Downtown Shopping and Restaurants (Denver, Derby: home, movies, live)

[Wittgenstein's Ghost]

If you haven't been downtown in a while, there are lots of new places that might be worth checking out this holiday season, whether you are shopping for presents or entertaining guests. I have worked and spent significant time downtown for the last five years, but in my opinion, it's a better place now that an any point since I've lived here.

A few places:

• If you haven't been to the new south end of downtown (near Fat Sully's/Denver Biscuit), it's great. Dos Santos tacos is very good, and brunch at Garden of the Gods Market and Cafe is hard to beat. Coati is also really cool.
  
• The popup market on Tejon in the old Mountain Chalet location (Tejon and Platte) has some of the best men's clothes I've found in the Springs.
  
• Poor Richards is killing it right now. The toy store is seriously, seriously cool. If you have a little one, you should go.
  
• Unlike a lot of the Springs, downtown has a lot of mom and pop restaurants, particularly ethnic food, that is worth checking out: Yoo Mae (Japanese sushi & bento), Azada (homemade Chipotle), Bento Heaven (Japanese bento), Hafa Adai (Guamian food) and Chiba are just a few. There are also quite a few cool bars, too.

Anyway, I know it's easy to get used to going to the same places over and over, but if you haven't checked out downtown in a while, you should. And there's even the ice rink in the park.

[Mike from back east]

Is there still a parade of lights on the first Saturday of December?

My old model railroad club is no longer in the basement of City Auditorium, they used to be open on that Saturday but they no longer have a home for the trains.

[Wittgenstein's Ghost]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

Is there still a parade of lights on the first Saturday of December?

My old model railroad club is no longer in the basement of City Auditorium, they used to be open on that Saturday but they no longer have a home for the trains.

There is. I believe it is on Dec. 4 this year. It's always a good time.

[phetaroi]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

Is there still a parade of lights on the first Saturday of December?

My old model railroad club is no longer in the basement of City Auditorium, they used to be open on that Saturday but they no longer have a home for the trains.

That's too bad. I went there a couple of times and enjoyed the collection.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by phetaroi

That's too bad. I went there a couple of times and enjoyed the collection.

If that was before 2016 then our paths may have crossed. I was the jolly old elf who always pointed out the pock marks in the overhead concrete beams where the bullets went astray during target practice in a room that once was the indoor pistol range for the CSPD. Lot of history in that old gem of a building, and some swear there are several ghosts there, at least according to a tour we took there one year with the local paranormal research group.

But there will still be lots to do downtown and hopefully the locals will patronize some of the offerings that are occasionally held in City Auditorium. I recall the Roller Derby girls and the bag lunch movies where a man actually played the historic pipe organ. For stage plays there were old fashioned dressing rooms in the back which had the ring of light bulbs around the mirrors like one might see in old movies. The place is really neat and worth patronizing

[otowi]

Originally Posted by phetaroi

That's too bad. I went there a couple of times and enjoyed the collection.

I did, too!

[wilberry]

my brother used to go there !