Light Rail services Universities in Denver metro
College students and parents are always pleased to learn LIttleton has a great public transportation system. RTD
Light Rail has stations at the University of Denver, Arapahoe Community College and the Auraria Campus in downtown Denver.
Typically universities and colleges whether they be live-in campuses or commuter have issues with parking. Finding a space and getting to class on time can be an very big challenge. Coupled with the fact just having a car on campus is yet another expense, it makes good sense to utilize the RTD Light Rail.
Students find they can easily commute to a station near their home, hop on the train and in a few minutes be at school. The trip allows time to relax, listen to some tunes or catch up on studying.
Parents also appreciate the fact their children won’t be trapped without transportation when they are living near campus without a car. Having the option to ride the light rail to travel to other locations is a convenience not offered in smaller cities.
Light Rail expands housing options
The Light Rail currently has three lines completed, the original line to Lone Tree-Mineral Station runs down Santa Fe Drive, Southeast line that flanks I-25 ending in Denver and the spur that follows 225 to the Nine Mile Station. Student housing options are increased since they can use the rail line to live either in the city or the suburbs.
RTD offers a Bike-n-Ride program so students can combine their personal bike with a transit ride to shorten the commute. Bikes are allowed on both Light Rail and buses. Of course there is always the "space available"problem. If there is an event going on, there might be a problem loading a bike onto an already full train. Typically this is not an issue.
RTD park-n-rides also offer bike lockers for storage of the bike. The lockers are available on a first come, first-served basis. One does need to rent a $20 RTD special padlock. Designated leases are available.
Students with a college I.D. from participating colleges may purchase a College Pass to ride the RTD Light Rail.
Denver classic homes
Driving around the neighborhoods of Denver, its hard not to admire the lovely classic homes. Denver has many landmarked districts where the neighborhood relishes restoration instead of replacement.
Today on a chilly, winter morning we leisurely drove up and down Denver city streets enjoying a "bus man’s holiday." Yes, all week we deal with Denver real estate, and even on a day off we find ourselves drawn to exploring.
The good thing about doing a self tour is that you can start in any of the many fine neighborhoods; Seventh Ave. Parkway, Cheesman, Congress Park, Country Club, Cherry Creek are the areas we toured today. (Visit the Denver Classic Home Photo Gallery)
If you have a hankering for some International Colorado History, visit the Molly Brown House Museum at 1340 Pennsylvania Street. Molly was a Denver Socialite who survived the Titanic. Her lovely Victorian home is a delight to visit and a perfect ending to a Denver classic home tour.
Stapleton Delivers Diverse Homes and Fun
Many people remember kids as the site of Stapleton’s airport. Today the area has been transformed into a vibrant community of a diverse selection of homes. Built as a "green" community, Stapleton has homes in most every price range.
The area was carefully planned with parks, a town center, brand new award winning schools and all the conveniences homeowners have grown to expect in a classy neighborhood.
Lately I’ve been showing homes to a nice family who are staying with relatives who live in Stapleton. I didn’t have to "sell" them on the neighborhood, they came to me and asked specifically to see homes "only in Stapleton!"
Having specific boundaries makes my job much easier!
I’m enjoying viewing the different styles of homes. Today we saw two homes with a third story, normally what one would think of as an attic. We don’t do many attics in Colorado, so seeing these homes was interesting even for me, who sees homes of all kinds all the time.
We decided the attic area was a very wise use of the space. It made for a large and private room, a great place for the teenager who craves both privacy and space! I could also see a great home office location up there, far enough away from the temptation of the refrigerator yet close enough for the pajama executive.
Discovering "old" designs, made new is not unusual in Stapleton. We are finding the homes have had a great deal of thoughtful design built into them. For instance alley entrances to the garage instead of ugly garage doors facing the streets.
There was a sign in a yard promoting Denver’s water conservation campaign, "Use only what you need." This could also apply to Stapleton homes. They are big, but only big enough for what a homeowner needs.
And that, is a good thing.
I’ve been warming up to Stapleton more lately as I’ve seen it grow into a unique community. I must say what really cinched the appeal was watching how the residents embraced the recent snow.
As we toured the homes for sale in Stapleton, I noticed Denver and parents with sleds in tow heading for the nearby hill. Central Park has a couple of slopes, perfect for an afternoon of fun.
It reminded me of my old hometown. A sweet ping at the heart string and a memory from long ago, crystallized the reality for me. Set aside all the builder/developer marketing hype, Stapleton is a real neighborhood.
Urban Wildlife in Denver
While driving around in Belcaro this afternoon, I noticed a lovely fox just sitting in someone’s front yard. As I scrambled to grab my camera, she was frightened away by an oncoming pick up truck. I was able to shoot her, but as she ran away. Darn!
One doesn’t think about wildlife in the city. Typically one would think a fox would live only in the foothills or the mountains, certainly not in a well developed area like Belcaro. But then why not. Foxes have high standards so why not pick a very good neighborhood!
[where: 80209]
Commuting Smarts
Commuting is tough and getting tougher with the holiday traffic. So many Douglas County
residents are opting to take the RTD Light Rail to work. It’s clean, fast and smart.
Today I was chatting with a guy who told me he took a book to read each day. He surprised himself by going through a stack of books one season. His plan is very appealing to me. I never seem to have enough time for books.
Maybe I should start taking the light rail to the office. Trouble is, what happens when I have to go show a house?
[where: 80124]
Denver's Holiday Parade
Denver likes a parade. This weekend we braved the cold and stood at the curb watching the Annual Parade of Lights. Marching bands, lights, twirlers, floats, balloons added to the festive mood. If you missed it, be sure to mark your calendar next year.
Don’t forget a blanket, a chair and a hot toddy!
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Visit Flickr to see more of Denver’s Parade of Lights.
The stairway to nowhere
Denver lofts come in a variety of flavors. We have the “soft” lofts that are built as brand new construction. We also have the “hard” lofts of unique design that now are homes after living a life of service as something else.
These unique lofts often have charming nooks and crannies that aren’t there for decorator interest, they were once working features in a factory or warehouse.
I enjoy seeing how homeowners treat these features. Today I
noted a stairway that lead to a brick wall. It was a stairway to nowhere, but decorated as a focal point none the less!
I wonder if the homeowner has a story to go along with the “stairway to nowhere.” Might it relate to the history of the building and the people who once worked there?
I’d like to make one up, but then this is not my home. I’ll have to leave it up to the new homeowners.
By the way this fabulous unit is coming on the market this week. It is directly across from Coors Field, so the new homeowner better be a Rockies Fan! Or perhaps a Rocky himself!
A Foot Bridge Connects the City
Highland Bridge
Downtown Denver and NW Denver are separated by a busy Interstate. Pedestrians who wish to go back and forth have had to use the auto bridges.
Now thanks to the new pedestrian bridge across I-25 folks can easily traverse the highway. The bridge is still undergoing some finishing touches, but it’s open.
The foot traffic doesn’t seem to mind that the bridge isn’t finished. In fact the day I took this photo, the traffic going back and forth was amazing. Walkers, joggers and cyclists were making their way back and forth.
Off hand I’d say this bridge is a huge success!
It doesn’t matter which way you are going there is something to do or see on both sides.
Northwest Denver is a very special part of the city with many retail shops, bakeries, and corner grocery stores.
On the Downtown side of the bridge the immediate neighborhood is known as Riverfront. Here one has access to Elitch Gardens a Six Flags Amusement Park, Invesco Field at Mile High (Go Broncos!), Coors Field (Yeah Colorado Rockies!), Downtown Aquarium, Pepsi Center (home to Nuggets and Avalanche) Children’s Museum, Denver Center of the Performing Arts and the REI store.
Cyclists using the bridge will be happy to know it is not necessary to dismount, just slow down and use the ramp. The Platte River Greenway is right there. You can go east to Cherry Creek, south to Chatfield or north to well let’s say Wyoming!
Denver is not only the Base Camp for the Rockies, but an awesome playground for anyone who wants to be active and enjoy the movement of life.
Get out and enjoy it!
New Urbanism in Denver
The ad said "we build neighborhoods with front porches, so neighbors can sit on the porch talk across the yard". My inner voice said, "hype! It’s just a marketing/sales speak to justify the extremely small lots with extremely large price stickers!
The buzzword is now "new urbanism". What is it? New communities being designed with the old time "town" feeling in mind. Home buyers are expressing an interest to be close to shops, schools, grocery, the doctor, dentist and public transportation. Cars are being parked and the baby buggies and bikes are coming out.
The composition of today’s families are not like the traditional "Ozzie and Harriet’s" of the ’50’s. But like Ozzie & Harriet, homeowners of today are looking for a connection and community.
Telecommuters don’t have to get dressed to "go to work". Their job can be done from anyplace that has a modem and electricity. Rush hours are optional and time clocks are foreign.
These trendy home buyers are looking to builders to provide an atmosphere of the best of the old, but with a new feel. Is it a fad? I don’t think so. Buyers are flocking to the new urbanism neighborhoods in droves.
For example, Lone Tree has two huge plots of ground given back to the city for development, the first one, Westminster, was once an old Air Force Base. Today, it is the most interesting collection of lofts, flats, single family homes, estate homes, duplexes, patio homes all combined new a totally new town center. The town is almost totally populated with restaurants, retail shops and a grocery store. The locals have taken to buying beach cruiser style bikes (from the local bike shop of course) and riding them through the neighborhood.
The largest tract of land was formally Lowry Airport. For years, millions of flights took off and landed here. Now, the only thing that reminds us of an airport’s existence is the flight tower; it’s an historic monument. The totally "green built" neighborhood is a delightful collection of a dozen different builders homes. All carefully chosen to provide high standards for the neighborhood.
Stapleton’s town is still being populated, but is very promising. In the summer on weekend’s you can visit the farmer’s market in the park. It’s all within walking distance of a very diverse neighborhood.
Other Urban Villages are popping up in the suburbs, along the Light Rail line (proposed and existing). Stapleton in Douglas County to the south of Denver has an aggressive city plan. Last year Sky Ridge Medical Center was completed, giving the County it’s first hospital. The area surrounding the hospital is now being developed with the New Urbanism in mind. Single Family homes in the upper price ranges will be blended with the brand new "Ultimate Super Target" store and many other shops.
Certain areas of the city that once were The Place to be, like Cinderella City (one of the country’s first indoor malls), Villa Italia and Denver Mall have became blighted over the years. Space was so dated it was hard to find a tenant to use it, so it was demolished. Now, risen in its place is a very cool urban area with polished new shops and high density housing all conveniently blended together.
The Denver Metro area is not afraid of change. Our city leaders, builders, planners and population welcome improvement and look for every opportunity to better the beautiful city we are fortunate enough to live in.
Hype? Perhaps, but I think Ozzie and Harriett would buy a home here.
This site brought to you by Kristal Kraft, a licensed Colorado Real Estate Broker