The 2026 CTA Historical Calendar Is Here!

At last! The 2026 CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) Historical Calendar appeared just like clockwork on the CTA's website New Year's Day and is now available to be downloaded onto your computer. And I must say, I am pretty impressed with this year's edition. Nine of the calendar's twelve photographs are from the 1950s or earlier, which I feel makes it more interesting and historic, versus just four in last year's calendar. And one of the photos from the 1990s shows a bus in front of long gone Comiskey Park, where I frequently went to watch my South Side heroes, the Chicago White Sox, win a ballgame once in a great while. And by the way, the cover photograph on the left was taken of thirteen CTA buses caught in traffic on State Street, looking north from State and Monroe, and taken some time between the early 1960s and late 1970s, back when I was spending a lot of time walking and biking around the city. Be sure to download a copy of the 2026 edition of the CTA Historical Calendar at https://www.transitchicago.com/historicalcalendar/. You'll thank me for it.

A New Year's Day Trip To Roxborough State Park

I decided to take a drive to Roxborough State Park, located against the foothills southwest of Denver, yesterday afternoon. It was a rather mild 60 degrees, but pretty overcast with a threat of rain. Nevertheless, the parking lot at the start of the main hiking trail was filled with cars, and I could see hikers heading up and down that trail. This park is famous for its red rock formations, as seen in the photograph above, which are very similar to the ones at Red Rocks Park near Morrison and the Garden of the Gods down in Colorado Springs. It is indeed a very scenic area, but what surprises me most is that just to the north of the park is a major subdivision called Roxborough Village. When I worked at the University of Denver Bookstore, we had an employee who had a house there and made the commute every day (about 27 miles and a 45-minute drive each way). And although a pretty location, this subdivision is in the middle of nowhere. I can only imagine what it must be like to drive there during a snowstorm. I know many people enjoy that kind of lifestyle, but as far as I am concerned, you can only hike the trails in Roxborough State Park so many times before it starts to get a little old. I myself prefer to live much closer to civilization and only take that 27-mile trek once in a while.

Happy New Year!

Today is New Year's Day, the first day of 2026, a year that no doubt will mark the beginning of a return to sanity in politics and the start of a bipartisan effort to make the lives of every American better. I am joking, of course. The atmosphere in Washington will no doubt continue to be toxic and the country run by and in the interests of billionaires for the foreseeable future. But on New Year's Day we can at least pretend things will get better. It's tradition, after all. And to celebrate New Year's Eve, my sister Susan and I had dinner at the Wynkoop Brewing Company in Lower Downtown Denver (LoDo). We arrived around 5:30 PM., and things were pretty laid back at the Wynkoop, as seen in the photograph on the left. The two fireworks shows on the nearby 16th Street Mall were going to take place at 9:00 P.M. and midnight, and I wanted to be far away from LoDo and the downtown area by then.

As I have mentioned in previous blogs, I have attended several of those fireworks shows in the past, taking the light rail train downtown to avoid parking issues. Each time, the crowds were so large you could hardly move, and I was not able to get to a place where I could actually see the fireworks, let alone take photographs of them in the 5 minutes or so they lasted. Afterwards, I had to make my way back to the light rail station at the Colorado Convention Center, the only one open, since all the downtown stops were closed, along with everyone else who attended those fireworks shows and had come by light rail. Where we all lined up for our respective trains, which of course filled up quickly, necessitating waiting for the next train, or the one after that. Enough of that nonsense. And so Susan - seen in the photograph on the right - and I made our escape by 7:30, a full hour and a half before that particular chaos began.

The nice thing about the Wynkoop, besides its good food and excellent beer, is its location in LoDo, just two blocks from Coors Field and right across the street from Union Station, seen all decked out for Christmas in the photograph on the left. The Wynkoop was opened by John Hickenlooper (who went on to become Mayor of Denver, Governor of Colorado, and currently Senator from Colorado) and three partners in October of 1988, when Lower Downtown was considered Skid Row. And that brewpub played a large part in revitalizing the area. Coors Field opened in 1995, and in 2014 Union Station was redeveloped into not only a transportation hub, but an upscale gathering spot with a 112-room hotel, restaurants, and shops, cementing LoDo's reputation as the center of Denver's nightlife. Which is a good thing for the city. Happy New Year Everyone!

It's New Year's Eve!

Today is New Year's Eve, and tonight people all over the world will be welcoming in 2026. Some will celebrate by watching fireworks, some will get together with friends and family at home, some will pay big bucks to attend New Year's Eve parties such as Gatsby's White Rose Gala here in Denver, and some will welcome in the New Year at various restaurants around town. Years ago, my mother Mary, sister Susan, brother-in-law George and I would celebrate up in Fort Collins, where Susan and George had a townhouse. George just loved going to Nico's Catacombs, an upscale restaurant located in downtown Fort Collins, and we sometimes welcomed in the New Year in that venerable restaurant's bar area. I think that is where we went to celebrate New Year's Eve back in 1994, when I took the photograph above of Susan, our mother Mary, and Susan's cat (Esmerelda?), as my mother was preparing for bed. And if we did hang out at the Catacombs late into the evening, I am sure my mother would have been more than ready to put on her sweatsuit (it got pretty cold sleeping on the couch in Susan and George's living room) and get to sleep as soon as possible. And by the way, Nico's Catacombs is long gone, but its former home is now Sonny Lubick Steakhouse. Which George was also quite fond of, too. 

Boulder During The Holidays

Boulder, Colorado is a great place to hang out during the holidays. The Pearl Street Mall is always busy, and with temperatures often reaching the 60s or 70s this month, the outdoor patios seem to be doing great business, too. At night, the mall is lit from end to end with festive holiday lights. I took the photograph on the left as I was leaving the Boulder Bookstore on Christmas Eve. As far as I am concerned, the Boulder Bookstore is the best bookstore in Colorado, and was understandably packed with shoppers, too. And although I know that school is out for the holidays, it seems like the students wait until the very last minute to head home, if they actually head home at all. Boulder is that kind of town.

The big news in Colorado these days is that the University of Colorado has hired Fernando Lovo as its new athletic director. Lovo was previously the athletic director at the University of New Mexico, where he oversaw "eight Mountain West titles and significant financial growth for the athletic department." Lovo has also worked in football operations at the University of Florida, Football Operations Coordinator at Ohio State, Assistant A.D. for Football Operations at the University of Houston, Chief of Staff for Football Operations at the University of Texas, and Chief of Staff for the Jacksonville Jaguars. But the most telling fact is that CU Chancellor Justin Smith announced Lovo's selection Monday, and he will be officially starting work on January 1st. Three days after being hired. In my opinion, that says a hell of a lot about both Albuquerque, which I have driven through and not been impressed, and Boulder, which I heard on a television newscast Lovo has never visited before. And with an annual salary of $1.2 million, he might even be able to afford to live there.

Watching Tottenham Play Crystal Palace With The Colorado Spurs

My friend Mark - seen in the photograph above - and I went to Ester's Pub on South Holly Street here in Denver yesterday morning to watch a soccer match between the Tottenham Hotspurs and Crystal Palace with the Colorado Spurs, an official Tottenham Hotspurs Supporters Club. Although still well-attended, thanks to icy streets, 19-degree temperatures, and it being around the holidays, we were actually able to find a parking space and a couple of seats in the room where everyone was gathered to watch the game. The Tottenham fans were very enthusiastic, and the gang at the bar was in fine form, pounding on that bar and shouting Yeats, which I still do not understand, as well as shouting other indecipherable chants. They frequently broke into a chorus of "When the Spurs Go Marching In," with many of the other fans joining in.  The whole room erupted in cheers each time Tottenham scored a goal, although two of the three goals they scored were overturned due to being offside. And I have no idea what is and what isn't offside, either, but no matter. Tottenham won the match 1-0 and everyone went home happy. Tottenham moves from 14th place to 11th after this victory, hopefully staying away from the dreaded relegation zone. Definitely an enjoyable way to spend the morning.

Awaiting The 2026 CTA Historical Calendar

The 2026 Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Historical Calendar will be released in a mere five days, and I can't wait. This calendar features historic photographs of "L" trains, cable cars, busses, and other forms of public transportation set against the backdrop of a long ago Chicago. The photograph above was featured in the 2025 calendar and shows a Chicago City Railways cable car operating on the South Side on Chicago Day (October 9, 1893) at the World's Columbian Exposition. Chicago Day, by the way, marked the 22nd anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire. And as you can see, that World's Fair was very popular, and if you wanted to get there via public transportation, finding a seat might have been a bit of a challenge. Ah, the Good Old Days!