After being in the city for a little over two weeks, I think it’s time to make some comparisons between Denver/Boulder (where I grew up and went to school) and San Francisco. Both of these places are incredibly different. It has also been suggested that Boulder and Denver are too different to lump together in one comparison. I agree. But, for time and typing sake, I’m going to make the generalization. Remember, these are just my opinions. They are subject to change and you are more than welcome to disagree.
So far, I’m loving the city. It’s not better or worse, just different. And I love it. Of course, I miss home. There are many things I miss about the smaller town and the mountains. Obviously, there are many pros and cons to both residences and I could definitely argue both ways.
Here are my comparisons:
| Denver/Boulder | San Francisco |
|---|---|
| Smaller city | Bigger city |
| Smaller homeless population | Annoying homeless people |
| Cheaper | Super expensive |
| Boring (Just being honest) | Always something to do |
| Same ‘ol nightlife | Fantastic bar scene |
| Mountains | Ocean |
| Country | City |
| Lack of diversity | Incredible diversity |
| Mostly American dining | Mostly Ethnic dining |
| Ok shopping | Unbelievable shopping |
| Decent public transportation | BART, Muni and Cable Car |
| Spread out cities (Ft. Collins, Boulder, Denver) | Condensed areas (Marina, Mission, Haight, Financial, Union Square, etc. |
| Grocery stores and Targets abound | Little markets everywhere, not very many chains |
| Need a car | Definitely don’t need a car |
| Close to skiing/boarding | No real “beach” closeby |
| Pretty much the same scene | Divided into “districts” that are very different scenes |
Of course, this list could eventually explode off the page, but for now, I think it’s a good summary of what I’ve noticed so far. Regardless of the differences, this has been an incredible experience for me. I, as most of you know, have never lived anywhere outside the state of Colorado. While I love where I grew up, it was time to spread my wings.
And I’m flying!
However, this lifestyle is completely different than the one I’m used to. I have a routine. While I’m still getting used to it, I wake up in the morning, get ready, eat breakfast, go to work, come home, cook dinner, go to bed and wake up the next morning and start over. This may sound boring to many of you (more likely just sounds like your typical mundane day) but at work, I do so many things. They’re keeping me completely entertained with several different projects. Projects I am actually interested in. We go to lunch every day, trying new kinds of food and different restaurants each day. Today, we had to buy Pop Rocks for a special drink for our Office Warming Party tomorrow night. We listen to music, play with Facebook and Twitter, build Web sites – so hard to believe this is actually my job.
And the weekends are even more exciting.
The nightlife in San Francisco is incredible. But, I think that should be explained in it’s very own post.
Coming soon…
I’d have to disagree with you politely. While I’ll admit that San Fran is the dream city of many, I think that if you compared it solely to Boulder alone, the differences would mainly be in size and diversity as both share similar ideals and communal lifestyles. Comparing the entirety of San Fran to Denver/Boulder (and the negative aspects of sprawling cities 55 miles away from Boulder) is like comparing the after taste of green apples to the amount of jet fuel one needs to propel an F-15 off of a 210 yard runway. Fair? Nonetheless, your blog continually rocks my face off and I’m so happy you’re in San Fran!
hey!!
sounds like you are really enjoying the city of san francisco!! make sure you take lots of pictures! it would be cool to see some of those on ur twitter page/ur blog right here! also, i still want u to go see a giants game!
im sure all the guys/girls at ur work are already talking about taking you!
also, i promise there are chain stores..if you make ur way south, or try the outskirts of san francisco!
good luck!! have fun.
vince
timbe2
Nice list! How are the people different? I live in Denver but have only been to San Fran once for about thirty minutes.
Interesting comparison. Having lived in Denver and Boulder, and spent considerable time in SF, I had some bits to add:
California is broke (rapidly cutting social services)
CA has direct flights to fun places (to travel)
CO has closer skiing & better mountain biking
You need a car in CO, but at least there is parking!
Bars in Denver arent that bad, are they? Is my memory fading?
Great post! As a Denver native I’m happy to see my home city compared to a cultural mecca like San Francisco. While many of your points are right on, there are a few that are misinformed, IMHO. First I agree with Bodie, you should really separate Denver And Boulder – we’re lucky to have these two places nearby, but they are very different places and should be compared separately. Five points I’d like to clarify: (1) Boring factor: I can see how any city could be boring to a noobie – in reality Denver has a variety of diverse scenes that you just need to find some outgoing locals to help show you around, which is the same with SF too. (2) Nightlife: Denver has a fantastic nightlife, an incredible bar scene (if you stay away from the post-collegial frat scene in lodo), and a dizzying array of live music every night, just pickup a Westword or Onion and they’ve got all the mainstream listings. Find the right local and you’ll learn about fantastic underground and alternative scenes as well. (3) Diversity: Denver’s diversity is very well established. Unfortunately the communities are widely dispersed and insular – you don’t see a lot of intermingling of races and cultures, relative to the city’s ethnic makeup. But according to wikipedia “Denver is one of the United States’ most ethnically diverse cities.” One of the best places to find local culture is at http://www.cafenuba.com/ (4) Food: If you know the right places, you can get a mouthful of many different cultures. You will easily find cuisine from vietnamese to korean, african, mexican, and middle eastern, you just need to know the area. (5) Driving: I drive my car only a few times a month – I ride my bike everywhere. There is no city that supports a cyclist better than Boulder, but Denver is making improvements slowly, and if you’re a little aggressive it’s no problem riding alongside cars. Also Denver’s RTD system is regularly rated up top of public transit agencies worldwide – you can get a bus anywhere, and the light rail makes quick and easy trips in/out downtown 20 hours a day. (We don’t yet have a cool train car for bikes like the BART has, still working on that). In sum, denver is is a very cool small city, but it helps to have a native to show you around, like anyplace. A great place to start exploring is Westword’s Best of Denver -http://www.westword.com/bestOf/index/2009 – enjoy!
I have to say, I’ve never seen a comparison between these two cities. One more contrast: The SF job market is more dismal than the Boulder one. That, and Denver’s public transportation system leaves much to be desired. There’s really only one airport for the Boulder/Denver folks, but there’s quite a few more choices in the outdoor sports category.
Great post!
Jody
Find homes in Boulder and Denver
Thanks for the comparison. I love Boulder and am considering adding San Fransisco to my rotation. It looks like I will love San Fran too!
San Francisco is amazing! And Boulder is just wonderful. Good luck on your journey!