Main Avenue is Durango’s hub and source of nightlife. It’s one of the most expensive yet coveted places to do business. And for some, it’s a place to live.
Sirens, parades and events, chatty tourists, music pulsing out of venues on weekends – and the shouts and laughter of Durango’s drunken revelers – all contribute to the cacophony of Main Avenue. Local attorney Bobbie Duthie lives in a second-floor suite above Olde Tymers Cafe in the 1000 block and runs his law practice next door.
The sound of the restaurant’s patrons, though noticeable when he’s in his “backyard” area, isn’t a bother.
“We have really good windows put in,” Duthie said. “Even with Olde Tymers below, El Rancho catty-corner to us, the windows cover the noise and it’s not really a distraction. It’s more a matter of urban convenience. We don’t have to drive, and it’s surprisingly friendly. You get to know everyone a lot more. Just like a neighborhood, the downtown area is our neighborhood.”
Living where he does also means a front-row seat for events like the Snowdown parade. The downside, Duthie said, is not having enough outdoor space for he and his wife’s Scottish terrier.
Gina Piccoli, broker/owner at Coldwell Banker, once helped a couple find a downtown condo. The clients, who have since moved away, made the move downtown from Timberline because they were elderly and had concerns about the drive to town.
“This way they could still walk around downtown or take the bus to the grocery store,” Piccoli said. “They were willing to lose the quiet and privacy for this convenience.”
Another couple abandoned their plans to build a home in Bayfield when they fell in love with the convenience of the downtown lifestyle and moved just a couple blocks from Main on 3rd Avenue – and saw savings when they realized they no longer needed to own a car.
Convenience is at the crux of those who rent on Main as well. Some of the rooms are cheap, short-term and within walking distance to everything.
Hank Church rents one of several rooms above El Rancho Tavern at the corner of 10th Street and Main Avenue.
The din from the tavern, which is known to attract late, late-night revelers, can sometimes on a rowdy weekend travel up to Church’s fourth-floor apartment.
“Oh, yeah, I can hear it,” Church said. “But it’s not enough to disturb my sleep. I do like it here. What I wouldn’t like is living on the second floor right above it.”
jpace@durangoherald.com
