So this Prairie Dog walks into King Sooper...

I saw my first prairie dog the other day. It wasn’t during a hike or even on a long walk on one of the umpteen million trails they have out here the rocky mountain state. It was while I was trying to figure out “the grid” of Fort Collins driving down the main drag which runs through the town. The furry little guy was trying to make his way across a 4 lane street in an attempt to, what looked like, get to King Sooper to pick up some provisions. A point of reference for those of you in New York, imagine if Wegmans and Tops had a baby that’s King Sooper. In a way spotting that rodent dodging cars trying to make his way to the other side signified a long line of firsts for me out here and reminded me it’s tough being the new kid in town.

Since I’ve arrived out here a little over 2 weeks ago I have had to make some major adjustments. The first one being NO WEGMANS! I know to those of you who do not have Wegmans where you live this is no big deal but to those of us who grew up with or even brushed up against it, IT IS! Who would have thought a grocery store would make such an impact on someone’s life? My first week out here was the first time in my ENTIRE life I have had to go to multiple stores to get what I needed. Another thing I’ve had to adjust to was all of this sunshine! It is unbelievable! Just after I moved here friends of mine took me to a music festival here in town. Once we got into the festival she said we had to stop at the information desk. I asked her, “What for?” I assumed living here for quite a while she knew her way around. She said, “We need sunscreen.” Imagine my puzzled look after living in Rochester, NY for so long that I actually might get sunburn just walking around a festival. That was just crazy talk to me. But she wasn’t wrong. Just spending a few minutes in the sun I felt like a piece bacon in a skillet. Being new in town you forget you’re that much closer to the sun out here. I was actually kind of happy when it was overcast here for a couple of days and almost giddy when it rained. I felt justified staying indoors and not being out on the one of many, many “beautiful days” in Colorado. Another thing I had to get use to along with all of the sun light was how NICE everyone is out here. It’s just downright weird. For example, I was crossing the street the other day with the signal when this person came around the corner and stopped short of bumping me. Stopped short out here means she was a good 8-9 feet away and came around the corner at about 3 mph. As I reached the other side of the street the person actually pulled over to apologize and explain to me why she almost hit me. In New York somehow this would have been my fault and horns would have been blasting to remind me of that fact. But not here, it’s like living in Canada.

Another thing I have noticed is that there are an ABUNDANCE of breweries here but hardly anyone drinks! I don’t get that! It’s like beer Disneyland out here! I have also noticed that since I have not yet adjusted to the altitude I have had to cut back a bit. I know it saddens me too. I’m hoping to be back in full force in a few weeks. For as many breweries that I’ve seen I have seen just as many bikes. At first glance you would think that the bikes outnumber the people in town. Much like in LA where people are slaves to their cars in Fort Collins people are slaves to their bikes. It’s almost like The Invasion of the Body Snatchers but with spokes and a hipster bell. Most of the time you can’t tell where the rider begins and the bikes ends. Along with everything else I have had to become accustom to I have found some familiar things. In the short time I have been here I have either met or heard of at least 10 Rochester ex-pats who live in or around Fort Collins. I have also found a comfortable bar, diner and bookstore I can go to when I’m feeling overwhelmed. And of course there’s always Starbucks. I realize I’m in a transition period now and it will take some time to become familiar to my new surroundings. Much like anything that’s good it doesn’t come easy. Slowly I will come around, find my way and adjust to my new home. But for right now, I’m stumbling in the dark looking for the light switch bumping into walls.