Considering relo from Philadelphia to Fort Collins

Stitch is from The Springs, and let's say the lack of diversity may have made him a little close less than open minded over the last 30 years he has been there. Amanda, you will see when you get there. Springs peeps can be quite strange...

Joan Lee wrote:Stitch is from The Springs, and let's say the lack of diversity may have made him a little close less than open minded over the last 30 years he has been there. Amanda, you will see when you get there. Springs peeps can be quite strange...

I'm actually from Texas, Houston and Austin to be exact troll baby.

Amanda, I wouldn't recommend living in CO Springs as it's a bit too tiny and you have to dig deep to find funky, cool stuff. I have a female climbing friend in Ft. Collins that would love to have a new climbing partner.

Stich wrote: I was there one semester in college and was involved in a mugging (which I ran from) and a race riot on the subway (black kids randomly beating whites). Nothing like having a mob come up to you in the subway car and announce "You're next." So yeah, I don't much care for that town. Even Joey Cusack left Philly, but that old fart Fogarty went looking for him. I should have killed you back in Philly.

I find the passage of time a bit disconcerting given my own experiences. Maybe 20ish years ago I used to commute to Temple University on a motorcycle. I was riding down Broad Street from my apartment when, at a stop light, a guy approached me and stuck a gun in my face telling me to get off of my bike. I laughed at him and said "in this neighborhood? Are you crazy", and gunned it. Looking back I'm sure I would have been terrified these days but it just seemed like another day in Philly. Must be age catching up with me.

In Junction, people hold the doors and say 'sir'. I don't regret living in Philly but I don't mind settling in Junction either. The older I get the quieter I like it. Maybe I'll retire in Marble. Philly had it's ups and downs but it was a hell of a ride when you were there.

Stich wrote: I was there one semester in college and was involved in a mugging (which I ran from) and a race riot on the subway (black kids randomly beating whites). Nothing like having a mob come up to you in the subway car and announce "You're next." So yeah, I don't much care for that town. Even Joey Cusack left Philly, but that old fart Fogarty went looking for him. I should have killed you back in Philly.

Oh yeah, funny story. I used to tutor math and physics at Temple, a co-tutor used to tell me I was a racist when I mentioned that the local kids sucker punched the white students as a game. One day, the guy came in and said some little kid had just hit him in the face and ran away. I couldn't help but find it ironic.

We had one kid in the physics department that was a parapalegic and in a wheelchair. He got mugged and had both his legs broken. We also had a 90 lb tutor knocked unconscious in a mugging and she got a severe concussion as a result. It was a rough, crazy area but at least it wasn't boring. On the upside, suburban kids are easy to handle in comparison.

The Phillies suck, the Eagles have always been losers, the 6ers haven't done jack since Umass alum Dr. J was there, and all the Flyers are known for is fighting.

Looks like there nothing left to do but climb. Wait...you can't do that in Philly.

Move now. Hope they free Mumia, the Phils can get out of a few bad contracts, cheese steak gets proven to cause something bad, and don't look back. If you're nostalgic, watch it's always sunny with your Planet Porter on a weeknight.

Merlin wrote: Oh yeah, funny story. I used to tutor math and physics at Temple, a co-tutor used to tell me I was a racist when I mentioned that the local kids sucker punched the white students as a game. One day, the guy came in and said some little kid had just hit him in the face and ran away. I couldn't help but find it ironic. We had one kid in the physics department that was a parapalegic and in a wheelchair. He got mugged and had both his legs broken. We also had a 90 lb tutor knocked unconscious in a mugging and she got a severe concussion as a result. It was a rough, crazy area but at least it wasn't boring. On the upside, suburban kids are easy to handle in comparison.

I actually went to Temple that one semester and stayed at the dorms at the art school at the end of Broad Street. Yeah, you were the recipient of the original punching game it sounds like. The mugging that happened to my friend and I came with about six guys surrounding us from in front and behind on the street. I saw it happening and told my friend, "Dude, we need to run!" He was oblivious and I wasn't going to argue. I ran the one block back to the school and told people to call the police. Then I went back to where we were with something I had brought with me from Texas (you can guess what that was). To my surprise, the police were already on the scene talking to my friend who only got punched in the nose for saying "fuck you" to the six guys. Tough or stupid, you decide. :-D Anyway, we got a fresh stromboli.

Stich wrote: :-D Anyway, we got a fresh stromboli.

:) See culture mixed with angry, good stromboli right?

Your friend would have been punched anyways, it was the local game to attack Temple students. As far as carrying goes, a lot of my professors carried and told students they were crazy if they didn't. Boulder was such a cool place to move to from Philly, it felt like utopia safety wise.

I've still got quite a few friends back in Philly who also went to Temple. Apparently the area has been gentrified and has food, bars, movie theaters, etc. I need to get back one day and see but it has apparently changed a bit in a few areas. When I was there it was mostly scary.

I met another guy from Philly who is a climber and he goes back to visit from time to time. He tells me that if he attends a wedding, he can be assured that some sort of fistfight will break out. It's just par for the course. Yeah, just violence as a way of life. Ugh. Things are really pretty calm in Colorado by comparison. We do have the gun nuts and crazies, but fortunately they only pop up once in a while and then get nabbed.

I'm from Berks county, rural parts west of Reading. After being in the Army for about 10 years I moved to Ft. Collins for grad school. Moved away, went back for another three years of grad school, and wish I could go back to stay. It's a great place though it has gotten crowded on the front range.

There are two gyms in town, lots of trad climbing up in the RMNP area and Vedavoo which are both in the 2 hour range. Lots of climbing in general though not much real close except some bouldering around Horsetooth reservoir.

The climbing community isn't huge there but decent size. I still have a number of friends from there that I climb with occassionally, usually trips to Indian Creek.

Oh, yeah, the foods not nearly as good, though. That happens as you move inland from either of the coasts.

Denver and anything North has more meth labs than Philly and NYC combined. Like I said, Springs people tend to close their eyes on a lot of things...like west Manitou and east Colfax. I worked at Denver health and trust me there is no shortage of crazies in Denver. You will enjoy Midwest though. I give you 5 years till you get bored and move to Cali. ;)

Joan Lee wrote: I worked at Denver health and trust me there is no shortage of crazies in Denver.

Seems like there's one fewer in Colorado and one more in California now :-)

Mark E Dixon wrote: Seems like there's one fewer in Colorado and one more in California now :-)

Let's say I blend in well ;)

Mathias wrote: In the past decade Fort Collins has expanded rather a lot due to CSU and graduates staying in town after finishing their education.

^called it.

From Seattle, and I have had a great time since moving for work. The weather is certainly nicer than anywhere else I've lived and it makes it easy to get outside a lot.

Been living in Foco for a few years, it's a nice place and lots of climbing quite close. The majority is further south, but there are a number of good local crags for sport, and it's less than two hours to a huge array of climbing. Getting to know climbers is pretty easy, the local climbing group NCCC holds social event reasonably often, and the climbing gyms are usually overcrowded. There's a new climbing gym set to open, which should help with the current glut.

You can commute, but Fort Collins is nicer than any of the other local cities. It doesn't have a big city feel (although I prefer it that way). I'd rate it much higher than Boulder, Loveland, or Longmont. The commute to and from Denver is pretty brutal. It is an easy commute from Loveland or Longmont, though neither is going to give you your urban feel.