Anyhoo, gonna keep the first post I have made in years quick.
HP is moving me to Fort Collins, Colorado. Anyone here been there or live there?
What should I expect? (Apart from slightly better weather than Calgary and the oodles of microbreweries? :P)
Any recommendations for places to eat? (Ok, I mean pubs, but I am trying to look responsible.)
What is the night life like?
PS: Dealing with the US Consulate is enough to make me wish I could reach my feet to my mouth so I could bite those nails, too.
Ft. Collins is one of the great small cities in the U.S. It is a lot smaller than Calgaey, but there are similarities - the weather is very much the same, although a bit warmer, it is up against the mountains, and close to skiing.
The population is young and it is a college town so the nightlife is very good for a city of its size.
Beer.
Thanks to Colorado State University, there is major college sports to watch, as well as minor league hockey just down the road. Of course, Denver is only an hour away with the four major professional sports. If you miss the Calgary Stampede, Cheyenne Frontier Days (45 minutes north) rivals it, and Greeley has a fourth of July rodeo.
As I understand it, housing may be cheaper than what you are used to.
Your visit should start with a margarita or two at the Rio. I think they cut you off after three, and there is a good reason for that.
Fort Collins is a nice small college town/city. It’s got a good music scene, great microbreweries all over the place, a thriving downtown, and only about an hour and a half (or less, depending on traffic) to Denver. The restaurants and brewpubs I’ve eaten in have all been good, including BeauJo’s pizza, a Colorado chain. You’re also really close to a major event center, and there’s plenty of shopping in town and in nearby Loveland. The mountains are pretty easily accessible for winter and summer activities. The area’s history is primarily agricultural so you will see some remnants of that.