It may be time for me to leave Boulder, soon.

You know Boulder has turned hard into the land of yuppie, black-white-painted-house-bought-on-all-cash, when even those doing well can’t afford to buy, or pay their mortgages, in Boulder.

I grew up here, returned in ’99, bought a house with zero down ($500 bucks in my bank account), and have been here the last 25 years. But seeing Boulder drown in money has been sad, upsetting.

It’s still a wonderful town and community in so many ways. This isn’t a black-and-white hater post, the kind we might read on Next Door or Reddit. But…so much of what is unique, caring, eco…has been lost and continues to be lost.

1. Naropa selling its main campus. Eldo Pool getting normalized. Leaf getting…bad. Yogis Richard & Mary moving away. Outdoor Cinema long gone. What are other signs of a new, shiny, pricey, exclusive, less-weird-eco era in Boulder?

2. And what are exceptions—wonderful new things like The New Local, Nude Foods, Junkyard Social, the new Library, new protected bike lanes, Trident’s bigger patio and employee ownership, Skratch Cafe…

3. …and ongoingly wonderful things like the Flatirons, Chautauqua, McGuckin, Boulder Book Store, ReSource, bike paths, the Spot, Open Studios, North Boulder Art community?

4. And what deserves protecting, nurturing, saving, supporting? IE, saving Alaya?