I’ve lived in Denver for more than 20 years. I came here from New York City, burnt out and ready for a refreshing change in my life. Kind of like many of us are feeling right now as we ponder who will be the next U.S. president.
How fitting it is, then, to hold the Democratic Convention here this year. For me, Denver has always meant energy, possibility, renewal, a clean start. And optimism. No wonder so many entrepreneurs start businesses here.
When I arrived here from New York, I marveled at how clean everything was, how wide and open the environment felt and how friendly folks were. And affordable to boot. For me it was paradise.
But back then, the oil industry had gone bust, and the town was hurting. Shops and restaurants were closing right and left. I met a lot of people who’d never been to the east coast before, let alone New York; I couldn’t go anywhere without bumping into men in western attire; and not having a single Macy’s, Nordstrom, Saks, etc., I had a heck of a time finding a decent pair of shoes for work (I’m not talking Manolos, Choos or Louboutins – just something kind of stylish).
In short, Denver was a cow town. And while I didn’t mind that, I’ve been very happy with how the city has evolved – there’s a lot more culture, shopping, entertainment, restuarants, nightlife, etc., here now than ever before.
So I have to laugh at how Denver is being painted by some of the high-profile media. Gawker had a very funny piece about the less-than-stellar local sports bars co-opted by CNN and Fox News as their convention headquarters. Gawker’s follow-up piece to this story commenting on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” show remote from Sam’s #3, a local diner-type place, was also pretty funny, and it included a “News You Can’t Use” segment from the show of a visit to legendary local strip joint Shotgun Willie’s.
OK, so this is what the media have decided to showcase about our fair city. And we sure don’t help ourselves – our local TV reporters look so bush league (pardon the pun) next to the national ones; one of them continuously mispronounces “pundit” (she calls it “pundent”), which drives me crazy. I have a good sense of humor about it, though. Denver isn’t New York, but that’s what I love about it. Every time I look outside my window (see below for the view), I feel hopeful. Fingers crossed that everything will go well throughout the week.
