fossana wrote:

The Chief wrote:Right here in good ole quiet Hilton Creek.

Chief, build me an Asian grocery store and find me a pool of single male climbers aged 35-45 and I'm there.

An Asian Market and a Meat Market in one climbing town.

Good luck in your search.

@ fatdad: I've lived in the Wasatch Front before. As an infrequent bar patron it's not too bad (other than the crappy gringo food that is).

@TheDude
p.s. Will be on Iron tomorrow. Maybe I will see you and your wife. If not, have fun.

Dave Dinnell wrote:

fossana wrote:

The Chief wrote:Right here in good ole quiet Hilton Creek.

Chief, build me an Asian grocery store and find me a pool of single male climbers aged 35-45 and I'm there.

An Asian Market and a Meat Market in one climbing town.

Good luck in your search.

Thanks!

Places like Springdale and Mt Carmel Junction near Zion (UT) don't have a strong Mormon feel -- witness the microbrewery beer names ("Polygamy Porter"). But I don't know how good they are for internet connectivity -- but Tanya and Bo manage fairly well. A lot of the motels in that corridor are run by east Indians and Pakistanis, but that may not be the "Asian" you are thinking about.

Boulder -- I always had a vibe of "I'm vastly better than you" in that part of CO. You are young, fit and attractive enough to deal with that. The housing was mighty expensive, when last I checked.

Michelle, I think you and I should open a Ranch 99 and a Pho in Bishop.

edit: ah crap i posted on Wendy's account.

conlon wrote:Michelle, I think you and I should open a Ranch 99 and a Pho in Bishop.

edit: ah crap i posted on Wendy's account.

Kevin, I thought you were going to talk your mom into opening a pho shop. I'd settle for banh mi if that's easier

@TheDude: Going to try and start by 6a so I can attempt the Baldy traverse out/back too if I'm feeling extra motivated and there's not too much postholing.

@MoapaPk: You're too kind. I only look young from those Asian genes. Yes, there is quite a bit of that elitism in Boulder but at least people have the athletic skills to back it up. It's better than in LA where it's all about image with no substance. Rent is pricey but still cheaper than LA or the Bay Area (definitely not in the NV or UT range though).

fossana wrote:

conlon wrote:Michelle, I think you and I should open a Ranch 99 and a Pho in Bishop.

edit: ah crap i posted on Wendy's account.

Kevin, I thought you were going to talk your mom into opening a pho shop. I'd settle for banh mi if that's easier

@TheDude: Going to try and start by 6a so I can attempt the Baldy traverse out/back too if I'm feeling extra motivated and there's not too much postholing.

@MoapaPk: You're too kind. I only look young from those Asian genes. Yes, there is quite a bit of that elitism in Boulder but at least people have the athletic skills to back it up. It's better than in LA where it's all about image with no substance. Rent is pricey but still cheaper than LA or the Bay Area (definitely not in the NV or UT range though).

So Boulder is a dose of elitism and image. . . That's what I've always heard.

peladoboton wrote:

dskoon wrote:

fossana wrote:

conlon wrote:Michelle, I think you and I should open a Ranch 99 and a Pho in Bishop.

edit: ah crap i posted on Wendy's account.

Kevin, I thought you were going to talk your mom into opening a pho shop. I'd settle for banh mi if that's easier

@TheDude: Going to try and start by 6a so I can attempt the Baldy traverse out/back too if I'm feeling extra motivated and there's not too much postholing.

@MoapaPk: You're too kind. I only look young from those Asian genes. Yes, there is quite a bit of that elitism in Boulder but at least people have the athletic skills to back it up. It's better than in LA where it's all about image with no substance. Rent is pricey but still cheaper than LA or the Bay Area (definitely not in the NV or UT range though).

So Boulder is a dose of elitism and image. . . That's what I've always heard.

if you have enough time to notice the elitism while living in boulder, you are spending way too much time around the smartass college crowd and way too little time climbing.

while spending a lot of time in northern colorado where my mom lives right now, i have come across some of the coolest folks i have ever met (DudeThatMustHurt and MarthaP being right at the top of the list).

So, the elitism is relegated to the "smartass college crowd?"
Maybe.
Again, I don't really know, having never been there. Just a general impression I've heard about the town from friends who've been, bits I've read,(including the other poster's comments right here), etc.
I'm sure it's a fine place to live though, with plenty of cool people.

I have to add an observation here (well I really don't, but what the hell). Whenever somebody poses this question on SP with sincere intent (and I know Michelle is getting ready to make this life changing decision), the thread almost immediately falls into a foray of insults and defensiveness about many of you trying desperately to sell or defend your hometown choice. Rarely, do we get someone, who is well traveled, just add objective thoughts and/or advice, not just the pros and cons (important to analyze both) of where they chose to live, but other places they have either lived or had insight to. 80% of the thread is normally just bizarre chest beating. Anyhow....

Michelle, I don't really remember having that conversation with you much when we were climbing, but my memory is getting weak. But, as you can imagine, living in Canmore as a US citizen full time is a bit of a hassle at your age and point in life I would think. They do make you jump through some hoops if you want to overstay a typical tourist visa, 6 months. I did it for 6 years, and was still working some in the US at the time, but I was quite committed to the lifestyle Canmore offers. The efficiency and connections of the Calgary airport was a plus in making it work. What truly does make Canmore special and worth it to me is the best of all worlds, during summer and winter. You will not find that much diverse rock that close anywhere in the lower 48, nor that much hard ice that close. The hard core ice climbing and backcountry skiing is 2nd to none. The x-country skiing is 2nd to none. The racing community, both summer trail and skiing is huge (competing with Olympians). The hard alpine summer climbing, the bugs etc, puts Europe to shame. Canmore is in the middle of all of it. Most folks don't comprehend the size of the provincial parks (i.e. Kananaskas) that buffer the national parks, red necks, atv's, hunters, etc, are all but void on the Alberta side of these parks due to park management and conservation.

Radek is well aware of my love affair with Bend. Any town that would attract my consideration, must deliver close to if not exceed 300 day of sunshine. Incline Village, NV was the first to spoil me in that regard and Bend comes close to that measure which is unusual for a town so close to the alpine. I would think for folks our age, the single scene there is fairly interesting. Smith Rocks has a lot to offer in terms of partners and good climbing and alpine skiing and objectives (albeit less technical ones than I would be interested in) are close at hand. The paddling is quite good. The racing community, running, biking, triathlons, very active. Diversity of population, organic and Asian shopping, all a plus I would think. The bad CA markets have made Bend real estate suffer more than say a Portland or Seattle (read buyers market, over supply issues), but of course they had a huge run up as well from a historical perspective. Still, Bend would be a decent place to trade homes out of LA right now.

St. George would not be good for a single person your age in my opinion. Quite a conservative area, too many retirees. Mormon influence does not bother me any more than any other Christian influence, but lets just say I would rather live in a more diverse location if I were forced to live somewhere 12 months straight. What make St. George area work for me is that I don't live here 24/7. It is just a great location for climbing from Moab to Zion to Red Rocks. Somebody mentioned Springdale (Zion) and how it has more diversity and they are right, but being single there would not be the best in my opinion if looking to eventually find that ultimate partner was a priority. Many of the folks I climb with there, like the Joe French's of the world, will probably never get married or live with someone long term. Weird tough breed, fun to hang out with, tough to live with I would think. Beautiful area though with summers more tolerable than most desert towns.

Moab is much more diverse and younger than St. George or Springdale. Leans on the red neck side though, climbers and outdoor enthusiast are outnumbered by folks 4 wheeling and the like.

Liba is giving Montrose, CO a go which I find intriguing. Close to Moab, but even closer to great ice climbing and skiing...a true 4 season opportunity. A bit of a horse and cow town, but I find a cowgirl-climber combo to be a damn good fit myself.

Taos, although I love the beauty of it, lacks good climbing and has too much animosity between the very rich and very poor.

Boise, ID is an interesting college town, I like it, but not enough good climbing for me though. Hard to compare anywhere to the two places I live due to the mass quantity of diverse climbing.

Boulder.... of course way too much pollution, traffic and folks for my taste. I would think probably the best place to be exposed to potential life long partners with like interests though. Just by sheer numbers.

Good Luck, a very fun time of life for you. And good job getting "career mobile" Michelle, that is the key to maximizing your future happiness in my opinion, for sure.

If it's the food you want, You're stuck with LA. It's the whole world of food here.

Sounds like you've tried everywhere.

I'd like to suggest Merano, Italy. Works for Reinhold. Lovely place.

Pahrump, NV -- absolute tops. Pahrump has the highest concentration of AMC Pacers of any minor metropolitan area.

(More) seriously, I did find Bend idyllic -- but that was 1983. The sheer diversity is amazing -- Three Sisters, varying from walk-ups to real climbs; Jefferson in the distance; lots of neat volcanic features, a hippy-dippy atmosphere in 1983 (Eugene not that far away), dry at lower elevation with rushing streams from all the snow melt; Newberry Crater, Bachelor Butte.

But I also remember long lines of RVs heading down the road, even in September, and a pretty small town, and fairly long distances. In 1983; the distances may be shorter now.

I lived in NM for 16 years, and would never live in either Santa Fe or Taos, as beautiful as they were... not that I could afford the housing prices. Dow hits it on the head with the rich-poor thing; it's downright creepy, and the po' folk can get really angry over what they assume to be (correctly, much of the time) trust-fund rich kids who drive up prices. As beautiful as the Sangres are, most NM mountains (excepting Ship Rock and some of the plugs in the Cabezon area, the Organs WAY south) are walk-ups... except in winter. And the summer weather is more reminiscent of CO than CA.

Albuquerque has a lot of climbing routes on the Sandias, but it's... Albuquerque. I liked it there, but it seems a bit like a 3rd-world country.

BorutKantuser wrote:I've never been there, but I guess Kathmandu could be proposed at this point.

I've heard that Kathmandu has a third-world feel; like Albuquerque, except fewer people have guns in their glove compartments.

MoapaPk wrote:

BorutKantuser wrote:I've never been there, but I guess Kathmandu could be proposed at this point.

I've heard that Kathmandu has a third-world feel; like Albuquerque, except fewer people have guns in their glove compartments.

That may be because fewer people have glove compartments.

If Dow's observation was aimed at me, with my second-hand observations about Boulder, I apologize for any sarcasm, etc. on my part. I was only adding to what somewhat else mentioned. . . But, Boulder is probably a fine place to live. And, anyone from Boulder who's reading this, I really didn't mean to criticize your town.

And, if I had enough $$ and weren't so tied to Portland, Bend would be on my list of places to move, for many of the reasons Dow mentioned.

Good luck, Michelle.

Andinistaloco wrote:That may be because fewer people have glove compartments.

Rush hour in Kathmandu is brutal; rush week also, when the monasteries are pledging.