Tag: Perspective

San Diego was new to me.

When I was in the Navy they said 17% of that branch of service was stationed there. I was told that’s about a good figure for today, too.

I appreciated the zoo, as bittersweet of an experience that is considering the animals are no longer in the wild in favor of humans developing their natural habitats for their own use.

I also liked walking around Seaport Village.

La Jolla was very nice and the Pacific was blue and breathtaking from the heights above.

There were no shortage of good eateries in San Diego. I may have one time eaten to live. But now I most certainly live to eat. Life is too short and good food must be savored and enjoyed.

Old Town San Diego was amazing. Hand made tortillas simply cannot be beat. And tequila? Oh yeah, there was some of that, too.

Lunch near the Coronado Hotel with ocean views to soothe us was quite nice.

When we left for the ride to the airport, we agreed five days was just the right amount of time to enjoy some of what the city has to offer. It also left open the possibilities for a return to visit those places left unfettered this trip.

Boulder

The flight to Denver was delayed a little over an hour. We waited near the gate, did some people watching and marveled there were two bars in front of a couple of the gates–how convenient, we thought!

Having lived in and near Boulder for many years, the first thing I noticed was just how much more dense and developed it has become.

For me, North Boulder was unincorporated when I got there back near the end of 1983.

It was pretty rural and not that much traffic to speak of. In fact, horses were still being ridden down Lee Hill Drive and into the motel apartments’ parking area that boasted the Silver Dollar Lounge featuring “ancing and Cocktails” on the neon marquis sign with the malfunctioning light bulb behind the letter “D”.

When you come down Broadway now and enter the North Boulder area, “NOBO” signs greet you.

I understand it’s progress of sorts but it’s also a reminder that time truly does not wait for any person.

I came across one bedroom, one bath apartments off Violet Avenue going for $1,750+/mo.

I think I was paying $275/month at the Silver Dollar and I could walk to the Lounge to get a bite and a beverage and listen to bands on the weekend with no cover charge.

One thing that is the same is the hiking opportunities. It’s still very nice in Boulder for that, provided you do it during the week and in the morning; trails still fill up on the weekends and if you like to hike in a crowd, then Saturdays and Sundays will most definitely be to your liking.

All the development takes away from the Boulder that I knew. The mountains are still here, but everything else that’s taken up the surrounding real estate can also be found in other cities and towns across the country.

It’s a different world now and I get that.

It’s neither bad or good, I guess.

It’s just that if you visit a new place you have no prior perspective on what the town is like.

Not having known what something was like before you had a chance to visit is one of the reasons we try to choose new travel destinations.

Boulder will always have its mountain charms.

And I’m sure I will return again some day.

But, for me, it’s just not the same. And it feels crowded.

Most everyone I knew is gone.

And something called NOBO is really not a place I would have lived in very long if I would have come across this trendy characterization back in the day.

Nothing ever stays the same for very long.

I want to visit Bisbee, AZ some day. That was the town I was headed for when I stopped in Boulder all those years ago. And I never made it to Bisbee.

What if, right?