Mountain West Microbrew & Dirty Soda Fountain: Irrelevant chit chat
 

Hi folks. From 2011 through 2018 the original Mountain West Microbrew thread was a place for chit chat unrelated to the particulars of development news. With the Denver Main Development Thread once again difficult to sift through amid non-development chit chat, the time has come to bring back the microbrew.

So sit back, sip whatever's coming out of LoDo these days, and try to remember to put your non-development thoughts here. Or make new threads whenever you feel like it! That "Post New Thread" button is freer than gazing up in awe at the mountains cash register building!

To celebrate, I whipped up this AI art for you. Enjoy!

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53608406179_2f97f82032_c.jpg

In related unrelated news, I will likely be in Denver/Colorado this August, for the first time in many years. Exact dates TBD.

Union Station is a must see for me. What else do I need to see that's new in the last decade?

And where's a good rooftop / upper floor bar to potentially have a forum meetup at?

Does the beer have to be from LoDo? That's fureign beer for much of the West. Basically every city seems to have a local beer culture.

Definitely check out Belleview Station. It is not quite fully realized yet, but the Kimpton will be open by then, which will be quite impactful. Considering that the only thing above ground 10 years ago was the Den, the amount of development is quite staggering.

Do you use the word "microbrew" to scare off the Salt Lake City posters? (kidding)

Cheers to your new thread! I look forward to popping in and lurking.

Let's make it "microwbrew and [whatever SLCers drink]!" What should that be?

Knowing Utah, probably one of those silly drive-thrus where they add extra caffeine and brown sugar to Diet Dr. Pepper. :haha:

(Seriously, I wish I was making that up)

I guess the cream makes it different from an Italian soda?

Alright I'm changing the thread title. Somebody can convince us to change it again if they want. What do they drink in Boise? :cheers:

What the hell, Utah?

I don't want to show favoritism in my AI art so here's to being inclusive:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53626970777_0912d3a009_c.jpg

Hey now, Swig is for the non-Salt Lakers. Us true Salt Lakers go to TF Brewing.

beer.

:cheers:

I know, right? :haha:

In my defense... I moved away. :runaway:

That AI photo cracks me up, Cirrus!

COLORADDO

I love AI

Despite the stereotype, Utah actually has a long history of beer brewing. Prohibition and changing LDS attitudes killed a lot of the existing industry. I think Utah has better breweries than Idaho.

Of course, Colorado is in another league. I've been to 60+ breweries there, which is more than there are total in Utah at this point.

With all the gambling, weed, prostitution and liquor, going on in its next door neighbor states, Utah just balances out all the sin:D

TEMPE, Ariz. — The Arizona Coyotes players were told they are moving to Salt Lake City in a meeting before their game in Edmonton Friday, according to a new report from PHNX Sports' Craig Morgan.

https://www.12news.com/article/sports/nh.../75-7411b07d-bc01-4335-adcd-4b6cde8f7044

So, do we hate the Avs? Who is our rival? Guess I better start learning! LOL

The San Jose Sharks seem lame af

Wow, good for SLC. Hope that's true. Hockey belongs in a winter sports town more than freaking Phoenix.

Are there any legends about a monster in Salt Lake? Like a hydra or something? Now'd be a great time to uncover an ancient myth about that.

We have Skinwalker Ranch ;)

I googled that and definitely was not expecting an actual Navajo legend. More like a nude beach on the shore of the lake.

We have the nude beach too on Stansbury Island. It’s sort of a land of anarchy where people ride side by sides, shoot guns wherever, there’s people flying model planes, a nude beach and gays cruising each other nearby.

I'm generally an opponent of using TIF or subsidies to build stadiums for privately-owned sports teams. But it sounds like the Coyotes tried nine ways from Sunday to build a home for the team, and kept getting shut down. One even had 90%+ private financing (1.9B of 2.1B).

I had fond memories of going to a Utah Golden Eagles game as a kid. I bet a major league hockey team will find strong support in the state.

The question now: Should they re-name the team? And if they do, we run into the perennial problem... Utah just doesn't have anything noteworthy to name the team after (Lakes, Mountains, Bees...?) Which is why the Jazz are still the Jazz.

I think we got the answer right here in this thread:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53652536508_77bfd0b61c_n.jpg

No Great Salt Lake monster legends that I'm aware of, but we did have Pink Floyd the Flamingo. ;)

https://www.utahhumanities.org/stories/items/show/438

Someone previously mentioned the Swarm. I like that, particularly if paired with Salt Lake for the alliteration, and the connection to bees of course. But I guess the name must be the Utah ___?

THE SALT LAKE DIRTY SODAS

https://i.imgur.com/BocnLcA.jpeg

God bless, AI!

I always liked the name Golden Eagles. IMO, that was the best name given a Utah team at the time. Eagles is used a lot around the country, but I'm not aware of Golden in the name. I would be all for resurrecting the name if possible. It seems like all of the noble wildlife bird and beast names that are common to Utah are already being taken as either major league names or college team names and mascots.

I'm on board the Utah Yetis train.

lol!

Alliteration is alliterawesome

Broke: same first letter alliteration
Bespoke: different first letter alliteration

Q & A:

What is your favorite state you've been to and why?




P.S. Raising this thread from the "dead" (although it's only been about 1 month)

Hm. New York? The city is self-explanatory, and upstate has all the outdoorsy stuff of a western state (Lake Placid, anyone?) but with the addition of way more pre-war architecture & infrastructure. The Hudson valley is a glacial fjord, crisscrossed by awesome old suspension bridges everywhere, and lined by legit regional rail. It's great.

SLC with 6 additional towers
 

[Ihttps://i.imgur.com/u5R1Ucl.jpg

Insert :makeitso: gif here

Run a gondola between the tippy tops of the two pointy ones.

Questions for Denverites:

1. What are the best/biggest playgrounds in town?

2. Is Confluence Park good for kids?

3. Are there any good rooftop/upper floor bars/cafes besides the Hyatt?

4. Besides Union Station & the CPV, what must I see that's new/improved over the past 15 years?

5. Are there any cute hipstery shops my wife will want to go to? The sort of place that carries locally-made funny stationery

Funny. I just made this image to make a point to a friend last week.

https://i.imgur.com/l312o0p.jpeg

It would only take one or two stunners in downtown to make the skyline go from dud to stud.

1. What are the best/biggest playgrounds in town?

City Park, Sanchez Park, and Central Park come to mind.

2. Is Confluence Park good for kids?

The area aroud REI has some kid-friendly areas with some climbing structures and there's always the Children's Museum that's right there.

3. Are there any good rooftop/upper floor bars/cafes besides the Hyatt?

The Le Méridien Denver at 15th and California is a good one. There's also Linger and El Five in LoHi that both have some great views. The Halycon in Cherry Creek has a nice rooftop bar as well.

4. Besides Union Station & the CPV, what must I see that's new/improved over the past 15 years?

I would suggest the Stanley Marketplace as a great adaptive re-use project with a ton of kid-friendly elements plus local shops, restaurants, bars, etc. Probably the most unlikely place in Denver where a community center of gravity would have developed. The Golden Triangle is great to check out given how it is filling out, but the street life is still lacking.

I don't have kids, so I probably am not the best to ask on the first two questions. I have observed a brand new playground at Sloan's Lake recently though that looks nice.

3. Are there any good rooftop/upper floor bars/cafes besides the Hyatt?

I also was going to say Linger. Avanti in Lower Highland is another that comes to mind. Odell Brewing has a location on Perry St. with nice patio overlooking Sloan's Lake. There is also one opening soon at the new Populus hotel (that I imagine will be quite busy to begin with).

4. Besides Union Station & the CPV, what must I see that's new/improved over the past 15 years?

Blake, Walnut, and Larimer streets in RiNo. This part of town still has some urban grit to it, but the transformation has been pretty incredible and the street life is NOT lacking. I agree Golden Triangle is going through an interesting transformation too, although it feels more upscale and "sanitized" than RiNo.

Further from the center, you could check out the changes in a place like Tennyson Street, South Broadway (a much more gradual transformation), or TOD areas like Belleview Station or Olde Town Arvada. And for what it's worth - Cherry Creek has also been going through an ongoing transformation.

5. Are there any cute hipstery shops my wife will want to go to? The sort of place that carries locally-made funny stationery

I may not be the best to ask on this one, but again, I'd suggest RiNo (mostly east of the RR in the area we used to call "Upper Larimer"), or neighborhood centers like Tennyson, 32nd and Lowell, or Olde Town Arvada as good places to look for this.

Think LODO - At the Top of my list is:

Milk Market - Dairy Block
The Alley

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/conte...ry+Block+Milk_Market_002.jpg?format=500w
Courtesy Dairy Block

Kitty-corner from this is the redeveloped block across from Coors Field called

McGregor Square
OUTDOOR PLAZA

https://www.mcgregorsquare.com/wp-content/uploads/0204-From-the-Hip-Photo-1024x683.jpg

https://www.mcgregorsquare.com/wp-content/uploads/mcgregor-square-about-us-coors-field-082323.jpg
Courtesy McGregor Square

---------------------------

Cherry Creek North would certainly be an option

Away from downtown, yes, Stanley Marketplace is a nice recommendation.

Not really any cutesy stationary shops in either of those locations (McGregor has a small stall iirc). More so eateries and some boutiques at the Dairy Block.

Though McGregor does have a little toy store, Peak-a-Boo Toys, that took over the Tattered Cover location after the spectacular implosion of that company. It's the second location with the original location being off of Main Street in Breckenridge.

YES, Confluence-Riverfront-Commons Park is always a nice choice, to picnic, to relax, walk down to the river.

If you are Zoo-inclined the Denver Zoo has spent tons of money making the zoo eco-animal-friendly. If you're more science inclined then the same can be said for the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, both a part of City Park.

If you find yourself in the vicinity of the Capitol the Denver Library, recently updated, is a nice stop; also an easy bathroom break. That's a nice area next to the new Denver Art Museum addition and it puts you just north of the Golden Triangle. Also the Civic Center Park is right there with its summer flowers etc.

Still, it's easy to say that you can't beat Wash Park.

Thanks, folks. Most of my Colorado time will be south, but I'm going to try and squeeze a lot into a couple of days in Denver.

2034 Olympics in SLC. That'll be a good time.

For you Colorado Folk... what small mountain town should we do our family reunion next summer? Considering Telluride or Durango, but up for any good option..

I can't really help you with the mountain towns but does everybody remember that time Denver was awarded the Olympics and then turned them down? NIMBY culture is super awesome.

Denver is a beautiful and vibrant city -- It's still an active, outdoorsy kind of place that residents love.

* Denver is still a Broncos Town

and while the team has not been good of late the fans are antsy for the new season for hope and improvement.

* People still flock to Coors Field over the summer

Despite the Rockies being awful people still crowd into Coors Field especially for teams like the Dodgers, the Cubs, the Red Sox etc.

* Empower Field at Mile High had a summer of well-attended concerts

** It's Denver's awesome parks that bring people outdoors

Top parks for volleyball and whatever activities:

1) Washington Park -- 2) Denver Mountain Parks -- 3) City Park - Denver -- 4) Cheesman Park -- 5) Sloan's Lake Park -- 6) Confluence Park -- 7) Civic Center Park -- 8) Berkeley Park -- 9) Central Park

Top attractions in Denver

1) Denver Botanic Gardens -- 2) Denver Museum of Nature & Science -- 3) Denver Union Station -- 4) Denver Zoo -- 5) Denver Art Museum 6) Red Rocks Park -- 7) 16th Street Mall -- 8) Larimer Square -- 9) Elitch Gardens

And that is just the highlights; there's so many crooks and crannies to check out if you're an explorer.

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSyIX6nMsw03qi6cF2BhHY1UXkx90wwJ4I1VA&s

The Dog Days of Summer

end August 11th which is Sunday. That was my self-imposed day for ending my own summer vacation. All the kids are now back in school, colleges will soon be buzzing again so it's my time to get out of the house and be constructive again.

Why do they call it the Dog Days of Summer?

"When Sirius would appear in the sky just before the sun, near the end of July, that marked the beginning of the very hottest days of the year. The Romans referred to this period as "dies caniculares" or "days of the dog star," which was eventually translated as just "dog days."