Mountain West Microbrew & Dirty Soda Fountain: Irrelevant chit chat

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by Cirrus

Questions for Denverites:

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.

[mr1138]

Originally Posted by Cirrus

Questions for Denverites:

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.

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by Cirrus

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

Think LODO - At the Top of my list is:

Milk Market - Dairy Block

An All Local, All Wonderful Food Hall; it's a 16-venue cornerstone of the historic Dairy Block.

The Alley


Courtesy Dairy Block

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

McGregor Square

DENVER’S DOWNTOWN PLAYGROUND

OUTDOOR PLAZA




Courtesy McGregor Square

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

Cherry Creek North would certainly be an option

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

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

Think LODO - At the Top of my list is:

Milk Market - Dairy Block

McGregor Square

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.

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by Cirrus

Questions for Denverites:

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

2. Is Confluence Park good for kids?

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.

[Cirrus]

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.

[wrendog]

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..

[Cirrus]

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.

[TakeFive]

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.

[TakeFive]

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."

[TakeFive]

Are the Utes going to be any good this year? I see where they play the CU Buffs middle of November.

[Sam Hill]

Nm

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by mhays

ST3 projects won't start to complete until after 2026. If we even start any ST3 rail by then it'll be a miracle. The first big jobs are still figuring out alignments etc.

Be careful what you wish for?

Just read THIS. Boeing has to reach an agreement. Here's to betting that once they do, they quickly start looking for a new site in one of the sunbelt states.

[wrendog]

Go Cougs! That was fun. Glad the Holy War is back

[Atlas]

It's tradition to give each Holy War game a name. I propose "the Phantom Hold" for that one.

[wrendog]

Originally Posted by Atlas

It's tradition to give each Holy War game a name. I propose "the Phantom Hold" for that one.

That's a decent idea, but I prefer "The initially it felt like a bailout, but after further review it actually really was a hold and even if it wasn't a major hold, it was a hold nonetheless and BYU still had to drive 50 yards and kick a pressure filled field goal with no timeouts left to win the game" game.

Is that too long?

[Atlas]

Originally Posted by wrendog

That's a decent idea, but I prefer "The initially it felt like a bailout, but after further review it actually really was a hold and even if it wasn't a major hold, it was a hold nonetheless and BYU still had to drive 50 yards and kick a pressure filled field goal with no timeouts left to win the game" game.

Is that too long?

Yeah, too long. "The Bailout" sounds great though, since that's how it will be remembered.

[wrendog]

Originally Posted by Atlas

Yeah, too long. "The Bailout" sounds great though, since that's how it will be remembered.

I mean, if it wants to be remembered incorrectly, that's totally fine. Cougs got the deserved win!

Listen, I've been on the losing end in this rivalry for almost all of independence. I needed this.

[TakeFive]

Where can Denver find $7 billion to build 10 more miles of electric rail?

$7B all-electric light rail project moves ahead in Austin, Texas
Jan. 6, 2025 Julie Strupp, Senior Editor -- Smart Cities Dive

Austin, Texas, now has a team to build its first light rail system.

The $7 billion first phase covers about 10 miles and will include 15 stations as well as new walk and bike paths, according to Austin Transit Partnership. Construction is slated to kick off in 2027 and to wrap up by 2033, per Austin Transit Partnership.

Help my memory; didn't RTD (Sound Transit also) serve as their own construction manager?

At the end of last year, the Austin Transit Partnership selected LINC Austin — composed of AECOM, Parsons, STV, Turner & Townsend, Ardmore Roderick and CAS Consulting — as the delivery partner for Phase 1 of the project, according to an AECOM news release.

Under the initial four-year contract, LINC Austin will provide program and project management, construction management and technical expert services during the planning, design, procurement, construction and post-construction phases.

Just a guess that 'all those' soft costs eat up as much as 35% of the cost?

To be fair, since they're starting from scratch they do have to procure all the rolling stock and build all necessary support facilities. Since they're still in the NEPA process FTA grants have yet to be determined.

Amazing inflation, I guess.

[TakeFive]

RTD getting their 'style' on

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9-HGKrtXKW8