queenlizzie13 wrote:Walking distance or biking distance would be nice. I am not objectionable to using the bus system either. I am trying to avoid driving as much as possible.
In that case, you'll probably want to be looking for places within walking distance of Broadway, Baseline, 28th, or 30th, with a northern limit of Iris, and a southern limit of the end of town. Most law students avoid the Hill (the undergrad ghetto/frat area) along the central portions of Broadway. I'd personally go with a place either just east of campus, or along 30th.
queenlizzie13 wrote:
That being said, what about Boulder made you decide that you would hate living with city limits?
1. Most of the apartment complexes feel rather outdated and dingy, especially for how much landlords charge for them in Boulder.
2. It's hard to get around. Taking the bus, it takes exactly as long to get to downtown Denver from Louisville (about 23 miles) as it does to get to downtown Boulder (around 8 miles) because of all the lights and traffic you hit once you get into town. Further, I drive everywhere, and there's not enough easy parking in Boulder.
3. Housing shortage mentality: "We don't have to do anything to fix the joint up, because there's not enough places for all the students, and we'll rent the place to one of the suckers eventually."
4. Elitist housing mentality: "Of course the place is a shithole; but it's Boulder, everyone wants to live in Boulder, this place is great compared to the rest of the shitholes in Boulder."
5. No air conditioning: "Oh, but you would only really
need the A/C for like a month out of the year!" - Yeah, but you actually do need it for that month because your apartment is going to be 90 degrees inside otherwise.
6. Lack of everyday shopping amenities: I want a choice of three nice new grocery stores, a not-overcrowded Whole Foods, a new Sunflower, a Wal-Mart, a Super Target, a Home Depot, a Lowes, and a Costco, all within 10 minutes of me. I have that in Louisville, which is much smaller than Boulder. In Boulder, they expect you to shop at some crummy overcrowded grocery store, the busiest Whole Foods location in the nation, buy $30 hammers from a family owned hardware store, and drive to Louisville for everything else. Why don't I just live in Louisville then?
All that said, most of these issues probably stem from my growing up in a brand new town, living in a southwestern US urban sprawl situation. Louisville is a very new, sprawl-type suburb. Boulder is an older place, something like you might find back east somewhere. I just grew up with the former, so I prefer it.
queenlizzie13 wrote:Also how much on rent per month do you save by living in Louisville. I am all for saving money especially because I found out I'm going to need an extra $100 every month to join the Running Republic of Boulder.
There's an apartment complex on Arapahoe in Boulder that was built by the same contractor as the place I have in Louisville, the same year, on the same plans. It's a seven to ten minute drive to the law building just as my place is, just in a different direction. Both joints bill themselves as relatively upscale apartment communities, and have lots of amenities. Neither are within walking distance of anything.
A one bedroom at the Boulder complex has a Boulder address, so they rent their basic, not-remodeled one bedrooms for $1185/month. At my complex, a completely identical unit—completely remodeled in the last 6 months with new everything—rents for $817/month. That's $350 purely for the Boulder address.
queenlizzie13 wrote:Do you guys ever find time to go to Denver Broncos games? I have never been to an NFL game, and it would be cool to go to one. That is assuming there even is football next year with the looming lockout...
I probably had the time to buy season tickets and attend every game. The issue is more with living on the pittance of a financial aid budget they give us than having time for it.
$4 rockpile tickets at Rockies games is more of a law school tradition.
-Pufer
