After a week or so of icy cold and snowy weather, today Denver is in the mid 50's (Gas Mark 2 if you're in Europe).

It's 5.17pm, and the dogs and I are enjoying the patio, outside the front of Güzel . I'm also enjoying the latté, and the free wireless DSL service.

It's turning out to be a grade-A people-watching location, as the rich bitches, wealthier soccer moms, and other denizens of Creek, saunter by.

If I'm honest, I don't like Creek as much as I like Wash Park. Sure there's a much bigger selection of restaurants and pubs, but in terms of character, Creek is just too snooty for my liking.

I used to talk about the "Wash Park Uniform", and my propensity for wearing it. The Creek Uniform however, isn't something you'll ever see me in. From what I can gather, the CCU is an over-priced skirt-suit, with enough gold braid, and other paraphernalia, that only Nancy Reagan, or certain South American military dictators would look right wearing it.

The less ostentatious women of Creek tend to wear a toned-down version of this, usually.. heck always all black, with dyed blonde hair (it's never the real thing) and gold jewellery big enough to be called bling, if only they weren't so white.

Still, there are far worse parts of metro Denver to live in, like the 'burbs.

The suburbs of greater metro Denver aren't bad because they're crime-ridden or decaying. No, they're bad because they just suck the life-force out of you, until you're left only wanting a mini-van and 2.4 children, out of life. I lasted 18 months in the 'burbs, before fleeing to Wash Park.

Above all else, the facilities offered; either in the choice of housing, or the places to go out socially, lack any character. I know it's easy to say, "well new places can't have character", but that's simply not true.

A block and a half from where I'm now living, there's an Irish pub that's brand new,but has been imbued with a certain air of character, that makes it quite an enjoyable place to visit. So, it can be done.

The sun is going down now, and so is the temperature. It's early March in Colorado, and that's the snowiest month of the year. Once the sun goes down, the weather resumes it's wintery feel. If I didn't have the dogs with me, I'd be sat inside right now, but I can't leave them out here on their own.

Mind you, there's fewer and fewer people to watch, as the folks of Creek are done shopping, done visiting the myriad of health spas, beauty centers, and nail salons that seem to make up 65% of the commercial outlets in the neighbourhood.

Tomorrow, I think I'll hie me to Wash Park, and imbibe darn fine coffee from the WPCC. It's every bit as tasty, and the DSL is every bit as fast, but there's not a nail salon in sight.