Watching Leeds Lose Big Time With Mark And The Leeds United Colorado Fans

My friend Mark and I drove over to Denver's DNVR Bar yesterday afternoon to meet up with the Leeds United Colorado fans and watch the soccer match between Leeds and the Queens Park Rangers. This was a critical game for Leeds, since being - just barely - in second place in the Championship League (England's 2nd division) a win might result in automatic promotion to the Premier League, England's top soccer division. Sadly, Leeds lost 4-0 to QPR, and will now have to compete in the playoffs to determine who will be the third and final team to be promoted. However, looking at their performance today against a 17th place team, things do not look too rosy. As you can imagine, the Leeds United Colorado fans at the DNVR Bar were not very happy with the result, and the place emptied out quickly once the game ended. Mark, seen in the photograph above, says this was the worst game he has watched all year. Of course, as a lifelong Chicago White Sox fan, I know that things can always get worse, and so be prepared, Leeds fans, for heartbreak in the playoffs. 

Springtime At Red Rocks

I drove through Red Rocks Park this past Wednesday afternoon, and there were a lot of people out and about, many hiking the trails and a few even biking up those steep roads, including the biker in the photograph above. Red Rocks is a park owned by the City of Denver, but is most famous for its outdoor amphitheater. And yesterday marked the start of the 2024 concert season, with a performance by Puscifer, Primus, and A Perfect Circle, whoever the hell he, she or they might be. And the good news is that they are also performing up there tonight, so get your tickets now! It might very well be a rainy and chilly evening, but I am sure it will be well worth it. Puscifer in the park can be nothing less than perfect, even if you do get drenched.

Death & Company. Linger If You Must

When I was walking through Denver's River North (RiNo) neighborhood last week, I passed the Ramble Hotel, home of Death and Company. The original Death and Company is located in East Village, Manhattan, and is famous for "leading the craft cocktail movement," whatever the hell that might be. They opened here in Denver back in 2016. I have no idea why it is called Death and Company, but it definitely seems like bad karma to me. I have never been inside the place - the menu on its website does not feature any prices ("if you have to ask"), which is all I need to know, and so will not be rambling into the Ramble anytime soon. The entrance to the bar can be seen in the photo on the left.

Another example of bad karma is a restaurant called Linger, located in the former Olinger Mortuary in Denver's Lower Highlands (LoHi) neighborhood. This place I have visited, years ago, to check out their rooftop bar. It was said to have one of the best views in Denver, although I can't remember being all that impressed. I also remember that they only had beer in cans - nothing on tap -which was also not too impressive. Putting a restaurant in a former mortuary seems a very strange thing, but it has been around now for almost 15 years, and so I guess it is a success. This place does have prices on its menu, and seems to feature small plates, reasonably priced but nothing I would ever consider eating (let's face it, I am not a gourmet). The mortuary was named Olinger, and so the name Linger is simply Olinger without the O. And it took me only five years or so to realize that. The building's claim to fame is that Buffalo Bill's body spent six months there back in 1917. There was a dispute about where he would be buried, which probably accounts for the extended stay, but that is a whole different story. And as you can see in the photograph on the right, Little Man Ice Cream is located right next door to Linger. I myself would recommend going there instead.

The USA's Coolest Neighborhoods?

I took a walk through Denver's River North (RiNo) neighborhood on a brisk weekday afternoon last week, and it made me think once again about the article I read on the internet that featured the USA's Coolest neighborhoods. I don't know if they were listed in any particular order, but the first one mentioned was San Francisco's Mission District, the second the Marigny neighborhood next to the French Quarter in New Orleans, and after that none other than the River North Neighborhood. RiNo is divided by railroad tracks into 2 distinct areas - one close to the Platte River, which features many high-rise apartment buildings along Brighton Boulevard, and another that centers around North Larimer Street, which has a lot of Victorian era buildings mixed in with newer construction. On the left is a photo of an upscale clothing store decorated with a colorful facade.

The article, written by Florence Jones for a web site called Love Exploring, cited RiNo's "edgy creatively driven history," its restored warehouses and factories - now home to brewpubs, art studios, and music clubs, as well as all the street art and food halls, especially Denver Central Market - for being the reason for its inclusion. Those are all positives, but in my opinion, there are far too many old warehouses and factories around, many still in use, not to mention all those fenced-in vacant lots waiting to be developed. In short, there are a lot of ugly parts to the area, which I never noticed in the Mission District when I was there and which I assume are not to be seen in the Marigny neighborhood. North Larimer Street does have its plus side, however, including Ratio Beerworks, the outdoor patio of which can be seen in the photograph on the right.

Other neighborhoods on the list (there are 30 total) include Wicker Park in Chicago (I agree with this choice), the River Arts District in Asheville, North Carolina (not so much), the Pearl District in Portland (which is where Powell's City of Books is located, which is its major highlight), and Downtown Santa Fe. Santa Fe, of course, is wonderful, and I just love visiting the place, 6 hours due south of Denver. Also mentioned were the Pearl District of San Antonio, which was gentrified after I visited the area, and so I can't offer an opinion about it. Nor can I make any judgements about the other places I have yet to visit. I do want to check out the Wynwood neighborhood in Miami and Ybor City in Tampa the next time I am in Florida, and hope one day to walk around the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, Silver Lake in L.A, and maybe even Downtown 8th Street in Boise. However, I do not intend to go out of my way to check out the neighborhoods on the list located in Pittsburg, Richmond or Indianapolis. I will take Florence's word that they are as great as she says.

Esmeralda's Lounge - Another WGN News At Nine Exclusive!

I still watch the WGN News at Nine on my computer whenever I can to see what is happening back in my old hometown of Chicago. I remember they used to have a regular feature that reviewed various restaurants, but it seems to have gone by the wayside. Which is why I was so happy to see a story the other day about Esmeralda's Lounge in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, a Caribbean-style tiki bar. The story was mainly about its cocktails, many of which the bartender sets on fire, right on top of the bar, as seen in the photograph above. I have to wonder if the Chicago Fire Department knows about this place. As I recall, the story started with scenes of San Juan, Puerto Rico, which the reporter mentioned visiting before heading to Esmeralda's. I wasn't paying too much attention until they set the bar on fire, but I also have to wonder if WGN actually sent a reporter to Puerto Rico as background for this story. If so, I definitely want to work there. And if you live in the Chicago area, be sure to check the place out. However, I do recommend you bring a portable fire extinguisher with you just in case.

The Last Snowstorm Of The Year?

The Denver area had a snowstorm this past Friday into Saturday which dumped 2 up to 10 inches on the region, depending on which cloud you happened to be under at the time. Here in South Central Denver, we received at best a couple of inches, while in Boulder, where I took the photograph on the left of the Chautauqua Dining Hall, they received over 7. Not surprisingly, there was not a single diner out on the patio having brunch.

However, the parking lot at Chautauqua was overflowing this past Saturday afternoon, with people heading up the trail into the Flatirons. And Chautauqua Park itself looked very picturesque, as seen in the photograph on the right. No one was having a picnic quite yet, but according to Kathy Sabine, the Chief Meteorologist at 9 News in Denver, this very well could be our last snow of the season, and those picnic tables could be in demand very soon indeed. But was it really our last snow? I know sports betting is legal here in Colorado (with all those damn ads they run on television, how could you not), but can you bet on the weather, too? If so, I might just head up to those mountain casinos and make a fortune if one more snowstorm comes through. I like the odds.

Missing The Florida Weather On A Cold And Snowy Weekend

It has been a cold and snowy weekend here in Denver, and when that happens, I start thinking about Stuart, Florida, where my sister Susan and I own a condo we inherited from our mother Mary that we have been renting out for the past 15 years. We hope to soon take the place back from our tenants, and finally be able to head down there on the spur of the moment whenever we want. Over the years I have thought about doing just that, knocking on our tenant's door, and asking if they would mind us "crashing" at the place for a few days or weeks. However, I suspect that request might not be well-received. I guess we will just have to wait until our tenants find new lodgings, which I hope will be soon rather than later. And the first evening we are there, I intend to head to the Jolly Sailor, an outside bar next to The Sailor's Return, an upscale restaurant at Sunset Bay Marina, and seen in the photograph on the left.

The Jolly Sailor has a great view of the boats in the marina, as seen in the photograph on the right. Back when our mother was alive and living in Stuart, The Jolly Sailor Restaurant was a fixture in downtown Stuart, and featured a traditional black London hackney cab parked in front. The owners closed it, I suspect, due to the increased cost of leasing in what is now known as Old Town Stuart. They eventually opened The Sailor's Return at the marina, which includes that wonderful outdoor bar named in honor of their former restaurant. It is my favorite place to have a beer, gaze at all the boats, and watch the sunset over the St. Lucie River before heading home for dinner. The Sailor's Return is known for its excellent cuisine, which also means it is beyond my budget, except for special occasions, such as the installation of a new Pope. And being the cheapskate that I am, even then I'll have to seriously think about it.