In the article “High-Rise, or House With Yard?” a family takes a close look at the cost comparison between living in the Suburbs or living in the city. I am guessing that most would assume the more expensive option would be the city loft. Well that’s not the case in this analysis. That big house in the suburbs can actually be more expensive. I’ll tell you how they got to this conclusion.

Before I begin I’ll make one thing clear… this is not a square footage to square footage comparison. Basically, the city residence was half the square footage of the suburb home. The purchase price was higher for the city home, just not the square footage (okay.. that is what you would expect). That is often the trade off between these two. When you live in the city I like to think you trade some private space for so much more community space. Maybe you don’t have the fenced backyard but you do have public parks, green space, bike trails and other outdoor features outside your front door. Perhaps you don’t have as big of a kitchen, or a breakfast nook or media room. Instead you have (for Denver) three stadiums, movie theaters, stage and life theater venues, restaurants, coffee shops and bars. You have less space within your private domain but if you don’t mind sharing you have so much more to experience.

I’ll come back to the sharing aspect.

So you might be asking… if the mortgage on the city is higher how can the suburb be more expensive. Two big factors stand out to me. The first is transportation. Denver hasn’t quite made it to a car optional city for most (although I’m giving it a shot right now) but the transportation factor for cost is major. Car loans, car insurance, gasoline, car maintenance, parking, etc. all add up to one great big expense every month. City living with bicycle commutes, light rail and other public transportation, or simply using your own two feet is a wonderful and healthy lifestyle change that puts more money in your pocket.

The second big expense is tied to all that extra square footage in the form of utilities and maintenance. That’s right… that extra square footage is more expensive to heat, cool, and keep maintained. Over the course of a year these various suburb related expenses add up to make city living a cheaper alternative. For me that is great news because I love the city lifestyle. But I also love the social impact my new lifestyle offers.

Of course, looking at it with a BP oil leak perspective both of these expenses are also likely to grow in importance over time. Fuel costs are likely to continue to increase bringing both fuel and utilities higher and higher. Even with electric cars or other alternatives it is likely that fuel from all sources will continue to go up in price. As everyone points their fingers at BP, government oversight or any other third party for the devastating and tragic oil leak in the gulf I find myself blaming myself. After all, I’m the one using all that oil based gasoline for my fuel, my utilities, and my oil based products and services. Heck, I’ve flown more air miles in the past 5 years than most probably do in a lifetime. The best way to help protect the environment is not to blame the producer of the oil but instead to correct my own personal consumption.

So here is my own personal plan….

• I live in a condo downtown
• I travel the city by bike, foot, and for longer distances scooter ($1 a week in gas) or public transportation
• I gave up my car (although I have access to one when I need it)
  • The car optional lifestlye started July 1… so wish me luck
• I rented out my owned parking spaces (so I save car expenses and created income from the choice)
• I shop locally and support local businesses

Granted, it’s not much and I still have more than my share of transgressions but this article was just a terrific reminder of the cost realities of the two lifestyle choices.  Something to consider.  The couple in the article did end up selecting the suburb house for the needed square footage even with the higher expense after their children were born but others discussed in the article chose downtown living.  It was always the city lifestyle that was preferred… it was the square footage that was the main driver of a suburb choice.  How much private space do you need?  I told you I was coming back to this point.

I value my private space.  I do.  I lived in a residence in a suburb about twice the size of my current square footage now.  I had more space, more bedrooms, more rooms, more yard… more more more.

And only after living in downtown Denver in a shared high rise did I realize how much that suburb lifestyle also meant a lack of community.  I just like people.  I like meeting and greeting my neighbors in the hallways, at the gym, picking up my mail, or at the local coffee shops and restaurants.  I don’t want to live in spacious isolation, I want discussions and laughter and an exchange of ideas.  Granted, not everyone is friendly but you take the good with the “challenging”.  Even within the downtown condo lifestyle I would rather live in a larger denser building than a small condo.  Before this I lived in a building that had fewer residences.  Sure, it had nicer counter tops and cabinets and touted itself as a more private building but for me that wasn’t a plus.  I’d rather see others and know my neighbors that never see a soul.  Now I know that in the ‘burbs folks do build relationships with neighbors.  But I there is something about life in a city, a dense city, that is unique and magical.  Try it sometime and maybe you can trade in that car payment for a new bike and some funds for the local coffee shops.

Regards Denver, check out the New York Times article here.
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Wow, I am accumulating bikes.  First living in the mountains it was a mountain bike.  Upon moving to Denver years ago I began the gradual accumulation of a skinny tire cruiser bike, a road bike, then a fat tire cruiser bike, then restored my old mountain bike from college (everyone needs a “no one would want to steal this” bike) and now a single speed.

What can I say, I love bikes.  I love the idea of not driving.  I love the freedom from traffic.  I love getting around on my own power.  I love the sun on my back and a cool morning breeze.  I’ve accumulated messenger bags, horns, lights, reflectors, racks, and more as part of this lifestyle.  Yet lately I haven’t been riding as much.  Excuses excuses excuses… here they come.  My felt cruiser bike is perfect for cruiser bike rides but the truth is the darn thing is heavy.  I found that out when I tried to put it on a wall rack.  Not my brightest moment.  My road bike is too over the top.  It’s a road bike with clip in pedals.  I don’t want to carry around a change of shoes for running errands and I also don’t want to leave it out on the street even with a lock.  I figure it’s only a matter of time before it disappears and I’d prefer to save it for long weekend rides.  My skinny tire cruiser bike (a black Electra Amsterdam) is for sale on Craigslist (if you are interested I’ll cut you a deal) to make room for the single speed.  I’m babbling but the fact is I’m hooked on a low maintenance light weight single speed for buzzing around town.  I’m checking out the bikes around town (Pearl Velo has a pretty cool local shop to check out btw) and have pretty much made up my mind.  Soon it will be in.

So ONE MORE bike.  I’m making the leap more official this time.  My own vehicle has just been gathering dust.  Except for the occasional dog transport, mountain trip, or heavy errand I really don’t use it.  So I’m giving it up and renting out my parking space (more than pays for a single speed) and embracing a car free lifestyle.  I’ll still have access to my vehicle (I’ll have to bike to it) but it will be in far better hands most of the time.  They say downtown life is car optional.  I’m going to give it a shot.  Of course I still have my $1 to fill up the tank scooter to buzz around on as well but for the most part it will be bicycle wheels or my own two feet that will get me around.  Summer is a great time to start and get some healthy habits in place before the winter returns.  At that point I’ll be spending that parking money on winter riding gear.

So fellow cyclists wish me luck.  I’m taking the next step.  Bye bye car.

And for those of you who are as upset as I am with this whole BP debacle this follows a philosophy of reducing dependence on oil.  They say that boycotts don’t do anything because BP doesn’t own the stations.  The way I look at it, and this is just my opinion, we are all guilty in the situation we are in.  As a society we have ignored our own responsibility as consumers who have created such incredible oil demand and support the irresponsible action of oil companies and government with our dollars every day.  If we really want to make a difference we need to look for a different way to live.  This is a small step.

P.S. Can we please build a train to the mountains now.

While I was out of the country I didn’t miss hearing about the economy. I didn’t miss the moaning and groaning about work, sales, business and the such. I didn’t miss the millions of hours of political commercials.

What I did miss, I am sad to say, was the news that there would be something as fun as a Gorilla Run today. Walking back from a delicious breakfast at Lola I noticed a lineup of Gorillas on the bike path as I crossed the Platte River Bridge. With zany costumes including bikini clad Gorillas, Guerrilla military Gorillas (clever) and business suit gorillas (perhaps a statement about the baboons on Wall Street) it looked like fun. One friend I ran into who was also watching the parade of furry costumes commented that they were surprised I wasn’t doing the race as it was “right up my alley”. I would spend some time thinking about the implications of this statement concerning my psychological well being if I hadn’t already thought the same thing. This would have been fun. It’s for charity with all benefits going to the Mountain Gorilla Conservation Fund, its healthy, and you get to be a little or a lot wacky. Dang, the first news that I truly regret hearing.

To learn more about the race for next year, and you can bet I’ll plan to be there, visit denvergorillarun.com. Oh yeah, the gorilla suit is included with your registration. It’s whatever you use to dress it up that is up to you.

I really enjoy a great TV show.  It’s amazing the cult like factor that a really great and creative show can have for us as a society.  I remember just after college I lived in a great old old apartment.  This was a turn of the century old 4 unit antique building with hardwood floors, french doors, a shoebox kitchen, and one killer walkout to the roof above the deck.  It was surrounded by a streets full of the same style, turn of the century, small brick apartment buildings along with my favorite dark and cozy Irish pub, a few eclectic restaurants, some old school pub restaurants, and of course a ton of people just starting out and loved our little neighborhood.  Entry level accountants, beginner phone reps, waiters, chefs, first year residents, and grad students alike seemed to all flock together on one night or another for a favorite show.  Many brought beer, some might have made or picked up food, and no one was late.

Back then, and I’ll be dating myself, the biggest night was the X-files.  Never knowing what would happen next we watched, we harrased each other, we all screamed “no way” or “gross” or “that looks like the person you kissed in the bar last night”.  But we loved it.  There was a great book about Urban Tribes and how the culture of the U.S. is changing such that our family network becomes our friends or certain “tribes” we create around activites, hobbies, and interests.  No doubt our behavior proved the books point.  We lived simply and laughed alot, somehow no matter what craziness we were getting into, what new job, new relationship, new crisis, or new funk we were in it could always be counted on that we would get together on that certain night and swap stories and be entertained together.  When I packed my bags to move to Colorado one of the girls in our crew even went and picked up an X-Files copy mug and Fox Mulder ID badge.  I have no idea where she found this stuff, but the mug would change it’s message on the side when you filled it with hot water to say “Trust No One”.  The funny thing was these folks werent’ geeks, well maybe just me.  But it was a bond.

Of course today that happens a little less often.  Or at least there are more opportunities for people not to have a ritual around a show.  First, you can tivo/DVR it and there is no need to be at a certain place at a certain time.  Why rush to meet up with the group at 8 PM when you can record it and watch it whenever you want… alone.  Or maybe you can buy it on Itunes and just follow it on your ipod on the train, at the gym while riding the bike, or flying out on that vacation.  Life sure is convenient, but I still fell some nostalgia for our 21st century version of theatre and sharing it with friends.  Give me old school any day.

So now the question for this poll is about what are the shows that have hooked Denver.  Is it Heroes with the superpowerer characters dealing with an upcoming fight with multiple villians?  Is it 30 Rock or the Office with a focus on making us laugh?  Is it any number of the CSI style style shows that have the whodunit style of detective suspense?  Or is it some drama geared around relationships, love and all that gooey stuff?

I don’t know.  But here is your chance to share what shows you will be, or are, watching this fall.  You can pick as many as you want or watch and comment away. I really did try to get as many of the shows coming out this fall as I could but may have missed some. What am I saying, of course I missed some… there are a boatload. These are shows that involve sketch, screen, and other creative writers who want to keep you entertained with stories, characters and/or satire. Sorry, folks, now straight up news reporting. I was even going to exclude reality shows but that would miss out on a HUGE cult following. I have been amazed at how many folks love their reality TV shows. If I missed your favorite, let me know.

To learn more about this fall’s lineup, the station it’s on, or the premier date check out the following Links:

For Dramas http://tvdramas.about.com/od/tvshowsaz/a/fallpremiere07.htm. 

For Animated: http://animatedtv.about.com/od/showsaz/a/fallpremiere.htm

For Comedies: http://tvcomedies.about.com/od/tvcomediesbytitle/a/premiere_dates.htm

I don’t know all these shows so it will be interesting to see the results.
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Anyway, I have to get moving. Happy pedaling today!

The above “Walk Score” is for the address of 1610 Little Raven Street, Denver Colorado 80202, the home of Zengo Restaurant and the heart of the plaza in Riverfront. The score (at least today when writing the post) is 83 or “Very Walkable”. How cool is this tool!!! 8-)

Walk Score calculates, on a scale to 100, how pedestrian friendly (walkable) your address is. If you are looking for a new home or just want to check out your existing home give it a shot. It calculates the score by looking at what surrounds it. Are there restaurants, parks, shopping, bars, etc. All the fun stuff. Here is what Walk Score says the scores mean:

• 90 – 100 = Walkers’ Paradise: Most errands can be accomplished on foot and many people get by without owning a car.
• 70 – 90 = Very Walkable: It’s possible to get by without owning a car.
• 50 – 70 = Some Walkable Locations: Some stores and amenities are within walking distance, but many everyday trips still require a bike, public transportation, or car.
• 25 – 50 = Not Walkable: Only a few destinations are within easy walking range. For most errands, driving or public transportation is a must.
• 0 – 25 = Driving Only: Virtually no neighborhood destinations within walking range. You can walk from your house to your car

Now they do concede that their are still some things they are working to figure out. Here is what they say doesn’t work yet:

” There are a number of factors that contribute to walkability that are not part of our algorithm:

• Street width and block length: Narrow streets slow down traffic. Short blocks make it easier to navigate the grid.
• Safety: How much crime is in the neighborhood? How many traffic accidents are there? Are crosswalks well marked and streets well lit?
• Pedestrian-friendly design: Are there walking paths? Are buildings close to the sidewalk with parking in back? Are sidewalks shaded by trees?
• Topography: Hills can make walking difficult, especially if you’re carrying groceries.
• Public transit: Good public transit is important for walkable neighborhoods.
• Freeways and bodies of water: Freeways can divide neighborhoods. Swimming is harder than walking.
• Weather: In some places it’s just too hot or cold to walk regularly.

As MarlonBain said, “You should use the Web 3.0 app called going outside and investigating the world for yourself” before deciding whether a neighborhood is walkable!”

What a great tool for house hunting and evaluating the pedestrian friendly nature of any neighborhood.  I don’t know about you, but I am trying to move further up the Walk Score with every change of residence I make.  So hopefully this helps out those relocating to Denver or those of you contemplating a move.

Please comment back and let everyone know how your address rates.

How did you score?

Today Oil prices jumped over $10 a barrel, although I really don’t know how big that is but according to the New York Times it is the BIGGEST JUMP EVER. Just Frakking Great.

How did I know something was up, I noticed the stock market was taking a nose dive. So now everyone’s savings, 401K, and the overall economy is taking a hit because of some black tar stuff. But don’t forget is was up a ton yesterday as well. I am not annoyed by the economy, we’re tough. What annoys me is how dependent the market is on oil price fluctuations. Wouldn’t it be nice not be so oil dependent? Isn’t say… food, more important.

So that’s it, I am going to do my best to turn my back on oil. I already don’t drive much at all so my new goal is to let my car get dusty sitting in the garage. I’ve got all the bikes, mountain, cruiser, road, beater that no one would want to steal. I’m prepared. And of course I’ll take public transportation. Light rail rocks, the 16th street shuttle does me just fine.

For speed or when I need to get somewhere quick I’ll use my scooter, that will be my indulgence. But with an average of between 70 and 75 mpg I really don’t mind the whole $3.89 it took me to fill the tank last week. It’s still a frak of a lot better than any car.

The area that I haven’t figured out yet is the occasional dressy event out where we all jump in a cab across town. But for that I wonder if I can request specifically a hybrid cab.

And of course. My feet work just fine. Pedestrian friendly all the way. So I’ll keep a tally of how many days it has been since I drove my car. Just a simple goal really. Do my part for reducing my carbon footprint and having a little fun, getting a little healthier, along the way. The last time I drove my car was on Sunday June 1st. So I’m not doing too bad. I have even researched some options for cargo trailers to go on the back of my bike. Anyone else care to cut down on their car use or share how things are going. Look at it like an improvised support group. Do you think going cold turkey on a car is easier or tougher than smoking or heroin. Let’s find out. Here is the Forum Link…

http://www.theurbanbrain.org/viewforum.php?f=6

How much can you cut down on car use and how? Share your story there. ;-)

And if you want to listen to something interesting, but not cheerful, here you go.

And yes, for those who recognize the word Frak… It’s from Battlestar Galactica.  How clever that they created this word and it STUCK but they don’t get in trouble with the censors.

Forum Topic Here

I figured the easiest way to get folks talking was to connect them. So check out this link here, register once and you can post or subscribe to the topic.

It isn’t often that I get behind the wheel to drive on the roads, but every time I do I ask myself the same question…. “is it time for a new car”.

I don’t really have much in the way of driving. I cruise around Denver by foot, cruiser bike, by my ages old mountain bike, by bus, by light rail, by cab, and by scooter. I rarely drive my automobile (make that, my giant SUV). What drives me to get behind the wheel (get it) is usually a trip to the mountains which may or not have some bad snow conditions or carrying alot of stuff.

My auto, as I mentioned above, is a monster gas guzzling SUV. It’s a 2000 Dodge Durango that I originally bought when I lived in Vail and wanted to be able to get around regardless of the weather or the type of road. It was also a priority to have space for a 125 lb pup. Priorities you know.

But now that I don’t live full time in the mountains I wish I had a nice hybrid to feel better about that drive between here and Vail when I do go to the mountains. At the same time I feel better when I drive in a snow storm (which is often the case as I chase powder days) to have my trusty SUV. I should mention that this SUV has roughly 130,000 miles on it, gets roughly 17 mpg, and just passed it’s emissions test with flying colors.

Here is the question that I have gotten many answers to. Am I more environmentally responsible to keep driving my gas guzzling SUV that I rarely drive anyway until it either fails an emission test or stops working or should I buy a new hybrid now. If you don’t know why this is even a question, you have to understand that there is an argument that one of the biggest damages we are doing as a culture is to be constantly consuming and disposing of everything all the time. We fill up landfills, we create a non stop flow of trash, and we don’t keep something that isn’t shiny and new. There are also arguments being made that the best green technology is just around the corner in 2010. Whatever my green car choice is today may not be as green next year. Also, some people say the greenest car I could buy is a used car for just that reason.

Don’t get me wrong. You can’t put off doing something greener just because the technology will be better tomorrow because (hopefully) the technology will always be getting greener.

But if “Big Red” is still chugging along fine and getting minimal miles at all… is it better to wait. Will my lifetime carbon footprint be lower for not churning through the products I buy treating it all as disposable.

Or perhaps it’s from my upbringing in the Midwest where everyone I knew bought a car and drove it till it simply wouldn’t go another mile. Mind you, no one I knew growing up believed in leasing a car either. And no, we didn’t go cow tipping every weekend.

But I digress.

Ideally I’d love a green vehicle that was a little better suited for deep snow. Maybe the Prius isn’t the best pick, but there has got to be a better option. If I wait, will the options get better? Or is it better to get the big gas guzzling SUV I have now off the road immediately? Does it depend on how much I am driving now, or doesn’t it?

I am keeping my limited drive time gas guzzler for the time being. Especially considering how little I drive. But beat me up, change my mind, or tell me your thoughts. I pose the question because alot of folks may be asking it. Keeping it sure hurts at the gas tank. But does throwing it away really help?
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