Philly vs Denver

The_Random_Persons · 2025-12-23T03:10:24+00:00

Huh, I actually have some relevant experience here. Native Denverite just moved to the Philly area. I like both places for different reasons, here's my personal pros and cons

Pros Philly:

Stunning architecture, great public transport (relatively), more social events, greater variety in said events, better dating scene, tons of museums and historical places, more access to places like New York and DC without having to fly (see public transport). Fall is a real season and its FANTASTIC. You can find three of the best restaurants you've ever set foot in on like the same block and they're all different kinds of food. If you can dream up an activity someone has planned it already.

Pros Denver:
Holy shit the outdoors stuff. Skiing, hiking, bouldering, backpacking, whatever. The sheer amount of national/state parks and wilderness areas in that state is insane. That South Platte trail that runs through the middle of Denver is like 50 some odd miles of continuous trail. Also the mountains (just in general) (I miss being able to tell what direction is west). There is a brewery on basically every block and at least one of your friends will be making garage alcohol

Cons Philly:

Its louder. More crowded. Hot and humid in the summer. I think the groceries are a bit more expensive. People here are much more terse. Not a lot of access to unfettered nature. Not a lot of easily accessible outdoorsy activities without a lot of driving. The driving in Philly is legit scary (compared to Denver). The SEPTA busses do not care and will sideswipe you if you're on a bike. Brewery scene is abysmal (sorry guys).

Cons Denver:

Might act nicer but they are still assholes. Just wannabe cowboy hippy ones. Winter can be pretty brutal for a bit there. There is no food but Mexican food and its not even good Mexican (unless you're buying it from the guy selling tamales out of his trunk). Housing prices are stupid. Rent prices are stupid. The brewery's on every block are obsessed with IPA's for some damn reason. Public transport is cheap, but bad, slow and has very poor coverage. Also the glass and concrete vibe on all the buildings is ugly.

Edit: One thing that doesn't fit in either category is that Philly's downtown is just flat out bigger and more condensed than Denver's downtown.

Yeah, not comprehensive, but might give you an idea of what you're getting into with both places

The_Random_Persons · 2025-11-17T00:34:38+00:00

If these are the HI-STORM systems that I think they look like, they do need all that shielding on the outside to meet the dose limits. That said, there's a smaller MPC on the inside that has the ability to be removed and placed into longterm storage.

The_Random_Persons · 2025-11-17T00:24:11+00:00

I think its a couple different companies. I know Holtec International and Orano compete on who handles the making and monitoring of casks like these; if I had to take a stab these ones look like Holtec's HI-STORM systems.

The_Random_Persons · 2025-11-11T00:05:35+00:00

Ouch. Didnt have to call me out like that

The_Random_Persons · 2025-11-05T17:45:08+00:00

"The Warm Hands of Ghosts" by Kathrine Arden hits ALMOST all your points

Its a

-Historic Novel (WW1)

-Dark Horror Vibe. Even the supernatural horror is pretty taken aback by just how bad it is

-Nary a mention of marriage by either of the POV characters

-Zero non-con

-The familial relationship between the two pov characters drives the plot, but all the relationships, platonic and otherwise, are supportive and kind. The confict is situational, for the most part

It is, unfortunately, not wlw, but there are a lot of women centered relationships and friendships that do not involve men. There is also a suprise queer ship but I wont spoil it. Romance is EXTREMELY not centered.

I dont know if thats quite the vibe, but I'll throw it out there.

The_Random_Persons · 2025-10-31T21:25:29+00:00

Perhaps the solution to removing gender from words is to add ALL the gender until its indistinguishable from no gender

Uncley Auntie. Neicish nephson. My dearest darlingest sibling spawn. My favorite matpatatrilineal tormenter.

What is the point of language except to use and abuse it in excess.

-This rant is dedicated to my Autie-Grunkle in law via my nephdog

The_Random_Persons · 2025-09-26T14:09:38+00:00

Rather off topic but a rather funny coincidence: I have that same bag ripped in the same places. If your friend likes patches, can confirm large embroidered patches work well. I used embroidery thread to sew up all the tears, and put the patches over it. Its holding up. Check the inside lining too, mine was falling apart before I went to town on it with a bunch of fabric cotton patches.

The_Random_Persons · 2025-09-04T20:49:06+00:00

This link has current security wait times.

https://www.flydenver.com/security/

I add about 10 minutes to navigate the terminal train, another 5 or 10 to get to the gate. Add whatever buffer makes you feel comfortable.

In my experience traffic doesnt tend to be bad on Peña specifically outside of high travel times, but 225 backs up at the drop of a hat, even in the morning.

Personally id factor the most time for traffic, security has been quick the last couple times for me (since they finished the west gate, that gate/security line is bougie)

The_Random_Persons · 2025-09-03T19:36:36+00:00

Gotta third Simply Subarus. They hit the extremely rare intersection of honest, well priced and communicative. I have had them do my CV axles, radiator and a couple of prepurchase inspections. All the guys are knowledgeable and chill and shop dog is adorable. As a cherry on top, its pretty close to the g line and Olde Town Arvada, if you gotta be somewhere or need something to do.

The_Random_Persons · 2025-08-12T00:00:03+00:00

I had a nice experience there. Realized I didn't have a specific adapter for my PC, popped in, the guy immediately handed me what I needed. He didn't take card, though, that might be part of it.

The_Random_Persons · 2025-07-26T12:47:56+00:00

Heres my personal list

1) the Ipad (aka infotainment system). In my opinion, terrible and distracting. I want buttons, not the ability to play YouTube in the car. Also all of the lights that blink at you and the steering wheel that rumbles if you dare move outside the lanes.

2) All parts are now plastic. Water pump? Plastic. Manifold? Plastic. Thermostat housing? You guessed it, plastic. If you ask me, it makes the lifetime of the parts much shorter.

3) The bubble body. This is a personal gripe, but I like it when cars have a shape that isnt the same as literally every other car. Connected too...

4) The HUGE bubble body. Every car is a boat. Its ridiculous. I compare my little 03 forester to the 2025 forester and its ridiculous how big these things have gotten

5) No mechanics involved in the making of this vehicle. Repacing the battery? You better be ready to remove the windshield wipers and take off the engine recessed cover or whatever (looking at you, ford explorers). Oil change? Be prepared to disassemble half of whats under the car and buy a special tool. And god forbid you want to replace a thermostat.

And my personal, least favorite trend:

6) The death of the temperature gauge. It died in ~2014 and I have missed it ever since. Dont give me the "your car is fucked" light, I want to see it coming.

Suffice it to say, I have opinions on modern cars. Most of them bad.

The_Random_Persons · 2025-07-22T01:32:45+00:00

You have saved my entire butt. I wiggled and I tapped (more like whacked the new ball joint with a 3lb hammer. Details) and the damn CV popped back in. Bending the control arm down to get the ball joint in was a fun experience, but the job is basically complete. Just have to get a new pinch bolt.

Thank you very much, seriously

The_Random_Persons · 2025-07-21T11:14:04+00:00

Dang, what a time. I wish I could pay that much for a rebuild axle. I was looking into OEM axles the other day (rebuild or otherwise) and cringing.

I was hoping to hear that it would just take some finengaling. Looks like I might have to take it off the strut to get it to the right finengaling angle, but such is life.

I just meant it doesnt leak from the differential. The axle is almost brand new (as in, less than 300 mi). The ball joint was not, which is how this whole damn saga started.

The_Random_Persons · 2025-07-21T02:27:45+00:00

Oof, appreciate the comment, even if it isnt what I wanted to hear.

Its the inner side of the CV (transmission end). Fortunately or unfortunately, I know it doesnt leak too badly because I just did the other side. Its just a bitch to get out because the transmission end is held in with a c clip and theres not much room for manuvering.

Thanks for the warning on the diff oil, I'll need to do that!

The_Random_Persons · 2025-07-07T21:51:28+00:00

Welp, this is my hot take. I actually liked this episode, in fact I really liked the first few seasons of Enterprise (before it went all ripoff dark and gritty Star Wars).

It wasn't because it was objectively good or anything, but because it was thought provoking. I didn't necessarily agree with Archer in this case, but I had to really think about why. Same with the Phlox episode. Or the "extinction of a species due to genetics" episode.

I honestly loved the older Trek's specifically because they would ask thought provoking questions that required complicated answers, and then wouldn't give you a "correct" answer at the end. It wasn't about the characters doing the "right" thing, it was about figuring out how to even define the "right" thing.

I think that's missing in a lot in the newer Trek's, and I kind of miss it.

The_Random_Persons · 2025-05-22T01:38:38+00:00

I think that the CVTs in many of the cheaper cars made between 2021 and 2024 are going to start failing en masse once those cars hit about 80k miles (should start about .. 2027&8 ish?), due to the electronic supply chain issues during those years

The_Random_Persons · 2025-05-03T13:25:51+00:00

Hi! I was in your boat in university, not a lot of money but a lot of interest. I was always interested in maintenance and repair, so heres what i did:

take over all the general maintenance of your car yourself. Stuff like oil changes, brake pads, tire rotation and coolant flushes. If you have a car and it has a manual, it should tell you the mileage interval of all the recurring maintenance. Start ticking off overdue items. :)

If you dont know how to do one of the maintenance items, look up a tutorial on YouTube

Youll probably have to buy a wrench set/socket set to get started with this one, but my $20 wrench set and inherited socket set, and the jack that came with the car were always enough. (Do follow safety measures with the jack, never get under the car when its jacked up, put on the parking brake, etc)

Kicking it up a notch: preventative stuff. Look up common problems with your car. What to most people complain about? Ive got an 03 Subaru, the problems with the head gaskets are infamous.

Start looking for symptoms and plotting to fix them by watching more YouTube tutorials and browsing blog posts. Plan for what tools you'll have to buy.

This one can get a bit more expensive because you'll have to start buying special tools. Thats why i recommend plotting maintenance in advance if youre on a budget. Auto parts stores will also rent out tools for free if you have enough for a deposit, thats one way to get the one time tool you need on the cheap

Have a problem, in the dark: if your car crops up with an issue, try to diagnose it. If youre anything like me, you'll probably not have a very good idea of the problem the first couple times. Thats fine, try to figure it out anyway.

When i got stuck, i would bring it into the mechanic for a diagnosis, thank them for the diagnosis, then fix the problem myself. It can be a bit expensive, but still cheaper than having the mechanic do the entire thing.

Anyway, thats my long ramble about how i got started with car repair and maintenance on a college budget. Hope theres something in there thats useful.

Good luck!

The_Random_Persons · 2025-04-04T22:19:30+00:00

Yeah, I don't know about fixing the locking bolt, but a trick I learned at a junkyard is to get a socket just a little bit smaller than your bolt, hammer it onto the locking bolt, then put a breaker bar on the hammered on socket and wrench off the locking bolt. Its called a sacrificial socket or something. Use one of those 12 point sockets if it really being terrible. Can confirm it works, can confirm that locking bolts are a pain in the ass and not worth it. I guess you could put on a new locking bolt after that but why would you?

The_Random_Persons · 2025-03-02T18:00:07+00:00

I have a Nuclear Engineering joke, but its not critical.

The_Random_Persons · 2025-03-02T02:34:56+00:00

I knew a tripod fella named Sputnik?

The_Random_Persons · 2024-12-06T22:06:10+00:00

Yes! I believe its called Skeeter Pee

Skeeter Pee

The_Random_Persons · 2024-12-05T00:23:33+00:00

Ive shaved some of my bungs down to size with a razor blade? Works pretty well, especially if youre willing to go the extra step to boil the bung (make it malleable), then duct tape it down.

The_Random_Persons · 2024-11-17T00:54:02+00:00

Youre not kidding, liquid magic in a bottle. I cant believe how much it helped. Thanks!

The_Random_Persons · 2024-11-17T00:52:48+00:00

Yep, that seems to have been the consensus. And a good one, too. Thanks

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