We humans usually end up missing something long after the
incident or the related people have crossed our life. But for the first time in
my life I plan to do the opposite; to post a write-up about my second home, Denver!!
Denver
is nicknamed ‘Mile High’ coz it’s a mile above sea level, which makes it an
even colder place in winter due to its altitude. But the beauty of a place lies
in the people that we meet and I have been really lucky to meet great office
colleagues like Ojas, Nachiket and Nikhil with whom I have shared the most
memorable times at my office. I would like to convey my heartfelt thanks to my
first room-mate in Denver ,
Chaitanya, who provided a roof over my head when I first landed here. I would
like to take this opportunity to thank my roomie, my good friend and my younger
brother, Arun Kalyan, for without him,
life would not even be half as interesting in Denver . Our Safeway and Gym sessions will
definitely be missed wherever I go. A big thank is also in store for my amazing
client, Xcel Energy, who have helped me grow immensely in my professional
career and have provided me with a very friendly and cordial team to work with.
A big thank you to my team-mates Abhishek and Alok also for memorable pleasant
hardships we crossed together at work.
There are some people or places which have a karmic
attraction to us even though we may not have reciprocated in the same manner. So many
times in the past I have felt that today would be my last day in the beautiful
city of Denver ,
but every time I have been proved wrong and somehow my life has continued marching in this amazing city.
As I saw the bright lights of Chennai shinning below as the
flight took off the tarmac four years ago, I pretty much knew that a long journey
awaited me. I missed my parents and my sister, best friends and my bike. I slowly
started understanding how much I missed Chennai itself. I had roamed through
the beaches, temples, theatres and eateries and missed them dearly as I landed
in a dry deserted land, Tucson .
Though I would soon come to miss the mildly pleasant Tucson winter is another topic of discussion.
As my journey progressed to Mexico,
for my internship and to Houston, for a short
stay with a great set of friends, it was Denver ,
which eventually was to become my second home. It was end of summer when I
landed in Denver
and I was completely unaware of the extremely harsh winter that was in store
for me. I somehow weathered the first winter, ice-skied in the second and am
eagerly looking forward to my third snowy winter in as many years.
I am lucky enough to have my office in downtown which is
unlike any of the other downtowns’ in US. I reside close to the 16th Street
Mall, which bustles with people even during the harshest of winter weather. The
street mall is a mile long road, with about 100 food joints making their
presence felt on both sides of the street. The 10 to 15 Starbucks shops lined
up on the various corners of the mall street quench your thirst for a morning
cuppa hot chocolate or Frappuccino. The united artists’ theatre had provided a
perfect getaway on many a Friday evenings for movie buffs like me.
However, this post would not end unless I thank the
absolutely amazing public transportation system that has brought me safe and
sound during the freezing winter nights or from the many trips from the airport
to my home and helped me survive without a car in US, as odd as it may sound. As
I finish this post I do remember that it time for me to catch my free mall ride
and my 83L bus back home with a beautiful ARR melody playing on my I-Phone.
What more can you ask of life? Oh ya, there is lots more to ask but this is one hell of a good start as ‘King Leonidas’ had said in the movie ‘300’.
