Queer Across America: Moving to Denver from Los Angeles

Moving from California to Colorado has been an absolute shit show. Yes, I realize how cliché it is to move to Denver from Los Angeles, but the unreal rent prices and cost of existence have pushed me to my limit. I’ve decided to make the big move so I can afford to be alive and continue my Queer Across America adventure, where I explore queer areas in each state. So, I pack up whatever I can fit into my car and race to the Rocky Mountain state with no apartment or job lined up. 

Apartment Hunting

Looking for an apartment always starts off as thrilling. The excitement of a new space, touring empty apartments, and exploring new areas is enticing. That is, until it comes time for the pricing. I tour more than 10 1-bedroom apartments ranging from Downtown Denver to Aurora to Westminster, and, wow, is it exhausting. 

The first apartment is incredible! It’s a skyscraper of a building in the center of Downtown, equipped with a gym, rooftop, security, and a balcony. The rent is less than $1,300! However, to park here is an astounding $185 per month. YIKES. Most street parking in Downtown is not overnight, so I’d have no choice but to get my own parking spot.

Most of the apartments I look at end this way. They look great, and the areas are nice, but there is always something major missing, like no air conditioning or no stove, or the parking is abysmal. 

Getting the Apartment 

Then I come across a building in Westminster. It’s clean, spacious, has a renovated kitchen, and has plenty of parking. I show up for a tour to find out that the rent has gone up by an extra $300 since I booked the tour the day prior.

They also require pay stubs, which is common for apartments, to confirm that I make enough money to afford rent. However, the catch-22 of moving is that you need a job to get an apartment, and you need an apartment to get a job. Since bartenders live off of tips, my previous pay stubs don’t account for how much money I actually make. 

Also, let’s be real, does anyone actually make more than two times their rent, and is it actually necessary? I feel like this is just so they can see how much they can charge in hidden fees. Isn’t it strange that a business asks you how much money you make before charging you? Imagine going into Target and telling them how much money you make before making a purchase. It’s not to confirm that you can afford it; you wouldn’t be in there if you couldn’t. 

So, I do what any other millennial proficient with Canva does: I forge pay stubs. 

When touring apartments, you take in the overall appearance and vibe. It isn’t until you actually move in that you start seeing all the things wrong with it. The locks on the door are broken; the walls are so thin that I can hear the neighbors talking, coughing, and having very brief sex; the dogs upstairs bark from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays; and the water periodically shuts off for hours at a time without the manager informing the tenants.

The worst part of moving in comes in the form of the charges. A common occurrence in Colorado is for the building to double charge electricity. Even though you pay the electric company, the apartment will charge you on top of that, plus a fee for processing the electricity fee. Incredibly, the building responds by saying they “can’t undo fees” even after proving I already paid. It’s a shame too because that apartment and building is actually nice, but the business of housing is such a scam. 

Job Hunting

I’m already hemorrhaging money, so I have to get a job right away. Thankfully, this turns out to be much easier than finding an apartment. Bartending is such a flexible industry and is always hiring. I only send out three applications before I get an interview with Black Sky Brewery. 

The metal music and pizza brewery on Santa Fe is the perfect vibe for me. My shifts are spent serving craft beer and listening to live bands blow my eardrums out. I love it!

This is where I begin to notice cultural differences between Denver and Los Angeles. In L.A., everyone works a day job they hate in order to fuel their artistic pursuit, whether it be dancing, acting, singing, painting, writing, or anything else. In Denver, people are content with what they have. Colorado isn’t a hub where people come to pursue big career dreams. Instead, it’s a place where individuals come to “find themselves,” connect with nature, and enjoy daily life.

I’m excited to explore my new home and immerse myself in the culture. It’s going to be nice to not focus on “the grind” that creates an obsession with monetizing every aspect of one’s life. I moved to Colorado to enjoy daily living and to be more central in the U.S., so I can continue my Queer Across America journey more easily by traveling to nearby states.

Join me next week as I take a 20-hour train ride up to Chicago to explore Boystown and the Leather Museum and Archives.

Photos courtesy London Alexander