Everything We Know About Denver

Denver’s 33rd PrideFest, the 7th largest in the nation put on by GLBT Denver is this weekend at Civic Center Park or check out the Parade on Sunday on the Fax (Colfax) to the Park. More info here and here.

Oh yes, I said air guitar. Air guitar championships of Denver. And it’s sponsored. This is serious, people.

Last night I stopped by the Bluebird, paid $15 for a ticket, and experienced something I will never forget: Denver’s finalists competed to go to the US Air Guitar Championships, sponsored by Cuervo Black. Here’s the blog where you can follow the mayhem across the country, ending in San Fran.

Pre-competition, the Post wrote this article, and the contestants Mom comments. I suggest checking it out - it’s a classic, that features some tips on giving your best air guitar performance possible.

Read a post from the Central Denver Blog today, which has some great info on it. The writer is in real estate, but also posts general helpful posts about Denver sometimes. This one is about Denver Skate Parks, as one of her 1001 things to do in Denver posts. She’s only at #4 so she has some work ahead of her, but I love the idea and the info. As she posts these, we’ll pick out ones that are relevant and link to them here, so check back! Thanks Jennifer!

Other Denver blogs to check out:

The Latest Word (mentioned previously)
Mile High Buzz (coffee shops in Denver blog)
Denver Politics
Denver Infill (development of downtown)
Elevated Voices (5280’s blog)
Nic and the city (Gay male in Denver)
Denver Doings - from the Post
Get Real Denver - on music and bars
Mile High Mama’s
28 Deep - photography & fashion
Denver Syntax - literary, art & music
Denver metblogs

I love the Meadowlark in the Ballpark/RINO/Curtis Park neighborhood. I am biased because it is just blocks from my house, but take that away, and it’s still a great little hole in the wall… err… ground.

Located at 27th and Larimer, look for the plaque in the brick wall and the stairs heading down - you’ve found it. Open everyday from 4 pm to 2 am - even if you are the only ones in the joint they’ll keep it going for you. Last night we headed over for a few drinks out of boredom and - as always - it was great. When you first enter the bar you find what you most likely didn’t expect. Rather than a dingy dark hole, it’s actually has a great ambience with laquered wood bars, and an industrial feel. Stumble in on most weekday nights and you’ll also find live music or DJ’s on stage. In need of a quieter evening? Head out the back stairs and sit on the patio with a bucket of beer.

Other favorite features: bar tenders that don’t really know what they’re doing, so you get way too much booze in your drink (for a great price) after instructing them on how to make the perfect margarita just how you like it.

Other reviews to check out are here and here.

Friday’s installment of Summertime Funtime!

part 4

This weekend I’m headed out of Denver to camp and hike at Maroon Bells, reportedly the most photographed 14′er in Colorado. Also this weekend: Aspen Food & Wine - check it out.

Other great just west of Denver locations to check out:

Hike a fourteener
Camp and hike St. Mary’s Glacier
Chatfield State Park (lake and outdoors)
Garden of the Gods (near C. Springs)
Estes, and Rocky Mountain National Park has a plethora of hikes to offer
What else do you think should be on the list??

It’s time to sign up for Denver’s annual and very fun event: the Moonlight Classic.

What it is: The Kaiser Permanente Moonlight Classic is a 15-mile or 8 mile, non-competitive late night charity bike ride through Denver’s historic neighborhoods. Benefiting Seniors Inc - Seniors Inc. is a 39-year-old non-profit agency dedicated to helping Colorado’s elderly and their personal independence. The event starts at the Capitol and goes around Downtown and Cherry Creek (with lots of craziness and drink spots along the way!) There is also a costume contest, so come dressed to impress (or to cause lots of gasps and oos and ahhs).  It’s $35 for adults to participate.  More info here.

Bike to Work Day: June 25, 2008
I do it every year, and I can attest to the food being delicious and totally worth it. Here’s the schpeal from the site:

Are you getting frustrated with the high price of gas and heavy traffic on the roads? Have you been wondering how you can fit more exercise into your day? Bike to Work Day is the answer to all these problems, and a lot of fun to boot. Wednesday, June 25, is this year’s Bike to Work Day mark your calendar!
Bike to Work Day is an annual event that encourages people to try a different way of commuting. If you’ve never commuted by bike before, it’s the perfect time to try: there’s lots of support available for you on Bike to Work Day! After trying just once, you may decide to make it a regular routine, once a week or a few times a month. About 20,000 people throughout the metro area got on their bikes last year, and more are expected in 2008.
Great things you’ll get when you register for Bike to Work Day:
• Automatic entry into a drawing for lots of great prizes
• Free breakfast at any one of about 100 bike stops throughout the region on the morning of the event
• Fresh air and exercise while you get to work
To register, go to www.drcog.org and look for Bike to Work Day on the home page, call 303-458-7665. Bike to Work Day is organized locally by the Denver Regional Council of Governments, a nonprofit organization of more than 50 local cities and counties working together to solve regional problems such as traffic congestion.

16th Street Mall Downtown has just launched a recycling program. About time people - I was sort of surprised to find out that we didn’t have the program running before. Either way, look for bright yellow containers for your glass, plastic and newspaper between Larimar and Cleveland. (side thought: why doesn’t Union station to Market get recycle containers?)

Other Downtown Green accomplishments:

90 new trees have been planted throughout Downtown.
100 flower planters have been placed along Downtown streets.
Coordination with RTD helped to plant 23 new trees on the 16th St. Mall in early summer 2007.
Purchase of energy-efficient LED holiday lights.

More Greater Denver Green Initiative info at Greenprint Denver. My favorite: the one million trees initiative (aka mile high millions). Register your tree online or help plant trees!

Welcome to Friday’s installment of Summertime Funtime in Denver!

Part 3

Attend some summertime free concerts:
Confluence Park (mentioned in part 1),
Tabor Tunes - Every Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m @ the Tabor Center’s 3rd floor food court.
Skyline Park Concert Series - Fridays from noon to 1:15 pm June - August @ Skyline Park (Spanning the length of Arapahoe Street from 15th to 18th Streets)
Hot Sounds Concerts @ the Denver Pavillions (Glenarm & 16th) - Thursdays at 5 pm starting June 19th.

Visit Water World! Just North of Denver @ 88th & Pecos. Tickets are $34 for adults.

Check out the Botanic Gardens Denver, located at 1005 York Street in Denver (other locations in South Denver). Open May 12 through September 14, 2008 from Saturday through Tuesday - 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Wednesday through Friday - 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Or, better yet, attend their summer concert series. Ticket prices vary from about $40 to $55 and artists vary throughout the summer months of June, July & August. View the site for more info!

Attend the Colorado Renaissance Festival. Open on weekends in the summer starting June 14th. Highlights I recommend include face painting, watch the joust, and the ever popular Puke & Snot show. Also consider purchasing a crown, sword & shield - or my favorite, the crunk cup. Tickets are about $18 pp.

Check out the Denver Museum of Contemporary Art in it’s new location: 1485 Delgany Denver CO 80202. Hours are Tue – Thurs 10 am – 6 pm, Fri 10 am – 10 pm, Sat & Sun 10 am – 6 pm. Insider tip: go on the 1st Saturday of each month and pay only a penny to get in! Also get $1 off your ticket to get in when you use public transportation, bike or walk on any day.

Denver is one of the friendliest towns in the US, according to the Today Show.  Some “did you know” fun facts from the story:

Downtown in the Mile High City is one big, car-free “pedestrian mall” lined with shops, bars and restaurants where locals and tourists alike hang out. There’s even a free shuttle bus that runs along the main street.

Denver is one of only two cities in America with eight professional sports teams.

The first permanent structure in Denver was a saloon. Talk about hospitality.

A cultural melting pot, Denver hosts the country’s largest Cinco de Mayo festival, the Longs Peak Scottish Festival, the National Gay Rodeo Finals, PrideFest, and it has the Black American West Museum in the historically rich African-American Five Points neighborhood. Its population is 40 percent Hispanic and 10 percent African-American.

The city also boasts comprehensive accessibility services like wheelchair-friendly trails and accommodations and transportation services for the physically impaired.

Denver will host the Democratic National Convention this August. For the convention, Bikes Belong will supply the city with 1,000 bicycles to be used in a system similar to that in Paris (credit card access; rates are lowest for short jaunts around the city). Seventy will be left behind as a legacy that Denver plans to grow into a city-wide public
transportation system of several hundred bikes.

The median single-family home sales price is $223,500.

Other cities that made the cut: San Antonio, TX, Nashville, TN, Madison, WI and Davis, CA.