OwenBloggers: Isaac - MBA '08

Urban living... Denver style

So I've been a week here in Denver and I'm getting used to the urban arrangement I've found. 

Just to preface, I've never lived in what you'd call a "downtown" locale.  Nashville, metropolitan as it is, isn't really that pedestrian.  Even though it's a major city of well over a million people, neighborhoods are scattered miles apart; a car is almost a necessity.  Downtown is a tourist venue; the Vanderbilt campus is about the first hint of a "walkable" neighborhood. I live in a house 15 miles from Owen; I drive pretty much everywhere I go.  I'm used to a car. My car is my independence.  I can go where I want. 

Now, in Denver, I drive no-where.  I don't even have a car.  I ride city transit to get from A to B.  It's a big change for me.  What do I think of it? 

Eh, it's OK. I like the fact it's cheap (free or very inexpensive), quick (2 min walk from my loft), and dependable (every 2 minutes a train or shuttle leaves), but there are downsides too. I have to plan everything... EVERYTHING. If I'm meeting a co-worker for drinks, I need to know what metro lines I can take.  If I need, say, dry-cleaning, I have to figure I'll carry it some distance--- I certainly can't take a months worth to the cleaners like I'm used to at home---  I'll take 3-5 pieces at a time.  It's  limiting, but at the same time, liberating.  I do only what is necessary... I've found I buy less, consume less, need less.  But, for instance, I need to go to the Sprint store to fix my worthless cell phone--- that's 2 bus lines and maybe 30 minutes away.  if I had a car, it'd be a 5 minute trip. 

Bottom line- we adapt.  If you live in a very urban city center, you learn to live.  I'm sure in time I'd forget what it's like to even have a car.  But for now, it's frustrating not to have my independence...

Things to do in Denver when you're... Interning

Turns out Denver is a an amazing city.  AMAZING.  I never expected it to be this great.

My apartment is great; 1 block to the west is the Pepsi center (the arena where the Nuggets play, I think..), 3 blocks to the east is Coors Field (where the Rockies play).  Out my 8th floor window is a gorgeous view of the mountains. 

 

So the city is sort of centered around the 16th street mall.  It's a long street, maybe 2-3 miles long, lined with shops, restaurants and offices.  There's no regular auto traffic; it's all supported by dozens of hybrid buses that stop at every cross street.  It takes maybe 15 minutes to get from one end to the other.  I live at one end of the strip (precisely at the end; I live across of Union Station); I work at the other end in the government and financial district.  Because they run on CNG and electricity, the buses don't emit any noticeable fumes; makes the whole "mall" feel more like a park than a thoroughfare.  Oh... did I mention it's completely free?

Union Station (light rail, AMTRAK, and local shuttle services)

The office building I'll be working in.

A typical view down the 16th street mall; miles of scenes just like this.

How exactly does one pack for 10 weeks?

I'm off to Denver Tuesday morning; flight leaves in less than 48 hours and i'm starting to worry.  Not about the job, not about Denver, but about... packing.

How do you pack for a 10 week internship?  How does one pack for a 10 week anything?  When i put into perspective, a MOD is only 7-8 weeks.  Woah.  10 weeks is a long time. 

Better get back to packing. No time to blog.

One down, One to go

Well, just took my last final of the year.  That went by very, very quickly; I was recounting the last year at Owen, and to be honest, it seems like about 8 weeks since Orientation.  Whew. 

Finals get easier, the nervousness is still here, but they get easier to take, I think.  Just finished S&P; it was similar in difficulty to core Finance, but I'm a lot more comfortable with my performance now than I was back then. 

I'm going to rest for the next few days, do some work for the company I used to work for full-time, and then head off to Denver for my internship in 2 weeks.  Graduation will be sad; don't want to see the 2nd years go; more than that, don't want to think about the fact that in what will seem like "8 weeks" it will be my time to go...