April 25, 2008

Diverting a "Blogjam"


I heard on the news this morning that Ft. Collins bloggers were going to create a "blogjam" listing the 10,000 awesome things about Ft. Collins. I must now represent for Greeley, Ft. Collins's neighbor to the southeast.

TEN GREAT THINGS ABOUT GREELEY
10. Teriyaki Bowl: Even now, ten years after I first ate there, it's cheap and simple teriyaki chicken bowl is still the best bang for your buck, with the most delicious rice known to man.
9. University of Northern Colorado: My alma mater, and a wonderful place to receive an education, with a lovely and constantly improving campus. Go Bears!
8. Tropical Sno: If you want a sno-cone, resist the urge and enjoy delicately shaved ice with hundreds of flavor combinations--or, if you're feeling wild, choose a volcano with soft-serve ice cream in the center.
7. Glenmere Park: Beautiful and tree-lined, it's the perfect place to stroll with a friend, boyfriend, husband, or sister.
6. Streets & Avenues: Greeley is laid out on a numbered grid, making addresses pretty easy to find. If you give me the address 2255 18th Avenue, I just have to find 22nd Street and 18th Avenue. (This works about 90% of the time.)
5. The Finest: The only used-music store I frequent. I have uncovered numerous gems at their parking lot sale--the most fun you'll ever have sifting through $1 CDs.
4. The Stampede: As a Wyoming native who survived many a Cheyenne Frontier Days, this is seen as a bit of an impostor. Still, it's always fun when your grocery store clerk wears cowboy clothes for a week out of the year.
3. The Smell: It really isn't bad at all. Maybe once a month you can smell something, but it's pretty rare. When you do catch a feedlotty whiff, it simply reminds you that here we are still part of the West.
2. Libraries: Greeley has three great libraries--Farr, Lincoln Park, and Centennial. Farr is still pretty new, and the other two are recently remodeled, so they are delightful places to linger over magazines or books.
1. Bittersweet Park: This is "my" park. I've walked probably two hundred miles around it in the last five years, and I feel I know every tree, bench, and inch of sidewalk. When they change the sculptures, I notice and critique. Now that it's spring, I can begin to re-learn each inch.

What's the best thing about where you live?

2 comments:

The Coach said...

2 comments:

1. As your brother-in-law, I'm disturbed that you think Glenmere is a good place to walk with your boyfriend or husband. I'm talking to Mr. Cool about this.

2. I notice (and approve of) your leaving Michener library off the list of great Greeley libraries.

Matty said...

I had to spend a good deal of time in Greeley for work a few years ago so I have a few points to add.

1. The rest of Colorado knows we're in the west by the scenic vistas of the Rockies...I don't really need to whiff manure for the ambiance.

2. The street/avenue thing is maddening for those of us who can't remember which is NS and which is EW. It wouldn't be so bad if you asked people on the street and they could give you the answer. I've never been a place where so many of the residents couldn't explain their own street numbering system.

3. My all-time favorite place in Greeley is just south of downtown on whatever that main NS street/ave is (maybe around 8th?). It's called Slappys or Spankys or Porkys or something. I'll think of it soon and comment again. It has great breakfasts that can give you a heart attack on the spot.