more things I learned about aspen-snowmass

well not only does snowmass not have mail delivery or garbage pick up, they also don't have AT&T or a JP Morgan -Chase branch.  Our business has used Chase as its bank, but I guess we are going to have to look more local or West facing financial institution.  Kinda amazed that JP Morgan private bank doesn't have a branch in Aspen the size of a Chicago whole foods (75k square feet).  Do they not know about the wealth in Aspen or do they just not care or are they worried their bankers would all become stoned ski bums and forget to provide excellent expensive advice to their clients.  Or maybe banking happens elsewhere for the wealthy and play stays in Aspen---not a bad Chinese wall.

well I didn't see that one coming.......

And no I am not talking about Brexit.  I will let everyone else pull their hair out over that bit of stupidity I am shocked to find out that my car insurance is going to cost 35% more in Aspen than Chicago.  Let me repeat that, the same insurance from the same carrier is going to be 35% more in Aspen.

Take a moment to think about this.  Driving a car in Chicago is kinda like playing frogger on acid.  Bad stuff comes at you from every direction, 6 way intersections with no turn signals, bikers going the wrong way on one way streets (sometimes on the sidewalk) with ear buds in sometimes with dogs in tow as you exit an alley with zero visibility, and tractor trailer trucks parked everywhere.  Seriously you can't drive a mile without seeing someone run a stop sign and go the wrong way down a one way street.  And the Uber drivers who are everywhere but seemed to learn to drive in Mayberry have no clue what they are doing or where they are going.  Park your car outside and you are guaranteed bumper damage, leave it over night and someone will break your window to steal your half drunk diet coke.  Needless to say the only risk in Aspen seems to be from bears or sliding off an icy road.

So what explains a 35% increase in auto insurance rates when going from a high crime and high rate of accidents area to a very low one?  State insurance laws would be my guess.  And that is just plain stupid.  Which brings us back to Brexit.  Stupid laws encourage stupid choices, and people are fed up.  There is no reason car insurance should be more (instead of a lot less) in Aspen vs. Chicago.  There is no good reason that any doctor should be 'out of network'.  Think about how great that would be.  And so on.  And when citizens get fed up they get stupid and vote for Trump or toss themselves into a recession because Boris Johnson and Nigel seem like good blokes to toss down a pint with.

less than 3 weeks and I am not ready (not even close)

Today is.....international yoga day

which has me thinking about an old Seinfeld episode called Serenity Now.  For those of you too old to remember it or too young to know what Seinfeld was (is) George's father is told by his doctor to say-scream serenity now whenever he gets upset as a relaxation technique.

22 days till move and my to do list is growing faster than rabbits on ecstasy, coke and red bull.

SERENITY NOW serenity now (a quick vid of the best of serenity now below)--happy yoga day

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow_9MglZrhs

some things shouldn't be decided by a nose...

And of course somethings are much better when the slimmest margins separate the winners from the losers.  Most obviously this is true in sports.  Game 7 of the Stanley cup going to 3 OTs.  What could be better?  The world series going to extra innings in game 7.  A photo finish race.  All great stuff.

Its not so good when a newly married couple starts talking about children and the husband says big like 5 + kids and the wife wants zero.  That is a marriage which ain't gonna make it.  Fortunately my family all supports moving to Aspen.  The kids both did a shadow day at the school in December and asked if they had to return to Chicago or they could just stay.  My wife runs an outdoor experiential company with most clients on the left coast and can ski me into the ground.  And I think the legal weed business sound very interesting.  So although anxiety is rising and saying goodby is proving hard, we are all rowing the same direction on the same boat.  Yea.

Other things that shouldn't be decided by a hair:
1.  Brexit--really this needs to be 65%+ one way or the other so England can move forward--this is a big decision and really should be carried by a super majority not a vote to put the issue to bed.
2.  Some form of gun control (or lack there of) there should be a huge majority one way or the other
3.  Trump v Clinton--kind of crazy unknown playboy outsider vs status quo expert.  These are very different directions for the country to go, and it shouldn't be close

10 boxes packed
daughter starting to freak out
23 days to go
son has posted a crew looking for boat wanted ad for Aspen yacht club (he is the secret weapon for light wind days)

no parking

Chicago (and IL)continues its winning ways of being the most user friendly city.

The answer to the question from yesterday re parking my car with a Uhaul trailer attached in front of my house is no no and no.  No special permit possible and they might tow it just for fun (or boot it). The city has also eliminated grace periods for meters, and grace periods for renewing city parking stickers (used to be 15 days and 5 minutes respectively).   Even better for license plate renewal the state stopped sending out notices to renew but happily ticked you for failure to go check you plate sticker, see it was time to renew blah blah blah.........

Bottom line is when you are broke you can't do the right thing and when you can't do the right thing people get angry and either shoot each other or leave for Aspen.

35 days to go

can't happen soon enough

Going to the dogs

I have 3 golden retrievers, ages 1, 4 and 13.  Yesterday I tested the gate my son built to keep the dogs in the way back---it kept the older two from roaming but the pup snuck through and decided to help me drive.  I am sending him back to the drawing board.

When we get there, how will the oldest handle the altitude.  We will be at 8000 feet.  She sounds like Darth Vader on a bad day every day--I worry how that will go.  And will any of them try to run away and make there way back to Chicago(seriously would anyone try to run back through Nebraska, why would Bruce Springsteen name a album that?)  And what do I do if they chase after Elk?  I have been told I will be fined if they chase after Elk, Moose, Bears etc.  Right now they chase after litter and rats.

I'll have to see if I can figure out how to upload pics so I can share dogs chasing Elk and escaping the way back to assist with driving and eating road trip snacks.

36 days to go

Fun question: U-haul trailer is rented, but will the city let me park it overnight in front of my house, and if not what the hell do I do with it?

first box is packed

In science I had a teacher who told me nature abhors a vacuum.  True to the laws of nature my wife, kids, and dogs have filled my rather large home.  As we downsize into Aspen I find myself asking do I still need that members only jacket (great for decade parties) or calculus book (great for nothing).

Upside to moving is a forced purge.  And through one box its feeling great just like a great rocks margarita from the matchbox.  Wonder how I will feel after 49 more (boxes)?

38 days to go

Fun fact --40 people shot over the weekend in Chicago (ho hum) 0 shot in Aspen.

fun aspen-snowmass facts

We are renting in snowmass while we figure out where to buy (and how to afford it).

1.  They don't deliver the mail in Snowmass--PO Box at the local post office is apparently a happening place.  Lets see how I like that drive in February.
2.  They don't pick up the garage in Snowmass--we drive to dumpster.  When my one loyal reader (wife) reads that I suspect I will hear one very loud WTF.
3.  My rental contract has a clause stipulating keeping doors and windows closed to keep out the bears.  Bears.  A bear clause in a rental contract.  Also no AC so opening the windows would be a nice way to cool down, but with all the garbage piling up inside my house I expect we will be first stop on the bear pub-food crawl.
4.  $50 a square foot affordable housing tax offset.  Yup you read that right---on top of all kinds of other expensive permit fees you have to write the city of Aspen a check for 200k to build a 4k square foot home.  Yikes
5.  Newspaper delivery--forget about it.  I am going to have to either go electronic for national newspapers, but there are two local daily papers that I can enjoy sweating on at the gym.  How many cities still have two dailies?

39 days to go--daughter is so excited-scared-freaked out that she has broken out in hives.  Wife trying to offset her anxiety by buying her 3000 threat count sheets.  Seems like we are already getting our Aspen on.

why aspen?

let me count the ways......well today I am going to focus on one way.  Cost.  Property taxes in Chicago run about 13k per million in home valuation.  Property taxes in Aspen run about 1.3k per million.  (and yes property is quite expensive in Aspen---painful even especially if you want someplace with a kitchen that lends itself to Thanksgiving dinner not reheating pizza).  But if your Aspen home doesn't lose too much in value paying 5k a year in property taxes over the next 15 years in Aspen vs. 50k (and climbing) in the Windy city leaves you about 700k richer.

Schools.  Aspen public has about 150 kids per grade and is ranked in the top 100 public schools in the country (but school ranks are a scam more on that in the future).  From the research I have done I think my kids will get a good-great education in Aspen, and I will save about 70k a year not paying private school bills Chitown.  While there are some good-great public schools in Chicago, admission is hardly assured while striking is likely, resources limited and safety questionable, and the admission process as stressful as applying to college (who in their right mind would want to do that twice)?

But everything else costs more in Aspen right?  Well hockey in Chicago runs 3-10k a year.  Hockey in aspen is $100X the age of the kid.  Local season lift ticket passes are the cost of 9 days for the out-of-towner.  The bus is free vs $2.50 in Chicago.  Sales tax is about 1.7% less as well.

So yea Aspen is my low cost alternative to raising a family in a Big City saving me about $125k per year from lower property taxes and public school, and skipping the family ski vacation.  At least that is what it looks like from my desk in Chicago.  I'll report back the true costs as they happen.

Final fun fact 2003-2014 zero murders in Aspen, vs well I have the honor (horror) of living in the most dangerous city in North America.

40 days till I do my Chevy Chase impersonation except Wally World has become Aspen.

Having spent 10 years in NYC and 16 in Chicago my wife, son, daughter and 3 dogs are moving from the Windy City to Aspen CO.  I will attempt to chronicle the highs and lows of the adventure.

41 days until move

picture this
wife driving one car alone across Nebraska
me driving second car dragging u-haul, with 3 (big)dogs and two kids who love each other (picture Hillary and the Donald- in the back seat together)

What could go wrong?