Boulder, CO - Cyburbia Forums

teofilo · 2009-05-04, 06:10 PM

I was in Boulder this past June and took a ton of pictures. These are just a few. Nice place.

zmanPLAN · 2009-05-04, 06:25 PM

Even though it is only a 40 minute drive, I haven't been to Boulder in a long time. I think since I took me GREs at CU in 2006.
Anyways, nice shots. Boulder gets a bad rap, especially out here in Conservative Weld County. It is often called the "People's Republic of Boulder", it is a bastion for some interesting ideas, but all in all a nice town.

I would move there if I could afford it, much to my wife's chagrin.

Next time you're up, go to Fort Collins. I'll walk it with you.

teofilo · 2009-05-04, 08:40 PM

I'd never been to Boulder before this trip, and I was pretty impressed with it. I've never been to Ft. Collins either, but I've heard good things.

mgk920 · 2009-05-05, 02:16 AM

I've been to Boulder a couple of times, too. My impression of it is that of a typical big-campus university town on steroids - essentially anyone not connected with the campus (student or faculty) doesn't live there. It has a much celebrated 'green (or brown) belt' surrounding its low-density developed area (*VERY* suburban in feel away from the campus), which in turn is surrounded by the wash of Denver's faceless suburban sprawl (where everyone else who works in Boulder lives). Non-student housing prices in the city are astronomical due to the city's low-density zoning-enforced housing shortage.

It is a very utopian, almost too idyllic place - fun to visit but I just would not want to live there (if I was in central Colorado, I would prefer Colorado Springs or the closer-in Denver areas).

BTW, I was hoping for an image of the Alfred Packer Bar and Grill on campus. Darn....

Mike

teofilo · 2009-05-05, 03:04 AM

I didn't get over to the Alferd Packer Bar and Grill, unfortunately, and didn't even know it was there. If I had I would probably have sought it out.

And yeah, "college town on steroids" sounds about right for Boulder. It was somewhat bigger and much wealthier than I expected, and the suburban feel away from campus is quite pronounced (you can see it in some of the pictures). The pictures at the end (from above) show the greenbelt around the city pretty clearly.

I don't think I would mind living there if I could afford it, but that's a huge "if." It would certainly be preferable to the endless, faceless Denver suburban sprawl I drove through on the way in, but the actual urban parts of Denver would be more to my taste. I visited the Springs on the same trip and will post some pictures soon; suffice it to say that I would definitely not see that as a preferable area to live.

Cardinal · 2009-05-05, 06:51 PM

You start with a number of pictures of the University Hill area. It is less known than Pearl Street, but in my opinion, a far more attractive and interesting part of town. Pearl Street is for people who want to eat in fancy restaurants and buy $200 polo shirts. The Hill is a funky mix of universtity and neighborhood shopping district. The City was trying to promote redevelopment when I left there. I hope they do not destroy it. Pearl Street has a good healthy relationship with 29th Street, to old Flatirons Mall. When the City held up renovation and would not approve other plans for the mall, the owners closed it. This cause a huge drop in tax revenue and allowed further development of stronger competition in Bloomfield/Lafeyette just outside of the dead zone (greenbelt) that makes it so easy for people to leave the city to shop elsewhere. When 29th Street was being planned the owners made promise after promise not to court the retailers from Pearl Street, many of them now located at 29th Street. Although marketed as a lifestyle center, it is really not much more than a mall that incorporates some pedestrian-oriented design and "main street" architecture. It's anchor is Home Depot and a theater, and there is no housing in it.

teofilo · 2009-05-05, 06:58 PM

I heard a lot of complaints about 29th Street along those same lines while I was in Boulder. I didn't get over there myself. I did like University Hill a lot, and I agree that it's a more interesting area than what I saw of Pearl Street.

cmd uw · 2009-07-19, 11:32 PM

Fantastic photos, thanks for the wonderful tour.

JNA · 2009-07-20, 12:09 AM

Thanks for the memory.

Rygor · 2009-07-20, 01:23 PM

Excellent photos as always. It really makes me want to visit Boulder and perhaps see an old friend and co-worker in Fort Collins.

2009-05-04, 06:10 PM	#1
teofilo Cyburbian Registered: Aug 2005 Location: Highland Park, NJ Posts: 253	Boulder, CO I was in Boulder this past June and took a ton of pictures. These are just a few. Nice place.

2009-05-04, 06:25 PM	#2
zmanPLAN On hiatus. Registered: Apr 2004 Location: In limbo. Posts: 8,603 Blog entries: 2	Even though it is only a 40 minute drive, I haven't been to Boulder in a long time. I think since I took me GREs at CU in 2006. Anyways, nice shots. Boulder gets a bad rap, especially out here in Conservative Weld County. It is often called the "People's Republic of Boulder", it is a bastion for some interesting ideas, but all in all a nice town. I would move there if I could afford it, much to my wife's chagrin. Next time you're up, go to Fort Collins. I'll walk it with you. __________________ You get all squeezed up inside/Like the days were carved in stone/You get all wired up inside/And it's bad to be alone You can go out, you can take a ride/And when you get out on your own/You get all smoothed out inside/And it's good to be alone -Peart

2009-05-05, 06:51 PM	#6
Cardinal Cyburbian Registered: Aug 2001 Location: The Cheese State Posts: 7,952	You start with a number of pictures of the University Hill area. It is less known than Pearl Street, but in my opinion, a far more attractive and interesting part of town. Pearl Street is for people who want to eat in fancy restaurants and buy $200 polo shirts. The Hill is a funky mix of universtity and neighborhood shopping district. The City was trying to promote redevelopment when I left there. I hope they do not destroy it. Pearl Street has a good healthy relationship with 29th Street, to old Flatirons Mall. When the City held up renovation and would not approve other plans for the mall, the owners closed it. This cause a huge drop in tax revenue and allowed further development of stronger competition in Bloomfield/Lafeyette just outside of the dead zone (greenbelt) that makes it so easy for people to leave the city to shop elsewhere. When 29th Street was being planned the owners made promise after promise not to court the retailers from Pearl Street, many of them now located at 29th Street. Although marketed as a lifestyle center, it is really not much more than a mall that incorporates some pedestrian-oriented design and "main street" architecture. It's anchor is Home Depot and a theater, and there is no housing in it. __________________ APA - Extorting money from professional planners for 25 years

2009-07-19, 11:32 PM	#8
cmd uw Cyburbian Registered: Jan 2005 Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Posts: 84	Fantastic photos, thanks for the wonderful tour. __________________ "First we shape our buildings, and then our buildings start shaping us." - Sir Winston Churchill

2009-07-20, 01:23 PM	#10
Rygor Cyburbian Registered: Jun 2009 Location: Where the Wild Things Are Posts: 325	Excellent photos as always. It really makes me want to visit Boulder and perhaps see an old friend and co-worker in Fort Collins. __________________ "When life gives you lemons, just say 'No thanks'." - Henry Rollins

2009-05-04, 08:40 PM	#3
teofilo Cyburbian Registered: Aug 2005 Location: Highland Park, NJ Posts: 253	I'd never been to Boulder before this trip, and I was pretty impressed with it. I've never been to Ft. Collins either, but I've heard good things.

2009-05-05, 02:16 AM	#4
mgk920 Cyburbian Registered: Mar 2004 Location: Appleton, Wisconsin Posts: 2,573	I've been to Boulder a couple of times, too. My impression of it is that of a typical big-campus university town on steroids - essentially anyone not connected with the campus (student or faculty) doesn't live there. It has a much celebrated 'green (or brown) belt' surrounding its low-density developed area (VERY suburban in feel away from the campus), which in turn is surrounded by the wash of Denver's faceless suburban sprawl (where everyone else who works in Boulder lives). Non-student housing prices in the city are astronomical due to the city's low-density zoning-enforced housing shortage. It is a very utopian, almost too idyllic place - fun to visit but I just would not want to live there (if I was in central Colorado, I would prefer Colorado Springs or the closer-in Denver areas). BTW, I was hoping for an image of the Alfred Packer Bar and Grill on campus. Darn.... Mike

2009-05-05, 03:04 AM	#5
teofilo Cyburbian Registered: Aug 2005 Location: Highland Park, NJ Posts: 253	I didn't get over to the Alferd Packer Bar and Grill, unfortunately, and didn't even know it was there. If I had I would probably have sought it out. And yeah, "college town on steroids" sounds about right for Boulder. It was somewhat bigger and much wealthier than I expected, and the suburban feel away from campus is quite pronounced (you can see it in some of the pictures). The pictures at the end (from above) show the greenbelt around the city pretty clearly. I don't think I would mind living there if I could afford it, but that's a huge "if." It would certainly be preferable to the endless, faceless Denver suburban sprawl I drove through on the way in, but the actual urban parts of Denver would be more to my taste. I visited the Springs on the same trip and will post some pictures soon; suffice it to say that I would definitely not see that as a preferable area to live.

2009-05-05, 06:58 PM	#7
teofilo Cyburbian Registered: Aug 2005 Location: Highland Park, NJ Posts: 253	I heard a lot of complaints about 29th Street along those same lines while I was in Boulder. I didn't get over there myself. I did like University Hill a lot, and I agree that it's a more interesting area than what I saw of Pearl Street.

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