What to Do In/Around Denver to Get a Vibe for the Area? (Boulder: hotel, houses)

[Jarrett7]

My GF and I are coming into Denver this coming week to look at houses and just try to get a general vibe for the area.

Are there things, places, etc to do/see that sort of give you a general feeling of what life in the Denver area is all about?

[bluescreen73]

If the Rockies are in town, go to a game at Coors Field. Tickets should be cheap because they suck this year. Hang out around Union Station and/or Larimer Square before the game.

If the weather's not too hot (and you have a car) go for a hike in the foothills. The west side of Mount Falcon Park has a loop that has a little bit of elevation gain, but is doable for most people.

I'm out with my better half right now so I can't write a novella, but I'll add some more stuff when I get home.

[Count David]

Originally Posted by bluescreen73

If the Rockies are in town, go to a game at Coors Field. Tickets should be cheap because they suck this year. Hang out around Union Station and/or Larimer Square before the game.

If the weather's not too hot (and you have a car) go for a hike in the foothills. The west side of Mount Falcon Park has a loop that has a little bit of elevation gain, but is doable for most people.

I'm out with my better half right now so I can't write a novella, but I'll add some more stuff when I get home.

Somebody give this man his 10,000th rep point because I cannot.

[Count David]

Originally Posted by Jarrett7

My GF and I are coming into Denver this coming week to look at houses and just try to get a general vibe for the area.

Are there things, places, etc to do/see that sort of give you a general feeling of what life in the Denver area is all about?

I'm going to go contrarian.

1. The South Suburban. Start your morning in any of the $450K-$700K neighborhoods west of I-25, south of Belleview. Somewhere in western Centennial sounds good for me. Highlands Ranch would work too. Get your office clothes on and head to a bakery in a strip mall for an organic danish. Then go park your car on C-470 for about 90 minutes because it won't be going anywhere anyway. Then, drive to one of the shiny office buildings in the DTC. Pretend that you work in one of those for a minute. Wow! It's lunch time already. There is something fast casual you can go grab nearby. Illegal Pete's, Panera Bread, Poke City, so on. Eat that, and then pretend to go back to work. Instead, go walk around IKEA. By the time you're done with that, get back on C-470 because it's time to rush Johnny to soccer practice. Your GF will probably want to do Park Meadows at some point, so let her.


2. El Denver. Start this one around 11am or noon. Start at 285/Federal, and head north on Federal Blvd. This is not what people think of when they think "Denver", it absolutely does NOT live up to any stereotype you have in your head, thank goodness! Go hit up Crown Lanes, roll a few balls, and do a few Fireball shots. By now, you've got to be hungry, so go for some Tacos Rapidos, Tacos y Salsas, Tacos Marlene, Taco House, Torres Mexican Food, or Tortilleria Cuauhtemoc (sorry, tried to keep the T thing going there). You'll probably pass about two dozen of Denver's Pho joints so try one of those too. By the time you see Empower Field at Mile High, your tour will take an unexpected turn into the North Side. North Side ain't like the south side, at least not anymore. This used to be Denver's historic Latino/Italian neighborhood, but it's been over taken by beards sipping lattes and yoga pants. And don't call it North Side because nobody left around there will know what you're talking about. It's "The Highlands" now. You can still see what the neighborhood used to look like, if you both squint and use your imagination.


But mostly just get in a car and drive around. Go to Wal-Marts. Drive in traffic. Go to parks. Eat, drink. Take a drive up into the mountains, down to the Springs, up to Boulder, or out onto the plains.

And find the most boring parts of town, because that's where life is truly lived.

[Mike from back east]

If you like books, there's a Tattered Cover bookstore downtown near Union Station; the place is legendary.

Tons of GOOD eats in that area, one of my faves is the Cruise Room Bar with its Art Deco decor in the Oxford Hotel.

You could spend a week down in that area and only scratch the surface of all that's there. Sixteenth St is a pedestrian mall with free bus service that runs about 2.5 miles up and back 16th. There are panhandlers down there but that goes with most big city downtowns these days.

[CirculateRX]

Originally Posted by Count David

Somebody give this man his 10,000th rep point because I cannot.

Done. Happy posting, blue screen!

[COcheesehead]

Walk Wash (Washington) Park
Go to the REI flagship store downtown
Get some street tacos at El Taco de Mexico
Have a beer at Living the Dream
Go to Red Rocks
Have lunch at Creekside Cellars in Evergreen
Go to Union Station, eat at The Mercantile or Ultreia.
Go to the Art Museum.
Hike/walk Waterton Canyon
Drive I 25 at 5pm

[bluescreen73]

Originally Posted by Count David

Somebody give this man his 10,000th rep point because I cannot.

Originally Posted by CirculateRX

Done. Happy posting, blue screen!

Gracias!

Thought of a few more things.

Get some good Denver BBQ so you'll see all is not lost. Try Smokin Yard's. I've only ever been to their Idaho Springs location and the line is almost always out the door.

Jabo's and Yazoo are also decent. Some folks near downtown may be able to recommend good places in that part of town.

Walk over to The Highlands and have some ice cream at Little Man. Hang out at Confluence Park afterward.

Take a drive in the foothills/mountains. Take in the iconic view of the James Peak group of mountains from the Genesee exit on I-70.

Another hiking suggestion - Castlewood Canyon State Park. It's on the far southeast part of the metro area. The entrance fee is $8. There are about 10-12 miles of trails. You can hike along Cherry Creek. There's a small waterfall just off the Creek Bottom Trail, and nearby are the remnants of the Castlewood Dam. The dam failed in 1933, and when it did a wall of water rushed down Cherry Creek into Denver; killing 2 people.

[alloo66]

http://www.denver.org/

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by COcheesehead

Walk Wash (Washington) Park
Go to the REI flagship store downtown
Get some street tacos at El Taco de Mexico
Have a beer at Living the Dream
Go to Red Rocks
Have lunch at Creekside Cellars in Evergreen
Go to Union Station, eat at The Mercantile or Ultreia.
Go to the Art Museum.
Hike/walk Waterton Canyon
Drive I 25 at 5pm

Great list