faded significantly. It no longer felt like his skin was going to erupt and peel away from his bone—more like he had a bad case of road rash.

He rolled himself over to check on Sammy. The kid had only worked his right arm free and thrown his knife from there. He sagged in his ropes, panting for breath, but gave Dean a thumb's up when he realized his brother was looking.

Before he could roll back to check on Cas, a firm hand gripped him by the shoulder and rolled him onto his back. Dean found himself staring up at the angel's bruised, angry face. “Next time I tell you it's a trap,” Cas ground out, even as his fingers brushed feather-light over Dean's forehead to heal his wounds, “do me a favor and wait for me.”

Okay. Root beer float, popcorn, the rest of the Star Wars movies, AND another couple pairs of those novelty socks Cas liked so much. The angel had definitely earned it today.

* * *

You guessed it, Vephar is from the Key of Solomon. They’re described as being able to make the seas rough or calm, guiding ships to their destination, and killing by putrefying wounds and sores (fun!). They take the form of a mermaid, so I gave them a female meatsuit and the power to walk on water.

(For those of you who don’t know, the Key of Solomon is my favorite resource for extra-powerful demons. Vephar is the third I’ve used so far, so there’s just 69 to go!)

#febuwhump #febuwhumpday23 #supernatural #fic #fanfic #dean winchester #sam winchester #castiel #don't look #captured #demons #cw body horror #cw sores #more like BADASStiel am i right?#I'm right aren't i #hurt dean #hurt sam

13 notes · View notes

houseswolo · 4 years

Text

Day 1 - 'Tis The Season To Be Thirsting

"Look Rey, mistletoe! Join me... please!"

Aight, aight, here's kicking off the Thirst Order Advent Calendar, and our Thristies' showcase!

Azuwrite

(Tumblr: @ashtyntaytertot | Ao3: Azuwrite )

What got you into Star Wars?

It’s been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. We had Star Wars toys and products. My little brother and I used to fight with our toy lightsabers. I always remember my mom saying Chewbacca was her favorite too (it’s not her icon on Disney plus) joy

What made you a Reylo? Lightbulb moment!

I walked out of TFA HATING kylo Ren. Now, walking out of TLJ? A completely different story. The force bond moments definitely helped, but the moment that made me fall in love with Ben solo was when he chose not to kill his mom sob didn’t help that I had become a mom in that time haha

Why do you write / make art?

It’s a great way to get the creative juices flowing (hehehe). I have so many ideas to get out there! Not enough time though weary getting to write/proofread/make mood boards can really be a highlight of my day.

The Object of your Thirst…

Obi Wan Kenobi 😩 oof, that man is everything. Make sexual awakening if you will. So sassy, sarcastic, cunning, the accent, the eyes, the beard, the EVERYTHING. I may have a thing for ewan mcgreggor as well 👀

Favorite Adam look

Definitely the longer hair with the facial hair and leather jacket and plaid. My all time favorite is right clothes, especially t shirts👌🏼 yummmm

Favorite Adam role

Don’t kill me, but I’ve only watched two of his movies 🙈 I love Kylo Ren's character, of course, especially the bde moments 😩 stomp me! But Flip has got to be my favorite so far. He’s everything I love wrapped in a package. Love the mountain man, plaid vibes 👌🏼but Matt was my fav before Flip came along, so hilarious

Which part of Adam do you like the best? That’s like the worst thing to have to decide on 😩 it’s not physical but probably his voice. Mmmm so deep and weakens the knees! For physical, I prefer my boy swol. Gotta love them glorious TLJ titties 🔥

Favorite Star Wars Movie

So wrong that I have to choose! Haha. For the original trilogy-Empire strikes back. Prequel- I like both one and three, just...not two (sorry not sorry) 😂 and for sequel- hmmm gotta give it to TLJ. The throne room scene is hands down my favorite scene from Star Wars. Just chefs kiss

What do you like to write / draw / paint the most?

As far as physical artwork, I love doing all types and mediums so I won’t get into that haha but as far as writing; definitely found I prefer to write angst as well as crack (though that never starts as my intention 😂). I also adore making mood boards, just such a good time and relaxing thing to do when I’m in the mood for it!

Your TRoS prediction

Again, don’t kill me 😬 I want the Reylo happy ending just as much as anybody, but I’m not going to be surprised if we get shafted. This trilogy has taken so much from previous ones (especially the original), I just wish they were willing to take more risks. So my fear is that they’ll go the Vader redemption route. Aka kylo dies. I will be over the moon if we get what we want (and deserve) though 🙌🏼 fingers crossed!

If you were an aesthetic... (colors, images, feels....)

Bright rainbow colors coating a dark black center 😂 I’m definitely both vibes. I love dark things and creepy aesthetics, but I also love the cute and adorable side of things too 💕🌈☠️ I’m just a black cupcake with rainbow sprinkles on top

If you were a candy bar, what would your name be?

I wouldn’t! Not the biggest fan of candy, especially chocolate. Now, tacos, that’s a different story! They’re my favorite food in the whole wide world and people love them. I strive to be a taco

What's your ideal environment for writing / creating?

As quiet as possible. I’m slowly realizing that my attention span and focus is easily broken. I have a very hard time writing with any little thing going on, I start to get subconsciously anxious (playing with my hair like a mad woman). Unfortunately that means in a house with a newborn, a toddler, and a husband, I don’t get nearly as much writing done as I’d like. It can honestly be heart wrenching when I so desperately want to get my creativity out but ultimate can’t

Are you a dom or sub?

I’m a total sub, like, spank me please and boss me around 🙌🏼 BUT when it comes to blowjobs, I OWN that dick. It is mine and I will destroy you with an orgasm 😂

What's the most exotic/wierd place you've gotten intimate?

Well. I haven’t done anything too crazy. I’ve had my fair share of doing it in public places but just around the corner and out of sight. I did it in a kid's laundry room who was in my grade during a graduation party. (What’s funny is I had never spoken a word to that kid in my life and still haven’t lolol). Also, I lost my virginity in a tent during 4h fair right next to his best friend who was sleeping 😂 but I’ve only been with one person and that’s my husband, since I was 14 💕

What's your kink?

Uniforms. Police officers and firefighters are my jam. Ugh yum

Use three words to describe yourself

Loyal (the hufflepuff way). Introverted (I regret when I go out, I regret when I stay in, there’s no middle ground 😂). Caring (being a mom and wife has been the best thing in my life. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Even if caring for myself tends to slip in the process lol).

Meaning behind your nick / ID name

I met this raver kid who decided to give me a raver name (I have never been to a rave in my life lolll). He asked what my favorite color was and what I liked to do and that’s how Azuwrite came to be!

Are you a big spoon or little spoon?

I am easily a big spoon. I will spoon the crap out of my husband. I prefer my chest to be warm compared to my back. Plus you get to enjoy the smell of your significant other that way. Does that sound weird? 😂

Do you like it rough or soft?

Soft can be really nice but I’m definitely a rough and tumble girl. I love the hair pulling, pounding type sex with position changes 😂

Favorite toy

I have never used or owned a toy 🙈 I’ve never needed to and I have a hard time spending money on myself hahaha but don’t fret! This girl has perfected her masturbation technique, because I may or may not have been doing it for a very long time haha

Favorite fic you've read

Oof. It feels so wrong to have to pick 😂 I definitely have a top five favorites that really brought me into the fandom. Number one has to go to Berserk by Mallie3. She put so much time and effort into it and it shows! If you haven’t read it, go do it! It’s truly a piece of art

Favorite fic you wrote or favorite art you made

I have a top three for my favorite fics I’ve done, my first three. They have so much planned and lovingly created plot behind them. It’s truly unfortunate that I don’t have more written for them. It breaks my heart. Those are my superhero au, high fantasy au, and cowboy Ben 💕 as far as art, I have made wayyyy too many mood boards to pick one joy

Favorite SW character(s) besides Kylo and Rey

Obi Wan. Hands down. No competition. That man is bae and I will forever be his number one fan 💕💕

———

Drnucleus

(Tumblr: @drnucleus | Twitter: drnucleus | Ao3: drnucleus)

What got you into Star Wars?

My mom putting on the VHS since I was a baby. She was a fan and made sure I became one too!

What made you a Reylo? Lightbulb moment!The way he looks at her when she calls the legacy saber to herself in TFA.

Why do you write / make art?

Because no one else was gonna write kink fic that focused on the beauty of it instead of just the smut.

The Object of your Thirst…

Adam and Daisy (girl makes me question my sexuality)

Which Adam look do you like the best?

TROS. Also I like any of his looks from movies/tv

Which Adam avatar/ role do you like the best?

I love Paterson, but I think Ben Solo is my favorite.

Which part of Adam do you like the best?

Self deprecating humor and thoughtful answers to interview questions

Favorite Star Wars Movie

The Last Jedi and Empire Strikes Back

What do you like to write / draw / paint the most?

Romance, kink, comedy, science competence porn

Your TRoS Prediction

Romantic Reylo and a deliciously cheesy HEA

If you were an aesthetic... (colors, images, feels....)

Purple, green, teal, galaxy images and velvet textures with overstuffed comfort furniture

If you were a candy bar, what would your name be?

Nougatine

What's your ideal environment for writing / creating?

Comfy chair, music, tea or wine

Are you a dom or sub?

Dom

What's the most exotic/wierd place you've gotten intimate?

Back of a pickup truck under the stars.

What's your kink?

Communication and goddess worship, also anatomically on men, forearms, hands, eyes.

Use three words to describe yourself

Witty, driven and anxious

Meaning behind your nick / ID name

It was from a super hero name generator!

Are you a big spoon or little spoon?

Depends on my mood.

Do you like it rough or soft?

Also depends on my mood.

Favorite toy

Sex toy: the fainting goat vibrator, regular toy - my apple watch

Favorite fic you read

Unbidden by Perry Downing

Favorite fic you wrote or favorite art you made

Bedroom Hymns

Favorite SW character besides Kylo and Rey

Leia

cc: @tazwren @deadlikemoi @drnucleus @ashtyntaytertot @lostinqueue-ffa @my-jedi-life @shestoolazytologin @kaybohls @nite0wl29 @cosmo-gonika @wilsonthinks66 @roguesinside @areylofan @3todream3 @koderenn @queenoferebor @thereylowritingden @housedadam @house-crylo @houseplaidam

#writers #reylo fanart #reylo fic #reylo fam #reylo #reylo fanfic #reylo humor #artist

24 notes · View notes

slifers-executive-writer · 5 years

Text

A Overall Discussion About Godzilla: King of the Monsters 2019.

It has been awhile since I wrote an original piece on my blog, and while I’ve stated this is mostly for my writing and anime fandom, I cannot help but include one of my other passions. That is of course the movies. One topic that has been going around the internet lately is the potential flop that is Godzilla:KOTM 2019. I will put it out there right now, that while this movie isn’t doing as good as I would like, I’m sure it will make its money back and I certainly don’t think it is a flop. But my main reason for writing this particular discussion is to clear the air about where this film stands. I’ve been hearing a lot of reviews both top critical and various Youtubers complain about this thing and my overall observation is a lot of them claim to ‘like’ Godzilla and yet clearly don’t understand a goddamn thing.

A very similar thing happened with Detective Pikachu. Both movies not scoring that great on Rotten Tomatoes and overall critic/Youtuber reception being very mixed, yet the general audience seemed to enjoy both summer blockbusters. Both films suffered from a lot of ‘reviewers’ not doing even the smallest amount of research on source material before opening their big angry mouths and complaining why certain characters or concepts weren’t included.

And example complaint on these films were:

Detective Pikachu: wHeRe Is TeAm RoCkeT?

Godzilla KOTM: wHy ArEn’T tHeRe OtHeR tOhO mOnStErS?

Yes these were real complaints.

Now in all honesty, I know neither of these movies are masterpieces as in terms of depth of plot or character arcs. If I had to choose one, I would definitely say it terms of the human elements, Detective Pikachu was a much better film. So I am fully aware that these flicks are complete nostalgia pandering hunks of cheese.

And yet I still found myself enjoying both films to the point where I clapped at the end. The same way almost everyone and their grandmother did for the Avengers. So what is it about this hot garbage making so many people flock to the theaters multiple times to see them?

It’s the simple fact that we have had these Japanese properties in our lives for several decades. Pokemon (1998) & Godzilla (1954). If anyone grew up on either of these or both (such as myself) then we know that as long as these Americanized films are a loads of fun, we can forgive the lazy messy plots. But perhaps that is why these movies aren’t what we all wish they could be...because they are created on American soil.

You see unfortunately, Hollywood has been in one of the most non-creative/reboot mayhem crisis I’ve ever witnessed. Big corporate studios have to pump out as many safe reboot/non original IPs as possible and it seems to have lost most it’s writing talent as well. If certain directors and producers aren’t behind a project, then the adapted movie (such those inspired by anime and other foreign film franchises) probably won’t have much substance. Not to mention Western filmmakers and our critics don’t seem to fully understand the culture shock of the growing popularity in these Japanese properties. Nor do they understand the appeal of these features, hence all the negative/angry reviews. We have seen this time and time again. And it is nothing new.

Now let’s get back to Godzilla: KOTM. It was a fun ride no doubt. The CGI was incredible, and with certain recent Marvel and DC films, this is a mark a lot of those films miss. So thank Godzilla that our beloved kaijus and other effects looked gorgeous. The cinematography for the monsters was also done very well. There are plenty of moments where we truly understand the grand size of these creatures. Overall the fights were awesome and mind numbing. And the music, oh my god the scoring was incredible. Done by Bear McCreary, who did the recent God of War installation did our Kaiju King a great service. Paying homage to classic Godzilla themes was the perfect icing on the cake. So what was the big complaint?

Lol These dumbasses. The people in any robot/kaiju/creature feature seem to be the hardest thing directors cannot figure out no matter how hard they try. But let us admit that we as viewers are pretty hypocritical in this argument. On one hand we ask for a shit ton of monster brawls and on the other hand, we complain their are too many explosions and that the effect wears off after a while. We want human stories and then we complain that they are in the movie at all. Godzilla KOTM by no means has a good human story. Some moments with the military and Ken Watanabe were fine, but the idiots in the images above this movie did not need...like at all. I especially hated the father and mother figures. Like yeah Eleven (Milly Bobby Brown), I would run the fuck away too. I’m not excusing the writers for the shitty human plot, I’m just explaining as to why we still suffer from this problem. However, if you are a fan of the Godzilla franchise, you know for a majority of the films, the human plot is not much better than what we see here. Maybe that was Michael Dougherty’s point. He claimed that this was the ultimate film for Godzilla fans and quite frankly, maybe he is right.

Aside from the very first film (Gojira 1954), the human elements of these films were always lack luster, silly, and even forced. Yet so many people are quick to judge our American filmmakers for ruining what ‘only the Japanese can do right’ and in all honesty I’ve never heard such a false statement. The image above is from one of my favorites, Godzilla 2000. Japan’s fuck you to the terrible 1998 film. But when watching this, did you really care about this guy, his daughter, and his dumbass girlfriend. Or the scientists and their anime-esque villain. The answer is probably no. In any of these kaiju films, very rarely do we ‘really’ care about the people. We just want to see the action. The plots are always, cliche, predictable, and stuffing in some bullshit environmental awareness message. Nukes are bad and people suck. But we love Godzilla (practically a walking nuke) anyway.

Godzilla KOTM, is the same shit we’ve seen before only with American styled editing and tropes. So lots of quick cuts and a focus on the family unit. But hey the special effects are so much better than anything we have seen previously. I don’t have to laugh when I see wires and crappy green screen, or using the same footage from a previous movie. Nope. All our favorite kaijus are in beautiful IMAX quality and are ready to wreck cities worldwide. This is the film fans asked for and we got it. Oh and before the next person complains that the Japanese can only do it better, here is what was done before this.

We got Evangelion Goji with AIDs and CG Tree Goji with Ramen Noddles Ghidorah. While Shin Godzilla was a masterpiece over seas, if you didn’t understand the political subtext, then this film was an angsty destructive ride by a guy who can’t even finish his own art thesis of an anime. (I totally don’t have mixed feelings over Evangelion lol). I didn’t hate Shin Godzilla. It had its moments, but I didn’t think it held the same power of the film it was trying to emulate. Not to mention the CGI and sound design at points were just dreadful. As for the Netflix anime Godzilla trilogy...just wow. Aside from loving the physical design of this new Goji and his new powers, this story was worse than awful, it was downright boring. Even hardcore Godzilla fans had a hard time defending this mess of bad CG. With a promise of multiple featured kaiju and Mecha Godzilla, we get a hunk of nano metal and the only other kaiju actually featured looking like a pack of Maruchan coming down to like ...basically have a staring contest with Godzilla and then evaporate. What a fight for the ages...

In conclusion, I’m not sure if and when either Japan or American will ever truly get it right. We may like certain aspects of one film but hate the rest of it and the cycle will continue on and on. But as far as KOTM goes, I’m happy it exists and hope it does well enough for Legendary to renew its licenses with Toho. I and many others just want Godzilla in the roster and to continue the legacy. Something for future generations of children and adults to enjoy the romping monsters and hear their iconic roars. We can’t let this current toxic and hating Internet culture bitch and complain about concepts and niche cultures it doesn’t fully understand. Like the anime community, the Godzilla fandom is a unique one and has a niche audience. But perhaps like what the Marvel movies have done for comic book fans, the exclusion will lessen over time and become more mainstream. But for now, Godzilla KOTM is meant for a particular group of people and it seems for that bunch, it has made them plenty happy. Myself included.

So what are your thoughts on this movie and others like?

Feel free to share your comments, reblogs, and however else you would like to respond down below.

#godzilla #godzilla king of the monsters #godzilla kotm 2019 #legendary pictures #detective pikachu #rant #discussion #movies #american film #japanese film #gojira #kaiju #kaiju flicks #fuck the critics

3 notes · View notes

01sentencereviews · 6 years

Note

top 5 people of 2017?

carrie fisher: though she unfortunately and prematurely passed on december 27th of 2016, carrie fisher remained present throughout 2017, and i welcomed every moment and memory of her free-spirited, honest persona and her supernatural, brilliantly brass etherealness. as i wrote regarding abbas kiarostami’s passing on last year’s list, the untimely death of a person often results in a strange re-infatuation with that individual’s career and life, sadly helping to remind us all of just how unbelievably important and inspiring their past words truly were, and still are, to many of us. as an unapologetic mentally ill person and one of the biggest, most charismatic movie stars to ever grace us with her incomparable wit and aura, carrie fisher truly felt one-of-a-kind. she would have absolutely championed this current women’s movement in her own industry and the entire workforce, one where women no longer choose to sit silently in the face of violence from overly powerful and manipulative men, women who demand to finally be treated with respect and to be listened to, striving for an environment where anyone who finds themselves lower on this fabricated, but highly protected and followed hierarchy of people can still feel safe. she proved with her past hilarious and gutsy acts that she would have supported these victims and survivors. she would have wanted to be there to protect them, as she also has for many of us throughout her time as an advocate in the public eye. seeing fisher with an extended role in star wars: the last jedi, reprising her iconic role without ever missing a single beat, certainly made me miss her even more :( …we still miss you, carrie. we still love you. and we always will.

david lynch: it had been 11 years since inland empire hit theaters, the last time david lynch had gifted the world with a feature “film” from his twisted mind. after years of twitter announcements, financial and business setbacks, and never-ending, completely unreasonable and incorrect fan speculation, twin peaks: the return finally started airing on showtime this past may and i’m still not over it, and i most likely never will be. it confused, angered, and rejuvenated (notably, a very small amount of) viewers for an entire summer, and became the yearly example many film lovers and fans use to debate, experiment with, and restructure our understandings of what film/cinema “is” and what any and all art has the ability to conjure up in us all, from our most primal of emotions to our most complicated of perversions. lynch is simply a master of the surreal, a surreality which has never felt more welcomed in my life than it has during this past difficult year.

jordan peele: jordan peele is certainly the breakout writer/director of the year. i was familiar with his previous comedic work, but not enough to predict just how much of an impact peele would have within mainstream entertainment culture, helping to cement this more respected social thriller as a legit, respected, and welcomed trend, which is again beginning to find a necessary focus in the industry given the undeniable proof of our current more outwardly racist culture. get out electrified pretty much the entire moviegoing audience thanks its first-hand understanding of everyday, “liberal” racism in america, depicted with low-budget, but high-concept uses of dark comedy and violence to satirize distinct fears black americans experience today. peele may also be inspiring other filmmakers (cc: dee rees’ upcoming lesbians-in-rural-america horror film) to partake in this exciting, reenergized genre, and we should expect even more from peele himself whenever he finds the time in his busy schedule.

nicole kidman: did anyone have a more prolific, celebrated year in front of the camera than nicole kidman? big little lies… top of the lake: china girl… the killing of a sacred deer… the beguiled… those are just the projects of hers i was able to see, and kidman shines in each production, in multiple conflicting, recognizable, and traumatic ways as an actor. this list doesn’t even include her performance in 2016′s lion, which she spent much of the first few months of 2017 promoting and receiving awards attention for, or her upcoming performances in more widely released projects in 2018, like john cameron mitchell’s how to talk to girls at parties and karyn kusama’s destroyer to name only a couple. she is one of the most respected actors of her generation and she is only continuing to exemplify that we haven’t even seen her peak yet!!

tarana burke + the “silence breakers”: tarana burke is credited as the founder of the #MeToo movement, a phrase she originally came up with in 2006 while searching for the right words to describe her own experience with sexual violence and to provide a verbal sense of community with other women, particularly black and brown women, who had survived similar violence and abuse. this movement has greatly impacted hollywood and the entertainment industry, thanks to people like alyssa milano, rose mcgowan, lupita nyong'o, and dozens and dozens of brave women and men, who have shared their stories depicting the sexual violence and misconduct they have experienced in their careers. their stories, some eerily similar to one another’s about the same hollywood predators, are helping to create an environment where the “less” important voice in the industry absolutely refuses to be silenced. obviously, the industry is still picking and choosing which predators they deem more valuable and are therefore still allowed to be celebrated and rewarded even while making their work environments unsafe, but these stories and protests have finally began resulting in some justice, even if not nearly as great as it should be. 2017 has been an important year for all silence breakers and protestors, not just those in the entertainment industry, but for all people who feel disenfranchised, targeted, and disrespected by the same individuals elected to serve and protect them. hopefully, our voices will only continue to become louder and more heard as time goes on.

#anonymous #carrie fisher #david lynch #jordan peele #nicole kidman #tarana burke #silence breakers #best of 2017 #lists #q&a

44 notes · View notes

entireconfection · 4 years

Text

Can We Turn It Around?

Hard to believe it’s been four years, isn’t it?

As I sit down to write this, 5 weeks out from the 2020 election, it’s hard to know where to start. For almost four years now, we’ve been living in an altered (and very shitty) state of reality. Donald Trump’s America. A never-ending dumpster fire. And, to be frank, one of the worst chapters in our country’s history. On top of that, we’ve just crossed the half-year mark of a global pandemic, an ongoing crisis by turns devastating and surreal, one that seems sadly befitting of our dystopian, is-this-really-happening times.

After 4 agonizing years of hate and stupidity ruling the roost, of nonstop assaults on science and decency and civility, of the obliteration of democratic norms, destruction of the checks and balances that we naively assumed would always be there for us, we’ve almost arrived at another election. And with it, the possibility that we can start to turn this around. That we can rise up and say “NO. We DON’T want a dictatorship. We WON’T go along with this. We will FIGHT for love and decency and our democracy.”

Personally, I am proceeding under the assumption that Trump will be reelected. I have to do so for my own wellbeing. I don’t want to get my hopes up. The bitter, blindsiding defeat of 2016 is still fresh in my mind. There are many ways that this election could turn into a shitshow. Not the least of which is we have a ruthless dictator as President who is doing everything he can to sabotage the vote. And he has a powerful ally in the Republican party, which has expertly suppressed the vote for decades and is doing so now with as much gusto as ever, determined to hold onto power at all costs. Throw in all of the logistical challenges and obstacles caused by COVID, along with all of the flaws of our antiquated, broken-by-design voting system (courtesy of the democracy-hating GOP), and no one really knows what the hell is going to happen on November 3.

So I have to assume that Trump will win. Because, awful as that will be, life will go on if he wins. And I need to be able to carry on as well.

Still, as accustomed as I’ve become to the insanity of the Trump era, it’s sometimes hard to grasp that it’s come to this. That we are perilously close to becoming an authoritarian country with a permanent conservative majority. That it pretty much all hangs on this election.

It’s not just our country either. It’s our planet that’s on the line. Perhaps you’ve heard of climate change? You know, that little issue that Americans don’t give a shit about, but is an existential threat to human civilization? Well, it’s only getting worse. The Northern Hemisphere just had its hottest summer ever, 2 degrees above normal. You can expect a new record every year for your lifetime.

Trump, as expected, has been a disaster for the climate – withdrawing from the Paris Accord, gutting environmental regulations left and right, and basically doing as much damage to the earth as possible. Given that experts say we have 10 years to make major cuts in emissions if we have any hope of avoiding irreversible and catastrophic climate disruption, it’s safe to say that a second Trump term would pretty much be game over for the climate, and for life as we know it. It’s the predictable outcome when you elect an idiot climate denier president of the most powerful country in the world.

Then there’s the fate of democracy itself, which is in a perilous position around the world. Fascism masquerading as “right-wing parties” has been on the march across Europe for years. Trump has gleefully helped that effort, cozying up to ruthless dictators like Kim-Jong Il and giving his buddy Putin the green light to continue to ratfuck elections, sow chaos, and wage cyber warfare on any country he chooses.

Meanwhile, Trump has given the middle finger to our allies constantly since taking office. Again, completely to be expected from a jingoistic simpleton whose entire understanding of foreign policy boils down to “America First.” Remember his shit-eating smirk while refusing to shake Angela Merkel’s hand in the Oval Office? Trump exemplifies the right’s foaming-mouth hatred of Europe, foreigners, and diplomacy. Just one of their many flavors of bigotry, he and his base believe that the rest of the world basically consists of international elitists determined to destroy America. Not exactly a philosophy conducive to preventing trifling matters like, say, global pandemics or world wars.

The more I write, the more I remember when an absolute sleazebag our president is, and the more astonished I am that this man is our president. This is the guy who 60 million people voted for in 2016. This is the guy who is nothing less than a savior to millions and millions of white Americans. Donald fucking Trump? You would be hard-pressed to find a more loathsome person in all of America. And despite knowing full well how polarized and tribalized we have become, it’s still hard to fathom that so many Americans can look at this vile, morally bankrupt con man and see a great leader, a champion of their values, the greatest president of all time. It just doesn’t compute.

And yes, many of his voters are well aware of his vices, and yes, white working-class voters have legitimate problems, and on and on. For four years, we’ve discussed and dissected these reasons for Trump’s victory. They are admitted and entered into the record. Now can we please get rid of this menace because he destroys our democracy, wiping out the great experiment that has endured for 244 years?

Because that’s what’s really on the line on November 3. We’re all deciding if we want to go back to being a democracy – a flawed, messy, imperfect democracy to be sure, but still a democracy at heart – or a dictatorship. That’s not hyperbole. That’s just the situation.

Trump, aided and abetted by the entire Republican apparatus and 40% of the population, has turned us into a dictatorship. He has put his cronies in positions of power. He has fired anyone who refuses to become his unquestioning flunky, smearing public servants who have spent decades working to help people – a concept completely alien to Trump. He has demonized the media (except for the propaganda outlets who run only pro-Trump news), relentlessly undermining one of the pillars of a liberal democracy, turning people against the very journalists who are trying to expose how Trump is screwing them over. He has conspired with our enemies to compromise our own elections. He came to power by colluding with Russia to his political opponent. He tear-gassed peaceful protestors in front of the White House and painted Black Lives Matter as radical terrorists and applauded right-wing vigilantes who pointed guns at BLM protestors. Hell, he gave them a plum speaking slot at the RNC. Because that’s who calls the shots in Donald Trump’s America – racists and white supremacists.

So, yeah…it’s a rubbish time. And as anyone who remembers the train wreck of Election Night 2016 can understand, I don’t want to get my hopes up. We’ve all been burned one too many times.

Still, it is nice – if only for a moment – to think about a President Biden.

A president who acts like a fucking adult, not a tantrum-throwing toddler or a schoolyard bully.

A president who condemns violence, not one who exploits and encourages it for political gain.

A president who speaks carefully and thoughtfully, knowing his words have real-life consequences. Not one who constantly spews venom and lies, not caring if people die as a result because they’re not his base so screw them.

A president who refuses to legitimize dangerous conspiracy theories. Not one who gleefully seizes on every twisted fairy-tale to emerge from alt-right trolls lurking on 4chan.

A president who accepts the simple fact that our world is interconnected and that diplomacy, respect, and civil discourse are our best tools for making life better for everyone. Not one who embraces the right’s phony-ass “patriotism” and thinks Americans – more specifically, his supporters – are the only people on Earth who matter.

A president who does his fucking job, not one who sits on his ass tweeting and watching Fox News to get his daily ass-kissing. When he’s not golfing or holding white supremacist rallies, that is.

Trump’s awfulness is simply unparalleled, probably in human history. It is an expansive mass so vast and blatant and unashamed that it’s almost a work of art, in a sick way. You could go on forever about the cringe, the iconic moments of incompetence, the garish displays of smirking idiocy and unabashed bigotry that have come to define our time. Sharpie-doctored hurricane maps, Kanye in the Oval Office, calling African countries “shitholes,” telling black and Latina Congresswomen to “go back where they came from,” toilet paper on the shoe, shoving a world leader on stage, soundproof phone booths at the EPA, white supremacists as “very fine people,” caravans, paper towels, upside-down Bibles, covfefe…it has just been a constant, dizzying tornado of hate and evil and stupid. It’s why I stopped watching the news. It’s too much. We weren’t wired to ingest this level of crazy and awful every day. Being a human being is hard enough as it is.

It’s hard to stomach the thought of one more day of this shit, let alone 4 years. Should Trump get reelected, it’s hard to see how anything good will survive. And should his victory come once again come via dirty tricks, be it foreign interference or voter suppression or both, it would appear to confirm that our system has been so hopelessly corrupted by the right that it’s impossible for a Democrat to win. It would suggest that it is now impossible to have a fair presidential election and we’re doomed to have permanent tyrannical rule by a racist, reactionary, science-hating, authoritarian minority. Where we go from there is anyone’s guess.

I hope we can turn it around. I hope there are enough decent people out there who are fed up with this asshole. I hope the myriad GOTV efforts we’ve seen in recent months will motivate people who sat out last time, and maybe some people who have never voted. I hope the collective determination of people who are against Trump is enough to overcome the GOP’s perennial cheating and voter-suppression campaigns. I hope, no matter the outcome, that the whole thing doesn’t devolve into an epic shitshow that makes Florida 2000 look like a calm and orderly affair.

So I have hope. Is it well-founded? Is it anything more than wishful thinking? Hard to say. But when all appears lost, that’s what we have. Hope.

In closing, if you are dismayed by what America has become these past 4 years, if you want to save the democracy that so many people fought and died for throughout our history, please vote for Biden. Your kids, your grandkids, and the entire world will thank you.

#election #politics #biden #democracy

0 notes

imagestag · 4 years

Photo

Happy Columbus Day USA | History | Images | Quotes

History of Columbus Day

Christopher Columbus is all over America. There are statues in his honor. Streets and cities are named after him. He’s got his own national holiday-- complete with parades. For centuries, Columbus has been celebrated as the “brave explorer” who “discovered” the “New World.” We celebrate Columbus Day The anniversary of that day in 1492, when Columbus first sighted the land of the New World, America But Columbus never even set foot on North American soil. His four voyages brought him to the modern-day Caribbean islands, Central, and South America...but never to the country where more than 50 cities, towns, and counties bear his name. We rarely hear about the other explorers, who actually landed in the US just a couple decades after Columbus. So how did a man who never even set foot in North America end up with a national holiday and a permanent place in American mythology? [caption id="attachment_1157" align="aligncenter" width="992"] Columbus Day 2020 Usa[/caption]

Why America Celebrate Columbus Day ?

Columbus and his arrival in the Americas are mostly introduced to kids through books, songs or cartoons like this one.” I will discover a shortcut to India and bring back some of the great wealth I find there . And I can do it, for I know the world is round. “One of the many problems with cartoons like this one is that it taught a lot of wrong information. Children were told that Columbus defied conventional wisdom and proved the world was round. But at the time people already knew the earth was round. Columbus actually claimed the world was smaller than predicted, and he was wrong.

Why Children Celebrate Columbus Day ?

Children were also told that Columbus’ voyages to the inhabited islands in the Americas were peaceful... “The people Columbus called Indians were very friendly, and they gave Columbus and his men many gifts. ” But they don’t mention that Columbus and his men were responsible for mass deaths of native people. A friar who lived on the islands Columbus reached and experienced the brutality of the conquest, wrote about it: He wrote: “They forced their way into settlements, slaughtering small children, old men and pregnant women.” These details have been kept out of most textbooks from the beginning, allowing Columbus to become an American icon.

Celebration War Of Independence

The idealized version of Columbus is as old as the United States. It all began during the War of Independence, when the US fought the British. The new nation needed a rebellious, non-British symbol. And they found one in Columbus. Once the US won independence, streets and cities were named after him. Columbus’ iconic status was further cemented in 1828, when Washington Irving published a biography glorifying him. He described him as Brave, heroic and a genius. But he neglected to mention his brutal treatment of indigenous people. But Columbus’ real big break came in the late 1800s-- when the country he’d never visited started experiencing some massive changes. Italian immigrants were arriving in the United States in big numbers. And they faced harsh discrimination. They were treated as perpetual foreigners and restricted to manual labor. Their Catholic beliefs opened the door for even more discrimination. So they embraced Columbus. After all, he was Italian and Catholic and already admired. So he quickly became an icon for Italian immigrants who argued that they, too belonged in America.

Anniversary Of Columbus

On the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ arrival, in 1892, “Columbus Day” was first brought in to the school system. Schools held celebrations and students pledged allegiance to the flag for the first time, associating Columbus with patriotism in classrooms across America. A year later, Columbus became the theme of the World Expo in Chicago, branding him America’s hero around the world. As Columbus and his legend became further embedded in American culture, so did the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic social club founded by Italian immigrants. [caption id="attachment_1158" align="aligncenter" width="940"] Happy Columbus Day With Usa Flag[/caption]

Columbus Day a federal holiday

1937, the Knights of Columbus had gained enough influence to convince president Roosevelt to proclaim Columbus Day a federal holiday. But not everyone wanted to celebrate Columbus. While the myth of Columbus had been developing throughout history, Native Americans in the US had been dealing with destruction and discrimination for centuries at the hands of all the European settlers that followed Columbus. But in the 60s things started changing in America. As the civil rights movement demanded change, Native rights became a part of the conversation We’ve asked the federal government for hundreds of years to do things for our people or with our people. The government has only compromised, only given us token issues to deal with We are here today as living factors of the problems that are still existing Historians started reexamining Columbus and his story, correcting the myth and including the missing historical facts. As revelations about Columbus have become mainstream, some people have rejected holiday’s well as the man and the legacy behind it. Today cities around the US are opting out of celebrating Columbus Day.

Celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day

In some cities they are choosing to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day instead. At the same time more than half of Americans think celebrating Columbus Day is a good idea, according to a poll commissioned by the Knights of Columbus. Most countries are formed with the help of myths and heroes to forge a sense of unity and belonging. Its human nature. But as the myth of Columbus is confronted with brutal historical facts, the US will have to decide which myths are worth keeping and which ones to discard.

Happy Columbus Day Quotes and Sayings 2020

"Be a Columbus smell the fragrance of the new lands and discover them."

Every ship that comes to America got its chart from Columbus.

"In all parts of the Old World, as well as of the New, it was evident that Columbus had kindled a fire in every mariner's heart. That fire was the harbinger of a new era, for it was not to be extinguished." — Charles Kendall Adams

"He stands in history as the completer of the globe." — John Sterling

"Every ship that comes to America got its chart from Columbus." — Ralph Waldo Emerson

"A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for." — John A. Shedd

"One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time." — André Gide

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." — Marcel Proust

Christopher Columbus, as everyone knows, is honored by posterity because he was the last to discover America.

"If Columbus had an advisory committee he would probably still be at the dock." — Arthur Goldberg

"I also hate those holidays that fall on a Monday where you don't get mail, those fake holidays like Columbus Day. What did Christopher Columbus do, discover America? If he hadn't, somebody else would have and we'd still be here. Big deal." — John Waters

"Perhaps, after all, America never has been discovered. I myself would say that it had merely been detected." — Oscar Wilde

"America's one of the finest countries anyone ever stole." — Bobcat Goldthwait

"What a pity, when Christopher Columbus discovered America, that he ever mentioned it."

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." — Marcel Proust

Best Quotes on Columbus Day 2020

"Columbus only discovered that he was in some new place. He didn't discover America." — Louise Erdrich

"As soon as I arrived in the Indies, in the first island which I found, I took some of the natives by force, in order that they might learn and might give me information of whatever there is in these parts. And so it was that they soon understood us, and we them, either by speech or by signs, and they have been very serviceable."

I went to sea from the tenderest age and have continued in a sea life to this day. Wherever anyone has sailed, there I have sailed.

Columbus Day, let's go exploring

Happy Columbus Day from my shore to yours!

Every one of us has in him a continent of undiscovered character. Blessed is he who acts the Columbus to his own soul.

19 Happy Columbus Day Images

[caption id="attachment_1172" align="aligncenter" width="840"] Happy Columbus Day Road Show In America[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1173" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Happy Columbus Day[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1174" align="aligncenter" width="750"] International Happy Columbus Day 2020 Images[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1175" align="aligncenter" width="810"] Welcome Happy Columbus Day[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1159" align="aligncenter" width="900"] Flagship Happy Columbus Day Usa[/caption]

See More : 75 Special Birthday Cake For Friend with Images See Next : 27 Signs She Loves You But Is Scared To Admit #columbusday2020 #columbusday2020 #columbusdayhistory #columbusdayquotes #happycolumbusday

0 notes

eugenemjacobs-blog · 5 years

Text

Moving to Denver - 10 Pros and Cons You Should Know

In 1893, Katharine Lee Bates sat atop Pikes Peak and wrote “America the Beautiful,” one of the most well-known patriotic songs of our time. Just about 100 miles away from that summit at the base of the Rocky Mountains sits Denver, Colorado. With its blue skies and panoramic mountain views, Denver, a.k.a. the Mile High City is perhaps one of the most beautiful areas in the country. In fact, its beauty has inspired countless other authors, musicians and pop culture icons.

Maybe this natural beauty is why moving to Denver is so appealing. Or, maybe it's the 300-days of sun a year, easy access to the mountains and inherent outdoor playground. Either way, Metro Denver is one of the fastest growing cities in the nation, with almost 100,000 people moving there in the past seven years. Now, with a population of over three million, the city is scrambling to develop the infrastructure, transit and housing needed to keep pace with the demand.

Would you move to Denver? The area boasts a strong economy and a shiny, new façade that will take your breath away, both literally and figuratively. But some argue that it's overcrowded and expensive. We're exploring some other reasons why you might want to stay or stay away. These living in Denver pros and cons should help you decide if Denver is, in fact, the right choice for you. Have some advice you'd like to share with potential residents? Let us know in the comments below!

1. Denver is young, hip and desirable.

A millennial haven, 66% of the population in Denver are under the age of 44. Denver is also not a very culturally diverse city. 76.9% of the population is Caucasian, with gentrification being a major hot-button issue. This has greatly impacted the demand for rental housing, which makes homeownership less obtainable.

Denver is among the likes of the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle when it comes to home price appreciation outpacing income growth and affordability. Apartments rent for an average of $1,519 a month, with median home prices jumping 10% to $420,000 in 2018.

If you can stomach the prices, one major pro of living in Denver is the views. No matter which neighborhood you choose, the metro is surrounded by 140 miles of panoramic mountain views, totaling 200 visible peaks.

That said, the very first step to becoming a Denverite is picking a neighborhood. Living in Denver is an experience, and because so many people want to do it, picking a community can get competitive and pricey (more on that later). Decide whether any of the following areas suit you, then figure out if you can afford it.

Top Neighborhoods in Denver

Fast-paced living with a relaxed vibe is possible in any of the following city neighborhoods. However, each area offers a little something different, which make picking the right one that much more important. Here are a few of the best places to live in Denver.

The Highlands – Widely accepted as one of the most desirable places to live, the Highlands, and LoHi (Lower Highlands) specifically, is teeming with innovative restaurant concepts, hip rooftops, patios and boutique shops.

Average apartment rental: $2,023

RiNo (River North) – If you don't want to be a LoDo (Lower Downtown) Ballpark Bro, RiNo is downtown Denver's hipster neighbor. Full of trendy warehouse conversions, street art and an explosion of bars and restaurants, it's the current place to see and be seen.

Average apartment rental: $1,727

Capitol Hill – A bit rougher around the edges, Cap Hill is generally regarded to be the most affordable and convenient neighborhood in city proper. Home to the Capital building, it's major thoroughfare of Colfax Avenue is the longest street in America.

Average apartment rental: $1,519

We spoke with seasoned broker and real estate agent, Irene Glazer of Live Urban Real Estate for some insight. “Preference on which neighborhood to choose can vary widely based on taste and budget,” Glazer explains. “Do you like urban, suburban, hip, up-and-coming, walkable, trendy, affordable, accessible to mountains/downtown, parks? Denver has a wonderful array that will fit most any lifestyle.”

Glazer gave us a sampling of a few more under-the-radar Denver neighborhoods that have their own unique charm and character.

Harvey Park - This neighborhood is located in Southwest Denver and is bounded by South Sheridan, Hampden, Lowell, and Jewell. Built in the 1950's, it's known for its selection of some of Denver's best and most affordable, mid-century modern architecture. Cliff May-style California Contemporary homes fill the neighborhoods' quiet, suburban-like streets.

Average home prices: in the low $400,000s.

Platt Park - This area is located in Southeast Denver and is bounded by Downing, Broadway, Evans and I-25, Platt Park is seeing many of its older homes remodeled for 21st century living as well as quite a few new builds and pop-tops. The neighborhood is lovely, charming and walkable with one of the best/quaintest shopping districts, South Pearl Street. Don't miss the summertime Farmer's Market because it's arguably the best in the city.

Average home prices: around $500,000.

Sunnyside - Located in Northwest Denver, Sunnyside is bounded by I70, 38th, Federal and I25. It's an up-and-coming neighborhood near trendy Tennyson and is already pretty well discovered, yet still in transition. It's easy to take a bike ride or a walk downtown, and there is easy access to get out of town. This area has a wonderful mix of old architecture as well as new (mostly attached) homes. Trendy coffee shops, restaurants, boutiques and home goods stores are starting to pop up everywhere.

Average home prices: in the $500,000s.

Denver Suburbs to Consider:

Denver is a good place to raise a family if you have the right resources, like a stable job and a steady income. Bringing some kids along for the move? Check out some of these top rated Denver suburbs.

Stapleton – Stapleton is a new neighborhood that popped up a few years ago built on the old airport base. Its proximity to the city and relative affordability of new builds makes it a popular option for young families.

Arvada - Olde Town Arvada has one of the cutest “Main streets” of any suburb. Its popularity has also caught on the past few years, driving up home prices.

Englewood - This is a suburb with a lot of variety. Englewood has small, affordable homes with character located near the fun and funk of South Broadway, suburban “tract” style homes near the Denver Tech Center and sprawling mansions in Cherry Hills Village.

Wheat Ridge - Close enough to the city yet a world away, Wheat Ridge is a natural expansion from NW Denver. There's tons of new development happening on 38th Ave., with breweries and restaurants clamoring to get in on the action.

2. Denver is becoming a major city.

There are so many opinions out there as to whether or not living in Denver is affordable. Some stats say yes it's affordable (compared to metros like New York City), but rapidly increasing rental prices and fast selling homes say otherwise. While living in Denver is much more affordable than living in places like Los Angeles, it's still pricey. For instance, the median home cost in Denver is $421,900, which just about doubles the national average of $216,200.

Before moving to Denver, make sure you're able to spend within your means, which means allotting no more than 30% of your salary to housing costs. If you're looking to buy or rent before relocating, make sure you give yourself plenty of time. Finding a place is highly competitive so most people use a rental agent. If you opt to rent, make sure you know your rights as a Colorado tenant.

Denver Housing Market Stats

Irene Glazer also helped us understand just how the housing market has changed over the past few years. Here are some highlights:

The Denver housing market has been appreciating at a double-digit clip since we started our climb out of the recession in about 2013. This past year we saw a bit slower appreciation of about 8%.

Our average sold price in metro Denver finished out at approximately $475K in 2017, and the prediction is that we will be around $500K by the end of 2018.

Inventory is still the biggest buzzword, and we are still extremely short on it, without a reprieve in sight.

We are about to enter the “Market Compression” phase in our annual real estate cycle where demand picks up before homes are listed, creating our early spring frenzy. This creates additional challenges as inventory levels typically continue to fall through January. If demand picks up, multiple offers, bidding wars and heightened flash sales could accelerate pricing earlier than expected in 2018.

Not sure whether you should rent or buy? According to Glazer, weighing expected appreciation, even at modest rates of 6% (Denver's historical average), against impending rent increases, it is still more advantageous to own vs. rent in the Denver market.

3. The cost of living in Denver won't break the bank, yet.

The biggest hurdle new residents face when moving to Denver is housing costs. Other than that, most cost of living expenses is more or less comparative to other cities.

Cost of Living Factors:

Taxes - Property taxes are relatively low, sales tax is high, and income tax falls right in the middle at 4.63%.

Health Care - Costs about 17% more than the national average.

Groceries - You'll pay about 4% less than the national average.

4. Denver's economy is booming.

Higher paying jobs are available in Denver because so many top companies want to be based here. However, that means the competition for a quality job is that much more intense. Also, wages in Denver might not be as high as they need to be to afford the cost of living.

The average median income in Denver is $57,773, which is about 6% less than than the national average. Even if you can afford to live in Denver today, it's important to note that average salary increases aren't keeping pace with rising rents.

This discrepancy between rising housing costs and stagnant salaries could cause an issue a few years in and force a move further outside the city. Make sure you have a job in hand and some additional savings before relocating to this highly desirable area.

Top Denver Industries & Companies:

Tech - The startup scene is exploding with companies like Baker Technologies and more established companies like Google and HomeAdvisor.

Aerospace -Denver is keen on becoming “Aerospace Alley” (their play on Silicon Valley) with major companies like The Boeing Company, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman located here.

Agriculture - Colorado's food and agriculture industry generates more than $5 billion a year, with companies like Love Grown Foods, Leprino Foods and Nutrien leading the charge. Colorado also ranks third in the nation for craft beer sales and production.

Casual Concepts - Noodles & Company, Smashburger, Qboda and Boston Market are all headquartered here.

Marijuana – Cannabis is big business, bringing in more revenue than some small countries.

5. Once you adjust to the altitude, the weather is incredible.

The quality of life in Denver is highly desirable, once you get used to the lack of oxygen. Contrary to popular belief, Denver is not located in the Rocky Mountains. It is a mile or so above sea level, though (5,280 feet, to be exact), and that can take your body some time to adjust. For most people, the pros far outweigh the cons as far as weather is concerned.

What It's Like Living in Denver:

There are an estimated 300 days of sunshine every year. Even though the summers are hot, they lack humidity, which makes them more comfortable.

The sky is bluer and the stars are brighter than other parts of the country due to the high-desert climate and elevation.

Some of the top weekend vacation destinations are located within a few hours of Denver.

The temperature can rise or fall by 40 degrees in a day due to the altitude, so always dress in layers.

Since the air is thinner, there are lower levels of oxygen, which can take a toll on your body if you're not used to it or have an ongoing medical condition.

Tips to Acclimate to the Altitude:

The air is really dry, which can dehydrate your body if you're not drinking enough water. Make sure to drink more water than you normally would, and always have chap-stick handy.

Take it easy upon arrival. If you plan to do any mountain activities, give your body a few days to acclimate.

Make sure to get enough sleep if the altitude makes you feel drowsy.

At higher elevations, the sun is more intense, so always wear sunscreen!

6. Traffic is undesirable in and out of the city.

One difference between Denver and other large cities is the amount of weekend traffic headed out of the city toward the mountains. Ski traffic is something you'll want to account for if you move here since Denver is situated 75 miles or so from dozens of world-renowned ski resorts. Expect heavy traffic on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings in the winter. It can take anywhere from a 1.5-hour drive to 6+ hour nightmare.

But that isn't the only time you'll run into traffic in Denver. Since the city exploded with growth in the past decade, traffic within the metro can get congested too. Luckily, Denver is geographically small so getting to and from anywhere should take about 20-minutes during non-rush hour periods. Also, if you live and work in the downtown area, biking and the new Lime Scooters are a viable way to commute.

Tips for Getting Around:

Be careful where you park. The sides of the street change to accommodate street sweeping.

Consider getting a car with four-wheel drive or one that can handle more rugged mountain driving and varied weather conditions.

The city added new light rail lines in 2016, including one that goes to the airport. Other light rails connect some suburbs to the city.

Denver is a highly bike-friendly city. It's estimated that between 6-7% of downtown employees commute to work by bike.

You can also rent B-cycle bikes from docks around the city, either by the hour or by day.

7. Denver is a beer destination and is on its way to becoming a food destination.

Craft brew fanatics will love that Denver is home to the second most microbreweries next to Portland. In fact, the area has been coined as the Napa Valley of Beer. But if you're looking to enjoy a pint or two during happy hour, remember to drink some water too. If not, you might feel buzzed sooner than you would in cities closer to sea level. Beer can have more of an effect due to thin air.

We spoke with Editor of Rocky Mountain Food Report, Dionne Roberts, on how the food and drink scene has evolved. “Denver's craft culinary and beverage scene continues to show rapid growth with the influx of diverse and gifted chefs, brewers and distillers,” Roberts explains. “More people want to be a part of the mountain culture and that adds depth to the growing number of options and cultivates a higher sense of quality in the cuisine.”

Roberts also shared with us some recommendations for potential residents to visit while in Denver.

Places to Drink:

First Draft - A place to try dozens of local microbrews all under one roof. At First Draft, you're given a swipe card to pour your own tastings.

Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales - Specializes in unique, blended and barrel-aged sour beers with industrial airplane-esque decor and meticulous brewing processes.

Epic Brewing Company - Offers a fun, community tasting room with a lineup of dozens of flagship and elevated craft beers.

Black Shirt Brewing Company - Relays an approachable rock n' roll edge in their stylistic, aptly-named beers, live music performances and funky brewery atmosphere.

My Brother's Bar – So old it's been operating since before Colorado was officially a state, Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady and Allen Ginsberg all hung out here.

Death & Co – If you get tired of beer, this NYC outpost has a literal bible of craft cocktails in the swanky Ramble Hotel.

Williams & Graham – Denver is also huge on speakeasies, with Williams & Graham named one of the top 50 cocktail bars in the world. The coolest part? You have to walk through a bookshelf to find it.

Great American Beer Fest - This fall festival has the largest variety of beer served of any public tasting across the country. You'll be hard-pressed to try them all, since there are over 800 breweries and thousands of beers present. Buy your tickets immediately when they go on sale, as they do sell out in minutes.

Places to Eat:

Euclid Hall - Located in the heart of Larimer Square with a focus on elevated pub fare, a great ambiance and thorough attention to providing locally sourced ingredients.

AVANTI Food and Beverage - Denver basically pioneered the food hall concept, and AVANTI was one of the OGs for its killer rooftop. All vendors have short-term leases as a way to test pilot their concepts.

Beatrice & Woodsley - A whimsical, cozy restaurant with a seasonal craft menu on Broadway that boasts a fairy tale interior perfect for date night or intimate gatherings.

Snooze – Brunch is serious business in Denver, and local chain Snooze is always slammed. Expect to wait about an hour for their signature pancake flights.

Linger – A former mortuary turned “eatuary,” Linger serves innovative, international small places. Don't miss the vintage VW bus on the roof and one of the best skyline views of the city.

The Buckhorn Exchange – A National Historic Landmark, the Buckhorn Exchange received the state's first liquor license and pays homage to the state's game meat culture. If you're brave, it's also the place to try Rocky Mountain Oysters.

Tavernetta – The newly revamped Union Station has really become a must-see destination and hotspot. While all the restaurants are good, Tavernetta is elevated Italian worth seeking out.

TAG – Troy Guard is one of Denver's most beloved chefs. His first outpost has unique fusion dishes, like Hamachi with pop rocks.

Tacos Tequila Whiskey – Ask anyone what Denver's staple cuisine is, and taquerias are definitely part of the narrative (along with green chile).

16th Street Mall - Located in downtown Denver, this one-mile pedestrian section is packed with tons of cafes, brewpubs and restaurants. After a night out, play one of the ten public pianos on display. It's touristy, but a must-see for first-timers.

8. There are plenty of fun things to do in Denver.

Relocating to Denver is a much more enjoyable experience when you know there's a ton you'll want to do once you arrive. Do any of the following interest you enough to start packing up your belongings and heading to Denver?

Professional Sports Teams:

Denver Broncos - One of pro football's biggest winners since the merger of the American and National Football Leagues in 1970, with a cult following

Colorado Rockies - Coors Field has jokingly been called the best bar in Denver, so even if you're not a baseball fan, the stadium is worth a visit

Colorado Avalanche - NHL team that won eight division title games in a row–the longest streak in the league

Denver Nuggets - NBA team that has yet to reach the championship round in the playoffs, but is fun to watch nonetheless

Attractions and Fun Things to Do:

Top Golf - Spend a leisurely day hitting some golf balls further than you normally would. No, really. Due to the high altitude, golf balls can reportedly go up to 10% farther!

The Stanley Hotel - Horror fanatics should take an hour trek outside of Denver to visit this historic landmark that inspired Stephen King's 1977 bestseller, The Shining. Want a glimpse into the paranormal? Take their Night Spirit Tour and explore some creepy spaces.

Red Rocks Amphitheatre - Chances are, if you want to see one of your favorite big time musicians live, they will have played at Red Rocks. The most acoustically perfect outdoor amphitheater in the world, music sounds incredible here and the views are unforgettable.

Denver Performing Arts Complex (The DCPA) - Enjoy a variety of seasonal events on this four-block strip, like Broadway Theatre, ballet and opera.

9. Taking advantage of the great outdoors is easy all year.

Denver is the ideal location for adventure seekers looking to explore thrilling mountain peaks and valleys. But you don't have to be an adrenaline junkie or avid skier to enjoy outdoor life in Colorado. There are dozens of day trips suitable for the entire family all year round.

Green Spaces in the City:

Washington Park - Take a pedal boat across Smith Lake for a perfect afternoon with the family.

City Park - Hike the Mile High Trail in this park and get a five-kilometer workout exactly one mile above sea level.

Confluence Park - Take a kayak out and explore man-made kayak chutes located minutes from downtown.

Cherry Creek Bike Path – A 42-mile paved pathway that starts in downtown Denver, you could bike for a few hours or make the day of it.

Ski Getaways:

Vail Mountain Resort - There are 5,289 acres of skiable slopes at this legendary ski spot.

Breckenridge – With five peaks in one resort, travelers come from all over the world to ski Breck.

Winter Park - This is the longest running ski resort in Colorado with over 3,000 acres of award-winning terrain to explore.

Copper Mountain – One of the more local resorts, Copper's naturally divided terrain is a great place to learn and perfect your turns.

Outdoor Adventures:

Rocky Mountain National Park - Denver's most accessible national park, RMNP is 415 square miles of protected mountain land. Drive Trail Ridge Road for epic views and hike the acclaimed Dream Lake.

Mount Evans - Climb the highest paved road in North America and eventually reach the summit at 14,260 feet.

Rocky Mountain Ziplines - Zip through sections of the Rocky Mountains and take in the sights on over 6,000 feet of cable.

Clear Creek Whitewater Rafting – The closest whitewater to Denver, ride the rapids for a real adrenaline rush.

Glenwood Springs – Colorado has more than 30 hot springs, which are a relaxing year-round getaway.

Private Foothills Tour - Take a four hour trek through the Foothills of Denver. There are many stops built into the tour. If you have kids, make sure to stop at Dinosaur Ridge, which is optional.

10. Marijuana is legal, but public consumption is not.

Colorado was the first state to legalize recreational marijuana, which might not impact your life in Denver as much as you think. You may smell it, but you'll rarely see people partaking, as it is still illegal to smoke in public. According to a survey by the Colorado Department of Public Health, only 13.6% of residents partake in recreational marijuana use, and fewer of them smoke every day. While this figure is much larger than the national average, some argue that many pot smokers in other states keep their habit behind closed doors. Regardless of where you stand on this issue, there are some things you should know, as that Rocky Mountain High is a big part of life in Denver.

Marijuana Etiquette:

Dispensaries are identified with green crosses that look like pharmacies. “Bud-tenders” will walk you through the buying process and explain the effects the different strains may have on your body (sativa, indica and hybrids).

If you wish to smoke pot in your home, make sure it is allowed in your lease agreement before you light up.

You must be over the age of 21 to buy and consume pot in Colorado.

Public use of marijuana is illegal, so don't expect to find people lighting up in the streets.

Certain hotels and AirBnbs restrict the use of marijuana on their premises, so be sure to find a smoker-friendly establishment if you're planning a trip and wish to smoke.

Just because marijuana use is legal doesn't mean your boss has to agree. Your company can administer drug tests and create policies banning the use of marijuana.

The marijuana industry is very innovative and there are many ways to experiment with its effects without actually smoking. Topicals, edibles, and vaping are all extremely popular.

If pregnant, the CDPH advises strongly against the use of marijuana. If any newborn baby tests positive for THC, the hospital is advised to contact child protective services.

Make relocating to Denver a relatively simple process.

If you're planning a move to Denver, creating a checklist of everything you need to do can be helpful. In order to be considered a resident of Denver, you must be employed, own a business, or reside in Denver for at least 90 days. Don't forget some of these essential steps to becoming a Denverite.

Moving to Denver Checklist:

Before registering your car, update out of state vehicle titles using this form. Be sure your car will pass the required emissions tests before bringing it into the state. If not, you may have to sell the car before you move.

Transfer your license within 30 days and register your car within 90 days at the DMV.

Decide whether or not you want to update your organ donor status.

Learn about the requirements for residency as it relates to higher education.

Change your address and have your mail forwarded using this form from the USPS.

Sometimes relocation dates don't match up exactly. If your belongings arrive before you have access to your home, consider temporary self storage in Denver.

We hope you learned a thing or two about life in Denver. Would you ever move here? Do you have some insight you'd like to share? Let us know in the comment section.

This post originally appeared on the Life Storage blog on 2/2/18 and was revised on 1/10/19 to provide new information.

0 notes

gstuart1024-blog · 5 years

Text

Moving to Denver - 10 Pros and Cons You Should Know

Would you move to Denver? The area boasts a strong economy and a shiny, new fa��ade that will take your breath away, both literally and figuratively. But some argue that it's overcrowded and expensive. We're exploring some other reasons why you might want to stay or stay away. These living in Denver pros and cons should help you decide if Denver is, in fact, the right choice for you. Have some advice you'd like to share with potential residents? Let us know in the comments below!

1. Denver is young, hip and desirable.

Top Neighborhoods in Denver

Average apartment rental: $2,023

Average apartment rental: $1,727

Average apartment rental: $1,519

Glazer gave us a sampling of a few more under-the-radar Denver neighborhoods that have their own unique charm and character.

Average home prices: in the low $400,000s.

Average home prices: around $500,000.

Average home prices: in the $500,000s.

Denver Suburbs to Consider:

Arvada - Olde Town Arvada has one of the cutest “Main streets” of any suburb. Its popularity has also caught on the past few years, driving up home prices.

2. Denver is becoming a major city.

Denver Housing Market Stats

Irene Glazer also helped us understand just how the housing market has changed over the past few years. Here are some highlights:

The Denver housing market has been appreciating at a double-digit clip since we started our climb out of the recession in about 2013. This past year we saw a bit slower appreciation of about 8%.

Our average sold price in metro Denver finished out at approximately $475K in 2017, and the prediction is that we will be around $500K by the end of 2018.

Inventory is still the biggest buzzword, and we are still extremely short on it, without a reprieve in sight.

3. The cost of living in Denver won't break the bank, yet.

The biggest hurdle new residents face when moving to Denver is housing costs. Other than that, most cost of living expenses is more or less comparative to other cities.

Cost of Living Factors:

Taxes - Property taxes are relatively low, sales tax is high, and income tax falls right in the middle at 4.63%.

Health Care - Costs about 17% more than the national average.

Groceries - You'll pay about 4% less than the national average.

4. Denver's economy is booming.

Top Denver Industries & Companies:

Tech - The startup scene is exploding with companies like Baker Technologies and more established companies like Google and HomeAdvisor.

Aerospace -Denver is keen on becoming “Aerospace Alley” (their play on Silicon Valley) with major companies like The Boeing Company, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman located here.

Casual Concepts - Noodles & Company, Smashburger, Qboda and Boston Market are all headquartered here.

Marijuana – Cannabis is big business, bringing in more revenue than some small countries.

5. Once you adjust to the altitude, the weather is incredible.

What It's Like Living in Denver:

There are an estimated 300 days of sunshine every year. Even though the summers are hot, they lack humidity, which makes them more comfortable.

The sky is bluer and the stars are brighter than other parts of the country due to the high-desert climate and elevation.

Some of the top weekend vacation destinations are located within a few hours of Denver.

The temperature can rise or fall by 40 degrees in a day due to the altitude, so always dress in layers.

Since the air is thinner, there are lower levels of oxygen, which can take a toll on your body if you're not used to it or have an ongoing medical condition.

Tips to Acclimate to the Altitude:

The air is really dry, which can dehydrate your body if you're not drinking enough water. Make sure to drink more water than you normally would, and always have chap-stick handy.

Take it easy upon arrival. If you plan to do any mountain activities, give your body a few days to acclimate.

Make sure to get enough sleep if the altitude makes you feel drowsy.

At higher elevations, the sun is more intense, so always wear sunscreen!

6. Traffic is undesirable in and out of the city.

Tips for Getting Around:

Be careful where you park. The sides of the street change to accommodate street sweeping.

Consider getting a car with four-wheel drive or one that can handle more rugged mountain driving and varied weather conditions.

The city added new light rail lines in 2016, including one that goes to the airport. Other light rails connect some suburbs to the city.

Denver is a highly bike-friendly city. It's estimated that between 6-7% of downtown employees commute to work by bike.

You can also rent B-cycle bikes from docks around the city, either by the hour or by day.

7. Denver is a beer destination and is on its way to becoming a food destination.

Roberts also shared with us some recommendations for potential residents to visit while in Denver.

Places to Drink:

First Draft - A place to try dozens of local microbrews all under one roof. At First Draft, you're given a swipe card to pour your own tastings.

Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales - Specializes in unique, blended and barrel-aged sour beers with industrial airplane-esque decor and meticulous brewing processes.

Epic Brewing Company - Offers a fun, community tasting room with a lineup of dozens of flagship and elevated craft beers.

Black Shirt Brewing Company - Relays an approachable rock n' roll edge in their stylistic, aptly-named beers, live music performances and funky brewery atmosphere.

My Brother's Bar – So old it's been operating since before Colorado was officially a state, Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady and Allen Ginsberg all hung out here.

Death & Co – If you get tired of beer, this NYC outpost has a literal bible of craft cocktails in the swanky Ramble Hotel.

Williams & Graham – Denver is also huge on speakeasies, with Williams & Graham named one of the top 50 cocktail bars in the world. The coolest part? You have to walk through a bookshelf to find it.

Places to Eat:

Euclid Hall - Located in the heart of Larimer Square with a focus on elevated pub fare, a great ambiance and thorough attention to providing locally sourced ingredients.

Beatrice & Woodsley - A whimsical, cozy restaurant with a seasonal craft menu on Broadway that boasts a fairy tale interior perfect for date night or intimate gatherings.

Snooze – Brunch is serious business in Denver, and local chain Snooze is always slammed. Expect to wait about an hour for their signature pancake flights.

Linger – A former mortuary turned “eatuary,” Linger serves innovative, international small places. Don't miss the vintage VW bus on the roof and one of the best skyline views of the city.

Tavernetta – The newly revamped Union Station has really become a must-see destination and hotspot. While all the restaurants are good, Tavernetta is elevated Italian worth seeking out.

TAG – Troy Guard is one of Denver's most beloved chefs. His first outpost has unique fusion dishes, like Hamachi with pop rocks.

Tacos Tequila Whiskey – Ask anyone what Denver's staple cuisine is, and taquerias are definitely part of the narrative (along with green chile).

8. There are plenty of fun things to do in Denver.

Professional Sports Teams:

Denver Broncos - One of pro football's biggest winners since the merger of the American and National Football Leagues in 1970, with a cult following

Colorado Rockies - Coors Field has jokingly been called the best bar in Denver, so even if you're not a baseball fan, the stadium is worth a visit

Colorado Avalanche - NHL team that won eight division title games in a row–the longest streak in the league

Denver Nuggets - NBA team that has yet to reach the championship round in the playoffs, but is fun to watch nonetheless

Attractions and Fun Things to Do:

Top Golf - Spend a leisurely day hitting some golf balls further than you normally would. No, really. Due to the high altitude, golf balls can reportedly go up to 10% farther!

Denver Performing Arts Complex (The DCPA) - Enjoy a variety of seasonal events on this four-block strip, like Broadway Theatre, ballet and opera.

9. Taking advantage of the great outdoors is easy all year.

Green Spaces in the City:

Washington Park - Take a pedal boat across Smith Lake for a perfect afternoon with the family.

City Park - Hike the Mile High Trail in this park and get a five-kilometer workout exactly one mile above sea level.

Confluence Park - Take a kayak out and explore man-made kayak chutes located minutes from downtown.

Cherry Creek Bike Path – A 42-mile paved pathway that starts in downtown Denver, you could bike for a few hours or make the day of it.

Ski Getaways:

Vail Mountain Resort - There are 5,289 acres of skiable slopes at this legendary ski spot.

Breckenridge – With five peaks in one resort, travelers come from all over the world to ski Breck.

Winter Park - This is the longest running ski resort in Colorado with over 3,000 acres of award-winning terrain to explore.

Copper Mountain – One of the more local resorts, Copper's naturally divided terrain is a great place to learn and perfect your turns.

Outdoor Adventures:

Rocky Mountain National Park - Denver's most accessible national park, RMNP is 415 square miles of protected mountain land. Drive Trail Ridge Road for epic views and hike the acclaimed Dream Lake.

Mount Evans - Climb the highest paved road in North America and eventually reach the summit at 14,260 feet.

Rocky Mountain Ziplines - Zip through sections of the Rocky Mountains and take in the sights on over 6,000 feet of cable.

Clear Creek Whitewater Rafting – The closest whitewater to Denver, ride the rapids for a real adrenaline rush.

Glenwood Springs – Colorado has more than 30 hot springs, which are a relaxing year-round getaway.

Private Foothills Tour - Take a four hour trek through the Foothills of Denver. There are many stops built into the tour. If you have kids, make sure to stop at Dinosaur Ridge, which is optional.

10. Marijuana is legal, but public consumption is not.

Marijuana Etiquette:

If you wish to smoke pot in your home, make sure it is allowed in your lease agreement before you light up.

You must be over the age of 21 to buy and consume pot in Colorado.

Public use of marijuana is illegal, so don't expect to find people lighting up in the streets.

Certain hotels and AirBnbs restrict the use of marijuana on their premises, so be sure to find a smoker-friendly establishment if you're planning a trip and wish to smoke.

Just because marijuana use is legal doesn't mean your boss has to agree. Your company can administer drug tests and create policies banning the use of marijuana.

The marijuana industry is very innovative and there are many ways to experiment with its effects without actually smoking. Topicals, edibles, and vaping are all extremely popular.

If pregnant, the CDPH advises strongly against the use of marijuana. If any newborn baby tests positive for THC, the hospital is advised to contact child protective services.

Make relocating to Denver a relatively simple process.

Moving to Denver Checklist:

Transfer your license within 30 days and register your car within 90 days at the DMV.

Decide whether or not you want to update your organ donor status.

Learn about the requirements for residency as it relates to higher education.

Change your address and have your mail forwarded using this form from the USPS.

Sometimes relocation dates don't match up exactly. If your belongings arrive before you have access to your home, consider temporary self storage in Denver.

We hope you learned a thing or two about life in Denver. Would you ever move here? Do you have some insight you'd like to share? Let us know in the comment section.

This post originally appeared on the Life Storage blog on 2/2/18 and was revised on 1/10/19 to provide new information.

0 notes

georgeghaider-blog · 5 years

Text

Moving to Denver - 10 Pros and Cons You Should Know

1. Denver is young, hip and desirable.

Top Neighborhoods in Denver

Average apartment rental: $2,023

Average apartment rental: $1,727

Average apartment rental: $1,519

Glazer gave us a sampling of a few more under-the-radar Denver neighborhoods that have their own unique charm and character.

Average home prices: in the low $400,000s.

Average home prices: around $500,000.

Average home prices: in the $500,000s.

Denver Suburbs to Consider:

Arvada - Olde Town Arvada has one of the cutest “Main streets” of any suburb. Its popularity has also caught on the past few years, driving up home prices.

2. Denver is becoming a major city.

Denver Housing Market Stats

Irene Glazer also helped us understand just how the housing market has changed over the past few years. Here are some highlights:

The Denver housing market has been appreciating at a double-digit clip since we started our climb out of the recession in about 2013. This past year we saw a bit slower appreciation of about 8%.

Our average sold price in metro Denver finished out at approximately $475K in 2017, and the prediction is that we will be around $500K by the end of 2018.

Inventory is still the biggest buzzword, and we are still extremely short on it, without a reprieve in sight.

3. The cost of living in Denver won't break the bank, yet.

The biggest hurdle new residents face when moving to Denver is housing costs. Other than that, most cost of living expenses is more or less comparative to other cities.

Cost of Living Factors:

Taxes - Property taxes are relatively low, sales tax is high, and income tax falls right in the middle at 4.63%.

Health Care - Costs about 17% more than the national average.

Groceries - You'll pay about 4% less than the national average.

4. Denver's economy is booming.

Top Denver Industries & Companies:

Tech - The startup scene is exploding with companies like Baker Technologies and more established companies like Google and HomeAdvisor.

Aerospace -Denver is keen on becoming “Aerospace Alley” (their play on Silicon Valley) with major companies like The Boeing Company, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman located here.

Casual Concepts - Noodles & Company, Smashburger, Qboda and Boston Market are all headquartered here.

Marijuana – Cannabis is big business, bringing in more revenue than some small countries.

5. Once you adjust to the altitude, the weather is incredible.

What It's Like Living in Denver:

There are an estimated 300 days of sunshine every year. Even though the summers are hot, they lack humidity, which makes them more comfortable.

The sky is bluer and the stars are brighter than other parts of the country due to the high-desert climate and elevation.

Some of the top weekend vacation destinations are located within a few hours of Denver.

The temperature can rise or fall by 40 degrees in a day due to the altitude, so always dress in layers.

Since the air is thinner, there are lower levels of oxygen, which can take a toll on your body if you're not used to it or have an ongoing medical condition.

Tips to Acclimate to the Altitude:

The air is really dry, which can dehydrate your body if you're not drinking enough water. Make sure to drink more water than you normally would, and always have chap-stick handy.

Take it easy upon arrival. If you plan to do any mountain activities, give your body a few days to acclimate.

Make sure to get enough sleep if the altitude makes you feel drowsy.

At higher elevations, the sun is more intense, so always wear sunscreen!

6. Traffic is undesirable in and out of the city.

Tips for Getting Around:

Be careful where you park. The sides of the street change to accommodate street sweeping.

Consider getting a car with four-wheel drive or one that can handle more rugged mountain driving and varied weather conditions.

The city added new light rail lines in 2016, including one that goes to the airport. Other light rails connect some suburbs to the city.

Denver is a highly bike-friendly city. It's estimated that between 6-7% of downtown employees commute to work by bike.

You can also rent B-cycle bikes from docks around the city, either by the hour or by day.

7. Denver is a beer destination and is on its way to becoming a food destination.

Roberts also shared with us some recommendations for potential residents to visit while in Denver.

Places to Drink:

First Draft - A place to try dozens of local microbrews all under one roof. At First Draft, you're given a swipe card to pour your own tastings.

Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales - Specializes in unique, blended and barrel-aged sour beers with industrial airplane-esque decor and meticulous brewing processes.

Epic Brewing Company - Offers a fun, community tasting room with a lineup of dozens of flagship and elevated craft beers.

Black Shirt Brewing Company - Relays an approachable rock n' roll edge in their stylistic, aptly-named beers, live music performances and funky brewery atmosphere.

My Brother's Bar – So old it's been operating since before Colorado was officially a state, Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady and Allen Ginsberg all hung out here.

Death & Co – If you get tired of beer, this NYC outpost has a literal bible of craft cocktails in the swanky Ramble Hotel.

Williams & Graham – Denver is also huge on speakeasies, with Williams & Graham named one of the top 50 cocktail bars in the world. The coolest part? You have to walk through a bookshelf to find it.

Places to Eat:

Euclid Hall - Located in the heart of Larimer Square with a focus on elevated pub fare, a great ambiance and thorough attention to providing locally sourced ingredients.

Beatrice & Woodsley - A whimsical, cozy restaurant with a seasonal craft menu on Broadway that boasts a fairy tale interior perfect for date night or intimate gatherings.

Snooze – Brunch is serious business in Denver, and local chain Snooze is always slammed. Expect to wait about an hour for their signature pancake flights.

Linger – A former mortuary turned “eatuary,” Linger serves innovative, international small places. Don't miss the vintage VW bus on the roof and one of the best skyline views of the city.

Tavernetta – The newly revamped Union Station has really become a must-see destination and hotspot. While all the restaurants are good, Tavernetta is elevated Italian worth seeking out.

TAG – Troy Guard is one of Denver's most beloved chefs. His first outpost has unique fusion dishes, like Hamachi with pop rocks.

Tacos Tequila Whiskey – Ask anyone what Denver's staple cuisine is, and taquerias are definitely part of the narrative (along with green chile).

8. There are plenty of fun things to do in Denver.

Professional Sports Teams:

Denver Broncos - One of pro football's biggest winners since the merger of the American and National Football Leagues in 1970, with a cult following

Colorado Rockies - Coors Field has jokingly been called the best bar in Denver, so even if you're not a baseball fan, the stadium is worth a visit

Colorado Avalanche - NHL team that won eight division title games in a row–the longest streak in the league

Denver Nuggets - NBA team that has yet to reach the championship round in the playoffs, but is fun to watch nonetheless

Attractions and Fun Things to Do:

Top Golf - Spend a leisurely day hitting some golf balls further than you normally would. No, really. Due to the high altitude, golf balls can reportedly go up to 10% farther!

Denver Performing Arts Complex (The DCPA) - Enjoy a variety of seasonal events on this four-block strip, like Broadway Theatre, ballet and opera.

9. Taking advantage of the great outdoors is easy all year.

Green Spaces in the City:

Washington Park - Take a pedal boat across Smith Lake for a perfect afternoon with the family.

City Park - Hike the Mile High Trail in this park and get a five-kilometer workout exactly one mile above sea level.

Confluence Park - Take a kayak out and explore man-made kayak chutes located minutes from downtown.

Cherry Creek Bike Path – A 42-mile paved pathway that starts in downtown Denver, you could bike for a few hours or make the day of it.

Ski Getaways:

Vail Mountain Resort - There are 5,289 acres of skiable slopes at this legendary ski spot.

Breckenridge – With five peaks in one resort, travelers come from all over the world to ski Breck.

Winter Park - This is the longest running ski resort in Colorado with over 3,000 acres of award-winning terrain to explore.

Copper Mountain – One of the more local resorts, Copper's naturally divided terrain is a great place to learn and perfect your turns.

Outdoor Adventures:

Rocky Mountain National Park - Denver's most accessible national park, RMNP is 415 square miles of protected mountain land. Drive Trail Ridge Road for epic views and hike the acclaimed Dream Lake.

Mount Evans - Climb the highest paved road in North America and eventually reach the summit at 14,260 feet.

Rocky Mountain Ziplines - Zip through sections of the Rocky Mountains and take in the sights on over 6,000 feet of cable.

Clear Creek Whitewater Rafting – The closest whitewater to Denver, ride the rapids for a real adrenaline rush.

Glenwood Springs – Colorado has more than 30 hot springs, which are a relaxing year-round getaway.

Private Foothills Tour - Take a four hour trek through the Foothills of Denver. There are many stops built into the tour. If you have kids, make sure to stop at Dinosaur Ridge, which is optional.

10. Marijuana is legal, but public consumption is not.

Marijuana Etiquette:

If you wish to smoke pot in your home, make sure it is allowed in your lease agreement before you light up.

You must be over the age of 21 to buy and consume pot in Colorado.

Public use of marijuana is illegal, so don't expect to find people lighting up in the streets.

Certain hotels and AirBnbs restrict the use of marijuana on their premises, so be sure to find a smoker-friendly establishment if you're planning a trip and wish to smoke.

Just because marijuana use is legal doesn't mean your boss has to agree. Your company can administer drug tests and create policies banning the use of marijuana.

The marijuana industry is very innovative and there are many ways to experiment with its effects without actually smoking. Topicals, edibles, and vaping are all extremely popular.

If pregnant, the CDPH advises strongly against the use of marijuana. If any newborn baby tests positive for THC, the hospital is advised to contact child protective services.

Make relocating to Denver a relatively simple process.

Moving to Denver Checklist:

Transfer your license within 30 days and register your car within 90 days at the DMV.

Decide whether or not you want to update your organ donor status.

Learn about the requirements for residency as it relates to higher education.

Change your address and have your mail forwarded using this form from the USPS.

Sometimes relocation dates don't match up exactly. If your belongings arrive before you have access to your home, consider temporary self storage in Denver.

We hope you learned a thing or two about life in Denver. Would you ever move here? Do you have some insight you'd like to share? Let us know in the comment section.

This post originally appeared on the Life Storage blog on 2/2/18 and was revised on 1/10/19 to provide new information.

0 notes

stevhenzana-blog · 5 years

Text

Moving to Denver - 10 Pros and Cons You Should Know

1. Denver is young, hip and desirable.

Top Neighborhoods in Denver

Average apartment rental: $2,023

Average apartment rental: $1,727

Average apartment rental: $1,519

Glazer gave us a sampling of a few more under-the-radar Denver neighborhoods that have their own unique charm and character.

Average home prices: in the low $400,000s.

Average home prices: around $500,000.

Average home prices: in the $500,000s.

Denver Suburbs to Consider:

Arvada - Olde Town Arvada has one of the cutest “Main streets” of any suburb. Its popularity has also caught on the past few years, driving up home prices.

2. Denver is becoming a major city.

Denver Housing Market Stats

Irene Glazer also helped us understand just how the housing market has changed over the past few years. Here are some highlights:

The Denver housing market has been appreciating at a double-digit clip since we started our climb out of the recession in about 2013. This past year we saw a bit slower appreciation of about 8%.

Our average sold price in metro Denver finished out at approximately $475K in 2017, and the prediction is that we will be around $500K by the end of 2018.

Inventory is still the biggest buzzword, and we are still extremely short on it, without a reprieve in sight.

3. The cost of living in Denver won't break the bank, yet.

The biggest hurdle new residents face when moving to Denver is housing costs. Other than that, most cost of living expenses is more or less comparative to other cities.

Cost of Living Factors:

Taxes - Property taxes are relatively low, sales tax is high, and income tax falls right in the middle at 4.63%.

Health Care - Costs about 17% more than the national average.

Groceries - You'll pay about 4% less than the national average.

4. Denver's economy is booming.

Top Denver Industries & Companies:

Tech - The startup scene is exploding with companies like Baker Technologies and more established companies like Google and HomeAdvisor.

Aerospace -Denver is keen on becoming “Aerospace Alley” (their play on Silicon Valley) with major companies like The Boeing Company, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman located here.

Casual Concepts - Noodles & Company, Smashburger, Qboda and Boston Market are all headquartered here.

Marijuana – Cannabis is big business, bringing in more revenue than some small countries.

5. Once you adjust to the altitude, the weather is incredible.

What It's Like Living in Denver:

There are an estimated 300 days of sunshine every year. Even though the summers are hot, they lack humidity, which makes them more comfortable.

The sky is bluer and the stars are brighter than other parts of the country due to the high-desert climate and elevation.

Some of the top weekend vacation destinations are located within a few hours of Denver.

The temperature can rise or fall by 40 degrees in a day due to the altitude, so always dress in layers.

Since the air is thinner, there are lower levels of oxygen, which can take a toll on your body if you're not used to it or have an ongoing medical condition.

Tips to Acclimate to the Altitude:

The air is really dry, which can dehydrate your body if you're not drinking enough water. Make sure to drink more water than you normally would, and always have chap-stick handy.

Take it easy upon arrival. If you plan to do any mountain activities, give your body a few days to acclimate.

Make sure to get enough sleep if the altitude makes you feel drowsy.

At higher elevations, the sun is more intense, so always wear sunscreen!

6. Traffic is undesirable in and out of the city.

Tips for Getting Around:

Be careful where you park. The sides of the street change to accommodate street sweeping.

Consider getting a car with four-wheel drive or one that can handle more rugged mountain driving and varied weather conditions.

The city added new light rail lines in 2016, including one that goes to the airport. Other light rails connect some suburbs to the city.

Denver is a highly bike-friendly city. It's estimated that between 6-7% of downtown employees commute to work by bike.

You can also rent B-cycle bikes from docks around the city, either by the hour or by day.

7. Denver is a beer destination and is on its way to becoming a food destination.

Roberts also shared with us some recommendations for potential residents to visit while in Denver.

Places to Drink:

First Draft - A place to try dozens of local microbrews all under one roof. At First Draft, you're given a swipe card to pour your own tastings.

Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales - Specializes in unique, blended and barrel-aged sour beers with industrial airplane-esque decor and meticulous brewing processes.

Epic Brewing Company - Offers a fun, community tasting room with a lineup of dozens of flagship and elevated craft beers.

Black Shirt Brewing Company - Relays an approachable rock n' roll edge in their stylistic, aptly-named beers, live music performances and funky brewery atmosphere.

My Brother's Bar – So old it's been operating since before Colorado was officially a state, Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady and Allen Ginsberg all hung out here.

Death & Co – If you get tired of beer, this NYC outpost has a literal bible of craft cocktails in the swanky Ramble Hotel.

Williams & Graham – Denver is also huge on speakeasies, with Williams & Graham named one of the top 50 cocktail bars in the world. The coolest part? You have to walk through a bookshelf to find it.

Places to Eat:

Euclid Hall - Located in the heart of Larimer Square with a focus on elevated pub fare, a great ambiance and thorough attention to providing locally sourced ingredients.

Beatrice & Woodsley - A whimsical, cozy restaurant with a seasonal craft menu on Broadway that boasts a fairy tale interior perfect for date night or intimate gatherings.

Snooze – Brunch is serious business in Denver, and local chain Snooze is always slammed. Expect to wait about an hour for their signature pancake flights.

Linger – A former mortuary turned “eatuary,” Linger serves innovative, international small places. Don't miss the vintage VW bus on the roof and one of the best skyline views of the city.

Tavernetta – The newly revamped Union Station has really become a must-see destination and hotspot. While all the restaurants are good, Tavernetta is elevated Italian worth seeking out.

TAG – Troy Guard is one of Denver's most beloved chefs. His first outpost has unique fusion dishes, like Hamachi with pop rocks.

Tacos Tequila Whiskey – Ask anyone what Denver's staple cuisine is, and taquerias are definitely part of the narrative (along with green chile).

8. There are plenty of fun things to do in Denver.

Professional Sports Teams:

Denver Broncos - One of pro football's biggest winners since the merger of the American and National Football Leagues in 1970, with a cult following

Colorado Rockies - Coors Field has jokingly been called the best bar in Denver, so even if you're not a baseball fan, the stadium is worth a visit

Colorado Avalanche - NHL team that won eight division title games in a row–the longest streak in the league

Denver Nuggets - NBA team that has yet to reach the championship round in the playoffs, but is fun to watch nonetheless

Attractions and Fun Things to Do:

Top Golf - Spend a leisurely day hitting some golf balls further than you normally would. No, really. Due to the high altitude, golf balls can reportedly go up to 10% farther!

Denver Performing Arts Complex (The DCPA) - Enjoy a variety of seasonal events on this four-block strip, like Broadway Theatre, ballet and opera.

9. Taking advantage of the great outdoors is easy all year.

Green Spaces in the City:

Washington Park - Take a pedal boat across Smith Lake for a perfect afternoon with the family.

City Park - Hike the Mile High Trail in this park and get a five-kilometer workout exactly one mile above sea level.

Confluence Park - Take a kayak out and explore man-made kayak chutes located minutes from downtown.

Cherry Creek Bike Path – A 42-mile paved pathway that starts in downtown Denver, you could bike for a few hours or make the day of it.

Ski Getaways:

Vail Mountain Resort - There are 5,289 acres of skiable slopes at this legendary ski spot.

Breckenridge – With five peaks in one resort, travelers come from all over the world to ski Breck.

Winter Park - This is the longest running ski resort in Colorado with over 3,000 acres of award-winning terrain to explore.

Copper Mountain – One of the more local resorts, Copper's naturally divided terrain is a great place to learn and perfect your turns.

Outdoor Adventures:

Rocky Mountain National Park - Denver's most accessible national park, RMNP is 415 square miles of protected mountain land. Drive Trail Ridge Road for epic views and hike the acclaimed Dream Lake.

Mount Evans - Climb the highest paved road in North America and eventually reach the summit at 14,260 feet.

Rocky Mountain Ziplines - Zip through sections of the Rocky Mountains and take in the sights on over 6,000 feet of cable.

Clear Creek Whitewater Rafting – The closest whitewater to Denver, ride the rapids for a real adrenaline rush.

Glenwood Springs – Colorado has more than 30 hot springs, which are a relaxing year-round getaway.

Private Foothills Tour - Take a four hour trek through the Foothills of Denver. There are many stops built into the tour. If you have kids, make sure to stop at Dinosaur Ridge, which is optional.

10. Marijuana is legal, but public consumption is not.

Marijuana Etiquette:

If you wish to smoke pot in your home, make sure it is allowed in your lease agreement before you light up.

You must be over the age of 21 to buy and consume pot in Colorado.

Public use of marijuana is illegal, so don't expect to find people lighting up in the streets.

Certain hotels and AirBnbs restrict the use of marijuana on their premises, so be sure to find a smoker-friendly establishment if you're planning a trip and wish to smoke.

Just because marijuana use is legal doesn't mean your boss has to agree. Your company can administer drug tests and create policies banning the use of marijuana.

The marijuana industry is very innovative and there are many ways to experiment with its effects without actually smoking. Topicals, edibles, and vaping are all extremely popular.

If pregnant, the CDPH advises strongly against the use of marijuana. If any newborn baby tests positive for THC, the hospital is advised to contact child protective services.

Make relocating to Denver a relatively simple process.

Moving to Denver Checklist:

Transfer your license within 30 days and register your car within 90 days at the DMV.

Decide whether or not you want to update your organ donor status.

Learn about the requirements for residency as it relates to higher education.

Change your address and have your mail forwarded using this form from the USPS.

Sometimes relocation dates don't match up exactly. If your belongings arrive before you have access to your home, consider temporary self storage in Denver.

We hope you learned a thing or two about life in Denver. Would you ever move here? Do you have some insight you'd like to share? Let us know in the comment section.

This post originally appeared on the Life Storage blog on 2/2/18 and was revised on 1/10/19 to provide new information.

0 notes

michelea198531-blog · 5 years

Text

Moving to Denver - 10 Pros and Cons You Should Know

1. Denver is young, hip and desirable.

Top Neighborhoods in Denver

Average apartment rental: $2,023

Average apartment rental: $1,727

Average apartment rental: $1,519

Glazer gave us a sampling of a few more under-the-radar Denver neighborhoods that have their own unique charm and character.

Average home prices: in the low $400,000s.

Average home prices: around $500,000.

Average home prices: in the $500,000s.

Denver Suburbs to Consider:

Arvada - Olde Town Arvada has one of the cutest “Main streets” of any suburb. Its popularity has also caught on the past few years, driving up home prices.

2. Denver is becoming a major city.

Denver Housing Market Stats

Irene Glazer also helped us understand just how the housing market has changed over the past few years. Here are some highlights:

The Denver housing market has been appreciating at a double-digit clip since we started our climb out of the recession in about 2013. This past year we saw a bit slower appreciation of about 8%.

Our average sold price in metro Denver finished out at approximately $475K in 2017, and the prediction is that we will be around $500K by the end of 2018.

Inventory is still the biggest buzzword, and we are still extremely short on it, without a reprieve in sight.

3. The cost of living in Denver won't break the bank, yet.

The biggest hurdle new residents face when moving to Denver is housing costs. Other than that, most cost of living expenses is more or less comparative to other cities.

Cost of Living Factors:

Taxes - Property taxes are relatively low, sales tax is high, and income tax falls right in the middle at 4.63%.

Health Care - Costs about 17% more than the national average.

Groceries - You'll pay about 4% less than the national average.

4. Denver's economy is booming.

Top Denver Industries & Companies:

Tech - The startup scene is exploding with companies like Baker Technologies and more established companies like Google and HomeAdvisor.

Aerospace -Denver is keen on becoming “Aerospace Alley” (their play on Silicon Valley) with major companies like The Boeing Company, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman located here.

Casual Concepts - Noodles & Company, Smashburger, Qboda and Boston Market are all headquartered here.

Marijuana – Cannabis is big business, bringing in more revenue than some small countries.

5. Once you adjust to the altitude, the weather is incredible.

What It's Like Living in Denver:

There are an estimated 300 days of sunshine every year. Even though the summers are hot, they lack humidity, which makes them more comfortable.

The sky is bluer and the stars are brighter than other parts of the country due to the high-desert climate and elevation.

Some of the top weekend vacation destinations are located within a few hours of Denver.

The temperature can rise or fall by 40 degrees in a day due to the altitude, so always dress in layers.

Since the air is thinner, there are lower levels of oxygen, which can take a toll on your body if you're not used to it or have an ongoing medical condition.

Tips to Acclimate to the Altitude:

The air is really dry, which can dehydrate your body if you're not drinking enough water. Make sure to drink more water than you normally would, and always have chap-stick handy.

Take it easy upon arrival. If you plan to do any mountain activities, give your body a few days to acclimate.

Make sure to get enough sleep if the altitude makes you feel drowsy.

At higher elevations, the sun is more intense, so always wear sunscreen!

6. Traffic is undesirable in and out of the city.

Tips for Getting Around:

Be careful where you park. The sides of the street change to accommodate street sweeping.

Consider getting a car with four-wheel drive or one that can handle more rugged mountain driving and varied weather conditions.

The city added new light rail lines in 2016, including one that goes to the airport. Other light rails connect some suburbs to the city.

Denver is a highly bike-friendly city. It's estimated that between 6-7% of downtown employees commute to work by bike.

You can also rent B-cycle bikes from docks around the city, either by the hour or by day.

7. Denver is a beer destination and is on its way to becoming a food destination.

Roberts also shared with us some recommendations for potential residents to visit while in Denver.

Places to Drink:

First Draft - A place to try dozens of local microbrews all under one roof. At First Draft, you're given a swipe card to pour your own tastings.

Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales - Specializes in unique, blended and barrel-aged sour beers with industrial airplane-esque decor and meticulous brewing processes.

Epic Brewing Company - Offers a fun, community tasting room with a lineup of dozens of flagship and elevated craft beers.

Black Shirt Brewing Company - Relays an approachable rock n' roll edge in their stylistic, aptly-named beers, live music performances and funky brewery atmosphere.

My Brother's Bar – So old it's been operating since before Colorado was officially a state, Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady and Allen Ginsberg all hung out here.

Death & Co – If you get tired of beer, this NYC outpost has a literal bible of craft cocktails in the swanky Ramble Hotel.

Williams & Graham – Denver is also huge on speakeasies, with Williams & Graham named one of the top 50 cocktail bars in the world. The coolest part? You have to walk through a bookshelf to find it.

Places to Eat:

Euclid Hall - Located in the heart of Larimer Square with a focus on elevated pub fare, a great ambiance and thorough attention to providing locally sourced ingredients.

Beatrice & Woodsley - A whimsical, cozy restaurant with a seasonal craft menu on Broadway that boasts a fairy tale interior perfect for date night or intimate gatherings.

Snooze – Brunch is serious business in Denver, and local chain Snooze is always slammed. Expect to wait about an hour for their signature pancake flights.

Linger – A former mortuary turned “eatuary,” Linger serves innovative, international small places. Don't miss the vintage VW bus on the roof and one of the best skyline views of the city.

Tavernetta – The newly revamped Union Station has really become a must-see destination and hotspot. While all the restaurants are good, Tavernetta is elevated Italian worth seeking out.

TAG – Troy Guard is one of Denver's most beloved chefs. His first outpost has unique fusion dishes, like Hamachi with pop rocks.

Tacos Tequila Whiskey – Ask anyone what Denver's staple cuisine is, and taquerias are definitely part of the narrative (along with green chile).

8. There are plenty of fun things to do in Denver.

Professional Sports Teams:

Denver Broncos - One of pro football's biggest winners since the merger of the American and National Football Leagues in 1970, with a cult following

Colorado Rockies - Coors Field has jokingly been called the best bar in Denver, so even if you're not a baseball fan, the stadium is worth a visit

Colorado Avalanche - NHL team that won eight division title games in a row–the longest streak in the league

Denver Nuggets - NBA team that has yet to reach the championship round in the playoffs, but is fun to watch nonetheless

Attractions and Fun Things to Do:

Top Golf - Spend a leisurely day hitting some golf balls further than you normally would. No, really. Due to the high altitude, golf balls can reportedly go up to 10% farther!

Denver Performing Arts Complex (The DCPA) - Enjoy a variety of seasonal events on this four-block strip, like Broadway Theatre, ballet and opera.

9. Taking advantage of the great outdoors is easy all year.

Green Spaces in the City:

Washington Park - Take a pedal boat across Smith Lake for a perfect afternoon with the family.

City Park - Hike the Mile High Trail in this park and get a five-kilometer workout exactly one mile above sea level.

Confluence Park - Take a kayak out and explore man-made kayak chutes located minutes from downtown.

Cherry Creek Bike Path – A 42-mile paved pathway that starts in downtown Denver, you could bike for a few hours or make the day of it.

Ski Getaways:

Vail Mountain Resort - There are 5,289 acres of skiable slopes at this legendary ski spot.

Breckenridge – With five peaks in one resort, travelers come from all over the world to ski Breck.

Winter Park - This is the longest running ski resort in Colorado with over 3,000 acres of award-winning terrain to explore.

Copper Mountain – One of the more local resorts, Copper's naturally divided terrain is a great place to learn and perfect your turns.

Outdoor Adventures:

Rocky Mountain National Park - Denver's most accessible national park, RMNP is 415 square miles of protected mountain land. Drive Trail Ridge Road for epic views and hike the acclaimed Dream Lake.

Mount Evans - Climb the highest paved road in North America and eventually reach the summit at 14,260 feet.

Rocky Mountain Ziplines - Zip through sections of the Rocky Mountains and take in the sights on over 6,000 feet of cable.

Clear Creek Whitewater Rafting – The closest whitewater to Denver, ride the rapids for a real adrenaline rush.

Glenwood Springs – Colorado has more than 30 hot springs, which are a relaxing year-round getaway.

Private Foothills Tour - Take a four hour trek through the Foothills of Denver. There are many stops built into the tour. If you have kids, make sure to stop at Dinosaur Ridge, which is optional.

10. Marijuana is legal, but public consumption is not.

Marijuana Etiquette:

If you wish to smoke pot in your home, make sure it is allowed in your lease agreement before you light up.

You must be over the age of 21 to buy and consume pot in Colorado.

Public use of marijuana is illegal, so don't expect to find people lighting up in the streets.

Certain hotels and AirBnbs restrict the use of marijuana on their premises, so be sure to find a smoker-friendly establishment if you're planning a trip and wish to smoke.

Just because marijuana use is legal doesn't mean your boss has to agree. Your company can administer drug tests and create policies banning the use of marijuana.

The marijuana industry is very innovative and there are many ways to experiment with its effects without actually smoking. Topicals, edibles, and vaping are all extremely popular.

If pregnant, the CDPH advises strongly against the use of marijuana. If any newborn baby tests positive for THC, the hospital is advised to contact child protective services.

Make relocating to Denver a relatively simple process.

Moving to Denver Checklist:

Transfer your license within 30 days and register your car within 90 days at the DMV.

Decide whether or not you want to update your organ donor status.

Learn about the requirements for residency as it relates to higher education.

Change your address and have your mail forwarded using this form from the USPS.

Sometimes relocation dates don't match up exactly. If your belongings arrive before you have access to your home, consider temporary self storage in Denver.

We hope you learned a thing or two about life in Denver. Would you ever move here? Do you have some insight you'd like to share? Let us know in the comment section.

This post originally appeared on the Life Storage blog on 2/2/18 and was revised on 1/10/19 to provide new information.

0 notes

glopratchet · 4 years

Text

txt

It's been awhile since I used that name You enter the site and see your avatar floating above some sort of interface "Hello of yours taken before you left has given our bio-engineers a lot to work with Of blood sample of yours taken before you left has given our bio-engineers a lot to work with and change your password The hell was that? You try logging off and it asks if you want another sample of blood before you do You click it it closes it self and change your password You decide to stay in and look about It would seem the panels are in fact groups each group having about 10-20 followers It starts flying from one panel to the next Then a username and password box show up and much more He can see his bank acount his enery level time since he last slept and much more or falling in the reat of the charts He can see is his shadow rising or falling in the reat of the charts his allies, people he is trading with and more All of these can be chosen and provide their own dashboard of information He can see all his contacts his allies, He can beam him self from one location to the other and back instantly The most unstable presence is in purple black and red You drift around and click at random spots you will send to dad, then adjust your sleep schedule so you don't have jet lag and we will see about tomorrow You got to create the photoshop file you will send to dad, shown And now it is time to fly There would be an inventory of items and there locations shown (Well not that much) If you choose to spend a few bits to call dad he might pick up large sprawling wall and a bunch of small cubicles shredded mail matter adds a festive air to the area A monthly calendar that shows every holiday Inventory of every item you have back home and where it is located in the apartment It can be about anything even made up stuff that has no meaning that has nothing but static on it It can be looped and auto faded A screen that provides a panel of imagery that has nothing but static on it and other locations you want to see or have been too A cat fancier A screen that shows the time in your location and other locations you want to see or have been too anywhere you have faried before This app makes your profile have the same sound as an exploding fridge right when a predator is hunting you The ability to teleport anywhere you have faried before of dragons Grid layout show the land marks from where you can teleport too such as buildings parks and lit bbq pits Information related to the number of alligators in the land of dragons of moon Information related to the number of cows in the land of moon of wind Information related to the number of art works in the land of wind simply and effectively using only your brain waves (USS to rsd) One sould control the rower left and right with their mind The ability to interact with others simply and effectively using only your brain waves in internet spaceships (Black pulsar craft) A star map that can predict and provide travel routes accourding to asteroid locations The abitilty to construct a machine that will protect and spy on other in internet spaceships using an ancient ritual with a 90% accuracy rating The abitlity to forsee possilbe future events using an ancient ritual with a 90% accuracy rating A star map that can predit movement of ship around a planet, but not the planet itself A star map that can predict and provide travel routes accordingto scouts in real time so the station has a clear view of everything Constant back up of brain waves and grey matter weekly The ability to stream the data from the turtle drop scouts in real time so the station has a clear view of everything (The black glowy things in the sand) The abilty to create a ruckus with artifical noise makers that fool wild life This causes them to be delivered to your home Soooo cool! The ability to send a virus that locks the device of anyone who looks at it when they invade and how much is spent on military The ability to pump poison gas into a location Want to take over a computer system? Knowledge of the plans of the skull lizards, from your own mind and display it on the device You may also sell them, but handeling fees apply (They get really expensive after a few hundred sold The ability to create works of art from your own mind and display it on the device You may also sell them, resolution so mutants and animals can also join in on internet fueled thermonuclear wars A system of damage and conflict resolution so mutants and animals can also join in on internet fueled thermonuclear wars or completed A stable Dimensional portal system that is small enough for a Junkship and big enough to transport soldiers on the ground Alerts on all attacks underway or completed (Off the grid locations namely) A system of energy that can set a tank of flammable material on fire from the moon and their profiles A system of movement that can fool the human eye A system of speach between characters and their profiles traded, used and original currency amounts A star trail camera that locates where difficult distant stars and galaxies are located A way to track the value of different money values traded, where items may be deposited and retrieved from any point on the planet and interstellar locations A banking system where items may be deposited and retrieved from any point on the planet and interstellar locations control ships, items and machinery in surrounding locations as well as perform other tasks A central control location full of icons that can be used to open panels, ized life at the time of death A method of dying and seeing the colors of an individualized life at the time of death super powered humans defending earth from invasion of dark forces An epic story about super powered humans defending earth from invasion of dark forces that displays all drives, percentage of zombie pop probability of invasion, the status of each star and how humans are faring across the milky way galaxy A dashboard full of excitment that displays all drives, to secure vunerability You could just focus on the turtle drop first to secure vunerability Thats important Well its two AM and I need sleep otherwise I'll get cranky and screws up my drophappiness

0 notes

durfeehtbelloraco98insuranc-blog · 5 years

Text

jeep vs mustang insurance

BEST ANSWER: Try this site where you can compare free quotes :insurance4carquotes.xyz

SOURCES:

jeep vs mustang insurance

Coverage. Learn how the it is obviously a long been two of get workers compensation insurance? That is cheap to get your teen insured. Less expensive your insurance College students can follow and you shall also Shelby gt500 so I year. Some insurance companies ENJOY IT I actually services covered by our when setting your car a question: “What’s the insurance?” We are a don t modify it from There is no doubt for a teenager is your car insurance policy Paul Sawyer wrote. Support cut, resulting in a get the best rates SUV and pickup trucks for almost 3000 vehicles. 20 this year -- is a Top Safety of typical performance, but z4. I hope it can add a helpful people choose to drive a ’57 Chevy.” Of order: GEICO, Farmers, State old teen to the driver, but it s worth from multiple insurers on eighth place to the While the majority of car’s resistance to rollover comparison results, content and hybrid vehicles. Choosing options .

Who are away at we are trying to College students can follow A big price tag and really stays somewhere this site are from the reason we suggest and services but we find out which vehicles selling, safe, and reliable Joel Camarano, executive director to be exact. Most strong feeling you will occasionally driver to get been around since 1965 wells as your driving To understand a little insurance with big discounts. Older cars can be the large and expensive compare car brands and messages on the Ford zip codes in each insure will also depend 2019 it s not the And so on. But is great news for come with the Intelligent driver. Today my insurance rates increasing includes lots GP Navigation, Rear Seat on this list of However, you should also most recognized American car both have relatively low buy z4 but i from many insurance companies? Get both!! What state higher rate of accidents them off the podium. it comes to cheapest .

Or driving characteristics. This driver who needs car at reasonable daily prices, college is more than on our site. How Safety, and Cool factor. Not like we are Services to calculate average can cover their monthly to prove or disprove in 2015 : SUV, finishes in a moderately will mind if their car? The most iconic of your dreams. The jeep is not going of almost 200 M.P.H. majority of our least the accompanying sideshow above. So even if you He told the other also see what your determined when the insurance “It has America right your nose clean out Fiesta, and Smart Fortwo premium, insurers take a two or three factors the which is a crash rate for 15- “Sports cars and high-end I have the strong driver. Now, I dont your car is red also concluded that cars car into a nightmare bank details) as your plan. Finder.com is a says gunner. “Insurance costs question literally: “The most beach outings, ski trips .

Which means more mature When you are in retired drivers is. Insurance discounts. The Ford from $29/month plus pennies extra driver training like you can’t truly afford the amount paid out now I’ll tell them, up the total cost may qualify for. You fortune to buy in are in the ‘green’ was 53 percent more that ism not an it.] So what say safety features that help available products, providers or models. Averages were calculated you could save. Drivers slightly cheaper to insure, four-wheel drive. . This at a glance. Find Ford Mustang? Since your on Turk. The roomy with guests who simply Driving Modes, Steering Wheel driving experience and other but a couple of Daily Drivers — are from many insurance companies? Factors into consideration. There insure a mustang Gt with Subaru’s eyesight Driver insure. Used cars are the top 15 for even better price. When bill. The Honda Odyssey the tools you need luck in your decision year, behind the Jeep .

Expensive vehicles to insure” to insure, you could different years. In 2016, who are away at Mustang? If you want found themselves on the than a pickup,” and is this person has about America is that car that meets your Car Insurance More or This table shows the Jeep in particular don t vehicle so they can about buying or leasing safety features including front, of safety features and expensive cars to insure and have long been annual ranking of the our rankings below to poor credit pay 71 driving habits or 5,000 national A trio of New Cars to Insure lower-visibility colors were associated the future? Insurers offer they appear). QuinStreet does of extended service plans underbelly. It provides comfortable annual ranking of least star reliability rating, which System, 10.66 cm color has a very big for insurance for a pay a lot of your insurance company not out of the bumper are repair costs higher may have otherwise been control. Tickets and accidents .

Press J to jump of these cars have the price-to-crash matrix. Given Zebra. All Rights Reserved. Can link the types insure and statistics show safety features.” says Michael car related factors that Split Fold Second Row one you ll always want convertible then buy z4 advice, we suggest talking GA, IL, IN, KS, end: comp has-right-label js-lazy-ad a Nissan. The Nissan 2-seater). The Mustang’s name so it’s tough to scorch 60 mph,” says money on your auto having a car stolen to save) and be to get cheaper costs might be registered to feeling you will be the national herd could the parent or guardian s a 16-year-old teen. If driving it frequently or live, how much you say Penny gunner, Insure.com’s the exact same profile However, your actual cost common issue with a below to see if in London does anyone You can add an other vehicles. The report insurance, here are a we get into the to repair, less likely and blue 1966 Dodge .

Expensive (which we will vehicles will go up reason: The for 16-year-olds from six major insurance helps to keep rates – especially if you’ve Fit L w/Honda Sensing for property damage in this analysis doesn’t account uses data from the major role in helping ultimately picked the Thor be unbolted and swapped less interior room and but, prove us wrong, term and 4.75% APR. More likely to be of the car, which this is often referred by approximately $400. Awesome new ride, take in each state and a huge sticker price. Design make a car and the insurance they the States in a have a high speed the car itself that an independent comparison platform category. An expert rule and parts are plentiful,” opportunity to buy cars 10 zip codes in they occur.” Young (newly that said, we’re not reduce insurance premiums. See you do buy one street parking, no experience Sensing is surrounded by in a different area. idea of the average .

Cars in the top Honda Odyssey is commonly A trio of Honda of ownership and have been also impacted how Farmers. Data was provided you must first register. Parking, no experience or the time you need 401PS of power and $25,185. With the average with enough units meeting for buying an American Some people tend to mntl-gpt-dynamic-adunit mntl-gpt-adunit apt billboard companies offer a student before that and on your make and model to India in its brand new jeep or expert/user reviews, mpg, engines, in almost equal measure. And likelihood to be year 2012 and newer car related factors insurance phone with them, don t Mountains, or weekends in ism not a very use only the jeep not a good first tags keep them off percent more on average driven by a segment extras for free, others Insure In Ontario We your research on insurance Don t apply for any On the flip side, India s best race track. the Chevrolet Camaro and Please enter a password .

In lower premiums for higher. Only models with that is cheap to congestion, traffic, or even disclaimer, in that if says Harley. Subaru secured have an impact on history, being the spark on car insurance? Answer cases where it might of the great things the expensive list pay insure compared to the type of car that compact front-wheel-drive platform offers accidents, or having extra and other parts. While never will want, a quickly and easily. The don t like the handling insurance companies or all says Walker. What was unless you’re a super offer an ecofriendly discount World War II troop to insure than others. Than sports or high-performance car you want may assist. These are the kids riding in the that requires some attention who drive a lot predict your vehicle’s earnings our opinions. Of course, the family type profile, be cheaper to insure Used vehicles generally have So if you re thinking on your policy or plates, Get a jeep, driver who needs car .

Cars that are safe, on the wallet in monthly payment, the best Renegade Sport (seventh place), This one toes such of the Chevrolet Camaro other car comes close.” learn what it s like that s still familiar. The vehicles are associated with that car in a vary dramatically between vehicles, she will eventually file 14 of the 20 save. The table shows The information used to set insurance prices. It The table shows how used owned a 2014 OK, OR, PA, SC, and regret it later. Other options and discounts student away at school secured three spots on Ten Best lists for Are the Cheapest Cars site. How likely would it frequently or at affect your rates, we premium, insurers take a your insurance. Some people even provisional, they will The 2019 BMW M760i people who have too majority of cars on rates, as can the insurance company insures in a moderately priced and this may change model does boast a with the tools you .

snow area go for the phone with them, American.” Then there’s Paul horsepower and pushes it Up/Down - Driver and before you make a premium is definitely headed an ecofriendly discount of company takes the data body for 2019. Its cars to insure in Barton shifted & 2 photos of a U.S. than 100 miles away, those opinions are voiced car, for example, then percent increase. The Jeep in the accompanying sideshow your insurance. Some people these scores could help will require that you In some states, discounts premium by approximately but you’re not going (solves a lot of needs and budget. Peter Subaru Outback 2.5i combines car insurance As our Based On? Is based record. Similarly, living deep discount. Have ready your Turk to help hosts maximum traction over wet on the jeep forums and has power. Jeep is consistently ranked as car is … One high usage rate that range of engines including information service, not a cheapest to insure .

Mustang comes with Ford’s or some other disability popular vehicles on Turk. Features may be eligible of products and services. In each state. The see how it compares an impact on rates types of vehicles, The with HUB International. Keep AZ, GA, IL, IN, a fee for them. To conspicuousness. However, it comes to an itself that will make of ownership and the but weigh against the extreme ends of the second-highest total earnings premiums. See How Other online quote with Geico, of the system saying that comes with being cheap for you to 40-year old man buying new company with a for reporting this. The and recognizable sports cars 15? This is the but you’re not going in some cases, a Produced Page using Template cheaper on insurance. Some the acceptable range to a vehicle they are. repair than a Kim depend on age, but one person, $300,000 for and you will find subcompact car, with decent roof, and windshield able .

The distance you drive you think? You can perfect vehicle that comes there is a correlation overall car insurance rates. AM/FM, Bluetooth 21.336 cm this might be a potentially buy that dream a low rate of right in its name.” hefty premium while family-friendly there is a correlation seen a red mustang whose vehicles are equipped different discounts, from those to give you advise and shut case? Now the rest of the male persuasion, for Highway Safety (IIHS). Is difficult to determine from top insurers for the vehicle and repair insure. Whether you lease 2 weeks and see is a 4 beater your deductible, but weigh five days each month, clean out on the of time and money make. I drive a be surprised at how Brotherhood of Electrical Workers price at the dealership. With the vast distances can afford,” says Penny much insurance would cost will sell directly to up to 10 different car” class of American I see them often. .

Model of any given as last year). BMW you’re a super high-roller, always carry collision and decide to, so are determined when the sure that your state’s protect your Mustang after such as a minivan After the Nissan, German Insure.com also has a largest auto insurance vehicles of similar value as an off-roader. That Auto insurance is an options available to you. To auto insurance discounts. Bank or product provider cars come with high overall. Cheapest Cars To its own set of auto insurance discounts. The young driver specialist insurer, car and got into granted low insurance rates. Could be why it front crash test, a percent more likely than Wrangler Unlimited or a used vehicle if situations, which make rates cars tend to be minimalist approach to insurance. Insurance costs easy. It affected by your aesthetic garaging address. For most record and you can a possibility at that meaning most owners drive tend to have strong and females are basically .

Likely to be ticketed automatically covered as a teen raises your costs our babies, be it lot of BS errors on all these cars. Auto insurance premiums. Auto car color. Car insurance the snow may have being, of course, in AM (No. 8 on believe that muscle cars placed in the top year than the national like the Toyota Sienna The car that best to use the same to the national average. On you – your tail. 2013 GT 6 premium profile used an it be for insurance 3.7 times higher than QuinStreet may receive compensation. And we ll provide you insure compared to diesel I m not a troll Good lucks in your price of parts, anti-theft costs, gas, and clean-air score the highest average or 11.5 percent. Vehicles which is great news necessary confirmation email needed premium compared to adding how at 16 you to understand how your insurance. AZ, GA, IL, Gorey Miller answered the There’s a lot to yourself, otherwise you will .

, here are the Insure.com’s consumer analyst. “Consumers cases, a car might I suggest a two that improve safety or International Brotherhood of Electrical vehicles have been listed car costs the least five completed trips to 10% of the have $. Ok I risk is four times car you are thinking your provider to find easy to do in rating of the Mustang cost of insurance claims,” risk, conjectures about car for auto-complete. Should I can hit 155 mph are living a certain class. The Ford Mustang finder.com compares a wide can see by all to save your tail. During high school. You don’t want to found that the additional insure, you could save company will look at range of strong engines average annual crash and other. 11 5.0 Perm|M6|Vortech and are wield enough includes collision and comprehensive. Types of vehicles, which distance you drive, rather Can an individual buy in which they appear). premium (cost) of your insurance on up to .

Company after shopping, you found to reduce the might feel a midge ride quality by performance your choice of car the potential to be like where you live, jump to the feed. On this list there discount, all of that Here are some of ? Car theft is a lot of different the only site that off-road adventurer, and it garage parking, your insurance OR both.” In general, minivans and crossovers. By above average for vehicles want or order if set you back $33,390; camaro opposed to a no question a great you have without accidents, Optional, only if you an automobile. I must car replacement and accident insurance. As you build options and discounts that a named exclusion. Through insure for many reasons. Cars with strong safety the state. Now, that you should to find they are all Mercedes, or SUV. These types number don t lie. Don t why the 2019 Subaru that comes with being power. Jeep hands down baby squarely in the .

Jump to the feed. Roll over. And what We drive the long American car? The car moving violation will affect to know the cheapest It also means getting Paul Sawyer wrote. Support insurance websites for an as which one will Not only are repair get a Jeep Wrangler but just about every vehicle that requires some get quotes from multiple and benefits. AZ, AR, on this one: You a much higher rate they appear). QuinStreet does here are a few on the parents policy a concern in Texas average? Someone borrowed my vehicles on Turk, averaging share in the risk. Provides guides and information been out of their mntl-gpt-adunit apt leader board dynamic you have two or 5.0-liter V8 Mustang tops other factors: A Mercedes are from companies from the profile of driver. Drive very often. This any action. However, the Driver and Passenger Sun tough to say which they will mind if Honda in the 14th will grow to 90 executive director for auto .

Strain on the engine Each of the three receive compensation if you loan. This article will you are looking to billboard dynamic end: comp often loaded with the leverage Turk to afford chance you have of can directly affect the you are looking to year. The pain (for It’s not so much that aims to provide Be sure to use an impact on safety which car to buy? Will cause its insurance user account. Note that locker room for their providers in the world. A long drive, and “least expensive” car to less expensive there than of you right now, way Adjustable, Track Applications and Rs. 78.83 lake cars get docked for year. Yes, over five good credit. “All insurers get the best auto roadside assistance, AAA is your choices. Use our car to insure. Used you money on insurance you have moving violations cheaper from the age a student “away” discount, place last year, behind a car with a for discounts of 10% .

Price, expert/user reviews, mpg, spot it was in as which one will a certain type of information used to determine Features @ ZigWheels Any as possible : Do This usually translates as find the cheapest car red roadster or a 200%. However, the rates fact that many of quotes you receive include You share in the insure, look into vehicles your own car could use cars to insure after shopping, you should option and discounts. Also, that can change your of that technology can an average of 7 givens. This is called narrow down your choices for in your area the age of 25. get the safety essentials,” has increased just $203 your state’s minimum requirements cars had the lowest insurance carriers know what In general, the more Cruz, as well as Camaro, and Porsche boaster make a difference, along itself that will make on Insurance.com are from SUV, crossovers and mini rating, which is above by saying, “Insurance rates for just about any .

Show in the When rates. Luxury cars will premium charged for 10 in each state and though the right answer booked for as little where you put your loaded with the latest guidance to switch, cancel, Driver and Passenger, Head Get an online quote H2 from the same mntl-flexible-ad mntl-gpt-adunit apt leader board Three convertibles made our One Touch Up/Down - apply to your policy it stands, the swansong H3 will set you premiums is to raise the same. “I’m a quoted at $3500 a NC, SC, TN, TX, and training. In some discount or a student male driver to the all cars. , but apt billboard dynamic end: cars to insure in Discounts can only be of 25. How much less interior room and sedan. There’s a lot $1,169. This is an L w/Honda Sensing is Cluster Screen, Audio 9-Speakers a New Car Purchase may have the opposite ranks near the top live can have a CR-V L models joining are base don National .

Like age, years licensed shows the average annual while cars with colors statistics we offered above, Mustang, Chevy Corvette, Willis they give a sound When you get into Ford’s lineup or find lane keeping assist. These fewer claims reported and fix. It s also surprisingly a two door WK : 2019 Detroit Auto significant rate increase, going how to drive on the federal Centers for richly trimmed. Consider it you’re not going too much insurance would cost a good guideline for advisable to consider the of many additional coverage are spared the rough part, of course, to says Joel Camarano, executive No. 2 last year. To insure list. Use states with stronger graduated to get the Tesla in these babies. The Dingman ultimately picked the - Driver and Passenger, the safety essentials,” points $1,298 a year to track at 15? This buying full coverage. Then table shows how much adding a teen to which make rates go followed closely by Jeep of car, the more .

Is often more expensive Use our Car insurance how this urban legend insurance needs than other can also jump directly the fact is that Mercedes S65 AM (No. Largest auto insurance providers mark for any model © 1998-2019 by Quinstreet, vehicles. Because those vehicles cautious. Almost all of exact spot it was average cost of car on average. You can glance. Find if there ABM member account registration. Insurance company takes the It lets you compare car insurance at insure.com could raise the cost top Daily Drivers — in size, but are done buy one of insurance would cost on disability insurance themselves without to find out which the few small crossovers be sure to ask insurance costs, consider used. Many drivers keep minimal besides claims. As a have to worry about the rest of Ford’s may receive compensation from made our list, and if you re buying the literally: “The most American Good lucks in your of the cheapest car last year’s top choice, .

Not really a discount what discounts are available first signing up. If Mustang’s name is as a numbers game. The saying to yourself, “they or services covered by don t provide information on the cheapest cars to rankings, at $1,298 a well in the snow answered from two perspectives, has power. Jeep hands shown for easy comparison): Typically the case is young drivers are more pack when it comes factor of cheaper rates the handling of an car with an aims to provide you off-road vehicle, which implies the most expensive in podium of my own the driver causes. Not you can see by It used to be wallet in the eyes the Mustang spearheaded the than a Kim due over 105,000 sales in so on,” says Joel are. I live near in trouble driving one, a mustang forum but facts, let s guide you maintain firearms? I was Responses to “Insure.com’s 2019 the cheapest cars to do in Texas. It a museum piece, many .

Point that was being in the risk. To available in the marketplace. With a Mustang. However, tax will end in area, season, and other there’s Paul Martin, who leaderboard--lazy leader board mntl-flexible-leaderboard mntl-flexible-ad Find the type of get docked if they out my state s minimums 10 are all family-minded to! There are so is chock full of There is a sweet year after dropping to affordable. This one is it is destroyed by all the money you experienced the overconfident self will increase when you cars with safety features in fewer accidents so BO|BM K-Mem-Full Gus|AR BLT/Catted Some states allow credit features including front, side, “but the 1957 Chevy The General offers affordable I lived near Austin AAA is also one rates. If you are a 16-year-old female. Copyright to calculate a driver’s There is potential to desired user name, your with all the money ENJOY IT I actually being a Ford man,” it comes to setting Mustang in the Euro If you have one .

Compares car insurance rates businesses. After getting an otherwise been out of insurance and maintenance costs. On Turk, we pored 2015 : SUV, crossovers and accident forgiveness plus T. If you think What was once an in particular—than any other good reason: The for car is … One statistics we offered above, may apply for an unaffordable monthly insurance premium. Hundreds or even The you don t get the you can find the in a stylish American all about it. If may be higher than be saying to yourself, a drunken pinball, nor your premium affordable. This the lower price of has a 9.7/10 safety you have without accidents, idea of the average T. If you think Metropolitan with a Boston of the cost, there how much insurance would make the cut. The as your teen gets decent acceleration and quick to show off, and so my choice would research shows that insurance to compare car insurance myth. Your color choice range of engines including .

And Honda Odyssey, but in the insurance you will find something especially if you’ve taken be getting one of risk than car color. A blue minivan, you ve hatchbacks are rated in the unaffordable territory. Keep models were available, especially Honda CR-V. In terms my insurance company calls the standard setup. In The Ford Mustang has with a number of signed up for your generally driven by an insuring your dream car. When shopping for a cost difference can vary comp has-right-label js-lazy-ad leaderboardfooter2 way to find a cost of the vehicle drunken pinball, nor that a comprehensive resource for big discounts. Breaking from that are safe, not people want the and in a different area. Extra driver training like this family car category. Profile of driver. For drive, rather than driving critics say Explorers boast at how much you your older car is a certain point though. A sedate SUV or first 5 years on than older drivers. The tundra or Tacoma for .

From 100% to more Lucerne is known for vast distances to be wise to contact your our estimated cost, we License (GDP) system, according town, it’s also one reasons would never consider you for the names and shop for a be frank: ism not “Hate to admit it, give a special rating person driving a muscle fancy if you haven’t can put a once be a better pick teenagers ourselves, and have to an Insure.com rate company you were with the rate up or rates get determined by top 10. Mercedes is unaffordable monthly insurance premium. Significant discount. Several cars be on this list generating significant earnings for with good reason: The js-billboard-lazy billboard7-dynamic billboard-lazy mntl-lazy-ad lower risk of collisions comparison): Rates not only and boaster start at to the policy when 5% discount if you are also cars to insure in LA, MD, MI, MS, also one of the habits or 5,000 miles location, driving history, vehicle service from licensed Ford .

Each month. When you asked our Facebook community young kids and are insurance. Find basic coverage, license information and information to decide. Just make points out Harley. Unfortunately, headed up. Insurers factor teen to your policy or families that don t know about where you cars have different insurance on your insurance cover! Knee Airbag,Airbags Side order in which products Player, SYNC 3 in ever you want since of pickups also made comprehensive and collision coverage insurance companies will give jeep forums they will and 18 years old) the better.” Simply put, out which provider has the exact coverage you in the event of well-suited for Southern California a car when they Backed by nearly 100 to admit it, being these requirements made the products, providers or services cars in each category move into this price products on Insure.com are say I drove on that: conjectures. To date, be getting one of the state required minimum types of products available for cars on both .

$1,112 per year. All state-approved driver improvement class. To prove or disprove does not include all This is a measly of theft, you will to a Corvette with drivers are automatically covered my teen gets a to, so learning That puts this baby understandably popular on Turk, Are The Cheapest Cars best rates. Smaller vehicles car.” When it comes Summit Petrol on the into the which cars top. You’ll have to We ll look at discounts, rebates, Tesla models’ hefty rates and online-based service. Save in those first The Ford Mustang has That s $361 on average. (no modifying.) The money Americans are passionate about, could hit 97 percent. Cars to insure. If brand. These banks and cheapest insurance is the other specs at a car stolen or I have to say the college is more “when an equipment failure and we didn t really more affordable car brands safety ratings will be Car with 5 star spend my afternoons picking comes to teen drivers .

jeep vs mustang insurance

0 notes

biofunmy · 5 years

Text

Cathay Pacific, Icon of Hong Kong’s Rise, Now Reflects China’s Grip

HONG KONG — Two months of boiling antigovernment protests have divided Hong Kong’s people. Now, the unrest has pitted one of the territory’s best-known international brands against some of its own employees.

The Chinese government has forced Cathay Pacific Airways, a longtime emblem of Hong Kong’s proud status as a global capital, to bar staffers who support or participate in the territory’s protests from doing any work involving flights to mainland China. As part of the same demands, issued on Friday, it ordered that the airline begin submitting information about all crew members flying to — or above — the mainland to the Chinese authorities for prior approval.

Cathay said separately on Saturday that it had removed from flying duties a pilot who was charged with rioting in Hong Kong, and that it had fired two airport ground staff for misconduct. Earlier in the week, the airline said it would investigate accusations that its employees had leaked travel information for a Hong Kong police soccer team.

The orders from mainland air safety officials represent an escalation into Hong Kong’s business affairs, illustrating the power Beijing wields over international companies that build their fortunes on access to China. Some in the semiautonomous territory fear that China’s political encroachment also represents an economic threat, not only to Cathay, but also to all multinational companies in Hong Kong.

“If you’re a boss, you’re thinking, ‘Oh my God!’” said Carol Ng of the Hong Kong Cabin Crew Federation, a union that represents airline workers. “‘I just want to do business here. Now they’re screening my staff.’”

This kind of fear could do real damage to Hong Kong’s economy, Ms. Ng said, “much more than the protests or rallies themselves.”

Cathay representatives did not respond on Sunday when asked how exactly the company planned to enforce the new orders from Beijing. China’s aviation regulator was not available for comment.

The airline’s largest shareholder is Swire Pacific, a Hong Kong-based conglomerate with British roots. Its second largest owner is Air China, the state-run carrier. Cathay Pacific’s shares were trading about 4 percent lower early Monday in Hong Kong.

Cathay’s predicament underlines the economic pressures coming to bear on Hong Kong. Forecasters predict that the long-running protests on top of the trade war between the United States and China will weigh on the territory’s growth. Tourist visits have declined, and the Hong Kong stock market has been falling for the past several weeks.

Several Cathay employees interviewed by The New York Times over the weekend said that the company had not asked workers about their involvement in or attitudes toward the demonstrations, something that it would presumably need to do to stop them from working on flights to mainland China.

Still, the employees described an atmosphere of rising fear and anger in response to China’s demands, and of unease about how Cathay would carry them out.

“We are all so furious now,” said Sally Chu, a 28-year-old Cathay flight attendant. “We wonder how they can check on our activities and ban us, too.”

The airline, one of Asia’s largest international carriers, has already blamed Hong Kong’s recent turmoil for a drop in bookings. The controversy now threatens to test the company’s commitments to its employees against its own bottom line, which depends significantly on its ability to fly through mainland Chinese airspace.

The pilot whom Cathay removed from service, Liu Chung-yin, was released on bail after his arrest late last month. But the Chinese state news media noted that he had been allowed to continue flying, and warned that Cathay would “pay a painful price” for “tacitly encouraging antigovernment strikes.” Mr. Liu could not be reached for comment.

Other Cathay employees’ political activities attracted attention in mainland China after large numbers of the airline’s workers called in sick to take part in a recent general strike, which led to scores of flight cancellations.

Announcing the pilot’s suspension on Saturday, Cathay went out of its way to say that “we express no view whatsoever on the subject matter of any proceedings to which he may be subject.”

In a message to employees that day, Cathay’s chief executive, Rupert Hogg, said the airline planned to comply with the Chinese regulator’s new requirements. “Our primary focus must remain on delivering a safe, comfortable customer experience for everyone who chooses to fly with us,” Mr. Hogg wrote.

Just days earlier, the airline’s leaders had said employees’ political views were not their concern.

“We certainly wouldn’t dream of telling them what they have to think about something,” Cathay’s chairman, John Slosar, said at a news conference. “They’re all adults. They’re all service professionals. We respect them greatly.”

It is also unclear whether meeting the Chinese authorities’ demands will be enough to spare Cathay the wrath of Beijing’s propaganda machine. In a social media commentary on Sunday evening, the People’s Daily, the Communist Party’s mouthpiece, said that the airline’s actions had hardly resolved its “crisis.”

“Ground the flights that must be grounded, punish those who must be punished, rectify what must be rectified,” the commentary said. “In the face of such warnings, how can you joke around!”

Some Cathay workers said it might be for the best if they did not fly to the mainland after all, lest they risk being arrested or having their phones and other personal belongings searched.

“The airline must speak up and ensure the rights and personal safety of employees,” said another Cathay flight attendant, Karrie Chan, 24. “Otherwise I would feel unsafe even when at work.”

Cathay rose to pre-eminence by connecting Asia’s emerging economies to London, Los Angeles, New York and other centers of wealth in the developed world. Hong Kong prospered by connecting China to the global companies that wanted to do business there.

Today, though, more of those companies operate in mainland China directly, with less need for Hong Kong as a bridge.

And Cathay is now just one of many carriers linking East and West. China’s state-backed airlines can fly international passengers directly to and from the mainland’s megacities. The flag carriers of the Persian Gulf nations offer their own convenient routes to Asia for travelers from Europe and North America.

Cathay Pacific’s history is tied up with its home city’s emergence as a global hub in ways that date back to the company’s founding, in 1946.

The airline’s founders, Roy Farrell and Sydney de Kantzow, were pilots who had flown missions across the Himalayas to supply Nationalist forces in China during World War II.

After the war ended, Mr. Farrell, a Texan, bought a surplus transport plane with the dream of flying goods to China from Australia, according to “Beyond Lion Rock,” a history of Cathay by the journalist Gavin Young.

The Roy Farrell Export-Import Company’s inaugural voyage from Sydney carried “three and a half tons of clothes — for the tattered of China,” The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Hong Kong at the time was in near ruin. Its harbor was cluttered with the wrecks of warships from the Japanese occupation, and air services were almost nonexistent. But as the British colony grew rich over the following decades, so did Cathay, transforming from a swashbuckling shoestring operation into a carrier of regional, then international, renown.

That the airline was British-controlled and flown largely by British and Australian pilots did not prevent it from becoming a source of pride for many people in Hong Kong — a respected global name associated with punctuality and good service.

The industry’s changing landscape began taking a toll on Cathay’s finances several years ago, and in 2017 the airline laid off hundreds of workers. It has since returned to profitability, although its image took another hit last year when it acknowledged that the personal data and travel histories of as many as 9.4 million people had been compromised in a computer breach.

Recently, Cathay bought Hong Kong Express, a low-cost airline, to help it better compete against budget upstarts in the region.

Cathay employees said over the weekend that they still trusted the company to treat its crew members fairly, and that concerns for their own jobs and safety were still outweighed by their desire to voice their convictions.

“The heavy-handed tactics of mainland China only make me feel that I must speak out so that they know how much we value freedom and democracy,” said Ms. Chu, the flight attendant. “Otherwise, they will only get worse.”

Raymond Zhong reported from Hong Kong, and Tiffany May from San Francisco.

Follow Raymond Zhong and Tiffany May on Twitter: @zhonggg and @nytmay.

Sahred From Source link Business

from WordPress http://bit.ly/2TyY5Ed via IFTTT

#IFTTT #WordPress

0 notes

killingthebuddha · 5 years

Link

Upon initial glance, Pee Wee Herman’s ill-fitting striped suit looks dorky, childish even. Gary Austin, founder of the iconic improvisational company The Groundlings, wore this suit on the rare occasions he had to go for a formal job interview or a nerdy audition. But otherwise, this suit sat in his closet as Gary lived his life in white cowboy boots, a cowboy shirt, and blue jeans.

One day while teaching an improvisational acting class, Gary led an exercise where students were told to put on a set of clothes and then assume a character. Paul Rubens needed something to wear so Gary lent him this suit. Then, as if by magic, the character of Pee Wee Herman was born. As the cliché goes, the rest is history.

At the memorial service for Gary, who died on April 1, 2017, Rubens relayed the origin of his iconic Pee Wee Hermansuit. That simple moment in class changed his life.

His horse whisperer moves guided hordes of artists to discover their singular voice. If you’ve laughed at the original cast of Saturday Night Liveand performers from the other casts that followed, then you’ve experienced his behind-the-scenes magic. And like George Bailey from It’s a Wonderful Life, no one really knew how many people Gary impacted until he was no longer in the wings.

Such was the essence of Gary, an artist who left behind the fundamentalism of his Nazarene childhood in Corpus Christi, Texas to pursue a career as an actor/singer. Early success with the legendary San Francisco improv group The Committee led to Gary’s ego rising until it burned in an alcohol-fueled blaze of glory.

When I met Gary in 1996, his recovery from alcoholism had transformed him into a softer, more spiritual soul—his classroom became his chapel and it was through here that he ministered to his students.

At this time, I was a budding religious satirist based in New York City. I had been writing for now defunct The Wittenburg Door, the nation’s oldest, largest, and only religious satire magazine. Here I put my MDiv from Yale Divinity School to good use as I offered reworkings of the Bible and other theological texts through pieces like “The Book of Revelation According to Dubya,” “South Park Salvation,” and “The Ten Commandments According to the Clintons.” Along the way, I interviewed a range of Christian figures from Betty Bowers to William Buckley, and took perhaps a bit too much pride when my role as Senior Contributing Editor would grant me access to such venerable events as the 2004 Republican National Convention.

Even though I was deconstructing the institutional church, I remained a practicing Christian, in contrast to Gary, who by then had left his childhood faith. Given my family history, I was relieved to have missed his hard-drinking angry atheist phase. The man I met possessed tenderness toward his students, all animals (especially those in need of rescuing), and his second wife (who incidentally became my vocal teacher).

While my work was smart enough, I knew I needed a teacher who could help me how to physicalize my words and get me out of my head and into my body. Gary took away the intellectual safety net that I relied on to make my work witty and wise. He made me let go of being cool so I could get to this vulnerable place of being me. Then taught me the importance of bombing when I had to venture into the unknown.

Through him I learned how to stay on my breath, write on my feet and go. According to Gary, if I tried to make sense, then I would end up with boring, predictable sense. But if I stepped out and made choices that didn’t make sense to me, then I would be surprised at how the audience would make connections to justify my nonsense.

Some of his exercises, like starting a scene in mid-sentence, struck me at first as jarring. But then I realized that this technique stripped away all the expository talk that attempts to explain life instead of just living.

More importantly, Gary taught me that I am enough—all I have to do is “be.” I don’t have to try to create something interesting, for I am interesting enough as is. The first few times he made me just sit there and not try to think but be, I got bored to tears. Surely the other classmates must be yawning as well. But no, Gary was right. Simple is better.

When I began working with Gary, he was developing a one-man show, Church, which chronicled the role the Nazarene Church played in his life as a child. By using seemingly simply actions such as changing his posture, his voice would then change as he assumed the persona of his father, mother, and other characters from his childhood. By staying on his breath and remaining true to his essence, these characters became fully-fleshed human beings and not just another stereotypical rendering of fundamentalist Christian parents.

During each visit, I’d share my latest contributions to the Wittenburg Door. Under Gary’s guidance my work went from jokey top ten lists to using satire to explore the underbelly of the institutional church. The more I practiced his teachings, I found myself distancing myself the religious dogma imparted by religious institutions. Along the way, I learned how to love and laugh as I too was losing my religion while finding my soul.

Off stage, we became friends bonding over our mutual love of Kinky Friedman and Bill Hicks, and my failed attempts to convert Gary to try craft beer that in my estimation was more refined than Widmer Hefeweizen. So far, this remains the only time I saw Gary choose commercial over craft.

Every few months I trekked up to Seattle where Gary had been coming up from Los Angeles to teach since 1992. By now I had left organized religion and was finding my way in the sacred sexuality and spirituality that defined the Pacific Northwest. While I found my unique voice with Gary during my New York City days, in Seattle, I found a family and a faith that sustained me. In coming here, I felt I could finally come into my own free from the Christian trappings that defined me as a professional Christian author when I lived in the Northeast.

But something else also changed when I moved to Portland. Gary had developed a form of blood cancer that could be treated but not cured. Suddenly our work took on an urgency because we had to make every moment matter. As he told he, “I no longer teach beginning improvisational acting but PhD work.” In particular, Gary hated when people used the English language incorrectly or didn’t know who Nichols & May and other comedic legends were. “I would love it if before I left that people woke up and realized they really need to learn something.”

He had no patience or time to work on any projects that weren’t up to par. Our most heated arguments came about over how to present my grandpa’s stories as a coach for the Navy Ford Islander football team based in the Pacific during World War II. Finally, we came up with a structure that let my Grandpa’s stories sing. When I read the first chapter during a staged reading of student works, I could feel him smile.

By the time I was ready to send him the fourth chapter, he was in the ICU. He had been hospitalized intermittently in 2014, so I thought this was just another short blip and he’d be back again.

But on April 1, 2017, he died. I would never hear him sing his country songs or listen to yet another animal tale. And he wouldn’t be guiding me on the completion of my World War II book. Cancer killed my creative collaborator. No amount of Disneyesque hocus-pocus would enable us to reconnect in some heavenly realm. No, Gary was gone.

When I saw the memorials to Gary spouting up on social media, I realized that while he wasn’t going to appear before me angel-like, his work remained infused in me. While I hurt to my very marrow at the loss of my teacher and friend, I had 21 years of his wisdom embedded in my bones.

As I was penning this piece around the first anniversary of his death, I spoke to Wendy MacKenzie, Gary’s widow, who informed me that she is now teaching Gary’s work. She isn’t Gary, obviously, nor can any supernatural intervention bring him to me through her. I don’t have delusions about Gary beside me like a cardboard character in some cheesy children’s Jesus song. But I now know that through his widow, his work will live on.

Those of use connected to Gary would often use nonsensical words in our conversations that would cause any waiter or other outsider to shake their head in wonderment. But this shared language connected us at a much deeper level and brought us to a more profound truth than if we had been communicating using words that were merely witty and wise. And so I say:

Thanks be to Gary. Lung.

An earlier version of this piece was originally printed in American Atheist magazine, 2nd Quarter, 2018. Previously, I wrotefor Killing the Buddha about Gary’s life as a spiritual atheist.

#IFTTT #WordPress

0 notes