[Oh, yeah. I live here. (via)]
Let’s have a little Friday fun, shall we?
I left Minnesota on January 9, and arrived in Colorado early in the morning on the 10th. The first thing I made sure to mentally bookmark was the fact that the mountains are always West, and this knowledge helped me to not get immediately lost in a new city. A month later (seriously?!), I’ve been thinking of all of the things that I’ve learned and adapted to (or haven’t) here in Colorado. Here’s the short list:
Altitude Adjustments
- New vocabulary. I’m finding myself using words like “switchbacks,” “altimeter,” and “hum-id-if-ier.” The first two are irrelevant in Minnesota (as we have no mountains to drive up or altitude to measure), and the third, well… let’s just say that if I want to breathe through my nose when I sleep, there had better be some created humidity in my bedroom.
- I miss snot. No, really. It’s SO dry here, that without the above-mentioned humidifer (or a head cold), stuffiness seems to be a way of life. Yes, I own a Neti pot. No, I haven’t used it yet. Yes, I know I should. Ok, fine. I will later.
- It is totally not weird to know someone (or more than one person) who brews their own kombucha. Before moving here, I barely knew what kombucha was. I knew it was a tea. I knew it smelled kind of like vinegar. And I knew that whatever those weird little floaty things in it were happened to be really good for you. Here? It’s not only a dietary staple (it seems), but an expensive one so it’s not abnormal for someone to decide to grow their own. And while I can appreciate that (her kombucha is definitely better than the bottled stuff), seeing someone raising a fungus-type thing in the name of a happy “system” is not my normal.
- Being a vegetarian (or in my case, a pescatarian) is easy. It seems that every restaurant and shop (in Boulder anyway) caters to the fact that a decent percentage of this city is vegetarian, pescatarian, or flexatarian. Which, honestly? Is freaking awesome.
- Boulder happy hours ROCK. And they happen ALL THE TIME. Seriously, everyone has one, some go until 7pm, and you can just about always get someone to go with you. And some bars have happy hours and WiFi, which means productivity AND beer.
To those of you who’ve moved to a new state, community, or climate – what was your biggest adjustment? And to those of you who have also transplanted to Boulder (I know there are a lot of you), what kind of tips can you offer (besides stay hydrated, and buy stock in Burt’s Bees)?
I'm Doniree. I live in Portland, Oregon where I practice yoga, obsess about the local farmers' markets and vineyards, and work from home or one of my many favorite coffee shops. I also 
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh no! You own a Neti Pot too?
you're so on on ALL OF THESE. And yes, kombucha- everyone does it. It's what the cool kids do. SO. get on it.
When I lived in Vegas it took me way too long to realize that the random nose bleeds were caused by the dry air. Also, I really don't get the kombucha craze. Yuck.
I have NEVER heard of this kombucha business *google searches*EW. It looks gross lol. How does it taste?
It's an acquired taste for sure… it tastes like tea… but kind of vinegar-y (like a cider thing?) and has a bit of a sparkle/fizz. I was hesitant, but it's starting to grow on me (pun intended?), esp this stuff my friend makes.
I totally got a nose bleed my first week out here. I feel like I'm getting a little bit of a cold right now… and I LOVE it.
Boulder sounds awesome. I thought it was cool in Portland that every place had some sort of veggie option, and every place also has happy hours/cheap beer always. Maybe its a west thing? I've got to get out your way in the near future.
first off, I adore the new layout.
glad you are adjusting to all the new things in Boulder. how exciting. It is wonderful to live somewhere that is so health conscious so you do not have to feel "weird" asking for veggie options. I've moved many times… but I will just focus on my last move. The main thing I'm still adjusting to is the climate here. My sinuses are not a fan of this area. They were bad in Huntsville, but something about this region just increased my allergy issues tenfold. I have to take allergy meds every day and use my neti pot every few days or I will be miserable. My chiropractor says many people have a hard time adjusting to the region because we have water EVERYwhere. The ocean, rivers and lakes. The second thing I had to adjust to was the TRAFFIC. I commute all the time and I spend a LOT of time in my car. This area has outgrown its highways, we have so much water that you can't get anywhere without going over a bridge or through a tunnel and we have a dozen military bases in the area. All that creates a lot of bottle necking. I actually like it pretty well now, but it was hard adjusting the first few months. I am a better driver now though, for sure. People are generally health conscious here, so that has been one of my favorite adjustments. I have farmer's markets within walking distance to my house and health food stores and yoga studios and chiropractors everywhere. The Edgar Cayce Institute is here, which explains a lot of the health consciousness.Looking forward to reading more about Boulder! And looking forward to visiting this summer. 
Haha @ your pun. Reason #2248678 why I love you. If it meets D's stamp of approval I guess I'll have to try it next time I'm in Boulder, which hopefully is sooner rather than later. I miss my girl Gwen Bell plus I want to meet and hug your face off! And drink ridiculous amounts of wine.
snot is such an unladylike thing to discuss. Ick. But, I must say, I enjoy reading about all the things that you're doing in Boulder. Am glad you are doing well there. Am glad you are building a support system……tell your friends I want to meet them (ALL) when I come to visit!
PS… I like your other page better……but I am one who does not "transition' well…..change is good, but it takes me a while
If you aren't going to use the Neti, which I don't blame you because I should too and just can't make myself pour salt water through my face, try this remedy then; saline spray. You can buy it on the cheap at a drugstore and it's just saline. Use it regularly, like a nasal spray and it will help to lubricate your sinuses. You have to use it right though, to avoid spraying it down your throat which will make you gag. DON'T point it straight back, but slightly to the side, and UP. Block the other side, spray and draw it gently into your nose. Spray each side like four times, dab the excess and repeat as needed. After I had sinus surgery, the ENT suggested I do it at least 4x a day. Forever. When I remember to, I notice a huge difference.
I've used the Neti twice in the last 24 hours and LOVE it. I hadn't used it since the last time I got sick, but totally should've been. LOVE it. Might try that spray sometime though – thanks!
i don't have problems adjusting, per se – but my car might disagree. there's still stuff in my trunk that i haven't unpacked…since OCTOBER. but as long as i find Target and a kickball or other sport league, i'm happy and good to go.
Glad you're finding Boulder to be fun. Sounds like a bigger version of Bozeman. As far as Kombucha, I recently met someone who brews their own in Minneapolis. Formica_dinette actually had a kombucha that could have eaten a small animal living in her cupboard for a while. P.S. The stuff is an amazing hangover cure.
I've never been to Bozeman, but if it's anything like this – it's a place I'd love to check out! My kombucha friend is going to set me up with my own batch/stash/whatever – kind of like Amish friendship bread, but not, ha. I BET it's an awesome hangover cure… noted.
Also – I took the microwave out of our kitchen yesterday in my first step attempts at living without one and definitely thought of you when I did that – still doing without? Ever miss it?
Bozeman is nice, smaller, very laid back, everyone is active. I remember going downtown for a concert in the park type thing and feeling overdressed in my normal weekend apparel.I still don't have a microwave, and only really miss it when I need to melt butter and occasionally for leftovers from restaurants that don't reheat on the stove well.
Netipot post please!! I'm totally scared of those things!!My biggest adjustment in moving here from England was hands down the cold. I couldn't fathom -30 degrees C being actually habitable and I still can't deal with having to don 5 layers just to go get the post from outside. The music's different, too – I live off radio and there's really nothing I want to listen to on the airwaves here. Thank goodness for the internet