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wanderingclark · 5 years ago

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Bank of Sugar || Clark and Sugar

Who: Clark Meeks and Sugar Motta ( @usecodesugar ) When: Wednesday, January 22, 2020 Where: Sugars house What: Clark ask Sugar for a loan. Doesn’t turn out quite as planned.

Clark

Clark was nervous. She had bought a nice shirt and pair of pants for this evening, showered at the school, did their hair nicely and made sure they looked good. They wanted to be as professional as possible for this. Yeah, Sugar was their friend, but they were about to ask for a massive amount of money. The home they found was perfect for what they wanted and it was used so it was already built. They just had to pay for the house and the shipping to get it to Doveport and the first and last months rent for the plot of land they had found to rent to put it on. Everything was in place, they just needed the money. And no bank would ever give them the amount of money they were gonna need. So Sugar was their one and only shot at this. Pulling up to the gate and entering in the code Sugar gave them, they parked and grabbed all the paperwork they needed for this meeting. Taking a deep breath and brushing off the imaginary dust off their shirt, the walked up and rang the doorbell before pushing their glasses up their face as they waited for Sugar to answer

Sugar

Sugar performed her usual routine of checking that everything was clean, she had put Simon in one of his nicer bow ties, just for kicks, and changed into jeans and a Gucci tshirt. She had gotten her checkbook from her business manager earlier, knowing Clark would want to collect on the bet they had made, she'd honestly been so impressed that they had lasted. She never would have been able to do it. At the bell, Simon ran to the door and Sugar followed, opening it with a smile. "Hey come on in!" She made room for Clark to come inside. "Is this couch talk or do we need like a table?"

Clark

Clark smiled and followed her in. Tapping their notebook against their hand, they licked their lips. "Uh. Probably a table" they said nervously. God they needed to stop being so nervous. They needed to get their shit together. They followed Sugar to the formal dining table and sat next to the girl at the table before opening their notebook and pulling out a bunch of papers with a bunch of numbers and she could already see them scrambling in the page. Shaking their head, they cleared their throat before closing their eyes for a moment and then opening them back up to look at Sugar. "I found a house." they said bluntly before continuing. "It's a tiny home actually. On wheels. It's preowned so it's already built with all the bells and whistles and has like top of the line everything but the previous owners couldn't finish their payments so they got foreclosed on or something. I don't know but they're now selling it for cheap. I mean, for cheap for a tiny home" they rambled before shaking their head and looking back down to the papers before grabbing a few. "This is the house and all the specs. There's plumbing, electric, a kitchen, a bathroom with a full shower, a living room, an office and a loft bedroom. And it's on wheels so all I'd have to do is hook it up if I ever wanted to go somewhere else" they said, their heart racing inside of their chest as they watched Sugar look over the paper work.

Sugar

There was something off about Clark tonight, Sugar could practically feel the nervous energy radiating off of them. Sitting at the table, she realized this was actually really serious, and she wanted to be there for her friend, so she vowed to give her complete attention. Even Simon could sense something was up and sat next to Sugar's chair, straight and tall, like the dignified businessman he was. Before Sugar could open her mouth to congratulated Clark on finding a place, they went on. She remembered when she'd finally decided to get this house and she'd been so happy that day, her very first home. Clark handed her some paperwork, and she did her best to look interested, but she honestly couldn't make heads or tails of it. It looked nice, smaller than the play house she'd had as a kid, but clean. She nodded her head, looking up at Clark with a smile. "It looks very nice!”

Clark

Clark licked their lips when Sugar spoke and nodded. "It is really nice. And I've contacted the seller and I threw a number at them and they accepted it and gave me a week to get the loan approved on my end" the said before taking a deep breath. "The thing is, I'm 23, a student with no actual physical address with a part time minimum wage job. No bank in their right mind would loan me the kind of money I'm asking for. So I wanted to ask you" they said straight out, letting out a slow breath of air before looking down at their paperwork, shuffling it around to try and find the sheet that had all the numbers they needed on it.

Sugar

Nodding, Sugar looked down again. She had a vague understanding of mortgages and stuff, but honestly, she hadn't needed one to buy her house, so she didn't know what Clark was getting at, did they want Sugar's advice on homeownership? Then she heard it, this was about money. Definitely a sticky topic between the two of them, but Sugar had money, everyone knew she had money, it wasn't a secret. In fact, the Mottas had more than they could spend in several lifetimes even before counting Sugar's success on Instagram, she never understood the concept of being greedy with her money. Her father had taught her to invest wisely... was Clark a wise investment? She looked at them, at how anxious they were, and she nodded. "How much?"

Clark

Clark finally found the piece of paper they were looking for before looking up at the question. "This number includes the house, the shipping of the house to Doveport and the first and last months rent on the plot of land I found that I can rent for the next year. I did all the math and if I pick up some extra hours at the shop and maybe a second job, I can make monthly payments of $287 a month for the next 12 years to pay off this loan with an interest rate of .125% add on top of it" they said, hoping the numbers they were saying were the correct numbers as their hands worried the paper they were holding inside of them.

Sugar

Sugar shook her head. "I can't made heads or tails of this, Clark, just give me a number." She said, standing. She walked into the kitchen and grabbed her checkbook and pen and walked back into the dining room. She opened the book and poised her pen, looking to Clark for an answer.

Clark

Clark watched Sugar walk out of the room, brows furrowed. Didn't Sugar understand money and how everything worked? They shook their head when the girl walked back into the room. "Um. $35,000" they said before looking down at their paper again. "They're accepting $29,500 for the house and then it's $3,000 to ship it here and then it's $2,500 for first and last months rent for the land. It'll be $1,250 a month for rent which is gonna be rough but I think I'm gonna put my $10,000 prize money into the rent for the year so I don't have to worry about it" they explained.

Sugar

"Okayyyy..." She said, scribbling down the information on the check. She made it out to CASH, unsure of what name was on Clark's ID, the amount, in the notes she wrote "gift" and finally, with a flourish, her signature. She ripped the check from the book and slid it over to Clark, making no mention of the fact that it was made out for $50,000 instead of 35. "That includes your bet win." She said casually

Clark

Clark watched Sugar write out the check and hand it over, looking at the girl before looking down at the check. They furrowed their eyebrows, trying to do math in their heads before pulling out their phone and adding everything up before looking back up. "This is too much?" they said before scribbling some numbers down on a sheet of paper and crossing them out before scribbling more numbers down and trying to do math on their phone, clenching their teeth as they tried to get all the numbers to stop swirling around on the page in front of them.

Sugar

Sugar shrugged. "I like round numbers!" She smiled. "Just, put the extra 5 grand toward your rent too, or toward new bedding or something!" Simon gave his bark of approval. "Do you want something to drink or something? Or like a snack? I'm kind of starving."

Clark

Clark shook their head. "The extra 5 grand puts it up to a 15 year loan though. Are you okay with that?" the asked, shaking their head again. "And how am I supposed to put this in the bank if it's made out to cash. That's not my name" they continued, still confused.

Sugar

Furrowing her brow, Sugar leaned against the table. "Loan?" She shook her head, what was Clark babbling about, did they not want the money? "You just take it to my bank and cash it, and then you put the money in your bank... I wasn't sure what name was on your ID, so I figured cash was just easier. And then you can keep some extra cash if you want...." Had she done something wrong?

Clark

Clark was so confused. "Yeah. Loan. You loan me the money I pay you back. That's what I was talking about. I can get a second job and it would be.." they said shuffling through the pages in front of them. "$287 a month. I would pay you that over the next 12 years to pay you back $40,000 because I was adding a 12.5% interest to it" they explained.

Sugar

"You don't need to pay me back, Clark." Sugar shook her head, she knew it was a large amount of money, she wasn't stupid, but it was genuinely less than she usually spent on clothes in a week. She could afford to help Clark out, and she wanted Clark to know that everything was fine between them after their disagreement, she didn't want Clark to think she was going to start being weird about money.

Clark

Clark's jaw literally dropped. They were frozen in shock for a few seconds before shaking their head. "No dude. You can't just give me $40,000" they said before setting the check down in front of them. "This is a huge deal to me. Getting a house and staying in one place for at least a year if not longer. I never thought I'd leave Eileen until I got a new car. So this is huge for me. And I wanna do it right. I don't want you to think I'm just using you for money because that's not...that's not the case at all. I'm asking you because a bank would say no, but I need the money to pull this off and a loan is the only way for me to do that" they rambled, their thoughts not even coming out in full sentences yet. "We literally just had an argument about this like...less than a week ago. I don't want you to sit here and think you're money is all i see you as because it's not. I just...you were my only option at securing a loan. You giving me money is not a loan. And I don't want you to think that I'm only sticking around because you're giving me money." Their brain was not comprehending the fact that Sugar wanted to give her such a large amount of money. This was more money than they'd ever seen in their entire life time. They had no idea how to comprehend what was going on.

Sugar

Sugar reached out and put her hand over Clark's. "Clark, you're my friend. You need money for a house and I have it. I don't..." She paused. "Look, I feel really bad for getting so worked up about all that, I was just feeling really weird and I was on edge and you just... pushed a button, but I know you don't really care about my money, I mean, if you did you'd have taken advantage of all this by now. Unless you're running like the longest con ever. So, please, let me do this." She chewed her lip. "Will it help if the gift comes with conditions? So it feels more... contractural?"

Clark

Clark could feel tears welling up in their eyes but they didn't know why. They could see how genuine Sugar was when she spoke and they shook their head. "Why can't I just pay you back?" they asked, not knowing how else to thank the girl for the check in between them.

Sugar

"Because you're already going to school and working at the shop, and my friendship is very high maintenance, I can't have some stupid second job cutting into my ice cream time!" She said, as if it were completely obvious. "This money is supposed to make your life easier not harder, so no second job. What you can do is buy me dinner once a month. I want an actual meal too, not drive thru. I mean... you can buy me drive thru too, but it won't count... and you can't ask me for money again for.... um... a year?" She was trying to think of conditions that would make Clark more comfortable. "And you can't tell anyone you got the money from me. I mean, I'll probably tell Finn, but besides him."

Clark

Clark listened to the girls conditions, biting the inside of their lip as they did so. If Sugar wasn't gonna take their money, they'd have to get creative so they put that thought in the back of their mind before nodding. "Okay. Okay fine but can we put it in writing? And honestly, I don't think I'll ever ask you for money again because this is way too much for a lifetime" they said as they looked down at the check again.

Sugar

Sugar nodded. "Of course, I'll have my lawyer draw something up." She leaned back, her eyes scanning Clark, trying to figure them out. "Do you want this house? Is it a place you can be proud of and feel safe and at home?"

Clark

Clark nodded before locking eyes with the girl and nodding again. "I've done my research. And I'm sick of the parking tickets I have to contest. It's too much time and money. And I plan on sticking around for at least a year. I want a little bit of space and I think this is the best option for me. I've done my research, I've looked at a lot of different places and I think this is really gonna probably be my forever home" they said honestly.

Sugar

"Then it's worth it." Sugar said, nodding toward the check. As far as she was concerned the case was closed. "So, like... was that a no on the snack, or...?" Making dreams come true seemed to really work up an appetite, and she had already been hungry before Clark had come over, almost as if she associated Clark with food.

Clark

Clark ran a hand through their hair as they nodded. Picking up the check, the pulled out their wallet and put the check inside just to keep it safe before turning back to Sugar. "I'm down. How about those pizza puffs?" they asked with a smile. Standing up with Sugar, they reached out and grabbed her arm before wrapping their own arms around the girl in a hug. "Seriously. Thank you" they whispered.

Sugar

Sugar laughed. "I'm sure I have some somewhere." She stood, ready to lead the way into the kitchen. Suddenly, she was being wrapped in a hug, and she smiled, returning the hug and relaxing into it. It felt nice to just be normal with Clark again, like their fight was finally actually behind them. "You're welcome." She whispered back, happy to have been able to help.

Clark

Clark let the hug go one for a moment longer before pulling back some. "Okay. Enough with numbers and sappy shit. Food" they said with a grin as they pointed towards the kitchen, happy to follow the girl into it.

#sugar #bank of sugar #adventures with clark #adventures

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is6621 · 5 years ago

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Tech makes it possible to get into the seemingly unreachable Real Estate Game. -Dan Kelly

With the soaring prices of homeownership in major cities across the nation there are constant daily articles, reminders, blogs and tweets that claim the dream of buying real estate to either live in or as an investment property is a long shot and a pipe dream. It seems that the overall general consensus is that there is simply no hope and with frustrations at an all-time high, why even bother looking anymore?

I do agree that housing prices in many major markets such a San Francisco, New York City, Boston, Seattle are sky high and there doesn’t seem to be any relief in sight. The articles I am seeing refer to those major cities and constantly talk about high prices, high demand, extremely limited inventory, especially sub luxury, and almost no way to compete if you actually find a property and can’t pay in all cash. Many predict (and/or hope) for some type of downturn eventually. New York City has definitely felt the recent pain of too many luxury properties coming online in the +$2,000,000 and up range and they now are sitting longer on the market, however, even with more luxury options available few can touch these types of prices.

I read an article the other week and made a twitter post about this article on curbed.com called “Millennials, priced out of homes locally, shop for investment properties online” discussing how a similar minded individual in San Francisco wanted to buy a home but after years of searching and failing to get offers accepted, turned to an online company called Roofstock. Roofstock allowed this person who wanted to own and invest in real estate to actually look at houses across the country in all different locations, see a set of specific ratings, inspection reports and socioeconomic information, and also helps to identify more and less risky areas as well as which properties are expected to yield higher returns and at what risks are associated when it comes to those properties.

Roofstock also enables you to buy these properties, rent them and also hire a maintenance and management company through this website while never having to even visit the location or the house. Clearly this idea has caught on and Roofstock has overseen over $1 billion in transactions in less than 2 years.

The initial thought of making such a large investment without physically visiting it or having it easily accessible is definitely nontraditional when thinking about the typical ways that generations before us would purchase a home. The concept, while different allows a potential buyer and investor access to so many more available properties. Yes, there is definitely a higher risk associated to this, however, the opportunity if you are ready to jump in and invest in the real estate market and don’t want to invest in REIT (Real Estate Investment Trusts) or crowd sharing options with partial ownership, and are ready to take on some risk for the opportunity to get rental income I thought this was a very intriguing option. Thanks to all the current day technology, such as the cloud and such a large amount of data and technology available at your fingertips the thought of purchasing a home either to live in, have a second home or a rental property through this website actually seems like something I would consider especially when living in a high cost city (Boston).

With airbnb and vrbo changing the entire renting market, renting a home short or long term couldn’t be easier through a few clicks on your phone or computer. The difficult task is finding a property to buy in this market that you can then use these sites and technology to your advantage for rental income. In this day and age with emerging technology and new applications you can scout real estate listings across the country, use social media to get an idea of the area that you want to buy, purchase, own and manage a home all from your phone is pretty insane.

Although difficult, frustrating and facing constant competition when buying a home or investing in real estate the fact that these websites, apps and technologies bring once unknown properties and make them available to savvy investors is changing the real estate market. Having the ability to buy/sell/rent/manage/maintain properties through tech is pretty amazing and even though you may strike out in your local housing markets this new technology gives you the reach and resources to be an active participant and investor if you are ready to take on the risk and hopefully reap the rewards. Does the thought of buying a property all remotely online with a high probability of never stepping foot in it freak you out or does the opportunity and potential rewards outweigh the risks? I’m intrigued!!

https://www.curbed.com/2019/9/10/20852849/millennial-buy-a-home-homeownership-remote https://www.kare11.com/article/news/real-estate-investing-with-just-a-few-hundred-dollars-new-apps-make-it-possible/89-daf1ef38-23df-46b5-b9eb-8d2c13a9f101 https://futurism.com/fintech-real-estate-investing-peerstreet

#is6621

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first-year-writing-blog · 6 years ago

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The American Dream

Marshall

FYW 1000C

Fall 2018

Inga Oladottir

10 Ways of Looking at The American Dream, a Numbered Multimodal Multi-Genre Research Composition

STORY

My best friend is from Bel Air, Maryland and her name is Annie. Me and Annie both go to St. Johns University in New York city and she used to always tell me how different New York is from her hometown. I never really understood what she meant by that because in my mind it was all America, how different could it be? But boyyy, I definitely saw the difference Annie always talked about as soon as I was in my friend’s town. The first time I went home with Annie, I was a couple months into freshman year and New York was the only place I had ever been to in America. I had no idea that there were places in America so different from New York that it almost felt like stepping into a new country. When I saw the town that she is from, and the neighborhood she grew up in, I just thought: That is the epitome of the American dream. She lives in a big, white house with a big front lawn. The house is surrounded by a white picking fence, and then when I looked around, so did all the other houses in her neighborhood. There was a yard sale going on in front of one of the houses so I got to see a couple of her neighbors, and they were all so friendly and happy looking. When we went back to New York a couple days later, my opinion about what the American dream is had certainly changed. I actually have two best friends and both of them are from America, but now when I look at them, I would only think that one of them has lived the American dream.

FACTS, STATISTICS, MEDIA

1. The ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. (googled the American dream definition)

http://www.generations.com/2015/09/21/the-evolution-of-the-american-dream/

http://scpaworks.org/2018/05/workforce-chartoftheweek-the-fading-american-dream/

4. The road to success is not easy to navigate, but with hard work, drive and passion, it’s possible to achieve the American dream – Tommy Hilfiger. https://people.com/celebrity/hilfiger-launching-fashion-reality-show/

5. Less than 20% of Americans say they’re living the American dream https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/19/less-than-20-percent-of-americans-say-theyre-living-the-american-dream.html

https://www.pri.org/stories/2011-11-21/souring-american-dream

7. What’s killing the American dream? Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1nXxPMsOIs

8. Myths and realities of the American dream https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQvAsXfMkiw

9. Myth: If you have money, you will find happiness. Truth: Money isn’t everything.

http://www.paleobosslady.com/blog/the-american-dream-is-a-lie

10. The American dream on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Dream

11. An article on what the American dream is today. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Dream

12. 36% of people that think their family has achieved the American dream.http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/10/31/most-think-the-american-dream-is-within-reach-for-them/

13. Fact: If your parents are on the bottom rung of the economic ladder, there’s a good chance you’ll end up there too.http://stateofopportunity.michiganradio.org/post/five-facts-about-achieving-american-dream

14.Cartoon on the American dream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L4YIkYP5uU

15.We need to remain a nation that doesn't just welcome but celebrates legal immigrants who come here seeking to pursue the american dream. - Ted Cruz

https://www.thedailybeast.com/is-ted-cruz-post-hispanic

TEXUAL ANALYSIS

The article “The Transformation of the American Dream” by Robert J. Shiller was published in The New York Times on August 4th, 2017. The article explains how the American dream has transformed over the years and how it shifts from being an idea about social justice and equal opportunity, to the idea of wealth and homeownership. It also deals with how American’s associate having a home and a business with living up to the standards of the American dream. The text shows us how the idea of the American dream has changed over the years, depending on what was happening in the country at the time. The text talks about different perspectives that different leaders have of the American dream, and how that influences how the public views it. The author uses facts and statements to support what he is discussing in the text and he uses it to make his own statements clearer. Using other people’s words to support your own is a powerful way to get people to listen because it proves that you are not the only one thinking that way. Another way to say this is that the author uses logos to appeal to the audience, he presents plausible arguments on logical or apparent logical terms to support his text. I think that the text provides us with a good example of what the American dream should be, but at the same time it also shows us what it is in reality. Today, the American dream is just about being rich and having a big, fancy house but that is not what it is supposed to be. In my opinion it should be hope, it should be a way for people to know that they are worthy and that they deserve to be treated like everyone else. The last passage of the text struck me the most because it stated what I have been thinking all along about the American dream concept. Shiller said in the passage that “we need to bring back the American dream of social justice” and for me, he last passage is the beauty of the whole text because it puts the American dream into perspective and I think that it is the central idea of what the dream is about. On the contrary, even if humans want the American dream to be about social justice, we get caught up in our greed for material things and forget the true idea of the American dream. We get stuck on this idea that we have to have money to live up to it and that ruins the clear concept of what the American dream is really about. This text is very important to my research paper because it deals exactly with my question, what is the American dream? The text shows us what it is supposed to be but it also shows us what many American people perceive it to be and that is why this text is so important to my research topic.

VISUAL ANALYSIS

List of things:

· Many doctors trying to save the man

· The man is old àThe American Dream is an old concept

· The man has a hole in his chest

o Maybe he was shot

o It could be a hidden connection to the gun violence happening in the US.

1. Whose message is this? Who created or paid for it and why? Where was it originally published?

This is a message from a girl named Karly Tinervia. She is writing on her blog about the book The Working Poor Invisible in America by David K. Shipler, where the picture was originally published. Karly talks about how the American dream is dying and how it is hard for people in poverty to get out of it.

2. Who is the “target audience”? What is their age, ethnicity, class, profession, interests, etc.? What words images or sounds suggest this?

The target audience is everyone that wants to listen to her message. She wants people to understand what Shipler is talking about in his book and be influenced by it. Karly is talking about a subject that relates to everyone that lives in America because the idea of the American dream relates to everyone and the man in the image is dressed in the colors of the American flag which suggest that it relates to Americans.

3. What is the “text” of the message? (What we actually see and/or hear: written or spoken words, photos, drawings, logos, design, music, sounds, etc.)

We see an old man that is lying on a table with a shotgun wound on his chest. The man is surrounded by several doctors but by the look of it, he has passed away. The man is dressed in the colors of the American flag.

4. What is the “subtext” of the message? (What do you think is the hidden or unstated meaning?)

The subtext of the message is that the American dream is dying right in front of us and it is too late to prevent it from happening. More and more people are not able to make enough money to live a good life and so many people never reach their goals of fulfilling the American dream.

5. What kind of lifestyle is presented or what kind of injustice does the image seek to address?

The image seeks to address the issue of poverty and how unfair the system in America works. There is only a certain number of people that can live the American dream and those people are often those that are born into rich families, so everything is handed to them from the day they are born. People that don’t have that advantage have a hard time of reaching that same level of success and most of them never do.

6. What values are expressed?

Social justice and equal right (or more precisely, the lack of it) are the values that come to my head when I look at the picture

7. What positive messages are presented? What negative messages are presented?

The positive message presented is that there will always be people that are willing to help others, no matter if they don’t benefit from it. The negative message is that there are also people that will not do anything, they stay away and watch everything happening from a far.

8. What groups of people does this message empower? What groups does it disempower? How does this serve the media maker’s interests?

I think that this message should empower every American to be a better version of himself and maybe help the less fortunate.

9. What part of the story is not being told? How and where could you get more information about the untold stories?

The part that is not being told is how we got to this point. Why is the American dream slowly dying? Who is responsible for it and who is responsible for saving it?

10. What conclusions can you make about this image?

This image illustrates what is happening to the American dream and that if we don’t start doing anything about it now, soon it will be too late.

Analysis

This image was originally posted in the book “The Working Poor Invisible in America” by David K. Shipler. The book along with the image was first published on January 4th2004 but I discovered it on a personal blog. The owner of the blog is Karly Tinervia and in the blog that the image appears in, Karly is talking about the context of the book. The image displays an old man that is lying flat on a table with a shotgun wound on his chest. The man is surrounded by several doctors but by the look of it, he has just passed away. The man is dressed in the colors of the American flag but despite what we might think we see, the image has a hidden message. It symbolized how the American dream is dying right in front of our eyes, and that most people just stand by and watch it happen. In the image, there is one doctor that is still actively trying to save the life of the old man while the others just watch him and that is supposed to symbolize the reason for why the American dream is dying. Most people think that there is nothing they can do, or that the power is not in their hands, but, most people don’t realize that you don’t have to do anything significant to make a change. You can start by doing something small, such as helping the less fortunate in this country with small acts of kindness. Those little things, might just be the start for some people on the road to a better life that perhaps, makes them a little closer to achieving the American dream.

SURVEY

Do you consider you family to be a part of the middle class?

Are you an American citizen?

What do you consider to be the American dream?

Do you think that your family lived out the American dream? Why or why not?

Analysis of survey results

Most people that took the survey considered their family to be of the middle class and most of them were American citizens. When it came to provide an explanation of what people considered to be the American dream, I noticed that all the answers had something to do with having money and being able to provide for themselves. Some answers involved having a house, usually a big house with a family. Most people thought that their families had lived out the American dream, but there were couple participants that did not think so. You can see a couple of examples in the picture above, but the reason those people didn’t consider their families to have lived it out the dream was because of a financial crisis. When I look at the last two questions and compare the two, I see a clear link between them, due to the fact that people measure their success based on how much money they have. The people that think they are living the American dream are those who have money, and the people who don’t think they are living it, are the people with little or no money.

One answer in the survey really caught my attention. It was an answer to the question about what the American dream is and that person said “I think the American dream is that everyone has an equal opportunity to be successful if they put all their hard work into it.” I feel like that statement sums up the original idea of the American dream and the reason that people from all over the world come to live in America. Somehow, over time, the idea has shifted over to being a dream about wealth and power, and I think that my results show that.

EXPERT OPINION

The article “Envy and the American Dream” by Nitin Nohria discussed the issue of how jealousy can shift people´s focus away from their own goals and over to other people´s success. It is an interesting aprroach as to why the American dream has been deteriorating over the past years and because of that, I think it will take a lot of work to re-establish what the American dream used to be. “In the meantime, instead of envying the good fortune of others, let’s focus on what we can do to stoke and further individual ambition,” (Nohria).That is a part of why the American dream is becoming a very distant for some people is because they envy other people’s success and that prevents them from working on their own goals and having success in what they are doing. If those people would just shift their focus back on what they are doing and stop comparing themselves to others, they would get closer to their own goals, and even better, they would get closer to the American dream. I think that Nohria also provides me with a different perspective on my research topic because he is not originally from America. His views of the dream might be different from other Americans since he came to the country with his own ideas about the dream and what he thought represented America.

RESEARCH QUESTION DIALOGUE

Research question: “What is the American dream?”

Me: “Where is the American Dream?”

Source:““The American Dream is back.” President Trump made that claim in a speech in January” (Shiller).

Me: “What is the American dream about?”

Source: “Mr. Trump and Ben Carson, the secretary of housing and urban development, have suggested it involves owning a beautiful home and a roaring business, but it wasn’t always so. Instead, in the 1930s, it meant freedom, mutual respect and equality of opportunity” (Shiller).

Me: “What is the difference between the American dream then and now?”

Source: “It had more to do with morality than material success” (Shiller).

Me: “Why is the dream slowly dying?”

Source: “One reason Shipler believes the American Dream is dead is because hard work does not pay off” (Shipler).

Me: “Does hard work not pay off any more?”

Source: “This results in these people being trapped working a few low paying jobs with no advancement opportunities. America was built on the notion of hard work that will then lead to opportunity and success, but Shipler shows that this is not the case anymore” (Shipler).

Me: “Do you even stand a chance if your parents are poor?”

Source: “If your parents are on the bottom rung of the economic ladder, there’s a good chance you’ll end up there too” (Dwyer).

Me: “In our modern society, do you even stand a chance then if you want to start your own business?”

Source: “We are going to create an environment for small business like we haven’t seen in many many decades,” (Shiller).

Me: “What about the dream of owning a house, or a home of some kind?”

Source: “Mr. Carson has explicitly said that homeownership is a central part of the Dream. In a speech at the National Housing Conference on June 9, he said, “I worry that millennials may become a lost generation for homeownership, excluded from the American Dream”” (Shiller).

Me: “But is homeownership a part of the American dream?”

Source: “Mr. Adams emphasized ideals rather than material goods, a “dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement.” And he clarified, “It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages...” (Shiller).

Me: “Does everyone have an equal opportunity to live the American dream in our society?”

Source: “If you want to achieve the American dream, the color of your skin matters” (Dwyer).

Me: “That needs to change, right?”

Source: “we need to remain a nation that doesn’t just welcome but that celebrates legal immigrants who come here seeking to pursue the American dream” (Cruiz).

Me: “The fact that immigrants want to come to America to pursue the American dream, does that make it a rather important concept?”

Source: “The American Dream is the country’s most important asset—more valuable than its extraordinary natural resources, deep financial capacity, or unparalleled workforce. It’s so valuable because it is a narrative that continues to draw people here from other countries, and it inspires those of us who are already here to work hard every day to better ourselves and our children” (Nohria).

Me: “What can help us save it?”

Source: “I agree with him that restoring confidence in the link between business success and social prosperity will be vital to sustaining the American Dream” (Nohria).

Me: “So what is keeping people from business success?”

Source: “Lately there are signs that America is shifting from an orientation of ambition toward one of envy. Whether it is the 99% who envy the 1% or the 53% who resent the 47% who are receiving government distributions, we are beginning to show signs of focusing more on others than on ourselves” (Nohria).

Me: “How does envy affect the American dream?”

Source: “It shifts people’s gaze toward others in a negative way and takes their focus off their own goals” (Nohria).

Me: “How can we change that and save the American dream?”

Source: “Fixing the problems that imperil this status will require difficult collective action. In the meantime, instead of envying the good fortune of others, let’s focus on what we can do to stoke and further individual ambition” (Nohria).

Me: “How do we want the American dream to look like when we save it?”

Source: “Instead, we need to bring back the American Dream of a just society, where everyone has an opportunity to reach “the fullest stature of which they are innately capable”” (Shiller).

Me: “But despite all the work that is before us, what do you think about America?”

Source: “Thirty years after my arrival as an immigrant, and despite the current hard times, I still see America as the best place to live and work and dream. Fixing the problems that imperil this status will require difficult collective action” (Nohria).

WHAT ELSE DO YOU NEED TO KNOW, OR WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT TO SAY?

The American dream has always been about freedom. People came to America to pursue the dream of freedom and happiness, being their own master and making money only for themselves. The American dream protects anyone that wants to pursue their dream and reach their potential to the fullest, (The Balance). The original idea about the American dream was that America should be the best country and that other countries would strive to be like it. “The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement,” (The Balance). Over the years, the idea about the American dream has been criticized due to the fact that the poverty rate in this country is increases and there are very limited options to help the people that fall into poverty. Homeownership has always been a big part of the American dream and president Roosevelt created a system that insured mortgages to help more people be able to afford a home. President Roosevelt said that everyone has the right to own a decent home, have a job that supports one’s family, and that everyone should have the opportunity to get an education and receive health care, but to this day, many families still don’t have enough money to afford health care. president Obama made it his mission to try and change that, and furthered the FDR’s idea that affordable health care is a fundamental need in every country. Today, there are many disagreements over the definition of the American dream and some people even say that it does not exist anymore, (The Balance). There is a need in this country to do something, it does not matter if people think the American dream exists or not. Income inequality, which is the gap between rich and poor, has been growing in America for approximately 30 years and Americas top 10% makes about 9 times as much as the bottom 90%, (Income Inequality). The wages in America have also been stagnating for over 30 years so the average American worker and the country’s lowest wage workers see no growth in their weekly wages, (Income Inequality). That means that even if you work and work, you always stay in the same place. You can’t climb up the income ladder because you are stuck with the same wages every week and that money goes to bills and things that are necessary for living. People have a hard time getting themselves out of that circle and therefore most people get stuck there, (Income Inequality).

CONCLUSION

The American dream is a concept created a very long time ago that, since then, has shaped American society and how we think about America. By definition the American dream is idea that every American citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success through hard work, determination, and initiative, (American Dream). The concept about the American dream has always been the same but over time, people have changed it’s meaning into something else. The American dream has been turned into a competition between people, to become more successful than others and have a bigger house, better car and, overall, a better life. As stated before, the American dream is in essence about achieving success and being successful but it was never about being more successful than others. Everyone has their own ideas about what success is and in addition to that, everyone has their own goals and ideas about what kind of success they want to achieve. Fulfilling the American dream should not be about fulfilling the same dream, but instead, it should be based on what each individual desires. People need to stop comparing themselves to others because we all have our own journeys and we never know the motives behind each individual’s actions are. The original idea of what the American dream stands for has to be brought back. The idea that everyone is equal and should have an equal opportunity to reach their goals and be successful. For that to happen, there has to be a change in the American society, so we can be able to say that everyone has equal opportunities. The American economy has to change from being an “envy economy” back into what it was before, which is an “ambitious economy,” (Nohria), meaning that people have to shift their focus away from other people, over to themselves if success is what they are looking for, because that is how you achieve your own dreams.

Works Cited

Amadeo, Kimberly. “5 Ways Our Founding Fathers Protect The American Dream.” The Balance Small Business, The Balance, www.thebalance.com/what-is-the-american-dream-quotes-and-history-3306009.

“The American Dream Is a Fu*King Lie.” PaleoBOSS Lady, www.paleobosslady.com/blog/the-american-dream-is-a-lie.

“American Dream.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Nov. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Dream.

BridgeWorks. “The Evolution of the American Dream.” BridgeWorks, 24 July 2017, www.generations.com/2015/09/21/the-evolution-of-the-american-dream/.

Carter, Shawn M. “Less than 20% of Americans Say They're Living the American Dream-Here's Why.” CNBC, CNBC, 19 Sept. 2017, www.cnbc.com/2017/09/19/less-than-20-percent-of-americans-say-theyre-living-the-american-dream.html.

Dwyer, Dustin. “Five Facts about Achieving the American Dream.” State of Opportunity, stateofopportunity.michiganradio.org/post/five-facts-about-achieving-american-dream.

“Income Inequality.” Inequality.org, inequality.org/facts/income-inequality/.

“Hilfiger Launching Fashion Reality Show.” PEOPLE.com, Time Inc, people.com/celebrity/hilfiger-launching-fashion-reality-show/.

Jr., Ruben Navarrette. “Is Ted Cruz 'Post-Hispanic'?” The Daily Beast, The Daily Beast Company, 22 Jan. 2015, www.thedailybeast.com/is-ted-cruz-post-hispanic.

Nohria, Nitin. “Envy and the American Dream.” Harvard Business Review, 1 Aug. 2014, hbr.org/2013/01/envy-and-the-american-dream.

PragerU. “What's Killing the American Dream?” YouTube, YouTube, 26 Sept. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1nXxPMsOIs.

Productions, WorldBeat. “The Myth and Realities of the American Dream.” YouTube, YouTube, 22 Mar. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQvAsXfMkiw.

Shiller, Robert J. “The Transformation of the 'American Dream'.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 4 Aug. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/08/04/upshot/the-transformation-of-the-american-dream.html.

Smith, Samantha. “Most Say American Dream Is within Reach for Them.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 31 Oct. 2017, www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/10/31/most-think-the-american-dream-is-within-reach-for-them/.

“The Souring of the American Dream.” Public Radio International, PRI, www.pri.org/stories/2011-11-21/souring-american-dream.

Star, Clovis. “The Collapse of The American Dream Explained Cartoon.” YouTube, YouTube, 9 Apr. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L4YIkYP5uU.

Tinervia, Karly. “Karly Tinervia.” Karly Tinervia, 1 Jan. 1970, karlytinervia15.blogspot.com/.

“Workforce #ChartOfTheWeek | The Fading American Dream?” SCPa Works, 7 May 2018, scpaworks.org/2018/05/workforce-chartoftheweek-the-fading-american-dream/.

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michaelandy101-blog · 4 years ago

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Earn Press Protection for Your Model in 5 Steps [Case Study]

New Post has been published on https://tiptopreview.com/earn-press-coverage-for-your-brand-in-5-steps-case-study/

Earn Press Protection for Your Model in 5 Steps [Case Study]

The creator’s views are totally his or her personal (excluding the unlikely occasion of hypnosis) and should not at all times replicate the views of Moz.

In 2021, earned media protection is extra useful than ever for what you are promoting. Even when your model is energetic on social media and your web site is optimized for search engine marketing, you are still lacking out on natural visitors and clients with out backlinks to your web site.

With Google’s John Mueller lately weighing digital PR as a tactic that’s price the identical — if no more — effort as technical search engine marketing, executing a correct earned media technique is a should.

Incomes media protection can appear formidable to a PR newbie. When you’ve ever puzzled the place to get began with questions like “How do I write an effective pitch?” and “What kind of content earns press?” learn on.

On this submit, I’ll stroll you thru how my crew earned top-tier press protection and backlinks for a consumer in 5 easy steps utilizing content material marketing methods, and how one can apply these identical steps to your individual model’s content material.

Step 1: Ideation

When developing with an thought for content material, visualize the headlines you need to see when the content material earns media attention. What do you need to discover out, and the place would you like this content material to seem?

What discussions are occurring in your which you could contribute to? What new insights or data are you able to add to the dialog?

For one Fractl consumer, Porch.com (an organization that connects you with house restore professionals), we wished to develop an concept that used knowledge to inform a narrative associated to house enchancment.

We sought to seem on wide-reaching nationwide publications such because the Washington Put up and extra industry-specific web sites like Realtor.com.

When folks wish to restore or preserve one thing of their house, an enormous concern is how a lot it’ll value. We wished to study extra about the most costly components of house upkeep, and the place within the US house upkeep prices had been lowest.

On your content material, attempt to provide you with an concept that not solely solutions a query, but in addition pertains to your model’s service or product providing.

After you provide you with a number of concepts, be certain to guage every thought primarily based on the SUCCEss mannequin. SUCCEss is an acronym that stands for: Easy, Surprising, Concrete, Credible, and Emotional.

Our marketing campaign thought for Porch.com checks all of the packing containers within the SUCCEss mannequin.

It is easy: How a lot does house restore value within the U.S.?

It is sudden: Some areas of house upkeep value greater than you assume.

It is concrete: The concept is particular and solutions a query.

It is credible: We’re utilizing knowledge to again up our claims.

It is emotional: money and homeownership are two emotionally charged subjects in the US.

After getting your thought, and it has the entire components for achievement, it is time to transfer on to step two.

Step 2: Producing a content material marketing marketing campaign

There are various other ways to go about producing a content material marketing marketing campaign. The way you create a marketing campaign actually comes right down to what knowledge supply you’re utilizing on your content material.

A number of the hottest concepts use one of many following sources for his or her content material:

Survey knowledge

Social media knowledge (Twitter, Fb, Instagram)

Google Developments knowledge

Inner firm knowledge

Publicly obtainable knowledge supply (FDA, WHO, Census Bureau, and many others.)

Determine one of the best ways to reply your query. Are you making an attempt to achieve perception into the house lives of American households? A survey could be your finest guess. If you wish to see how folks really feel a few particular matter, you could possibly strive scraping social media platforms like Twitter for mentions of that phrase. If you wish to know the prevalence of a question over time, you could possibly use Google Developments. Lastly, publicly obtainable knowledge from authorities sources is an effective way to study extra about varied subjects.

For our Porch.com thought, we may have run a survey asking People about their house upkeep prices, however we did not. Most survey respondents would resort to estimating the quantity they spend on repairs, and the information would not be as dependable.

As an alternative, we checked out Porch’s inside knowledge to get extra dependable details about house restore prices within the US. We examined the ZIP codes in every state with the very best house upkeep prices, lowest prices, and the place you possibly can anticipate that money will go yearly.

There are various other ways to sort out a venture, so consider all the opposite content material creation strategies earlier than selecting a tactic.

Step three: Design and copywriting

Design work on your content material is a crucial step that you simply should not forgo when creating content material to earn backlinks and press protection. Journalists that cowl content material initiatives constantly use graphics and knowledge visualizations out of your marketing campaign to help in storytelling. It could be finest for those who at all times aimed to have no less than one graphic visualization to assist inform the story of your knowledge.

Our primary goal when creating Porch’s marketing campaign was to search out out the place within the US house restore prices had been highest and lowest. It made excellent sense to make use of maps as an instance our findings. Readers in each state can rapidly and simply uncover how their state compares with others.

For instance, from this asset, readers can simply discern that New Jersey has the very best house restore prices, whereas Mississippi has the bottom.

The important thing to creating a terrific graphic asset is to maintain it easy and, most significantly, simple to know. Use easy charts like pie charts, bar graphs, and maps to permit the reader to digest data rapidly. Maintain the design constant along with your firm’s branding, and at all times embrace your organization brand someplace on the graphic in order that, in case your marketing campaign is roofed and not using a hyperlink, folks know who did the analysis.

As for copywriting, storytelling is crucial for knowledge campaigns. How does this knowledge contribute to the dialog? What choices can readers make primarily based on this data? Inform a narrative along with your knowledge, and ensure to spotlight a very powerful insights.

When crafting a chunk of written content material for a marketing campaign, all the components of writing an excellent blog post apply. Listed here are some tricks to think about:

Use compelling headlines.

Write in a conversational — however authoritative model. There isn’t a want for the reader to maintain a thesaurus readily available to decipher the gist of your venture.

Write with empathy. Does this knowledge reinforce, or object to real-world points occurring proper now? Contemplate how somebody impacted with the subject will react to seeing your findings.

Contemplate the objective of the content material. When you’re making a content material piece for digital PR, your major viewers ought to be the journalists you pitch. You’re writing for them. So that you don’t essentially want any loud CTAs such as you may embrace on an everyday weblog submit. Not all objectives can (or ought to) be achieved with all content material.

Lastly, don’t make the reader comb by means of tons of knowledge to search out the good things. Journalists don’t have time to determine why your venture is related to them. It is advisable inform them. Level out probably the most attention-grabbing knowledge factors — and make real-world connections to these knowledge factors for the journalist. Embrace present occasions which might be related to your story.

Step four: Media outreach

As soon as your content material is created, it is time for arguably probably the most daunting step of all: digital PR outreach. Outreach may be intimidating for rookies to PR as a result of the entire work leads as much as this second: will you have the ability to safe media protection and make all of it well worth the effort?

The excellent news is that if in case you have nice content material and observe our information to media relations, it’s best to have the ability to meet your whole outreach objectives.

Listing constructing for e-mail outreach

Listing constructing is step one to incomes media protection, and all of it begins along with your content material. Perceive the findings of the content material your crew produces, just like the again of your hand. If you already know it inside and outside, listing constructing will likely be accessible for you.

Make a listing of all of the actionable insights that your content material options. What potential headlines may you see your content material making? What kind of angles may a journalist take with the information you present?

We went after three journalistic angles for Porch’s value of house upkeep marketing campaign: regional, , and finance. This matter makes use of tons of regional knowledge and pertains to the in addition to private finance.

After getting your angles, begin to discover journalists that ceaselessly cowl subjects associated to your content material. For us, we checked out writers who coated mortgages and residential enchancment, and DIY.

Pitch writing for e-mail outreach

As soon as you already know who you are going to pitch, create bulleted lists of various findings out of your content material that may very well be of curiosity to varied publishers. The finance journalists could be extra fascinated by house repairs’ monetary affect, whereas the websites may need to study extra about precise upkeep angles.

When writing a pitch, preserve your e-mail succinct — not more than 200 phrases per e-mail. Be sure you inform the journalist why you are reaching out to them within the first paragraph. How have you learnt this content material is related to them?

Journalists get dozens of e-mail pitches a day. Be sure you stand out by connecting with them, and after getting their consideration, do not waste their time with a prolonged e-mail. Give them the gist of the venture, together with related statistics that align with their beat, and ship them a hyperlink to the complete web page in order that they will have a look at it in-depth if it is a good match.

In 2019, Fractl surveyed over 500 journalists to ask them what they liked and hated in a PR pitch. Listed here are their high ten largest pet peeves in the case of e-mail pitches.

Step 5: Reporting on success

Utilizing the pitching course of above, our easy thought of exploring house upkeep prices become over 188 items of protection and 82 do-follow hyperlinks. Our marketing campaign for Porch.com was featured within the Washington Post, the Mortgage Reports, Realtor.com, Reader’s Digest, and extra.

When you begin to see the protection rolling in, observe every placement in a spreadsheet. Make sure to embrace the protection URL, the kind of hyperlink they’d (no observe or do observe), the location’s area authority, and social engagement numbers. These metrics can help you observe your marketing campaign success relative to different campaigns you have produced.

Earned media takes prevalence in 2021

Content material marketing doesn’t need to be difficult. This five-step technique is a failsafe approach to earn media consideration throughout a variety of digital publishers, incomes you backlinks alongside the way in which.

Earned media is by far probably the most useful public relations tactic in 2021 and past. While you create data-backed content material campaigns that provoke dialogue in your , you additionally enhance your model consciousness, trustworthiness, and rankings within the SERPS. It is a win-win-win tactic and can proceed to take the lead in the case of marketing ways.

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franzbiblio · 5 years ago

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Content Journal: 7/19/20

Currently Reading: Race For Profit: How Banks and Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor: So, I have a haphazard way of choosing what I read, which usually boils down to hearing about something in something else or from someone else and then grabbing it, which often leads to me reading things I wouldn’t normally consider areas of interest for me. I picked up this book because I read Taylor’s New Yorker article: https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/how-do-we-change-america about the June BLM protests and it was both prose-wise very well written and deeply interested in the historical roots of the moment in a way that was a complete fresh air, that when I read in her bio at the bottom that she had a new book out I went and grabbed it immediately. Then I have to admit that I kind of let it gather dust on my to-read pile for a while because I don’t tend to read that much non-fiction in the summer and I was concerned it would be dense and technical. Having picked it up only a few days ago: it’s an absolute page-turner! I think readers who don’t have a general idea about the Kennedy/Johnson/Nixon administrations and at least a vague timeline about their platforms and the major national events going on at the time like the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, and the Race Riots of the late 1960s might need to have wikipedia handy because the book does assume a basic familiarity with that history, but I feel like I’ve come out with a much deeper understanding of an easy to overlook but fundamental struggle that impacted the American social fabric of the time. I hope that the term Taylor coins in the book ‘predatory inclusion’ becomes a phrase that enters more mainstream discussions because I feel like it is a concept that continues to be relevant, but often difficult to articulate in many discussions where a marginalized group is being included, but still being hurt for their marginalized status even if on paper they’re not being explicitly excluded anymore:

“The concept of predatory inclusion also captures the failures of racial liberalism and its premise that inclusion into American democracy through the vehicles of citizenship, law, and free market capitalism could finally produce fairness and equality for its Black citizens. African Americans were afforded formal access to those tools of American democracy, but their function and abilities had been fundamentally distorted by racism. The enduring obstacles faced by African Americans in pursuit of fair housing defy the narrative of the eventuality of progress over time in the United States. Racism in real estate has remained resilient and ingrained, demonstrating the limits of inclusion as discrimination, exploitation and predation continued well after the legal hurdles to fair or open housing had been cleared.” (p. 8)

Currently Reading: She Likes Homos, Not Me written by Naoto Ashara, art by Hirahara Akira: When I was a teenager I read A LOT of manga, and it was something a childhood friend of mine really bonded over at that the time, though she read a lot more BL/shounen-ai (m/m romance series targeted for a female demographic) while I mostly read shoujo romance which is heterosexual romance targeted for girls and young women. In the past couple of months though she sent me a link to a manga called I Wanna Be Your Girl/Kanojo ni Naritai Kimi to Boku which is an extremely sweet series about a girl whose childhood friend is a trans woman who has decided to socially transition in her first year in high school, and the core conflict of the series is that our protagonist has a crush on her childhood friend from before she started to transition, and she continues to have a crush on her friend. What follows is what I can only describe as a mediation on love and friendship as our protagonist has to grow and learn the best way she can support her friend who is facing challenges she can’t fully comprehend as they meet other people in their lives who are queer or gender non-conforming who offer their advice and perspective. It’s a very gentle and compassionate series that as a teenager I couldn’t have even imagined being published! I heard from my friend its getting an official English translation on a manga subscription service which I have mixed feelings about. Happy that it’s getting officially translated, but I hope there might be a physical release someday because I would buy the whole series in the heartbeat especially so I could lend it to the baby queers in my life.

Bringing us to She Likes Homos, Not Me which is on the opposite end of the spectrum from I Wanna Be Your Girl, whose protagonist is a gay male high school student who is deeply in the closet and feels deeply alienated from the rest of society. It is very dramatic and angsty, and please look at warnings before reading it because there’s a lot of upsetting material, but I think of it as actually a great companion to I Wanna Be Your Girl because it explores some of the darker aspects of the queer experience in a world that feels hostile to you, but it is like the other manga ultimately deeply compassionate to its characters and emphasizes how much relationships and connection are vital and important. It’s also meant my childhood friend and I (we are both queer but we’ve never really talked about it) have had a chance to use the events of the stories to have interesting conversations about out own perspectives and experiences. It makes me really curious to seek out more queer themed manga because there is so much more material than back when I was reading!

#franz reading journal

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feministfocus · 5 years ago

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What Juneteenth Means to Me

By Danielle Samake

I, like a growing number of Black Americans, am a first-generation American. My mother immigrated to America from Jamaica with her family in 1990, and my father, alone, from Mali in the late 1990s. I am African-American culturally, by location, and at heart, but my family does not by lineage share the extensive history of racial subjugation in this country that many of my Black sisters and brothers do.

On my mother’s side, my family can trace our lineage back to my great-grandmother, a high-yellow woman of mixed African and (probably) Irish ancestry. My grandfather’s last name, and hence my mother’s family name, Mckoy, points to Irish enslavers somewhere in our family lineage. I never met my great-grandmother. Neither did my mother. Grandma Emeline, as I would’ve called her had I met her, lives on through me, my cousins, and our aunts and uncles.

My grandmother, Minella, who I called Grandma, but who went by many other names- Aunty, Sylvia, Mother Mckoy, Miss Minnie- had a contagious smile that lit up any room she walked into. I like to think I inherited that smile. Writing about my grandmother and the powerhouse of a woman she was requires another post. More accurately, a book.

When she died on May 1, 2019, College Decision Day, at age 81, I was heartbroken, but relieved to see that her suffering was over. One of the last things I said to her as I held her frail hand and softly brushed her forehead was, “Grandma, I got into Princeton. I’m going to Princeton in the fall. Nyah’s going to Kean. We made it Grandma. We made it.”

My cousin Anyah (Nyah) and I are not the first in our family to go to college, and for that we are extremely, inexpressibly thankful. From the ages of 4 to 7, I watched my mother put herself through Nursing School, with no concept of what that meant at the time except that I wasn’t getting as much “Mommy and Me Time” as I felt I deserved. As my mom studied, my cousins Anthony and Andre graduated from Kean University and Rider University, respectfully. Anyah is continuing the family legacy at Kean. A few years after I watched my mom walk the Graduation stage, immense pride swelling in my seven-year-old heart, my Aunt Venice also graduated from Nursing School, and my cousins Alecia and Antoinette graduated from Spelman College and Clark Atlanta University, HBCUs, respectively.

College was an expectation for Anyah and me, a standard for which we are extremely grateful. We have seen our family push themselves up out of poverty into homeownership, from segregated, underfunded-schools to graduation stages, from single motherhood to happy partnerships. We are so blessed to have so many examples of Black Excellence in our family tree. Our family and friends inspire us to do better, to strive for better, to reach higher, to go high when antagonists go low.

On my father's side of the family, I am profoundly fortunate to be able to trace my lineage directly back to Queens and Kings, to an Aunt commemorated in Le Musee National Du Mali (The National Museum of Mali), and to Mali Empire King and wealthiest man of the Middle Ages, Mansa Musa. My Aunts and Uncles are landowners, teachers, and government officials. I have not yet been to Mali, but I plan to go as soon as I can. That is so much more of an origin story than many of my Black sisters and brothers get. The deep brown skin I inhabit- the color of rich chocolate and tree trunks, is a daily reminder of where I come from, of who I am.

Even with my rich heritage, Princeton was not a given. My family had to overcome many significant obstacles unique to Black Americans that continue to limit our communities to this day. My mom and aunt, the first homeowners on US soil in our family, were redlined in 1993. Not 1960. 1993. My grandma, mother, and aunts cleaned white folks’ homes and took care of white children and the elderly for a living for years, and endured racial slurs and intimidation tactics from some members of these families. Two of my Aunts still work in Elder Care, and both work at the facility with the second-highest rate of COVID-19 infection in the state of New Jersey.

My sophomore year of high school, after my friends and I reported my racist Driver’s Education (Driver’s Ed) to my high school’s Guidance Department three times, she was not investigated or removed from her position, despite years of complaints. In 2019, she retired from her tenure with a glowing write-up in the local paper. Of the 25 students in my Driver’s Ed class, 20 were Black, and one was a Latino student . Another class that took place at the same time, with the same number of students, was majority white. Several of the students in that other class failed the Written Driving Exam, but passed the Driver’s Ed course with A+s. My class had the opposite result. The teacher made the course intentionally difficult, so that if answers to worksheets did not match the outdated version of the textbook she used verbatim, they were marked incorrect, even if they were the new Driver’s Manual’s rewording of the exact same response. The majority of students in my majority-black Driver’s Ed course passed the Written Exam, but failed the course. They had to retake the course the following year to graduate, yet could drive legally in the state of New Jersey. The B- I barely eked out is the lowest grade on my High School Transcript. I received a 92% on the fifty question Written Driving Exam.

At this point in time, I was focused on making my way through high school. This teacher’s sister-in-law was also my substitute English Teacher that year, and I was worried about the repercussions a struggle with her could have on my English grade. Two of my friends (another black girl and one of the four white students in the class) and I went to our Guidance Counselors on three separate occasions, and were told there was

“Nothing they could do about it”.

My Guidance Counselor, who is an incredible black man and supported me immensely throughout the college admissions process and every other aspect of high school life, told me at the time, “This might be good for you. It’s okay to earn a B sometimes,”.

What he didn’t understand was that it wasn’t the letter grade that upset me. It was the fact that the B- was in fact, UNEARNED. I and my fellow students worked hard in that class, and deserved grades much higher than those my white female teacher, who bragged to us about her two BMWs at least weekly, gave us.

I got my revenge however, by sharing all of my graded and corrected notes with a black friend who was taking Driver’s Ed with this teacher the following Quarter, and instructed her to “Share these notes with as many Black people as possible”. We move forward by sharing our stories and by advantaging each other when the system often fails us.

I tell this story not to minimize the much more difficult and impactful struggles of the other Black students in that class, of the other Black students who experience much more consequential acts of racism at my high school, in my community, and in the world, but to highlight that even the most high-achieving Black students- the ones who end up on Brochures, in Newspapers, in Photos with the Principal, receiving awards at Senior Recognition Night, and matriculating at Princeton University, experience systemic racism. None of us are immune to it, be our last names Brown, Mckoy, or Samake.

After accepting my offer of admission to Princeton, I decided to defer my admission for a year, and to accept a nine-month volunteer position with Princeton’s Novogratz Bridge Year Program (BYP) in India. Many Black people reading this will wonder what in my right mind would've made a seventeen-year old Black girl decide to live in India alone for so long, and you’re right to wonder so. I was an idealist, and the Princeton office responsible for the program did not make explicit information about racial challenges available to incoming BYP students. The office maintains that this was shortsightedness on their part, but this program has run for 11 years. They have seen many of the problems that can arise, but chose not to address them.

My family was split on whether I should participate in the program. One of my cousins went as far as texting me the night before my interview, telling me that I’d made a mistake, something I was angry with her about for months afterwards. Others supported my decision, but told me to stay vigilant. I did not tell my father until after I’d accepted my placement. He’d been supportive of my first choice location, Senegal, where we have family and friends who he knew would look out for me.

“In India,” he said, “people will think you are nothing. They will treat you like nothing. They will treat you like the garbage in the streets, like the ground they walk and spit upon,”.

I did not want to believe him, however.

“I’m going, dad,” I defied. “I’m going with your support or not. I have to do this,”.

The year before I’d gone to India, there was another Black woman in the group. She’d successfully completed the program, and so I thought, “If she can do it, why can’t I?”

I consciously avoided reaching out to her before leaving for my trip. I feared she would tell me things that would convince me not to go, and I was determined to take advantage of this free “adventure of a lifetime”. When I met her, in person, right before I left, I asked her bluntly, albeit too late, if there was anything I needed to know about the way I’d be perceived because of my race while in India.

“Don’t forget who you are,” she said, “And keep your head up high.”

I thought this was all I needed to get through nine months in a country where anti-Blackness is a given. I began to pray the Serenity prayer daily:

“Lord, Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference,” replacing the word “serenity” with “strength”, a common alteration.

This prayer guided me through a number of in-country challenges- through tensions with other members of the group, through mistreatment at the hands of shopkeepers and locals, through internal turmoil. Along with other prayers, advice, and the love and support of my family and friends, including the Black girl from the previous year’s cohort, in-country instructors, counselors, and my homestay family, I was able to remain in India for 6 ½ months before reaching my breaking point. By the time I said to one of my instructors “I think it’s time for me to go,” on a fateful day in early March, I’d been spit on a minimum of three times, called a variation of Kala/Kalu/Kali, the Hindi word for “dark-skinned” which is also often used akin to “nigger” a minimum of ten times each day, been ostracized by most members of my group for reporting a racist member who often racially degraded me, and experienced mental health issues I never thought I’d face. I perpetually wrestled for the first time in my life with the international effects of the West’s enslavement and subjugation of my ancestors, of my brothers and sisters, of its continued exploitation of me. I was a pawn in a system that asked me to sacrifice myself for the betterment of others.

Deciding to come home was my most effective and empowering tool for reclaiming my autonomy. It was a timely decision too, as after I was home for one day, in mid-March, I received a message from other group members that they were coming home in exactly a week due to COVID-19. I’d come home one week before international airways were blocked, before airports completely resembled military checkpoints, before people were too concerned with COVID-19 to analyze the way they’d treated me over the course of the program to apologize. This is only a minuscule fragment of the story of my journey, but I know that it was orchestrated by none other than God Himself.

As difficult as my journey in India was, I am grateful for it. It taught me that my Blackness is under attack on virtually every corner of this Earth, that if I don’t love myself, this world never will. It impressed upon me the value of Black love, which I’d observed up close in the relationship of a dear ZImbabwean friend I’d met through my NGO placement and her Ghanian boyfriend. It taught me to use my voice. To REALLY use my voice. To shout my presence from the rooftops and the rafters, to shout to any ear that will listen.

I AM HERE. MY ANCESTORS WERE HERE. MY COMMUNITY IS HERE.

This Juneteenth, I remember those who came before me. I remember my ancestors, the Black community’s collective ancestors. I remember the 65,000 African students currently living and studying in India, who are subjected to the horrors I experienced daily over much longer periods of time- many for ten years or longer. I remember my Grandmother, Minella, and her sacrifices. I remember the progress we have made thus far. I remember the progress we have yet to make. I remember George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Tony Mcdade. Oluwatoyin Salau. I remember Masonda Ketada Oliver, a Congolese student and French teacher who was murdered in New Delhi, India in 2016 for the “crime” of trying to hail an autorickshaw. I remember Ahmaud Arbery. I remember Trayvon Martin, who if God spares my life to see my 19th birthday in two months, I will be two years older than when he was brutally murdered. I remember Eric Garner. Michael Brown. Tamir Rice. Amadou Dialou. Sandra Bland. So many others. So many others.

“You may write me down in history

With your bitter, twisted lies,

You may trod me in the very dirt

But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?

Why are you beset with gloom?

’Cause I walk like I've got oil wells

Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,

With the certainty of tides,

Just like hopes springing high,

Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?

Bowed head and lowered eyes?

Shoulders falling down like teardrops,

Weakened by my soulful cries?

Does my haughtiness offend you?

Don't you take it awful hard

’Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines

Diggin’ in my own backyard.

You may shoot me with your words,

You may cut me with your eyes,

You may kill me with your hatefulness,

But still, like air, I’ll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?

Does it come as a surprise

That I dance like I've got diamonds

At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history’s shame

I rise

Up from a past that’s rooted in pain

I rise

I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,

Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear

I rise

Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear

I rise

Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,

I am the dream and the hope of the slave.

I rise

I rise.”

- Maya Angelou

Happy Juneteenth everyone. May our ancestors live on through you, and in you.

Danielle Samake

https://momaa.org/directory/national-museum-of-mali/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ambigamy/201703/the-serenity-prayer-and-16-variations

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/29/world/asia/african-students-india-mob-attacks.html

https://www.mea.gov.in/press-releases.htm?dtl/26856/Statement_by_External_Affairs_Minister_on_recent_incidents_relating_to_Africans

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46446/still-i-rise

https://joyofodu.com/2019/03/07/share-black-stories-on-instagram/

Organizations to Donate to:

Ways to give | Loveland

https://michiganchronicle.com/2020/06/02/heres-how-you-can-maintain-solidarity-and-support-when-protesting-is-no-longer-popular-on-social-media/#/?playlistId=0&videoId=0

https://docs.google.com/document/u/1/d/1-0KC83vYfVQ-2freQveH43PWxuab2uWDEGolzrNoIks/mobilebasic?fbclid=IwAR3Q4sAqoqMV-bnY17JcvVg_M1ajzUVaSXa-dkQJe02IARcUJReX1MEYhJ8

Black-Owned Businesses: https://www.protectminorities.com/ (Owned by a student at my high school!)

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thesimplyluxuriouslife · 6 years ago

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250: How to Create a Beckoning Sanctuary That Reflects Your Journey

"Never decorate all at once. 'When you do it all at once, you make mistakes,' explains Fredéric Amico. Take your time trying out different pieces, and never settle." —Architectural Digest's Clever (new online destination for decor ideas, quoting French actor and artist Fredéric Amico (view his Paris loft here)

Our wardrobe, our mind, our relationships all ebb and flow, grow, migrate, wander and progress as much as we choose to let them, and our sancturaries need not be any different.

Reflect upon your childhood bedroom and the first time your parents gave you permission to decorate it as you pleased - paint color, linens and all (or maybe you took the initiative all on your own). Then graduate to your first home away from home - perhaps your dorm, perhaps an apartment. Then remember the next home and the next as your life began to unfold.

I can remember vividly during my junior year in high school wielding a paintbrush, ushering in a double bed, selecting the wallpaper for the accent wall and reveling in my very own "grown-up" sanctuary. Then college arrived, and it was with my first apartment sophomore year that furniture was needed, and much was cheap and yard sale must-have finds, but there were treasures that I brought with me from my childhood home - that black rod-iron bed, dishware found at an unexpected estate sale, pictures that held dear meaning. And then the first "adult" apartment during graduate school, living on my own - daring to paint an entire wall red and framing everything in gold. It reflected my choice at the time, and having a choice and a home that was all my own, felt liberating. Never before have I painted a wall red - it took three, at least, coats to make it as I had hoped. But I don't regret it for a moment.

Since then, the homes I have rented or owned have been unique unto themselves, but one detail always remains constant, the woman living within the four walls - me.

Even so, each home of which my paycheck has paid the monthly mortgage or rent, has gradually evolved to reflect more of what has shaped me and influenced me and inspired me to become the person I am today. And as much as we, okay, maybe this was just me, moreso especially in my earlier years of homeownership, may want our homes to come together immediately to reflect the aesthetic we desire and see in our mind's eye, our most authentic sanctuary will be a reflection of patience, of thoughtfulness and of careful selection.

Not all of us have the luxury of being able to live in a home we love for decades, and others might state that it is a luxury to be able to move frequently based on curiosity and opportunities, but either way, we can take what means the most with us to our next home. So that no matter where we go, our journey can be reflected within the four walls of our sanctuary.

Today I'd like to share with you ways that you can begin to decorate your sanctuary to not only reflect your journey which will offer comfort and confidence each time you cross the threshold, but also be welcoming to most importantly the inhabitants, but guests who are invited to visit as well.

In last Wednesday's post, I shared eight small, but unique ways to add your signature to your sanctuary, many of which, as you will discover, reflect my journey thus far over the past 40 years. And today I'd like to share less of the specific things to include and more the concepts to consider when deciding what should hang on your walls, fill your rooms and welcome you home.

1.Does it warm your heart and lift your spirits?

Ask yourself this question when deciding what pictures, paintings, souvenirs, etc. any item that doesn't perform a function, but rather only adorns a wall, tabletop or shelf, to display.

Being reminded of what you are capable of, being reminded of the love that was felt and expressed, being reminded of a dream that came true, all of these reminders are helpful and healthy to have in your home especially on those days and during those moments we need comfort and confidence.

2. What function does it provide?

Being clear about the function that an item provides - literally or figuratively (i.e. a candleholder, a vase, a settee, a bench (literal); painting, particular coffee table books, throw pillows (figurative) — clarifies in your mind why you are considering it for your home. If the reason is because it is the color of the year, or my favorite influencer has one, unless your signature for decor is trendy, perhaps find a deeper purpose for welcoming it into your home. But if instead, the reason is to provide warmth, to lift my spirits, to hold my favorite bunch of flowers and fit perfectly on that particular tabletop, then by all means, welcome it into your home.

"Have nothing in your home that you don't know to be useful or believe to be beautiful."—William Morris

With points #1 & #2, it may appear that I am simply further describing what William Morris has taught decorators for years, and if your interpretation of the quote is similar to mine, then you are in good company, but for me, it goes deeper. What does beautiful mean?

Beautiful must go deeper, beauty can only be present if it fits the two criteria above in a more visceral part of our well-being. There are many items that are beautiful - from traditional to modern designs, art that speaks volumes from contemporary to acclaimed icons, but if it doesn't mean something to you, if it doesn't have a story as to why it spoke to you, then let someone else welcome it into their home.

I am continually editing my home, just as I am my closet, and with more evaluation, comes more removal of items that were bought at the spur of the moment, out of preceived need. Gradually, those items, if they don't possess both of the criteria above, are replaced by items that do, and the home's decor begins to feel more symphonic.

Speaking of symphonies, there is more criteria to consider when bringing it all together in your home.

3. Cost per true value

Similar to cost per wear, but slightly different, cost per true value is how much it costs to acquire the item while taking into account the value it will add to the overall quality of life over the amount of years you expect to own the item.

In other words, the antique dining table that costs $1000 and would fit perfectly in your dining room. No more need for separate tables, more dinner parties, more opportunity to share your passion for cooking and your partner's passion for convivial conversation about the guests' favorite topics. Many would way this is priceless and others would say you can do the same thing around two nondescript tables pulled together, but this is where the decision will be different for each person: What do you want to invest in? What is it that brings you and those you love great enjoyment and peace of mind?

Some of the items we bring into our homes will be treasure finds for pennies of what they are actually worth, or maybe not worth anything at all to anyone else, but priceless in our eyes. Whatever you choose to invest in monetarily, simply remember to ask the "cost per true value" question and answer it for yourself. No one else's opinion (unless they are paying for it or a partner in the household) should matter.

4. Consider the decor that spoke to you on your travels

So many of TSLL readers/listeners of the podcast are travelers to all sorts of amazing places, large and small, far and near on the globe. Often it isn't until we see, and then sometimes live with temporarily through staying in vacation rentals, a particular decor idea that we realize how excellent of an idea it is or how much it makes us feel at home even when we are far way.

As I shared in my post last Wednesday, one decor idea I would have never known about or considered was to use linen tablecloths as curtains. Perfect! And with my love of linen as it reminds me of France and my travels to the south and north of the country, the curtains I now have in my home not only serve a much needed function, but they also bring back fond memories.

5. Does it tell a story that you want to welcome into your home?

I have an antique English draw-leaf table that was the first dining room table I ever owned (you can see a bit of it in the above image on the far right). I purchased it in college after saving up $400 for it and have had it with me ever since (here is a similar one from One King's Lane). No matter what size my home, I have always made a spot for it. Currently, it holds my record player which suits it perfectly as it brings the music and the news into my home.

As well, a chair from an individual who you knew or have known and simply remembering who they are makes you smile when you look at the piece furniture even if there are a few tears in the upholstery is a keeper.

Not everything in our homes will have long stories that will make your heart smile, but gradually, once we have what we need to live sufficiently, we can be thoughtful and careful about what we wish to bring into our sanctuaries. Often it actually becomes easier because we know precisely what is not only needed but also what would be cherished.

6. Include custom art or upholstered items with beloved fabrics from your travels or the past

Whether you are a painter or someone has painted or illustrated something for you, framing it gives you an original piece of art. Playful or serious, seasoned artists or first-timers, the art we display can share a glimpse of your story to those you invite into your home as well as remind you of what you care most about.

As well, choosing to upholster old furniture, or cover pillow or make blankets with fabrics found like traveling or found like going through your family's attic are unique and signature ways of adding a decor idea that can't be purchased in a retail store.

Transforming a house or an apartment into a home is a creative journey and revelation of our truest selves in many ways if we want it to be. Recognizing the power of communication and comfort and confidence that can transpire simply with the decor choices we make is a tool we can put in our toolbox to improve the quality of our lives. It is a process that requires patience, but one day when you least expect it or aren't looking for it or trying to achieve it, you will find yourself sitting in that one particular spot in your home, passing the time doing something you love either on your own or with someone you love and you will feel the most at home you have ever felt. Such a feeling is not because your home is complete (it never will be), it is because you have curated a space that enables you to relax, recharge, share yourself without saying too much or saying just the right amount in each room of the home and knowing you did what you could with what you had.

It is my hope that you experience such moments often no matter where you are along your journey. Because, if my experience has taught me anything in each of the homes I have inhabited, it is possible and it only gets better with each step forward along the journey.

~SIMILAR POSTS YOU MIGHT ENJOY:

~21 Parisian Decor Ideas from Ines de la Fressange's New Decor Book, episode #228

~22 Tips for Creating a Grown-Up's Living Space

~How to Create Surroundings for Everyday Contentment, episode #219

Petit Plaisir:

~Mary Berry's Country House Secrets, four episodes on BritBox

~learn about each episode here

https://youtu.be/Zvgvxal-udg

~Image: an everyday moment captured in my living room, complete with a dog toy left on the floor - learn more about the photo in this post.

Tune in to the latest episode of The Simple Sophisticate podcast

#tsllpodcast thesimplesophisticate

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themoneybuff-blog · 6 years ago

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Book review: Work Optional by Tanja Hester

Last week, I published an extended excerpt from Grant Sabatier's new book, Financial Freedom. Sabatier's core message is that time is more valuable than money and that freedom is more valuable than time. Several GRS readers took issue with the book's seemingly anti-work tone. There is a lot of talk about the drudgery of work; [I'm] pretty lucky [that] I love my job and have a lot of autonomy, wrote Angelica.S.G. said, The wage slave' rhetoric gets old.And our pal El Nerdo didn't like this sentence: I retired early because I didnt want to spend the best years of my life working in a poorly lit cubicle at a stressful job I didnt particularly enjoy. El Nerdo's response? Could you maybe just find a better job? One that you enjoyed? With no cubicles, and better light? These comments are telling. They're representative of a common complaint leveled against the FIRE movement. (As you probably know, FIRE is a clumsy acronym for financial independence/retire early. The FIRE movement is all about saving enough to retire as soon as you can.) Much of the financial independence and early retirement messaging comes off as anti-work. While this appeals to some folks, it repels others. Not everybody hates their jobs. In fact, some people truly enjoy what they do. If you love your job but are still interested in what the FIRE movement has to offer, you should take a look at Tanja Hester's new book, Work Optional, which was released today. It's a solid addition to anyone's personal finance library, with a core philosophy very much aligned with the one I espouse here at Get Rich Slowly. Best of all? As you might guess from the book's title, Hester doesn't pretend that work is a cage that we all want to escape. For those unfamiliar, Hester is the braniac behind the popular Our Next Life blog and The Fairer Cents podcast. She's also an all-around cool cat. The Value of Work

This book is not anti-work, Hester writes in her introduction. Work is a good and noble thing, something nearly every person ever born has had to do in some form, whether or not they were formally employedThe problem isn't work itself, but our current societal work culture. Hester says that Work Optional is about reclaiming your life from our nonstop work culture so that you decide what role work will play in your life, instead of society deciding for you. She truly wants to help readers find ways to make work optional, an activity they can do or not do as they see fit. I like this. It's a conventional idea of financial independence stated in a new way, a way that gives power to the individual without denigrating all work as undesirable. I also respect that Hester and her husband had fulfilling careers they enjoyed. She writes: To us, retiring early was never about not liking work. Work can be a source of self-worth, of community, of proof that we add value to the world. And Mark and I both got that from our careers. We just didn't want to let work be the defining feature of our entire lives Because of the book's title and because its message is not anti-work, I had high hopes that Hester would spend more time exploring this concept, re-framing of early retirement and/or financial independence in a new way. I love the notion that we can reach a point at which work is optional. And make no mistake: Much of this book is indeed about constructing a life in which work isn't necessary. The problem, however, is that Work Optional tries to tackle two themes at once. Is the book's subject early retirement? Or is the book's subject its stated thesis: creating a work-optional life? There's plenty of overlap between these two topics, sure, but they're not the same thing. Look at it this way. I've written before about the stages of financial independence. Early retirement is the fourth or fifth stage of financial freedom, the point at which you have enough money to support yourself for the rest of your life. Hester's work optional point, however, is more like the third stage of financial freedom, at which you could quit your job without a moment of hesitation. In other words, you can reach the work optional stage without ever reaching early retirement. Many people do. Okay, enough nitpicking! Let's take a quick look at what this book covers. Define Your Work-Optional Life The the first section of Work Optional is its best. The first chapter provides info on the history of retirement (and early retirement), as well as background on Hester herself. The next two chapters are all about defining what a work-optional life means to you. The money part of early retirement is deceptively simple, Hester writes. But the life portion the far more important part is significantly more complex. She leads readers through four pages of questions designed to spur self-reflection. From these answers, she then urges folks to find interests and themes. (This process is similar to some of the exercises for finding purpose that I've shared in the past.) These interests and themes will help direct what you do with your life.

After you've mapped the interests and themes you'd like to pursue with your life, Hester asks you to create a money mission statement, which [outlines] a spending philosophy that's aligned with your priorities. Spending isn't inherently bad, she writes. Spending on the things you truly value is the best thing you can possibly do with your money. Or, as I've been writing here at Get Rich Slowly for nearly thirteen years: Do what works for you. What does a money mission statement actually look like? Here's an example. My moneys mission is to provide for my life of service, adventure, and creativity, eventually allowing me to retire early and stop working for money. To support that mission, I will stop shopping online without a list, I will stop shopping at Target, and Ill notice when Im spending aspirationally in hopes that a product will make me better in some way. And Ill be more mindful about the money I do spend on adventures so I get the full experience without spending more than I must. As I said, I like the first section of Work Optional very much. No surprise, I guess. It explores themes that are near and dear to my heart. I like Hester's exercises so much, in fact, that I hope to find time to share one or two of them here at GRS in the near future. And I'll absolutely be using them (and crediting her when I do) in upcoming talks and presentations. Create a Financial Plan I have a love-hate relationship with the second section of Work Optional. The content is great; the organization is lousy. After walking through the emotional and psychological aspects of prepping for a work-optional life, Hester devotes a bulk of the book to exploring familiar personal-finance topics in order to help readers create a financial plan. Although Hester covers a lot of familiar material saving rate, safe withdrawal rates, index investing, and so on she does so thoughtfully, often presenting new ideas or new perspectives. This is a Good Thing. It's an even Better Thing that she tackles topics that are rarely covered elsewhere: the pros and cons of homeownership, substantially equal periodic payments, Roth conversion ladders, sequence of returns risk, and more. I especially like Hester's diagram for sequence of saving. While this isn't an ironclad rule for everyone, it's a general guideline that most of us can build upon to determine what to save firstand what to save next.

In a way, this is like a super-advanced version of Dave Ramsey's baby steps. I like those baby steps, and I like this sequence of saving flowchart even more. What I don't like, however, is how this section of Work Optional is organized. This is the largest part of the book. It's the meat. It's the heart. It contains some excellent information, but it doesn't follow a logical progression. After the book's first section (about psychology, purpose, and missions), we jump immediately to a chapter on investing. Whuh? That's a strange transition. It feels like we're taking on advanced stuff before addressing the basics.Next is a chapter on big expenses, like housing and health care.This is followed by a chapter on saving rates and withdrawal rates.The fourth chapter of this section is about the mechanics of expense tracking and saving. I feel like Part Two should have started with this info!Next up, Hester tackles income and more large expenses. This should have been the second chapter in Part Two.The section closes out with a chapter on making your financial plan bulletproof via insurance, etc. It's the only chapter that feels like it's in its proper place. Because the info in this section is vital, I wanted the concepts and chapters to build on each other in some sort of natural way. They don't. This might sound like a minor quibble, but I found myself frustrated with the order the topics were tackled. Why are we discussing index investing before we ever touch income and expenses? Why aren't basic concepts covered first? (I'm especially sensitive to this issue because my own book, Your Money: The Missing Manual received plenty of justified criticism for the same problem!) Make the Leap

The book's final section is short but valuable. It covers how to actually make the leap to a work-optional life. How do you prepare to leave work? If you're losing some (or all) of your income, how do you replicate a regular paycheck with your investment accounts? (This is something I wish I'd known five years ago!) What about taxes and continued retirement contributions? Most importantly, what about your mental, physical, spiritual, and social health? A lot of the concepts in Work Optional will be familiar to GRS readers. I write frequently about mission statements, lifestyle inflation, mindful spending, and so on. The value of this book, however, is that it brings everything together in one cohesive package. (In some ways, it's like a supersized version of my Money Boss Manifesto.) One of the book's strengths is Hester's voice. She's not judgmental. She's not arrogant. She's not prescriptive. She's smart, thoughtful, and approachable. Reading Work Optional feels like you're reading the thoughts of a friend, not some out-of-touch money guru who thinks his way is the only way. I've shared a couple of concerns about Work Optional, but don't let that fool you. I like this book. It's well written, well edited, and filled with useful information. As a result, it's a pleasure to read. This might not be a big deal to some folks, but I appreciated reviewing a money book that I wanted to read instead of feeling like it was a chore. This book has earned a permanent spot on my reference shelf. I know I'll use it not only to research future articles here at Get Rich Slowly, but more importantly to look up info I need to know for my own work-optional life.

Author: J.D. Roth In 2006, J.D. founded Get Rich Slowly to document his quest to get out of debt. Over time, he learned how to save and how to invest. Today, he's managed to reach early retirement! He wants to help you master your money and your life. No scams. No gimmicks. Just smart money advice to help you reach your goals. https://www.getrichslowly.org/work-optional/

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eugenemjacobs-blog · 6 years ago

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Moving to Denver - 10 Pros and Cons You Should Know

In 1893, Katharine Lee Bates sat atop Pikes Peak and wrote “America the Beautiful,” one of the most well-known patriotic songs of our time. Just about 100 miles away from that summit at the base of the Rocky Mountains sits Denver, Colorado. With its blue skies and panoramic mountain views, Denver, a.k.a. the Mile High City is perhaps one of the most beautiful areas in the country. In fact, its beauty has inspired countless other authors, musicians and pop culture icons.

Maybe this natural beauty is why moving to Denver is so appealing. Or, maybe it's the 300-days of sun a year, easy access to the mountains and inherent outdoor playground. Either way, Metro Denver is one of the fastest growing cities in the nation, with almost 100,000 people moving there in the past seven years. Now, with a population of over three million, the city is scrambling to develop the infrastructure, transit and housing needed to keep pace with the demand.

Would you move to Denver? The area boasts a strong economy and a shiny, new façade that will take your breath away, both literally and figuratively. But some argue that it's overcrowded and expensive. We're exploring some other reasons why you might want to stay or stay away. These living in Denver pros and cons should help you decide if Denver is, in fact, the right choice for you. Have some advice you'd like to share with potential residents? Let us know in the comments below!

1. Denver is young, hip and desirable.

A millennial haven, 66% of the population in Denver are under the age of 44. Denver is also not a very culturally diverse city. 76.9% of the population is Caucasian, with gentrification being a major hot-button issue. This has greatly impacted the demand for rental housing, which makes homeownership less obtainable.

Denver is among the likes of the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle when it comes to home price appreciation outpacing income growth and affordability. Apartments rent for an average of $1,519 a month, with median home prices jumping 10% to $420,000 in 2018.

If you can stomach the prices, one major pro of living in Denver is the views. No matter which neighborhood you choose, the metro is surrounded by 140 miles of panoramic mountain views, totaling 200 visible peaks.

That said, the very first step to becoming a Denverite is picking a neighborhood. Living in Denver is an experience, and because so many people want to do it, picking a community can get competitive and pricey (more on that later). Decide whether any of the following areas suit you, then figure out if you can afford it.

Top Neighborhoods in Denver

Fast-paced living with a relaxed vibe is possible in any of the following city neighborhoods. However, each area offers a little something different, which make picking the right one that much more important. Here are a few of the best places to live in Denver.

The Highlands – Widely accepted as one of the most desirable places to live, the Highlands, and LoHi (Lower Highlands) specifically, is teeming with innovative restaurant concepts, hip rooftops, patios and boutique shops.

Average apartment rental: $2,023

RiNo (River North) – If you don't want to be a LoDo (Lower Downtown) Ballpark Bro, RiNo is downtown Denver's hipster neighbor. Full of trendy warehouse conversions, street art and an explosion of bars and restaurants, it's the current place to see and be seen.

Average apartment rental: $1,727

Capitol Hill – A bit rougher around the edges, Cap Hill is generally regarded to be the most affordable and convenient neighborhood in city proper. Home to the Capital building, it's major thoroughfare of Colfax Avenue is the longest street in America.

Average apartment rental: $1,519

We spoke with seasoned broker and real estate agent, Irene Glazer of Live Urban Real Estate for some insight. “Preference on which neighborhood to choose can vary widely based on taste and budget,” Glazer explains. “Do you like urban, suburban, hip, up-and-coming, walkable, trendy, affordable, accessible to mountains/downtown, parks? Denver has a wonderful array that will fit most any lifestyle.”

Glazer gave us a sampling of a few more under-the-radar Denver neighborhoods that have their own unique charm and character.

Harvey Park - This neighborhood is located in Southwest Denver and is bounded by South Sheridan, Hampden, Lowell, and Jewell. Built in the 1950's, it's known for its selection of some of Denver's best and most affordable, mid-century modern architecture. Cliff May-style California Contemporary homes fill the neighborhoods' quiet, suburban-like streets.

Average home prices: in the low $400,000s.

Platt Park - This area is located in Southeast Denver and is bounded by Downing, Broadway, Evans and I-25, Platt Park is seeing many of its older homes remodeled for 21st century living as well as quite a few new builds and pop-tops. The neighborhood is lovely, charming and walkable with one of the best/quaintest shopping districts, South Pearl Street. Don't miss the summertime Farmer's Market because it's arguably the best in the city.

Average home prices: around $500,000.

Sunnyside - Located in Northwest Denver, Sunnyside is bounded by I70, 38th, Federal and I25. It's an up-and-coming neighborhood near trendy Tennyson and is already pretty well discovered, yet still in transition. It's easy to take a bike ride or a walk downtown, and there is easy access to get out of town. This area has a wonderful mix of old architecture as well as new (mostly attached) homes. Trendy coffee shops, restaurants, boutiques and home goods stores are starting to pop up everywhere.

Average home prices: in the $500,000s.

Denver Suburbs to Consider:

Denver is a good place to raise a family if you have the right resources, like a stable job and a steady income. Bringing some kids along for the move? Check out some of these top rated Denver suburbs.

Stapleton – Stapleton is a new neighborhood that popped up a few years ago built on the old airport base. Its proximity to the city and relative affordability of new builds makes it a popular option for young families.

Arvada - Olde Town Arvada has one of the cutest “Main streets” of any suburb. Its popularity has also caught on the past few years, driving up home prices.

Englewood - This is a suburb with a lot of variety. Englewood has small, affordable homes with character located near the fun and funk of South Broadway, suburban “tract” style homes near the Denver Tech Center and sprawling mansions in Cherry Hills Village.

Wheat Ridge - Close enough to the city yet a world away, Wheat Ridge is a natural expansion from NW Denver. There's tons of new development happening on 38th Ave., with breweries and restaurants clamoring to get in on the action.

2. Denver is becoming a major city.

There are so many opinions out there as to whether or not living in Denver is affordable. Some stats say yes it's affordable (compared to metros like New York City), but rapidly increasing rental prices and fast selling homes say otherwise. While living in Denver is much more affordable than living in places like Los Angeles, it's still pricey. For instance, the median home cost in Denver is $421,900, which just about doubles the national average of $216,200.

Before moving to Denver, make sure you're able to spend within your means, which means allotting no more than 30% of your salary to housing costs. If you're looking to buy or rent before relocating, make sure you give yourself plenty of time. Finding a place is highly competitive so most people use a rental agent. If you opt to rent, make sure you know your rights as a Colorado tenant.

Denver Housing Market Stats

Irene Glazer also helped us understand just how the housing market has changed over the past few years. Here are some highlights:

The Denver housing market has been appreciating at a double-digit clip since we started our climb out of the recession in about 2013. This past year we saw a bit slower appreciation of about 8%.

Our average sold price in metro Denver finished out at approximately $475K in 2017, and the prediction is that we will be around $500K by the end of 2018.

Inventory is still the biggest buzzword, and we are still extremely short on it, without a reprieve in sight.

We are about to enter the “Market Compression” phase in our annual real estate cycle where demand picks up before homes are listed, creating our early spring frenzy. This creates additional challenges as inventory levels typically continue to fall through January. If demand picks up, multiple offers, bidding wars and heightened flash sales could accelerate pricing earlier than expected in 2018.

Not sure whether you should rent or buy? According to Glazer, weighing expected appreciation, even at modest rates of 6% (Denver's historical average), against impending rent increases, it is still more advantageous to own vs. rent in the Denver market.

3. The cost of living in Denver won't break the bank, yet.

The biggest hurdle new residents face when moving to Denver is housing costs. Other than that, most cost of living expenses is more or less comparative to other cities.

Cost of Living Factors:

Taxes - Property taxes are relatively low, sales tax is high, and income tax falls right in the middle at 4.63%.

Health Care - Costs about 17% more than the national average.

Groceries - You'll pay about 4% less than the national average.

4. Denver's economy is booming.

Higher paying jobs are available in Denver because so many top companies want to be based here. However, that means the competition for a quality job is that much more intense. Also, wages in Denver might not be as high as they need to be to afford the cost of living.

The average median income in Denver is $57,773, which is about 6% less than than the national average. Even if you can afford to live in Denver today, it's important to note that average salary increases aren't keeping pace with rising rents.

This discrepancy between rising housing costs and stagnant salaries could cause an issue a few years in and force a move further outside the city. Make sure you have a job in hand and some additional savings before relocating to this highly desirable area.

Top Denver Industries & Companies:

Tech - The startup scene is exploding with companies like Baker Technologies and more established companies like Google and HomeAdvisor.

Aerospace -Denver is keen on becoming “Aerospace Alley” (their play on Silicon Valley) with major companies like The Boeing Company, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman located here.

Agriculture - Colorado's food and agriculture industry generates more than $5 billion a year, with companies like Love Grown Foods, Leprino Foods and Nutrien leading the charge. Colorado also ranks third in the nation for craft beer sales and production.

Casual Concepts - Noodles & Company, Smashburger, Qboda and Boston Market are all headquartered here.

Marijuana – Cannabis is big business, bringing in more revenue than some small countries.

5. Once you adjust to the altitude, the weather is incredible.

The quality of life in Denver is highly desirable, once you get used to the lack of oxygen. Contrary to popular belief, Denver is not located in the Rocky Mountains. It is a mile or so above sea level, though (5,280 feet, to be exact), and that can take your body some time to adjust. For most people, the pros far outweigh the cons as far as weather is concerned.

What It's Like Living in Denver:

There are an estimated 300 days of sunshine every year. Even though the summers are hot, they lack humidity, which makes them more comfortable.

The sky is bluer and the stars are brighter than other parts of the country due to the high-desert climate and elevation.

Some of the top weekend vacation destinations are located within a few hours of Denver.

The temperature can rise or fall by 40 degrees in a day due to the altitude, so always dress in layers.

Since the air is thinner, there are lower levels of oxygen, which can take a toll on your body if you're not used to it or have an ongoing medical condition.

Tips to Acclimate to the Altitude:

The air is really dry, which can dehydrate your body if you're not drinking enough water. Make sure to drink more water than you normally would, and always have chap-stick handy.

Take it easy upon arrival. If you plan to do any mountain activities, give your body a few days to acclimate.

Make sure to get enough sleep if the altitude makes you feel drowsy.

At higher elevations, the sun is more intense, so always wear sunscreen!

6. Traffic is undesirable in and out of the city.

One difference between Denver and other large cities is the amount of weekend traffic headed out of the city toward the mountains. Ski traffic is something you'll want to account for if you move here since Denver is situated 75 miles or so from dozens of world-renowned ski resorts. Expect heavy traffic on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings in the winter. It can take anywhere from a 1.5-hour drive to 6+ hour nightmare.

But that isn't the only time you'll run into traffic in Denver. Since the city exploded with growth in the past decade, traffic within the metro can get congested too. Luckily, Denver is geographically small so getting to and from anywhere should take about 20-minutes during non-rush hour periods. Also, if you live and work in the downtown area, biking and the new Lime Scooters are a viable way to commute.

Tips for Getting Around:

Be careful where you park. The sides of the street change to accommodate street sweeping.

Consider getting a car with four-wheel drive or one that can handle more rugged mountain driving and varied weather conditions.

The city added new light rail lines in 2016, including one that goes to the airport. Other light rails connect some suburbs to the city.

Denver is a highly bike-friendly city. It's estimated that between 6-7% of downtown employees commute to work by bike.

You can also rent B-cycle bikes from docks around the city, either by the hour or by day.

7. Denver is a beer destination and is on its way to becoming a food destination.

Craft brew fanatics will love that Denver is home to the second most microbreweries next to Portland. In fact, the area has been coined as the Napa Valley of Beer. But if you're looking to enjoy a pint or two during happy hour, remember to drink some water too. If not, you might feel buzzed sooner than you would in cities closer to sea level. Beer can have more of an effect due to thin air.

We spoke with Editor of Rocky Mountain Food Report, Dionne Roberts, on how the food and drink scene has evolved. “Denver's craft culinary and beverage scene continues to show rapid growth with the influx of diverse and gifted chefs, brewers and distillers,” Roberts explains. “More people want to be a part of the mountain culture and that adds depth to the growing number of options and cultivates a higher sense of quality in the cuisine.”

Roberts also shared with us some recommendations for potential residents to visit while in Denver.

Places to Drink:

First Draft - A place to try dozens of local microbrews all under one roof. At First Draft, you're given a swipe card to pour your own tastings.

Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales - Specializes in unique, blended and barrel-aged sour beers with industrial airplane-esque decor and meticulous brewing processes.

Epic Brewing Company - Offers a fun, community tasting room with a lineup of dozens of flagship and elevated craft beers.

Black Shirt Brewing Company - Relays an approachable rock n' roll edge in their stylistic, aptly-named beers, live music performances and funky brewery atmosphere.

My Brother's Bar – So old it's been operating since before Colorado was officially a state, Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady and Allen Ginsberg all hung out here.

Death & Co – If you get tired of beer, this NYC outpost has a literal bible of craft cocktails in the swanky Ramble Hotel.

Williams & Graham – Denver is also huge on speakeasies, with Williams & Graham named one of the top 50 cocktail bars in the world. The coolest part? You have to walk through a bookshelf to find it.

Great American Beer Fest - This fall festival has the largest variety of beer served of any public tasting across the country. You'll be hard-pressed to try them all, since there are over 800 breweries and thousands of beers present. Buy your tickets immediately when they go on sale, as they do sell out in minutes.

Places to Eat:

Euclid Hall - Located in the heart of Larimer Square with a focus on elevated pub fare, a great ambiance and thorough attention to providing locally sourced ingredients.

AVANTI Food and Beverage - Denver basically pioneered the food hall concept, and AVANTI was one of the OGs for its killer rooftop. All vendors have short-term leases as a way to test pilot their concepts.

Beatrice & Woodsley - A whimsical, cozy restaurant with a seasonal craft menu on Broadway that boasts a fairy tale interior perfect for date night or intimate gatherings.

Snooze – Brunch is serious business in Denver, and local chain Snooze is always slammed. Expect to wait about an hour for their signature pancake flights.

Linger – A former mortuary turned “eatuary,” Linger serves innovative, international small places. Don't miss the vintage VW bus on the roof and one of the best skyline views of the city.

The Buckhorn Exchange – A National Historic Landmark, the Buckhorn Exchange received the state's first liquor license and pays homage to the state's game meat culture. If you're brave, it's also the place to try Rocky Mountain Oysters.

Tavernetta – The newly revamped Union Station has really become a must-see destination and hotspot. While all the restaurants are good, Tavernetta is elevated Italian worth seeking out.

TAG – Troy Guard is one of Denver's most beloved chefs. His first outpost has unique fusion dishes, like Hamachi with pop rocks.

Tacos Tequila Whiskey – Ask anyone what Denver's staple cuisine is, and taquerias are definitely part of the narrative (along with green chile).

16th Street Mall - Located in downtown Denver, this one-mile pedestrian section is packed with tons of cafes, brewpubs and restaurants. After a night out, play one of the ten public pianos on display. It's touristy, but a must-see for first-timers.

8. There are plenty of fun things to do in Denver.

Relocating to Denver is a much more enjoyable experience when you know there's a ton you'll want to do once you arrive. Do any of the following interest you enough to start packing up your belongings and heading to Denver?

Professional Sports Teams:

Denver Broncos - One of pro football's biggest winners since the merger of the American and National Football Leagues in 1970, with a cult following

Colorado Rockies - Coors Field has jokingly been called the best bar in Denver, so even if you're not a baseball fan, the stadium is worth a visit

Colorado Avalanche - NHL team that won eight division title games in a row–the longest streak in the league

Denver Nuggets - NBA team that has yet to reach the championship round in the playoffs, but is fun to watch nonetheless

Attractions and Fun Things to Do:

Top Golf - Spend a leisurely day hitting some golf balls further than you normally would. No, really. Due to the high altitude, golf balls can reportedly go up to 10% farther!

The Stanley Hotel - Horror fanatics should take an hour trek outside of Denver to visit this historic landmark that inspired Stephen King's 1977 bestseller, The Shining. Want a glimpse into the paranormal? Take their Night Spirit Tour and explore some creepy spaces.

Red Rocks Amphitheatre - Chances are, if you want to see one of your favorite big time musicians live, they will have played at Red Rocks. The most acoustically perfect outdoor amphitheater in the world, music sounds incredible here and the views are unforgettable.

Denver Performing Arts Complex (The DCPA) - Enjoy a variety of seasonal events on this four-block strip, like Broadway Theatre, ballet and opera.

9. Taking advantage of the great outdoors is easy all year.

Denver is the ideal location for adventure seekers looking to explore thrilling mountain peaks and valleys. But you don't have to be an adrenaline junkie or avid skier to enjoy outdoor life in Colorado. There are dozens of day trips suitable for the entire family all year round.

Green Spaces in the City:

Washington Park - Take a pedal boat across Smith Lake for a perfect afternoon with the family.

City Park - Hike the Mile High Trail in this park and get a five-kilometer workout exactly one mile above sea level.

Confluence Park - Take a kayak out and explore man-made kayak chutes located minutes from downtown.

Cherry Creek Bike Path – A 42-mile paved pathway that starts in downtown Denver, you could bike for a few hours or make the day of it.

Ski Getaways:

Vail Mountain Resort - There are 5,289 acres of skiable slopes at this legendary ski spot.

Breckenridge – With five peaks in one resort, travelers come from all over the world to ski Breck.

Winter Park - This is the longest running ski resort in Colorado with over 3,000 acres of award-winning terrain to explore.

Copper Mountain – One of the more local resorts, Copper's naturally divided terrain is a great place to learn and perfect your turns.

Outdoor Adventures:

Rocky Mountain National Park - Denver's most accessible national park, RMNP is 415 square miles of protected mountain land. Drive Trail Ridge Road for epic views and hike the acclaimed Dream Lake.

Mount Evans - Climb the highest paved road in North America and eventually reach the summit at 14,260 feet.

Rocky Mountain Ziplines - Zip through sections of the Rocky Mountains and take in the sights on over 6,000 feet of cable.

Clear Creek Whitewater Rafting – The closest whitewater to Denver, ride the rapids for a real adrenaline rush.

Glenwood Springs – Colorado has more than 30 hot springs, which are a relaxing year-round getaway.

Private Foothills Tour - Take a four hour trek through the Foothills of Denver. There are many stops built into the tour. If you have kids, make sure to stop at Dinosaur Ridge, which is optional.

10. Marijuana is legal, but public consumption is not.

Colorado was the first state to legalize recreational marijuana, which might not impact your life in Denver as much as you think. You may smell it, but you'll rarely see people partaking, as it is still illegal to smoke in public. According to a survey by the Colorado Department of Public Health, only 13.6% of residents partake in recreational marijuana use, and fewer of them smoke every day. While this figure is much larger than the national average, some argue that many pot smokers in other states keep their habit behind closed doors. Regardless of where you stand on this issue, there are some things you should know, as that Rocky Mountain High is a big part of life in Denver.

Marijuana Etiquette:

Dispensaries are identified with green crosses that look like pharmacies. “Bud-tenders” will walk you through the buying process and explain the effects the different strains may have on your body (sativa, indica and hybrids).

If you wish to smoke pot in your home, make sure it is allowed in your lease agreement before you light up.

You must be over the age of 21 to buy and consume pot in Colorado.

Public use of marijuana is illegal, so don't expect to find people lighting up in the streets.

Certain hotels and AirBnbs restrict the use of marijuana on their premises, so be sure to find a smoker-friendly establishment if you're planning a trip and wish to smoke.

Just because marijuana use is legal doesn't mean your boss has to agree. Your company can administer drug tests and create policies banning the use of marijuana.

The marijuana industry is very innovative and there are many ways to experiment with its effects without actually smoking. Topicals, edibles, and vaping are all extremely popular.

If pregnant, the CDPH advises strongly against the use of marijuana. If any newborn baby tests positive for THC, the hospital is advised to contact child protective services.

Make relocating to Denver a relatively simple process.

If you're planning a move to Denver, creating a checklist of everything you need to do can be helpful. In order to be considered a resident of Denver, you must be employed, own a business, or reside in Denver for at least 90 days. Don't forget some of these essential steps to becoming a Denverite.

Moving to Denver Checklist:

Before registering your car, update out of state vehicle titles using this form. Be sure your car will pass the required emissions tests before bringing it into the state. If not, you may have to sell the car before you move.

Transfer your license within 30 days and register your car within 90 days at the DMV.

Decide whether or not you want to update your organ donor status.

Learn about the requirements for residency as it relates to higher education.

Change your address and have your mail forwarded using this form from the USPS.

Sometimes relocation dates don't match up exactly. If your belongings arrive before you have access to your home, consider temporary self storage in Denver.

We hope you learned a thing or two about life in Denver. Would you ever move here? Do you have some insight you'd like to share? Let us know in the comment section.

This post originally appeared on the Life Storage blog on 2/2/18 and was revised on 1/10/19 to provide new information.

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gstuart1024-blog · 6 years ago

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Moving to Denver - 10 Pros and Cons You Should Know

1. Denver is young, hip and desirable.

Top Neighborhoods in Denver

Average apartment rental: $2,023

Average apartment rental: $1,727

Average apartment rental: $1,519

Glazer gave us a sampling of a few more under-the-radar Denver neighborhoods that have their own unique charm and character.

Average home prices: in the low $400,000s.

Average home prices: around $500,000.

Average home prices: in the $500,000s.

Denver Suburbs to Consider:

Arvada - Olde Town Arvada has one of the cutest “Main streets” of any suburb. Its popularity has also caught on the past few years, driving up home prices.

2. Denver is becoming a major city.

Denver Housing Market Stats

Irene Glazer also helped us understand just how the housing market has changed over the past few years. Here are some highlights:

The Denver housing market has been appreciating at a double-digit clip since we started our climb out of the recession in about 2013. This past year we saw a bit slower appreciation of about 8%.

Our average sold price in metro Denver finished out at approximately $475K in 2017, and the prediction is that we will be around $500K by the end of 2018.

Inventory is still the biggest buzzword, and we are still extremely short on it, without a reprieve in sight.

3. The cost of living in Denver won't break the bank, yet.

The biggest hurdle new residents face when moving to Denver is housing costs. Other than that, most cost of living expenses is more or less comparative to other cities.

Cost of Living Factors:

Taxes - Property taxes are relatively low, sales tax is high, and income tax falls right in the middle at 4.63%.

Health Care - Costs about 17% more than the national average.

Groceries - You'll pay about 4% less than the national average.

4. Denver's economy is booming.

Top Denver Industries & Companies:

Tech - The startup scene is exploding with companies like Baker Technologies and more established companies like Google and HomeAdvisor.

Aerospace -Denver is keen on becoming “Aerospace Alley” (their play on Silicon Valley) with major companies like The Boeing Company, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman located here.

Casual Concepts - Noodles & Company, Smashburger, Qboda and Boston Market are all headquartered here.

Marijuana – Cannabis is big business, bringing in more revenue than some small countries.

5. Once you adjust to the altitude, the weather is incredible.

What It's Like Living in Denver:

There are an estimated 300 days of sunshine every year. Even though the summers are hot, they lack humidity, which makes them more comfortable.

The sky is bluer and the stars are brighter than other parts of the country due to the high-desert climate and elevation.

Some of the top weekend vacation destinations are located within a few hours of Denver.

The temperature can rise or fall by 40 degrees in a day due to the altitude, so always dress in layers.

Since the air is thinner, there are lower levels of oxygen, which can take a toll on your body if you're not used to it or have an ongoing medical condition.

Tips to Acclimate to the Altitude:

The air is really dry, which can dehydrate your body if you're not drinking enough water. Make sure to drink more water than you normally would, and always have chap-stick handy.

Take it easy upon arrival. If you plan to do any mountain activities, give your body a few days to acclimate.

Make sure to get enough sleep if the altitude makes you feel drowsy.

At higher elevations, the sun is more intense, so always wear sunscreen!

6. Traffic is undesirable in and out of the city.

Tips for Getting Around:

Be careful where you park. The sides of the street change to accommodate street sweeping.

Consider getting a car with four-wheel drive or one that can handle more rugged mountain driving and varied weather conditions.

The city added new light rail lines in 2016, including one that goes to the airport. Other light rails connect some suburbs to the city.

Denver is a highly bike-friendly city. It's estimated that between 6-7% of downtown employees commute to work by bike.

You can also rent B-cycle bikes from docks around the city, either by the hour or by day.

7. Denver is a beer destination and is on its way to becoming a food destination.

Roberts also shared with us some recommendations for potential residents to visit while in Denver.

Places to Drink:

First Draft - A place to try dozens of local microbrews all under one roof. At First Draft, you're given a swipe card to pour your own tastings.

Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales - Specializes in unique, blended and barrel-aged sour beers with industrial airplane-esque decor and meticulous brewing processes.

Epic Brewing Company - Offers a fun, community tasting room with a lineup of dozens of flagship and elevated craft beers.

Black Shirt Brewing Company - Relays an approachable rock n' roll edge in their stylistic, aptly-named beers, live music performances and funky brewery atmosphere.

My Brother's Bar – So old it's been operating since before Colorado was officially a state, Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady and Allen Ginsberg all hung out here.

Death & Co – If you get tired of beer, this NYC outpost has a literal bible of craft cocktails in the swanky Ramble Hotel.

Williams & Graham – Denver is also huge on speakeasies, with Williams & Graham named one of the top 50 cocktail bars in the world. The coolest part? You have to walk through a bookshelf to find it.

Places to Eat:

Euclid Hall - Located in the heart of Larimer Square with a focus on elevated pub fare, a great ambiance and thorough attention to providing locally sourced ingredients.

Beatrice & Woodsley - A whimsical, cozy restaurant with a seasonal craft menu on Broadway that boasts a fairy tale interior perfect for date night or intimate gatherings.

Snooze – Brunch is serious business in Denver, and local chain Snooze is always slammed. Expect to wait about an hour for their signature pancake flights.

Linger – A former mortuary turned “eatuary,” Linger serves innovative, international small places. Don't miss the vintage VW bus on the roof and one of the best skyline views of the city.

Tavernetta – The newly revamped Union Station has really become a must-see destination and hotspot. While all the restaurants are good, Tavernetta is elevated Italian worth seeking out.

TAG – Troy Guard is one of Denver's most beloved chefs. His first outpost has unique fusion dishes, like Hamachi with pop rocks.

Tacos Tequila Whiskey – Ask anyone what Denver's staple cuisine is, and taquerias are definitely part of the narrative (along with green chile).

8. There are plenty of fun things to do in Denver.

Professional Sports Teams:

Denver Broncos - One of pro football's biggest winners since the merger of the American and National Football Leagues in 1970, with a cult following

Colorado Rockies - Coors Field has jokingly been called the best bar in Denver, so even if you're not a baseball fan, the stadium is worth a visit

Colorado Avalanche - NHL team that won eight division title games in a row–the longest streak in the league

Denver Nuggets - NBA team that has yet to reach the championship round in the playoffs, but is fun to watch nonetheless

Attractions and Fun Things to Do:

Top Golf - Spend a leisurely day hitting some golf balls further than you normally would. No, really. Due to the high altitude, golf balls can reportedly go up to 10% farther!

Denver Performing Arts Complex (The DCPA) - Enjoy a variety of seasonal events on this four-block strip, like Broadway Theatre, ballet and opera.

9. Taking advantage of the great outdoors is easy all year.

Green Spaces in the City:

Washington Park - Take a pedal boat across Smith Lake for a perfect afternoon with the family.

City Park - Hike the Mile High Trail in this park and get a five-kilometer workout exactly one mile above sea level.

Confluence Park - Take a kayak out and explore man-made kayak chutes located minutes from downtown.

Cherry Creek Bike Path – A 42-mile paved pathway that starts in downtown Denver, you could bike for a few hours or make the day of it.

Ski Getaways:

Vail Mountain Resort - There are 5,289 acres of skiable slopes at this legendary ski spot.

Breckenridge – With five peaks in one resort, travelers come from all over the world to ski Breck.

Winter Park - This is the longest running ski resort in Colorado with over 3,000 acres of award-winning terrain to explore.

Copper Mountain – One of the more local resorts, Copper's naturally divided terrain is a great place to learn and perfect your turns.

Outdoor Adventures:

Rocky Mountain National Park - Denver's most accessible national park, RMNP is 415 square miles of protected mountain land. Drive Trail Ridge Road for epic views and hike the acclaimed Dream Lake.

Mount Evans - Climb the highest paved road in North America and eventually reach the summit at 14,260 feet.

Rocky Mountain Ziplines - Zip through sections of the Rocky Mountains and take in the sights on over 6,000 feet of cable.

Clear Creek Whitewater Rafting – The closest whitewater to Denver, ride the rapids for a real adrenaline rush.

Glenwood Springs – Colorado has more than 30 hot springs, which are a relaxing year-round getaway.

Private Foothills Tour - Take a four hour trek through the Foothills of Denver. There are many stops built into the tour. If you have kids, make sure to stop at Dinosaur Ridge, which is optional.

10. Marijuana is legal, but public consumption is not.

Marijuana Etiquette:

If you wish to smoke pot in your home, make sure it is allowed in your lease agreement before you light up.

You must be over the age of 21 to buy and consume pot in Colorado.

Public use of marijuana is illegal, so don't expect to find people lighting up in the streets.

Certain hotels and AirBnbs restrict the use of marijuana on their premises, so be sure to find a smoker-friendly establishment if you're planning a trip and wish to smoke.

Just because marijuana use is legal doesn't mean your boss has to agree. Your company can administer drug tests and create policies banning the use of marijuana.

The marijuana industry is very innovative and there are many ways to experiment with its effects without actually smoking. Topicals, edibles, and vaping are all extremely popular.

If pregnant, the CDPH advises strongly against the use of marijuana. If any newborn baby tests positive for THC, the hospital is advised to contact child protective services.

Make relocating to Denver a relatively simple process.

Moving to Denver Checklist:

Transfer your license within 30 days and register your car within 90 days at the DMV.

Decide whether or not you want to update your organ donor status.

Learn about the requirements for residency as it relates to higher education.

Change your address and have your mail forwarded using this form from the USPS.

Sometimes relocation dates don't match up exactly. If your belongings arrive before you have access to your home, consider temporary self storage in Denver.

We hope you learned a thing or two about life in Denver. Would you ever move here? Do you have some insight you'd like to share? Let us know in the comment section.

This post originally appeared on the Life Storage blog on 2/2/18 and was revised on 1/10/19 to provide new information.

0 notes

georgeghaider-blog · 6 years ago

Text

Moving to Denver - 10 Pros and Cons You Should Know

1. Denver is young, hip and desirable.

Top Neighborhoods in Denver

Average apartment rental: $2,023

Average apartment rental: $1,727

Average apartment rental: $1,519

Glazer gave us a sampling of a few more under-the-radar Denver neighborhoods that have their own unique charm and character.

Average home prices: in the low $400,000s.

Average home prices: around $500,000.

Average home prices: in the $500,000s.

Denver Suburbs to Consider:

Arvada - Olde Town Arvada has one of the cutest “Main streets” of any suburb. Its popularity has also caught on the past few years, driving up home prices.

2. Denver is becoming a major city.

Denver Housing Market Stats

Irene Glazer also helped us understand just how the housing market has changed over the past few years. Here are some highlights:

The Denver housing market has been appreciating at a double-digit clip since we started our climb out of the recession in about 2013. This past year we saw a bit slower appreciation of about 8%.

Our average sold price in metro Denver finished out at approximately $475K in 2017, and the prediction is that we will be around $500K by the end of 2018.

Inventory is still the biggest buzzword, and we are still extremely short on it, without a reprieve in sight.

3. The cost of living in Denver won't break the bank, yet.

The biggest hurdle new residents face when moving to Denver is housing costs. Other than that, most cost of living expenses is more or less comparative to other cities.

Cost of Living Factors:

Taxes - Property taxes are relatively low, sales tax is high, and income tax falls right in the middle at 4.63%.

Health Care - Costs about 17% more than the national average.

Groceries - You'll pay about 4% less than the national average.

4. Denver's economy is booming.

Top Denver Industries & Companies:

Tech - The startup scene is exploding with companies like Baker Technologies and more established companies like Google and HomeAdvisor.

Aerospace -Denver is keen on becoming “Aerospace Alley” (their play on Silicon Valley) with major companies like The Boeing Company, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman located here.

Casual Concepts - Noodles & Company, Smashburger, Qboda and Boston Market are all headquartered here.

Marijuana – Cannabis is big business, bringing in more revenue than some small countries.

5. Once you adjust to the altitude, the weather is incredible.

What It's Like Living in Denver:

There are an estimated 300 days of sunshine every year. Even though the summers are hot, they lack humidity, which makes them more comfortable.

The sky is bluer and the stars are brighter than other parts of the country due to the high-desert climate and elevation.

Some of the top weekend vacation destinations are located within a few hours of Denver.

The temperature can rise or fall by 40 degrees in a day due to the altitude, so always dress in layers.

Since the air is thinner, there are lower levels of oxygen, which can take a toll on your body if you're not used to it or have an ongoing medical condition.

Tips to Acclimate to the Altitude:

The air is really dry, which can dehydrate your body if you're not drinking enough water. Make sure to drink more water than you normally would, and always have chap-stick handy.

Take it easy upon arrival. If you plan to do any mountain activities, give your body a few days to acclimate.

Make sure to get enough sleep if the altitude makes you feel drowsy.

At higher elevations, the sun is more intense, so always wear sunscreen!

6. Traffic is undesirable in and out of the city.

Tips for Getting Around:

Be careful where you park. The sides of the street change to accommodate street sweeping.

Consider getting a car with four-wheel drive or one that can handle more rugged mountain driving and varied weather conditions.

The city added new light rail lines in 2016, including one that goes to the airport. Other light rails connect some suburbs to the city.

Denver is a highly bike-friendly city. It's estimated that between 6-7% of downtown employees commute to work by bike.

You can also rent B-cycle bikes from docks around the city, either by the hour or by day.

7. Denver is a beer destination and is on its way to becoming a food destination.

Roberts also shared with us some recommendations for potential residents to visit while in Denver.

Places to Drink:

First Draft - A place to try dozens of local microbrews all under one roof. At First Draft, you're given a swipe card to pour your own tastings.

Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales - Specializes in unique, blended and barrel-aged sour beers with industrial airplane-esque decor and meticulous brewing processes.

Epic Brewing Company - Offers a fun, community tasting room with a lineup of dozens of flagship and elevated craft beers.

Black Shirt Brewing Company - Relays an approachable rock n' roll edge in their stylistic, aptly-named beers, live music performances and funky brewery atmosphere.

My Brother's Bar – So old it's been operating since before Colorado was officially a state, Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady and Allen Ginsberg all hung out here.

Death & Co – If you get tired of beer, this NYC outpost has a literal bible of craft cocktails in the swanky Ramble Hotel.

Williams & Graham – Denver is also huge on speakeasies, with Williams & Graham named one of the top 50 cocktail bars in the world. The coolest part? You have to walk through a bookshelf to find it.

Places to Eat:

Euclid Hall - Located in the heart of Larimer Square with a focus on elevated pub fare, a great ambiance and thorough attention to providing locally sourced ingredients.

Beatrice & Woodsley - A whimsical, cozy restaurant with a seasonal craft menu on Broadway that boasts a fairy tale interior perfect for date night or intimate gatherings.

Snooze – Brunch is serious business in Denver, and local chain Snooze is always slammed. Expect to wait about an hour for their signature pancake flights.

Linger – A former mortuary turned “eatuary,” Linger serves innovative, international small places. Don't miss the vintage VW bus on the roof and one of the best skyline views of the city.

Tavernetta – The newly revamped Union Station has really become a must-see destination and hotspot. While all the restaurants are good, Tavernetta is elevated Italian worth seeking out.

TAG – Troy Guard is one of Denver's most beloved chefs. His first outpost has unique fusion dishes, like Hamachi with pop rocks.

Tacos Tequila Whiskey – Ask anyone what Denver's staple cuisine is, and taquerias are definitely part of the narrative (along with green chile).

8. There are plenty of fun things to do in Denver.

Professional Sports Teams:

Denver Broncos - One of pro football's biggest winners since the merger of the American and National Football Leagues in 1970, with a cult following

Colorado Rockies - Coors Field has jokingly been called the best bar in Denver, so even if you're not a baseball fan, the stadium is worth a visit

Colorado Avalanche - NHL team that won eight division title games in a row–the longest streak in the league

Denver Nuggets - NBA team that has yet to reach the championship round in the playoffs, but is fun to watch nonetheless

Attractions and Fun Things to Do:

Top Golf - Spend a leisurely day hitting some golf balls further than you normally would. No, really. Due to the high altitude, golf balls can reportedly go up to 10% farther!

Denver Performing Arts Complex (The DCPA) - Enjoy a variety of seasonal events on this four-block strip, like Broadway Theatre, ballet and opera.

9. Taking advantage of the great outdoors is easy all year.

Green Spaces in the City:

Washington Park - Take a pedal boat across Smith Lake for a perfect afternoon with the family.

City Park - Hike the Mile High Trail in this park and get a five-kilometer workout exactly one mile above sea level.

Confluence Park - Take a kayak out and explore man-made kayak chutes located minutes from downtown.

Cherry Creek Bike Path – A 42-mile paved pathway that starts in downtown Denver, you could bike for a few hours or make the day of it.

Ski Getaways:

Vail Mountain Resort - There are 5,289 acres of skiable slopes at this legendary ski spot.

Breckenridge – With five peaks in one resort, travelers come from all over the world to ski Breck.

Winter Park - This is the longest running ski resort in Colorado with over 3,000 acres of award-winning terrain to explore.

Copper Mountain – One of the more local resorts, Copper's naturally divided terrain is a great place to learn and perfect your turns.

Outdoor Adventures:

Rocky Mountain National Park - Denver's most accessible national park, RMNP is 415 square miles of protected mountain land. Drive Trail Ridge Road for epic views and hike the acclaimed Dream Lake.

Mount Evans - Climb the highest paved road in North America and eventually reach the summit at 14,260 feet.

Rocky Mountain Ziplines - Zip through sections of the Rocky Mountains and take in the sights on over 6,000 feet of cable.

Clear Creek Whitewater Rafting – The closest whitewater to Denver, ride the rapids for a real adrenaline rush.

Glenwood Springs – Colorado has more than 30 hot springs, which are a relaxing year-round getaway.

Private Foothills Tour - Take a four hour trek through the Foothills of Denver. There are many stops built into the tour. If you have kids, make sure to stop at Dinosaur Ridge, which is optional.

10. Marijuana is legal, but public consumption is not.

Marijuana Etiquette:

If you wish to smoke pot in your home, make sure it is allowed in your lease agreement before you light up.

You must be over the age of 21 to buy and consume pot in Colorado.

Public use of marijuana is illegal, so don't expect to find people lighting up in the streets.

Certain hotels and AirBnbs restrict the use of marijuana on their premises, so be sure to find a smoker-friendly establishment if you're planning a trip and wish to smoke.

Just because marijuana use is legal doesn't mean your boss has to agree. Your company can administer drug tests and create policies banning the use of marijuana.

The marijuana industry is very innovative and there are many ways to experiment with its effects without actually smoking. Topicals, edibles, and vaping are all extremely popular.

If pregnant, the CDPH advises strongly against the use of marijuana. If any newborn baby tests positive for THC, the hospital is advised to contact child protective services.

Make relocating to Denver a relatively simple process.

Moving to Denver Checklist:

Transfer your license within 30 days and register your car within 90 days at the DMV.

Decide whether or not you want to update your organ donor status.

Learn about the requirements for residency as it relates to higher education.

Change your address and have your mail forwarded using this form from the USPS.

Sometimes relocation dates don't match up exactly. If your belongings arrive before you have access to your home, consider temporary self storage in Denver.

We hope you learned a thing or two about life in Denver. Would you ever move here? Do you have some insight you'd like to share? Let us know in the comment section.

This post originally appeared on the Life Storage blog on 2/2/18 and was revised on 1/10/19 to provide new information.

0 notes

stevhenzana-blog · 6 years ago

Text

Moving to Denver - 10 Pros and Cons You Should Know

1. Denver is young, hip and desirable.

Top Neighborhoods in Denver

Average apartment rental: $2,023

Average apartment rental: $1,727

Average apartment rental: $1,519

Glazer gave us a sampling of a few more under-the-radar Denver neighborhoods that have their own unique charm and character.

Average home prices: in the low $400,000s.

Average home prices: around $500,000.

Average home prices: in the $500,000s.

Denver Suburbs to Consider:

Arvada - Olde Town Arvada has one of the cutest “Main streets” of any suburb. Its popularity has also caught on the past few years, driving up home prices.

2. Denver is becoming a major city.

Denver Housing Market Stats

Irene Glazer also helped us understand just how the housing market has changed over the past few years. Here are some highlights:

The Denver housing market has been appreciating at a double-digit clip since we started our climb out of the recession in about 2013. This past year we saw a bit slower appreciation of about 8%.

Our average sold price in metro Denver finished out at approximately $475K in 2017, and the prediction is that we will be around $500K by the end of 2018.

Inventory is still the biggest buzzword, and we are still extremely short on it, without a reprieve in sight.

3. The cost of living in Denver won't break the bank, yet.

The biggest hurdle new residents face when moving to Denver is housing costs. Other than that, most cost of living expenses is more or less comparative to other cities.

Cost of Living Factors:

Taxes - Property taxes are relatively low, sales tax is high, and income tax falls right in the middle at 4.63%.

Health Care - Costs about 17% more than the national average.

Groceries - You'll pay about 4% less than the national average.

4. Denver's economy is booming.

Top Denver Industries & Companies:

Tech - The startup scene is exploding with companies like Baker Technologies and more established companies like Google and HomeAdvisor.

Aerospace -Denver is keen on becoming “Aerospace Alley” (their play on Silicon Valley) with major companies like The Boeing Company, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman located here.

Casual Concepts - Noodles & Company, Smashburger, Qboda and Boston Market are all headquartered here.

Marijuana – Cannabis is big business, bringing in more revenue than some small countries.

5. Once you adjust to the altitude, the weather is incredible.

What It's Like Living in Denver:

There are an estimated 300 days of sunshine every year. Even though the summers are hot, they lack humidity, which makes them more comfortable.

The sky is bluer and the stars are brighter than other parts of the country due to the high-desert climate and elevation.

Some of the top weekend vacation destinations are located within a few hours of Denver.

The temperature can rise or fall by 40 degrees in a day due to the altitude, so always dress in layers.

Since the air is thinner, there are lower levels of oxygen, which can take a toll on your body if you're not used to it or have an ongoing medical condition.

Tips to Acclimate to the Altitude:

The air is really dry, which can dehydrate your body if you're not drinking enough water. Make sure to drink more water than you normally would, and always have chap-stick handy.

Take it easy upon arrival. If you plan to do any mountain activities, give your body a few days to acclimate.

Make sure to get enough sleep if the altitude makes you feel drowsy.

At higher elevations, the sun is more intense, so always wear sunscreen!

6. Traffic is undesirable in and out of the city.

Tips for Getting Around:

Be careful where you park. The sides of the street change to accommodate street sweeping.

Consider getting a car with four-wheel drive or one that can handle more rugged mountain driving and varied weather conditions.

The city added new light rail lines in 2016, including one that goes to the airport. Other light rails connect some suburbs to the city.

Denver is a highly bike-friendly city. It's estimated that between 6-7% of downtown employees commute to work by bike.

You can also rent B-cycle bikes from docks around the city, either by the hour or by day.

7. Denver is a beer destination and is on its way to becoming a food destination.

Roberts also shared with us some recommendations for potential residents to visit while in Denver.

Places to Drink:

First Draft - A place to try dozens of local microbrews all under one roof. At First Draft, you're given a swipe card to pour your own tastings.

Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales - Specializes in unique, blended and barrel-aged sour beers with industrial airplane-esque decor and meticulous brewing processes.

Epic Brewing Company - Offers a fun, community tasting room with a lineup of dozens of flagship and elevated craft beers.

Black Shirt Brewing Company - Relays an approachable rock n' roll edge in their stylistic, aptly-named beers, live music performances and funky brewery atmosphere.

My Brother's Bar – So old it's been operating since before Colorado was officially a state, Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady and Allen Ginsberg all hung out here.

Death & Co – If you get tired of beer, this NYC outpost has a literal bible of craft cocktails in the swanky Ramble Hotel.

Williams & Graham – Denver is also huge on speakeasies, with Williams & Graham named one of the top 50 cocktail bars in the world. The coolest part? You have to walk through a bookshelf to find it.

Places to Eat:

Euclid Hall - Located in the heart of Larimer Square with a focus on elevated pub fare, a great ambiance and thorough attention to providing locally sourced ingredients.

Beatrice & Woodsley - A whimsical, cozy restaurant with a seasonal craft menu on Broadway that boasts a fairy tale interior perfect for date night or intimate gatherings.

Snooze – Brunch is serious business in Denver, and local chain Snooze is always slammed. Expect to wait about an hour for their signature pancake flights.

Linger – A former mortuary turned “eatuary,” Linger serves innovative, international small places. Don't miss the vintage VW bus on the roof and one of the best skyline views of the city.

Tavernetta – The newly revamped Union Station has really become a must-see destination and hotspot. While all the restaurants are good, Tavernetta is elevated Italian worth seeking out.

TAG – Troy Guard is one of Denver's most beloved chefs. His first outpost has unique fusion dishes, like Hamachi with pop rocks.

Tacos Tequila Whiskey – Ask anyone what Denver's staple cuisine is, and taquerias are definitely part of the narrative (along with green chile).

8. There are plenty of fun things to do in Denver.

Professional Sports Teams:

Denver Broncos - One of pro football's biggest winners since the merger of the American and National Football Leagues in 1970, with a cult following

Colorado Rockies - Coors Field has jokingly been called the best bar in Denver, so even if you're not a baseball fan, the stadium is worth a visit

Colorado Avalanche - NHL team that won eight division title games in a row–the longest streak in the league

Denver Nuggets - NBA team that has yet to reach the championship round in the playoffs, but is fun to watch nonetheless

Attractions and Fun Things to Do:

Top Golf - Spend a leisurely day hitting some golf balls further than you normally would. No, really. Due to the high altitude, golf balls can reportedly go up to 10% farther!

Denver Performing Arts Complex (The DCPA) - Enjoy a variety of seasonal events on this four-block strip, like Broadway Theatre, ballet and opera.

9. Taking advantage of the great outdoors is easy all year.

Green Spaces in the City:

Washington Park - Take a pedal boat across Smith Lake for a perfect afternoon with the family.

City Park - Hike the Mile High Trail in this park and get a five-kilometer workout exactly one mile above sea level.

Confluence Park - Take a kayak out and explore man-made kayak chutes located minutes from downtown.

Cherry Creek Bike Path – A 42-mile paved pathway that starts in downtown Denver, you could bike for a few hours or make the day of it.

Ski Getaways:

Vail Mountain Resort - There are 5,289 acres of skiable slopes at this legendary ski spot.

Breckenridge – With five peaks in one resort, travelers come from all over the world to ski Breck.

Winter Park - This is the longest running ski resort in Colorado with over 3,000 acres of award-winning terrain to explore.

Copper Mountain – One of the more local resorts, Copper's naturally divided terrain is a great place to learn and perfect your turns.

Outdoor Adventures:

Rocky Mountain National Park - Denver's most accessible national park, RMNP is 415 square miles of protected mountain land. Drive Trail Ridge Road for epic views and hike the acclaimed Dream Lake.

Mount Evans - Climb the highest paved road in North America and eventually reach the summit at 14,260 feet.

Rocky Mountain Ziplines - Zip through sections of the Rocky Mountains and take in the sights on over 6,000 feet of cable.

Clear Creek Whitewater Rafting – The closest whitewater to Denver, ride the rapids for a real adrenaline rush.

Glenwood Springs – Colorado has more than 30 hot springs, which are a relaxing year-round getaway.

Private Foothills Tour - Take a four hour trek through the Foothills of Denver. There are many stops built into the tour. If you have kids, make sure to stop at Dinosaur Ridge, which is optional.

10. Marijuana is legal, but public consumption is not.

Marijuana Etiquette:

If you wish to smoke pot in your home, make sure it is allowed in your lease agreement before you light up.

You must be over the age of 21 to buy and consume pot in Colorado.

Public use of marijuana is illegal, so don't expect to find people lighting up in the streets.

Certain hotels and AirBnbs restrict the use of marijuana on their premises, so be sure to find a smoker-friendly establishment if you're planning a trip and wish to smoke.

Just because marijuana use is legal doesn't mean your boss has to agree. Your company can administer drug tests and create policies banning the use of marijuana.

The marijuana industry is very innovative and there are many ways to experiment with its effects without actually smoking. Topicals, edibles, and vaping are all extremely popular.

If pregnant, the CDPH advises strongly against the use of marijuana. If any newborn baby tests positive for THC, the hospital is advised to contact child protective services.

Make relocating to Denver a relatively simple process.

Moving to Denver Checklist:

Transfer your license within 30 days and register your car within 90 days at the DMV.

Decide whether or not you want to update your organ donor status.

Learn about the requirements for residency as it relates to higher education.

Change your address and have your mail forwarded using this form from the USPS.

Sometimes relocation dates don't match up exactly. If your belongings arrive before you have access to your home, consider temporary self storage in Denver.

We hope you learned a thing or two about life in Denver. Would you ever move here? Do you have some insight you'd like to share? Let us know in the comment section.

This post originally appeared on the Life Storage blog on 2/2/18 and was revised on 1/10/19 to provide new information.

0 notes

michelea198531-blog · 6 years ago

Text

Moving to Denver - 10 Pros and Cons You Should Know

1. Denver is young, hip and desirable.

Top Neighborhoods in Denver

Average apartment rental: $2,023

Average apartment rental: $1,727

Average apartment rental: $1,519

Glazer gave us a sampling of a few more under-the-radar Denver neighborhoods that have their own unique charm and character.

Average home prices: in the low $400,000s.

Average home prices: around $500,000.

Average home prices: in the $500,000s.

Denver Suburbs to Consider:

Arvada - Olde Town Arvada has one of the cutest “Main streets” of any suburb. Its popularity has also caught on the past few years, driving up home prices.

2. Denver is becoming a major city.

Denver Housing Market Stats

Irene Glazer also helped us understand just how the housing market has changed over the past few years. Here are some highlights:

The Denver housing market has been appreciating at a double-digit clip since we started our climb out of the recession in about 2013. This past year we saw a bit slower appreciation of about 8%.

Our average sold price in metro Denver finished out at approximately $475K in 2017, and the prediction is that we will be around $500K by the end of 2018.

Inventory is still the biggest buzzword, and we are still extremely short on it, without a reprieve in sight.

3. The cost of living in Denver won't break the bank, yet.

The biggest hurdle new residents face when moving to Denver is housing costs. Other than that, most cost of living expenses is more or less comparative to other cities.

Cost of Living Factors:

Taxes - Property taxes are relatively low, sales tax is high, and income tax falls right in the middle at 4.63%.

Health Care - Costs about 17% more than the national average.

Groceries - You'll pay about 4% less than the national average.

4. Denver's economy is booming.

Top Denver Industries & Companies:

Tech - The startup scene is exploding with companies like Baker Technologies and more established companies like Google and HomeAdvisor.

Aerospace -Denver is keen on becoming “Aerospace Alley” (their play on Silicon Valley) with major companies like The Boeing Company, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman located here.

Casual Concepts - Noodles & Company, Smashburger, Qboda and Boston Market are all headquartered here.

Marijuana – Cannabis is big business, bringing in more revenue than some small countries.

5. Once you adjust to the altitude, the weather is incredible.

What It's Like Living in Denver:

There are an estimated 300 days of sunshine every year. Even though the summers are hot, they lack humidity, which makes them more comfortable.

The sky is bluer and the stars are brighter than other parts of the country due to the high-desert climate and elevation.

Some of the top weekend vacation destinations are located within a few hours of Denver.

The temperature can rise or fall by 40 degrees in a day due to the altitude, so always dress in layers.

Since the air is thinner, there are lower levels of oxygen, which can take a toll on your body if you're not used to it or have an ongoing medical condition.

Tips to Acclimate to the Altitude:

The air is really dry, which can dehydrate your body if you're not drinking enough water. Make sure to drink more water than you normally would, and always have chap-stick handy.

Take it easy upon arrival. If you plan to do any mountain activities, give your body a few days to acclimate.

Make sure to get enough sleep if the altitude makes you feel drowsy.

At higher elevations, the sun is more intense, so always wear sunscreen!

6. Traffic is undesirable in and out of the city.

Tips for Getting Around:

Be careful where you park. The sides of the street change to accommodate street sweeping.

Consider getting a car with four-wheel drive or one that can handle more rugged mountain driving and varied weather conditions.

The city added new light rail lines in 2016, including one that goes to the airport. Other light rails connect some suburbs to the city.

Denver is a highly bike-friendly city. It's estimated that between 6-7% of downtown employees commute to work by bike.

You can also rent B-cycle bikes from docks around the city, either by the hour or by day.

7. Denver is a beer destination and is on its way to becoming a food destination.

Roberts also shared with us some recommendations for potential residents to visit while in Denver.

Places to Drink:

First Draft - A place to try dozens of local microbrews all under one roof. At First Draft, you're given a swipe card to pour your own tastings.

Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales - Specializes in unique, blended and barrel-aged sour beers with industrial airplane-esque decor and meticulous brewing processes.

Epic Brewing Company - Offers a fun, community tasting room with a lineup of dozens of flagship and elevated craft beers.

Black Shirt Brewing Company - Relays an approachable rock n' roll edge in their stylistic, aptly-named beers, live music performances and funky brewery atmosphere.

My Brother's Bar – So old it's been operating since before Colorado was officially a state, Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady and Allen Ginsberg all hung out here.

Death & Co – If you get tired of beer, this NYC outpost has a literal bible of craft cocktails in the swanky Ramble Hotel.

Williams & Graham – Denver is also huge on speakeasies, with Williams & Graham named one of the top 50 cocktail bars in the world. The coolest part? You have to walk through a bookshelf to find it.

Places to Eat:

Euclid Hall - Located in the heart of Larimer Square with a focus on elevated pub fare, a great ambiance and thorough attention to providing locally sourced ingredients.

Beatrice & Woodsley - A whimsical, cozy restaurant with a seasonal craft menu on Broadway that boasts a fairy tale interior perfect for date night or intimate gatherings.

Snooze – Brunch is serious business in Denver, and local chain Snooze is always slammed. Expect to wait about an hour for their signature pancake flights.

Linger – A former mortuary turned “eatuary,” Linger serves innovative, international small places. Don't miss the vintage VW bus on the roof and one of the best skyline views of the city.

Tavernetta – The newly revamped Union Station has really become a must-see destination and hotspot. While all the restaurants are good, Tavernetta is elevated Italian worth seeking out.

TAG – Troy Guard is one of Denver's most beloved chefs. His first outpost has unique fusion dishes, like Hamachi with pop rocks.

Tacos Tequila Whiskey – Ask anyone what Denver's staple cuisine is, and taquerias are definitely part of the narrative (along with green chile).

8. There are plenty of fun things to do in Denver.

Professional Sports Teams:

Denver Broncos - One of pro football's biggest winners since the merger of the American and National Football Leagues in 1970, with a cult following

Colorado Rockies - Coors Field has jokingly been called the best bar in Denver, so even if you're not a baseball fan, the stadium is worth a visit

Colorado Avalanche - NHL team that won eight division title games in a row–the longest streak in the league

Denver Nuggets - NBA team that has yet to reach the championship round in the playoffs, but is fun to watch nonetheless

Attractions and Fun Things to Do:

Top Golf - Spend a leisurely day hitting some golf balls further than you normally would. No, really. Due to the high altitude, golf balls can reportedly go up to 10% farther!

Denver Performing Arts Complex (The DCPA) - Enjoy a variety of seasonal events on this four-block strip, like Broadway Theatre, ballet and opera.

9. Taking advantage of the great outdoors is easy all year.

Green Spaces in the City:

Washington Park - Take a pedal boat across Smith Lake for a perfect afternoon with the family.

City Park - Hike the Mile High Trail in this park and get a five-kilometer workout exactly one mile above sea level.

Confluence Park - Take a kayak out and explore man-made kayak chutes located minutes from downtown.

Cherry Creek Bike Path – A 42-mile paved pathway that starts in downtown Denver, you could bike for a few hours or make the day of it.

Ski Getaways:

Vail Mountain Resort - There are 5,289 acres of skiable slopes at this legendary ski spot.

Breckenridge – With five peaks in one resort, travelers come from all over the world to ski Breck.

Winter Park - This is the longest running ski resort in Colorado with over 3,000 acres of award-winning terrain to explore.

Copper Mountain – One of the more local resorts, Copper's naturally divided terrain is a great place to learn and perfect your turns.

Outdoor Adventures:

Rocky Mountain National Park - Denver's most accessible national park, RMNP is 415 square miles of protected mountain land. Drive Trail Ridge Road for epic views and hike the acclaimed Dream Lake.

Mount Evans - Climb the highest paved road in North America and eventually reach the summit at 14,260 feet.

Rocky Mountain Ziplines - Zip through sections of the Rocky Mountains and take in the sights on over 6,000 feet of cable.

Clear Creek Whitewater Rafting – The closest whitewater to Denver, ride the rapids for a real adrenaline rush.

Glenwood Springs – Colorado has more than 30 hot springs, which are a relaxing year-round getaway.

Private Foothills Tour - Take a four hour trek through the Foothills of Denver. There are many stops built into the tour. If you have kids, make sure to stop at Dinosaur Ridge, which is optional.

10. Marijuana is legal, but public consumption is not.

Marijuana Etiquette:

If you wish to smoke pot in your home, make sure it is allowed in your lease agreement before you light up.

You must be over the age of 21 to buy and consume pot in Colorado.

Public use of marijuana is illegal, so don't expect to find people lighting up in the streets.

Certain hotels and AirBnbs restrict the use of marijuana on their premises, so be sure to find a smoker-friendly establishment if you're planning a trip and wish to smoke.

Just because marijuana use is legal doesn't mean your boss has to agree. Your company can administer drug tests and create policies banning the use of marijuana.

The marijuana industry is very innovative and there are many ways to experiment with its effects without actually smoking. Topicals, edibles, and vaping are all extremely popular.

If pregnant, the CDPH advises strongly against the use of marijuana. If any newborn baby tests positive for THC, the hospital is advised to contact child protective services.

Make relocating to Denver a relatively simple process.

Moving to Denver Checklist:

Transfer your license within 30 days and register your car within 90 days at the DMV.

Decide whether or not you want to update your organ donor status.

Learn about the requirements for residency as it relates to higher education.

Change your address and have your mail forwarded using this form from the USPS.

Sometimes relocation dates don't match up exactly. If your belongings arrive before you have access to your home, consider temporary self storage in Denver.

We hope you learned a thing or two about life in Denver. Would you ever move here? Do you have some insight you'd like to share? Let us know in the comment section.

This post originally appeared on the Life Storage blog on 2/2/18 and was revised on 1/10/19 to provide new information.

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