As those who know me... well, know... I'm a very fussy eater. Not by choice (sigh), but rather because I'm allergic/sensitive to several common foods. However, I refuse to be locked at home in my own kitchen, so I have made it my goal to figure out where I can eat safely in Charming Old Denver. 
Because I can't eat anything processed, the safest choice seems to be sushi. Poor, poor Jennifer... destined to explore all the sushi joints throughout the metropolitan area! Would you like to join me? I've gotten a good head start already!
Sushi Hai - 32nd & Lowell: We NW Denver-ites couldn't believe it when Sushi came to our part of town. For years, we'd been forced to travel (gasp) downtown or to Sushi Den for our raw fish & seaweed fixes. But when Sushi Hai showed up, we knew our little part of the world had arrived.
Here are some reviews of Sushi Hai. Like many of the writers, Sushi Hai is not my favorite place for sushi, even though I love the ambience and convenience. Because I'm allergic to soy sauce, I "make my own" with fresh lemon juice and salt, and for some reason, the servers here never seem to get the idea that when I ask for lemons, I want to SQUEEZE them. One time, my bowl of lemons arrived shaved - I have no idea what the waitress expected me to do with a bowl of shaved lemons. They don't have salt shakers either, so they always bring me a little bowl of salt. I've learned to throw my own salt shaker into my purse when I visit Sushi Hai. Okay, so it may be overly fussy to complain about the lack of lemon wedges & salt shakers, but every other sushi place in town manages to accommodate me!
Sushi Sasa - 15th & Platte. Now, we're talking! I was pleasantly surprised to find another choice for sushi right in my NW Denver ‘hood! I love the décor and the ambience and the sushi was absolutely wonderful. No problems with lemons and/or salt. I may never darken the door of Sushi Hai again. Read the reviews and you'll see that many agree.
Sonoda's - Always a good choice for sushi, but because I'm a little paranoid of driving and parking downtown, I rarely venture there. However, every time I've braved the one-ways and parking meters, I've been satisfied, if not overwhelmed with the experience. Here are some reviews.
Japon - Old South Gaylord in Washington Park. Love the sushi here! Great service, contemporary décor; the only drawback can be parking on Old South Gaylord, and it's a little pricier than the other sushi joints. Reviewers are mixed on Japon - read more here!
Sunflower Farmer's Market - Seriously, Sunflower has become my go-to sushi source when I don't have time for the restaurant experience (or don't feel like tipping). Sunflower Farmer's Market at Highlands Garden Village has fresh sushi that rivals the quality of the sushi at any of the above restaurants. $5.25 for six Nigiri; $8.95 for a serious rainbow roll... can't beat that! Again, reviews are mixed, but I love the place.
I'm also on the hunt for good ceviche... stay tuned!
I have a new addiction. The Dog Park at Berkeley Park - around 46th & Yates.
Why do I say "addiction?" Because... imagine the collective energy of 100+ happy dogs racing around the (fenced-in) park, with their 100+ owners proudly overlooking the scene. It's a rush. Probably something like the rush you get when you shoot illegal nastiness into your veins (no personal experience there though).
On my first visit, I stood in the middle of the park, all by myself, laughing out loud as I watched Baba and Ziggers make new friends, hump old ones and then collapse for a moment or two out of sheer exhaustion, only to spring back to life and begin again.
Feeling a little blue? Head for the Dog Park. Call me - I can be there in five minutes.
I'm addicted.
We central Denverites love our alleys. That's where our garages are, where we can "donate" unwanted items to alley scavengers and where we keep our City dumpsters. Sometimes we get mad at our dumpsters when they 
block access to our garages (and just TRY to get a dumpster moved!), but for the most part, I'd say we're pretty happy with our trash disposal system.
However, a few days ago, I saw a pick-up truck cruising down my alley, stopping at each dumpster and poking around in it. His pick-up bed was full of "stuff" - treasures I'm sure. But suddenly, the obvious smacks me in the head. What did I just throw in that public dumpster? Hmmmmmm.
So last night, I took out a small bag of trash - mostly old magazines and junk mail. Today when I opened the lid of the dumpster to toss in the remains of my sushi carry-out container, I saw, with dismay, that the trash from my bag deposited last night was scattered all over the inside of the dumpster - someone had obviously gone through it overnight. Were they looking for my O (Oprah) magazine? Doubt it. Someone who will go through a bag of papers is looking for INFORMATION. Yikes.
I guess this should be a Big Duh moment, but somehow in my idealistic little brain I've felt like "my" dumpster was sacred. And secure. Sheesh.
Guess I better fire up the shredder...
My new website is up and running and while it's far from perfect (or complete), I'm pleased enough with it to GO LIVE. It doesn't have a home search feature yet - I'm still investigating my options and several pages are Under Construction... but... here it is! www.CharmingOldDenver.com.
I also did my first virtual tour of 2008 - it's a tour of my Charming Old Northwest Denver neighborhood - so if you're interested in where I spend my days... click here.
Feedback? Please!
Just spent my morning looking at homes in Northwest Denver/Highlands. Partly for clients; partly for my own keeping-up-with-the-market commitment. As regular readers of my blog know, I've been away from town for two years, so it's really important to me to get back up to speed on the market in my beloved Charming Old Northwest Denver neighborhood.
Because I worked this neighborhood for so many years (from 1996 to 2006), it's an easy task to pick back up on the nuances of the different sub-areas (Highlands Square, West Highlands, Berkeley, Sloan's Lake, etc). Prices have gone up significantly since I left, but I believe that the recently added amenities in the neighborhood support the price increase. In years past, Northwest Denver was cute and charming, but not exactly a mecca of shopping and other lifestyle conveniences. Now, we have a Sunflower Organic Market, a Vitamin Cottage, a 24-hour Fitness, several coffee shops, fantastic restaurants, a yoga studio, and of course, all the long-standing shops & services we NW Denver-ites have enjoyed for years.
Anyway, back to real estate. For the low $300's, you'll get a modestly remodeled ranch-style home, built sometime between 1910 and 1950. The location will be decent, but not primo. You probably won't get a garage, but it's not out of the question. You'll get two bedrooms and one bath on the main floor, with another bedroom and possibly a bath in the basement. The basement finish probably won't be anything to write home about. Your main floor square footage will range from 700 sqft to 1100 sqft, depending on location and condition.
In the mid $300's, your options open up a bit and the condition of the properties improves significantly. You'll have a better location, perhaps even an excellent one. You'll see the same basic floor plans as we saw in the low $300's - 2 bed/1 bath up with more bedrooms and a bath in the basement, but the finishes on both levels will be much higher quality. You can get a garage in this price range, although it might only be a one-car.
I was a little dismayed by what I saw closer to $400,000. I didn't see a significant improvement over the homes in the mid-$300's; perhaps a marginally better location and a bit more square footage. But overall, I felt that the homes priced near $400,000 were simply overpriced. If I were a homebuyer in that range, I would have been disappointed in my options.
The best house for the money I saw was a 1922 Bungalow on West Moncrieff, priced at $365,000. It had a livable floor plan - wide open with plenty of room for furniture - a nice open kitchen and two nice-sized bedrooms and a remodeled bath on the main floor. The basement was finished with a living area, two bedrooms and a bath. The back yard was professionally landscaped and had a great patio for partying. The only downside was the lack of a garage, although there was off-street parking.
Well, my beloved Northwest Denver is coming into its own. And I am LOVING living here again.
I take care of the details! As my FIRST priority, not as an afterthought when my prospecting is done. My clients get my full attention which is why... dare I say it...I've never had to prospect ;-)
ActiveRain Corp. is not responsible for the accuracy of the site's content (which is written by members of the ActiveRain Real Estate Network) and does not endorse the views of the real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and others listed here.
Powered by the ActiveRain Real Estate Network
© 2009 ActiveRain Corp. All Rights Reserved
