I started the move into the house today- no beds yet, no washer and dryer yet, no food until I ventured into Lakewood and found a King Sooper and a Whole Foods. I took a walk through a local park and the neighborhood association was having a picnic. Are bagpipers standard at picnics here, or was this an oddity?

So now I start looking for work a little more aggressively, as well as do all the little things that need to happen: get internet at the house, get a library card, find beds, learn how to navigate the lightrail and the bus system. I’m excited!

It’s in south central Denver, not too far from downtown, close to bike paths and public transportation. I’ve been doing the whole Google Earth Streetview exploration of my neighborhood, and am happy to see a good variety of locally owned, family run, ethnic stores pretty close.

I also found that Google Maps now gives walking directions and times. I’m only an hour and 24 minute walk from downtown, so I’m guessing 30 minutes or less by bike. (Oddly enough, Google couldn’t calculate the time to walk from Ohio to Denver, the route I will be taking in just a few weeks)

So what’s next? Well, I have to find furniture. I’m on Freecycle for that. I need to find a job, and have some leads on that. And then there’s the little stuff, like finding a bank (what works for you?), figuring out the public transportation, and am I really allowed to raise chickens in the city?

And so I wonder how people did this before the internet, and how people would do it if they had no connections already.

Our entire house hunt has been done on the internet, mostly through Craig’s List. There seem to be plenty of houses available, so we’re not worried. Prices seem high, compared to Indiana- I’ll probably pay in 1 month in Denver what I paid for housing for this entire summer in Indiana.

And let me tell you about some of these houses I’m seeing for reasonable prices - forget Washers and Dryers, these have hot tubs, HDTV’s included. After living in a dorm or pretty crappy off-campus houses for the last 4 years, these places are like palaces.

And some even look like palaces. There was one house on Craig’s List that had a beautiful 3 story Victorian house as the picture. Intrigued, I read more. The caption read something like, “The house you will be renting is behind and to the left of the BEAUTIFUL VICTORIAN HOUSE in the picture.”

Also interesting is figuring out what the area around the house is like. All these areas of Denver- I’m sure they hold meaning to locals, but Cherry Creek, Lodo, Lakewood- they mean nothing to me. So simply looking for houses is helping me learn a bit about Denver… but there is only so much you can know.

So, my dear readers, my questions to you are these: Where should I live? What places should I avoid at all costs?

Well, in August, I’ll be moving to Denver. So I’ll be writing from an outsider’s view (which so far for me has mostly been Craig’s List and Google Maps Street View), and then after I arrive, I’ll write about my impressions as a newcomer. Just think- you’ll get to make fun of this newbie in town, this kid from the east who has no idea that the house I signed a one-year lease on is in a terrible neighborhood, has asbestos, and isn’t even within walking distance of a single (insert popular local chain eatery here).

A bit about me- I’m originally from Pennsylvania, and am currently living in Indiana, where I just graduated from college. My day job right now is flipping burgers at a local soda shop, which gives me time for some freelance video projects on the side. I love making documentaries and videos in general, and am hoping to find a job along those lines in Denver, so anybody with connections, please let me know. :-)

Feel free to offer advice as I look to move to Denver- I’ve really been enjoying the view into local life that I get on this blog. And hopefully, this will be a new look into what has become commonplace for you.