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So, I grew up in Colorado Springs, went to DU and CU Boulder and lived in Denver for various periods of time if I got good job offers there. My last and best job was working as the acting director of the Helen Fowler Library at the Denver Botanic Gardens. The job paid well enough that I could afford to live in near-by Cherry Creek close enough to my job that I could just walk through Cheeseman Park each day and be at work in maybe 15 minutes. I really enjoyed strolling thru Cheeseman and Washington Parks with my faithful Corgi, spending hours at the Tattered Cover, finding new restaurants to try in the newly gentrified area of LoDo near Union Station. Denver was pretty cool back then, and I was a fearless explorer of what it had to offer.
But I guess I'm a country mouse at heart and even back then the traffic on I-25 and I-70 used to drive me nuts and I needed more wide open spaces than what Washington Park had to offer and ended up moving to the Western Slope around 2008 and haven't been back to the Front Range since.
I am finally going to come back to Denver next week due to an appointment with a specialist at University Hospital (another area I once knew well). I figure that after all this time, it would be a shame to make the trip only to return back here to the Four Corners the same day, so I'm going to stay on for a few days and play tourist.
I won't have a car because I'll be traveling via Amtrak, and once I arrive in Denver I'm hoping to use the mass transit/light rail system (it wasn't even built yet when I left!) and/or maybe Uber to get around. Can you guys tell me if this is practical or do I really need a car? I've booked a hotel on S. Colorado Blvd - La Quinta Inn by Wyndham Denver Cherry Creek since the price is right and it's more or less located near the part of Denver I was once most familiar with. That part of town was pretty safe back then, should I expect any problems with that area now? Are there still lot's of interesting little ethnic restaurants near LoDo? Do you guys have favorite restaurants or brew pubs I should try? What about any other interesting places that weren't there back in the day, but are now worth making the effort to check out?
Needless to say, we don't have Uber here in Cortez, so I have no idea how it works. Is it safe for a single woman to use? Will I actually save money by taking it? Do homeless people really leave their poops all over E. Colfax? (I find this last hard to believe, but someone I know swears it's true). I'll be bringing a little marijuana with me to relax in the evenings, but does the Big City feature any fancy pot outfits with endless varieties I'd never find back here?
I'm excited to be finally coming back if only for a visit, but I do feel rather incredulous when I look at Google Earth and see how very much Denver has changed - and GROWN! Are there still boy scouts who guide little old ladies like me across the street?
Any suggestions, info, commentaries would be much appreciated!
If you want to go all over the metro and see how everything has grown and changed, a car will make your life easier, but it’s certainly possible to do Denver car-free. Uber is safe enough, not too different from a taxi really. How adventurous do you feel about using little electric (“Lime/Bird” scooters? You’ll see them all over the place downtown and they can really extend your walking range if you can get over yourself riding one ... Definitely worth taking the light rail a few times if you haven’t been on it before, just for fun! But overall Denver’s still a pretty car-centric place, really depends on what you want to do and how far into suburbia you want to go.
Cherry Creek is probably as safe as it has ever been and there are plenty of restaurants in LoDo (and everywhere really), more “trendy” than “ethnic” these days but I don’t think you’ll want for grub.
Oh yes, you will have your pick of fancy pot outlets in the Big City! Kind Love is sort of near Cherry Creek, a bit pricey for workaday locals IMO but it’s where I used to send out-of-state friends to impress ’em. There are about 1000 others though, check the back of a Westword for ads/specials/etc.
I moved into the foothills several years ago and between work and family I don’t get out in Denver as much as I used to, so I’ll sit back and take notes while others clue you in on all the best brewpubs, restaurants etc.
Thanks for the tips! I'll consider renting a car, but I must admit that after all these years away, living in a small town with no real traffic to speak of, the vast new Denver with its many new highways, sort of freaks me out to drive in. Lord knows, I was quite the road warrior before, driving both I-25 and I-70 with the best and the fastest, but I hate being thrust into the role of the bewildered newb with everyone behind me honking their horns impatiently.
I forgot that Denver now has those scooters - I'll definitely give one a try, just for fun if nothing else!
I'd also like to find a couple of places where I could sit down with a glass of wine or a brew and hear a little live music - I'm especially fond of jazz. Does anyone have any suggestions in that regard? Oh, and does Tattered Cover still have its flagship store in Cherry Creek? It had better! And where is the best place to find smaller shops, selling interesting, off-the-wall type things - not tourist junk, but eclectic?
To use Uber, you need to set up an account on your smartphone. Easy enough to do, but you should look into that prior to your trip. When you set up the account, you will need to establish a method of paying for rides - I have an iPhone, and I pay for Uber rides through Apple Pay, but I am sure there are other ways to set this up. Finally, I find the cost of Uber to consistently be better than local taxis, and it is far easier to "hail" an Uber than a taxi...
Rambler, the Cherry Creek Tattered Cover closed many years ago, IIRC. They added some other locations. One of them is the LoDo store and another is in Aspen Grove Mall, a short walk from the light rail station. I had moved away before the latter opened but my guess is that the volume of commuters brought in by the light rail’s establishment would make it a good sized store.
There WAS a TC also in Highlands Ranch, which had a different selection of books from the others. I think that one closed when they decided to open the Aspen Grove one. I had always wondered why they did not have a bookstore in Aspen Grove, so this change did not surprise me.
I doubt any of them can match the old-library ambience of the CC store. Between closing the great CD store and, later, Tattered Cover, I never went back to Cherry Creek after that.
So, I grew up in Colorado Springs, went to DU and CU Boulder and lived in Denver for various periods of time if I got good job offers there. My last and best job was working as the acting director of the Helen Fowler Library at the Denver Botanic Gardens. The job paid well enough that I could afford to live in near-by Cherry Creek close enough to my job that I could just walk through Cheeseman Park each day and be at work in maybe 15 minutes. I really enjoyed strolling thru Cheeseman and Washington Parks with my faithful Corgi, spending hours at the Tattered Cover, finding new restaurants to try in the newly gentrified area of LoDo near Union Station. Denver was pretty cool back then, and I was a fearless explorer of what it had to offer.
But I guess I'm a country mouse at heart and even back then the traffic on I-25 and I-70 used to drive me nuts and I needed more wide open spaces than what Washington Park had to offer and ended up moving to the Western Slope around 2008 and haven't been back to the Front Range since.
I am finally going to come back to Denver next week due to an appointment with a specialist at University Hospital (another area I once knew well). I figure that after all this time, it would be a shame to make the trip only to return back here to the Four Corners the same day, so I'm going to stay on for a few days and play tourist.
I won't have a car because I'll be traveling via Amtrak, and once I arrive in Denver I'm hoping to use the mass transit/light rail system (it wasn't even built yet when I left!) and/or maybe Uber to get around. Can you guys tell me if this is practical or do I really need a car? I've booked a hotel on S. Colorado Blvd - La Quinta Inn by Wyndham Denver Cherry Creek since the price is right and it's more or less located near the part of Denver I was once most familiar with. That part of town was pretty safe back then, should I expect any problems with that area now? Are there still lot's of interesting little ethnic restaurants near LoDo? Do you guys have favorite restaurants or brew pubs I should try? What about any other interesting places that weren't there back in the day, but are now worth making the effort to check out?
Needless to say, we don't have Uber here in Cortez, so I have no idea how it works. Is it safe for a single woman to use? Will I actually save money by taking it? Do homeless people really leave their poops all over E. Colfax? (I find this last hard to believe, but someone I know swears it's true). I'll be bringing a little marijuana with me to relax in the evenings, but does the Big City feature any fancy pot outfits with endless varieties I'd never find back here?
I'm excited to be finally coming back if only for a visit, but I do feel rather incredulous when I look at Google Earth and see how very much Denver has changed - and GROWN! Are there still boy scouts who guide little old ladies like me across the street?
Any suggestions, info, commentaries would be much appreciated!
Thanks, Guys!
Wait until you see Union Station!
It is absolutely beautiful.
There are several restaurants in the station as well as close by and there are multiple bus and light lines available right there as well.
Coors Field is right down the street too. Worth a look, even if you aren't interested in seeing an actual game.
There's a free bus that runs the length of the 16th St. Mall that you can hop on and off wherever and that will get you close to Civic Center Park and the Denver Art Museum.
If you feel really adventurous, the #15 bus that runs along Colfax Ave stops right by one of the Tattered Cover locations, which is across from East High School.
The Sie film center is right by there too.
There are tons of new restaurants, etc. (Trader Joe's!) along Colorado Blvd. as well, between Alameda and Colfax.
And a Whole Foods on University and Speer, right across from the Cherry Creek Mall.
All are reachable by public transportation.
P.S. There's a major light rail/bus stop not far from the hotel, right by Dave and Buster's.
I'd also like to find a couple of places where I could sit down with a glass of wine or a brew and hear a little live music - I'm especially fond of jazz. Does anyone have any suggestions in that regard? Oh, and does Tattered Cover still have its flagship store in Cherry Creek? It had better! And where is the best place to find smaller shops, selling interesting, off-the-wall type things - not tourist junk, but eclectic?
Jazz at Jacks and Dazzle downtown are pretty decent jazz locations. Tattered Cover moved it's flagship store to Colfax Ave and Elizabeth Street.
If you have an appointment at University Hospital, are you aware that it's now located in Aurora at Colfax and I-225? You'll certainly want to Uber from your location unless you want to take the 15 out there out of Civic Center Station/Union Station, or take the H Line, connect to the R Line and take an hour to get there the roundabout way.
Rambler, the Cherry Creek Tattered Cover closed many years ago, IIRC. They added some other locations. One of them is the LoDo store and another is in Aspen Grove Mall, a short walk from the light rail station. I had moved away before the latter opened but my guess is that the volume of commuters brought in by the light rail’s establishment would make it a good sized store.
There WAS a TC also in Highlands Ranch, which had a different selection of books from the others. I think that one closed when they decided to open the Aspen Grove one. I had always wondered why they did not have a bookstore in Aspen Grove, so this change did not surprise me.
I doubt any of them can match the old-library ambience of the CC store. Between closing the great CD store and, later, Tattered Cover, I never went back to Cherry Creek after that.
Oh no, Ms. Pika! Say it isn't so! Well, that's that. Trip cancelled if the original TC is no longer there! But thanks for the suggestion re the TC near the light rail station. I imagine that I won't even recognize my old hood in Cherry Creek, but I'd still like to walk around in the parks and check out what's been going on at the Botanic Gardens since I was there last. I'd like to visit the Art Museum, too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TigerLily24
Wait until you see Union Station!
It is absolutely beautiful.
Most cool! It already was looking very nice when I still lived in Denver. It will be interesting to check out the improvements.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TigerLily24
There are several restaurants in the station as well as close by and there are multiple bus and light lines available right there as well.
Coors Field is right down the street too. Worth a look, even if you aren't interested in seeing an actual game.
There's a free bus that runs the length of the 16th St. Mall that you can hop on and off wherever and that will get you close to Civic Center Park and the Denver Art Museum.
If you feel really adventurous, the #15 bus that runs along Colfax Ave stops right by one of the Tattered Cover locations, which is across from East High School.
The Sie film center is right by there too.
There are tons of new restaurants, etc. (Trader Joe's!) along Colorado Blvd. as well, between Alameda and Colfax.
And a Whole Foods on University and Speer, right across from the Cherry Creek Mall.
All are reachable by public transportation.
P.S. There's a major light rail/bus stop not far from the hotel, right by Dave and Buster's.
This is exactly the sort of info I was looking for! I hate to sound like someone from the ice age but my shadow has never darkened the doorstep of a Trader Joe's. I'll have to make a note to check it out to see what all the fuss is about - and the Sie film center, too. And the Whole Foods - so many new and amazing things, so little time. Wish I could spend the whole week.
I am going to be so cosmopolitan when I return to Cortez that no one will recognize me!
Thanks so much for all your suggestions, everyone. Please keep them coming! And I'm still curious about the live music scene.
I'm getting really psyched about my visit. It's almost worth having to go to that doctor and get poked and prodded!
There is live jazz every Tuesday at Union Station.
Most cool. Is it like an open mike scene or more organized than that? I got super spoiled when I still lived in the Springs because I had a BF who was a fairly decent jazz guitarist and I used to tag along with him and his friends whenever they had a gig. Thanks!
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Well, that's that. Trip cancelled if the original TC is no longer there! But thanks for the suggestion re the TC near the light rail station. I imagine that I won't even recognize my old hood in Cherry Creek, but I'd still like to walk around in the parks and check out what's been going on at the Botanic Gardens since I was there last. I'd like to visit the Art Museum, too.
