hanging out downtown for the day (Denver, Colorado Springs: sales, hotel, homes)

[desert sun]

I will be in Denver next month to go to a Nuggets game and cause I have 2 plane tickets I need to use before they expire. So I will be using public transportation cause Id rather not drive myself. Im not sure what mode of public transportation Im using yet from the airport but I will be staying at the VQ hotel downtown and will be going to the mint.

What do yall reccomend to see?
Is the mint close to the 16th st.mall?--within walking distance?
Is there a popular local eatery downtown that I just have to try?

Thanks-

[glennarbor]

You can take the airport shuttle right to 16th street mall. Then you're close to the mint and pretty close to the nuggets as well.

skyRide

yes mint is walking distance to 16th street mall, as is a bunch of other worthy attractions. It's a very walkable part of town.

[icewater]

Let's see.....there's lots to do downtown. I applaud your public transportation efforts also. There's a bus that costs $8 that goes from the airport to a downtown garage--runs about every 20 minutes. This will take you to the 16th street mall, which has a free shuttle that runs often along it's entire length. There are many restaurants on this strip, but most are generic ESPNzone/Cheesecake Factory tripe. If possible, scrape up extra money for the Brown Palace Hotel, which is actually on 17th. This place is legendary and historical, and while never having dined there, I've heard many references to it as a Denver institution.
If this is not feasible, another option that (to me) is pretty Denver-ish would be to find a sidewalk burrito vendor. There's lots of other vending carts that do a brisk business over the weekday lunch hour---a very good philly cheesesteak one is located at Broadway and 16th across from Dazbog coffee between about 11am and 1pm.

Definitely see the mint. The state capitol is very close by at the east end of the mall (the shuttle will let you off by this philly cheesesteak cart on broadway, and you can then walk 1 blk south to see the capitol). I don't really know if it's public access, but there's a couple good monuments there to see. Plus, it's perched on Capitol Hill which gives you a good view looking across City Park toward the mountains. Another good eatery is nearby, which boasts denver's best cheeseburger- City Grille. It's located on the Corner of Colfax and Logan (about 1.5 blocks from the capitol). Also on this Corner is a nice church---good Gothic styling.

Have a nice visit.

[vegaspilgrim]

Originally Posted by icewater

Let's see.....there's lots to do downtown. I applaud your public transportation efforts also. There's a bus that costs $8 that goes from the airport to a downtown garage--runs about every 20 minutes. This will take you to the 16th street mall, which has a free shuttle that runs often along it's entire length. There are many restaurants on this strip, but most are generic ESPNzone/Cheesecake Factory tripe. If possible, scrape up extra money for the Brown Palace Hotel, which is actually on 17th. This place is legendary and historical, and while never having dined there, I've heard many references to it as a Denver institution.

Great suggestion!

If this is not feasible, another option that (to me) is pretty Denver-ish would be to find a sidewalk burrito vendor. There's lots of other vending carts that do a brisk business over the weekday lunch hour---a very good philly cheesesteak one is located at Broadway and 16th across from Dazbog coffee between about 11am and 1pm.

Let's not forget though that desert sun lives in Albuquerque. The very best Mexican food in Denver can't even hold a candle to even an average place in Albuquerque.

[DenverAztec]

Originally Posted by desert sun

I will be in Denver next month to go to a Nuggets game and cause I have 2 plane tickets I need to use before they expire. So I will be using public transportation cause Id rather not drive myself. Im not sure what mode of public transportation Im using yet from the airport but I will be staying at the VQ hotel downtown and will be going to the mint.

What do yall reccomend to see?
Is the mint close to the 16th st.mall?--within walking distance?
Is there a popular local eatery downtown that I just have to try?

Thanks-

I posted the items below for a guy who was visiting last year for a weekend and did not have a car. He was wanting place to see and to shoot photos. This is all basically downtown and the park between the State Capitol and our City and County building is Civic Center Park. The Central Library and the Denver Art Museum are on the south end and both worth looking at.

Originally Posted by DenverAztec

It is late and this is all off the top of my head - If you have not been to Denver before, you will enjoy it! I am in Phoenix every other month and our downtowns are night and day. It is easy to get around downtown and a significant number of places that are all within walking distance. Denver was just voted 4th most walkable city in the country. It will more then likely be cold in March but there is much to do downtown and some great photo opportunities. I will DM you some photos I have shot.


Must See in Downtown:

• Brown Palace, the lobby is a must see.
• Union Station
• State Capitol (enter on the north side of the building on the ground entry door - airport security screening)
• Denver Art Museum, the new and old section, new is Daniel Libeskind's first American structure. He is currently the architect on the WTC rebuild.
• Cathedral Basillica, Logan and Colfax
• Saint John's cathedral, 14th and Washington
• Denver Mint, a little overrated and they won't allow cameras
• 16th Street Mall, use the free shuttle
• Equittable Building on 17th, the tiffany glass windows inside are worth more then the entire building. 6 million hand placed tiles in the flying buttress ceiling. Built after the one in NYC.
• Civic Center Park, during the day as undesirables there at night
• LoDo for the night clubs, but also for the historical value and city views for photo shoots
• Museum of Contemporary Art in LoDo, just opened in October
• Larimer Square, Larimer between 14th and 15th
• Pavillions has a Gap, Hard Rock Cafe, United Artist Theater, Banana Republic, Nike Town, etc, if you forget something or just want to hang out and rest while people watching.
• Denver Center for the Performing Arts and the Paramount have concerts and shows continuously. Ticket sales are second only to NYC.
• Pepsi Center/Invesco Field and Coors fields are all easily reachable by foot/mall shuttle or light rail.
• take the light rail to see the outer sections of Denver. Advise to take it from downtown to at least the Park Meadows Mall as you can see the Denver Technological Center area. It is another downtown in itself, if you like modern buildings, but not very walkable.

Capitol Hill:

• Mansions on 11th and 12th and Pennsylvannia
• Molly Brown's House, between 13th and 14th on Pennsylvannia
• Governor's mansion, 7th and Logan
• Denver Botanical Garden's (atarium is neat, but best for summer)
• Historic homes in Capitol Hill along 7th and 6th Avenue Parkway, Monaco Parkway, 17th Ave Parkway, Montview between Colorado and Monaco

Outside of Denver:

• Red Rocks Ampitheater
• Flat Irons in Boulder and the Pearl Street mall - outdoor pedestrian mall
• Lookout Mountain
• Central City and Blackhawk - old mining town turned into small stakes gambling.
• Roxburough Park
• Aspen 4 hour drive if weather decent, Glenwood canyon is fantasic, but expect delays on the weekends
• Vail 1.5 hours, weekends expect traffic
• Colorado Springs 2.5 hours, expect traffic heavy in the Denver Tech area and slow in Castle Rock, in the Springs, check out the Air Force Academy and the Garden of the Gods, not much to their downtown for having 600K in a population.

Cheap Eats:

• Tons on the 16th Steet mall downtown for fast food (from Wendy's to Chipotle)
• Personal favorite is "Snooze" for breakfast,
• "Stueben's" on 17th Ave, not 17th street, but walking distance from downtown
• Dixon's and Racine's have many plates for under $10.00 and both are very tasty.
• Spicy Pickle
• Noodles
• Kokoro Bowl
• Benny's Mexican
• High End eating and shopping is in the Cherry Creek area

Best Photo Op locations of the skyline:

• City Park golf course
• The rear entrance to the Museum of Natural History in City Park
• Barnum Park, top of the hill at the circle drive
• Highlands - new pedestrian bridge over the highway, shoot from Lola's
• Speer bridge as it enters the Highland area, just south are some places to park. Some great eats in the 32nd and Lowell area but in the mid range for plates.
• Rotunda of the State Capitol, if it is open
• View from the art museum extension
• The view from the bar at the top of the Hyatt is great for seeing west Denver and the mountains, plus Invesco field and north of the city.

Check out www.9news.com for local news and weather, plus www.westword.com for entertainment.

[Mr. Answers]

The Market in Larimer Square.

I love that place. It's an inexpensive deli with a pretty unique Denver kick.

[desert sun]

thanks for the suggestions everyone, How does the shuttle work at the 16th street mall? Is it there own little shuttle?

Is the skyride the best choice from going out of the airport to downtown?

[MantaRay]

Originally Posted by Mr. Answers

The Market in Larimer Square.

I love that place. It's an inexpensive deli with a pretty unique Denver kick.

Having only visited Denver, I whole-heartedly agree. From now on every time I come back to Denver, The Market is going to always be one of my stops. It is THE best deli I've ever eaten in.

[MantaRay]

Originally Posted by desert sun

How does the shuttle work at the 16th street mall? Is it there own little shuttle?

It's basically several free city busses that go up and down 16th, stopping at the cross streets. They are VERY frequent. When I visited a year ago, the 16th street mall and downtown area was one of the best parts of my visit.