My Move To Denver from Nomad to Normal

I was daydreaming at 30,000 feet, thinking about my apartment, my bed, what I had in my refrigerator, my yoga mat, and what I was going to have for breakfast while listening to NPR tomorrow morning at my table. I was daydreaming about going home and the little routine I had established in Denver. I had been gone for three weeks traveling through the Canadian Maritimes, and I was ready to be home.

Suddenly, my eyes opened as my stomach swirled in panic. Keys! Where are my keys?! Shit – what bag did I put them in, or do I even have them anymore?

This was the first time in my travels that I was going to go back to my new home, and I was responsible for the keys to something. In the past when I flew somewhere I stayed with friends and had to simply coordinate when I was arriving, but I never had to worry about keys. I was keyless for a decade; keys are a new responsibility to me.

Since I moved to Denver and made it my travel home base, I’ve been overwhelmed; overwhelmed on so many levels. The overwhelming feelings are triggered by boxes, too much stuff, family commitments, learning my way around, understanding how to balance work at this time when I’m trying to settle in, wondering how I’ll finance all of this new furniture, and remembering where I put my keys.

But I’ve done it. I’ve officially moved in and have a new home. It has furniture, I have bills to pay, and I have to clean things now – it’s a whole new world to me – it’s normal life.

Why Move to Denver?

The most frequent question I get asked is “why did you choose Denver?”. Of course one of the reasons is I LOVE the mountains. I’m like a 10-year-old kid when I get up in the giant peaks and the majestic landscapes. I literally let out a little scream of delight when a friend and I drove I-70 and entered the Front Range a few weeks ago.

Explore these Denver hikes for visitors

But the main reason I chose Denver is more about who I am at the core than what I like to view. Like most things in my life, ‘new’ is important to me. The addiction to ‘new’ is what kept me on the road for so long. The simple answer is Denver is completely new to me. Since making the decision to leave my nomadic life behind and get home was a big decision and change, I thought I would make it as exciting as I could. Even though it’s human nature to want something comfortable and familiar, ‘new’ is exciting to me.

When choosing a home, my other choice was Minneapolis. I have family there. I used to live and work there in my twenties, and I still have friends there. I know the city, I know my way around, and I have plenty of people who would’ve helped me get settled. But when it came right down to it, ‘new’ won out over ‘comfortable’. I wouldn’t have been as excited about Minneapolis as I am about Denver. I’m excited to explore the state, try new adventures, meet new people, and push myself out of my comfort zone a bit.

However, ‘new’ doesn’t come easily – ‘new’ is the much harder road. The process of settling into a new place where you don’t know people or know your way around is a challenge. But I accept that byproduct of ‘new.’ The highs are higher, and the lows are lower – it’s how I’ve always lived my life – at the extremes.

How to Make Friends in Denver

“I’m going to be just fine.” That’s what I mumbled to myself after reading a note from an obscure Denver friend who contacted me today.

Discover lots of fun things to do in Denver

After getting a note from yet another friend/reader or media contact to meet for drinks, I realized that even though I thought I knew a few people here, I was wrong. I actually know a lot of people here.  This is yet another benefit of my lifestyle for the past ten years; you build up a giant network of people. This network of people from all over the world is eager to help and introduce you to others. I’ve always said I have friends everywhere – but I don’t think I ever really realized how powerful that was until I put down roots again.

Every day in my inbox, Facebook, or Instagram I hear from another person wanting to get together. People are connecting with me, and readers are reaching out. I’m pretty quickly getting to know the media and PR crowd here. At the last travel meetup, I went to in Denver I walked away with a bunch of new cards/numbers.

I’ve even had long-time readers contact me when they found out I was settling down in Denver to tell me they live in Colorado or had a relative who lived here. The most surprising thing was when long-time reader Tricia contacted me to go to breakfast since she was passing through Denver to visit her son. This wasn’t that unusual; I love to meet up with readers when I can. But she went a step further and actually brought me an apartment-warming gift. I was overwhelmed by the thought that strangers could be so welcoming.

However, I still put a lot of time into finding new interesting people to be friends with.  On the road, friends come pretty easy. Moving to a new place and making new friends has reminded me you have to put work into finding and developing friendships. The only way you can do that is if you put yourself out there and get out of your comfort zone occasionally. If you do – it pays off.

Discover the best Denver whiskey bars at Whiskey Row in Arvada

I met my new friend, Rachel, while sharing an Uber Pool ride. We chatted in the car as we were both going to our destinations, and I quickly learned she was also originally from Illinois, and we were around the same age. She had just moved to her neighborhood and was looking to make new friends in her area through Meetup events. I gave her my card as she was dropped off and told her to call me since we were both new to the neighborhood. I never really thought she’d call, but she did! Since then, we’ve been out exploring Denver together at whiskey and donut events, trying new restaurants, and even going to a Red Rocks concert.

Discover more fun things to do in Denver

In the award for the strangest way to meet people in a new city, I actually had a NY Times correspondent end up on my apartment lawn due to a bike accident. We exchanged cards, and I met her for drinks.

Moving In

Keys! I think I was equally excited and terrified as I signed the lease and she gave me the keys. The place was, of course, smaller than I remembered, and everything echoed…but it was mine…at least for a year!

I used my first month in Denver to not travel and simply try to get settled in. This wasn’t a normal move because I had sold almost everything I owned when I started traveling, and now I have to start over with nothing. Ikea quickly became my new favorite store – or necessary evil, depending on my mood.

Discover mountains, dunes, and canyons on this southwest Colorado road trip

I feel like all I did that first month was break down boxes and take them out to the garbage. I decided I might as well make the process of spending thousands of dollars as fun as I could, so I went about recording most of my moving process and acquisition of stuff. It was fun to see it all go from nothing to something.

Here is the playlist of videos that I created as I moved.  Watch the process of becoming Nomadic No More.

I bought a couch, bed, shelving, dresser, table, chairs, coffee table, and rugs. All of it came from Ikea, Amazon, or Target, and everything had to be put together. Some of the things I put together myself to save money, and some of the bigger things I hired people.

One of the hardest parts about the move was when all of my storage stuff showed up from NYC. Boxes I hadn’t opened for over ten years; it was a sobering process. For some things, I was disgusted that I had kept them for so long and paid to have them stored. For others, it was a trip down memory lane for me – an emotional one. I was suddenly catapulted back ten years to a very different life, and it made me think a lot about how I had aged and evolved.

Then there was the issue of all of the items I stored because I felt like I had to – family heirlooms. When I put the stuff in storage, I did it out of obligation, wanting to keep the family memories or items. But now, ten years later, with a very small apartment and a lack of any attachment to things, I looked at these family heirlooms and thought – they aren’t me. I didn’t choose them; I have no room for them, nor do I need them. But there is something that is still hard about giving something up that has been in the family for decades. I feel like I’m breaking a chain; there is a weird tug of responsibility with these items. And I hate responsibility. The jury is still out for a few of them. But some I will be getting rid of, and some I found a way to use – at least for now.

Read about 7 of the best day trips from Denver

Easing into ‘Normal’ Life

I have a friend who is making it his mission to try to integrate me back into a normal ‘non-nomadic’ society. He tries to teach me things about pop culture, normal non-digital friendships and interactions, and other social skills and knowledge I have lost in the last decade! His theory is military personnel get a counselor when they re-enter society, and I probably honestly need one.

The first week I was in Denver, I nearly had a crushing meltdown in the dish soap aisle at Target. I actually thought about sitting on the floor and crying for a few moments among all of the soap. The choices of household cleaning products were overwhelming to me. I stood in the aisle thinking about how I needed everything…absolutely everything. I was starting completely from scratch, buying garbage cans, hangers, toilet paper, rugs, towels, and sheets – it sort of felt as if I were going off to college again. But instead, I was just trying to live like a normal adult.

Check out these nine surprises in Olde Town Arvada

I realized one day that when I wanted to send someone a thank you card I didn’t even know where to buy stamps. Most days I forget I even have a mailbox I’m supposed to check periodically. Things like remembering to pay rent or electricity bills freak me out. And don’t even get me started on trying to integrate back into a non-travel wardrobe, I have no idea what fashions are appropriate. I know things like this seem normal – but it isn’t for me.

Regardless of the struggles of settling into a home and a whole new way of living, I sit here on the plane, excited to land in Denver today. I can’t wait to see some of my new friends, walk to my local grocery store, and enjoy my little apartment again. I can’t wait to be home.

Plan a weekend in Denver – where to eat, stay, and play!