From The Bonnie Brae Tavern To Akin Bonnie Brae Apartments in Three Easy Steps

The Bonnie Brae Tavern, which was in business in that iconic Denver neighborhood for 88 years and seen in the photograph on the left, was sold to real estate developers back in June of 2022. It opened in 1934 in the middle of the Great Depression. Explaining the reason for selling, Ricky Dire, one of the two owners, both of whom are grandsons of the couple that founded the place, said that the 88-year-old building had 88-year-old plumbing and electrical, and the City of Denver would soon be requiring that it be brought up to code. Plus, Dire added that the restaurant business is "hell." They had to put money into the business to keep it going during Covid, and staffing during that time was a nightmare. And they couldn't afford the $20-per-hour wage it now takes to obtain staff.

And so, last year the building was torn down, as seen in the photograph on the right, to make way for a luxury apartment complex called akin Bonnie Brae. This is actually a pretty large piece of property, which consisted of the Bonnie Brae Tavern, a dry cleaners next door, a free-standing gift store on the corner, and a very large parking lot. 

And now the project is taking shape, as seen in the photograph on the left. Akin Bonnie Brae will bring a new, 3-story, 46-unit luxury apartment building to the Bonnie Brae neighborhood, with 15 different floor plans to choose from. In addition to those luxury apartments, there will be 7,500 square-feet of ground-floor retail. The Bonnie Brae and neighboring Belcaro neighborhoods, in close proximity to Washington Park, have always been upscale, and so this building will fit right in. The Phipps Mansion, a gigantic home with over 70 rooms and once owned by the University of Denver and used as a conference center, is right down the street. Back in the day, the annual University of Denver Christmas Party was held in that mansion's Tennis House, and after dinner people were welcome to walk up to the mansion for a self-guided tour. Dinner, drinks, dancing, and hanging out in a mansion. Those were the good old days for sure. In any case, akin Bonnie Brae is preleasing in Fall 2026 for early 2027 move-ins. Prices to be determined. Be sure to get your application in soon! And bring your retirement savings with you.

The August Issue Of Chicago Magazine

Sadly, the August issue of Chicago Magazine will be my last physical copy of that publication. The magazine has decided to stop subscriptions by mail and only distribute the publication via home delivery in conjunction with their parent company, the Chicago Tribune. An online copy is, of course, available, but it is really just not the same. In any case, this month's issue was pretty interesting. The cover story is titled The Best Seats in Town. At first I thought it would just be about seating in sports arenas, but it actually is about the best places to sit everywhere in Chicago, be it a window seat at Miller's Pub for peoplewatching, taking the 56 Milwaukee bus to get a tour of Chicago then and now, where to seat at Northwestern's Matin Stadium to get "sweeping views" of Lake Michigan and the Chicago Skyline, and many more wonderful spots to plant yourself in Chicago. It was very much like a guidebook to Chicago, and very informative. There was also an article about the 40th anniversary of The Mystery of Al Capone's Vaults, a two-hour live broadcast from the basement of Chicago's Lexington Hotel, Al Capone's headquarters, hosted by Geraldo Rivera. The vault turned out to be empty, but the ratings for the show were sky high and it paved the way, for better or worse, for reality television. There is also an article listing Chicago's Top 50 Restaurants, most of them pretty pricey but also some reasonably priced ones, too. Number 36 is Sanders BBQ Supply Co., located in the South Side Beverly neighborhood, just to the west of Brainerd, where I grew up. Another article discusses a new book about Chicago gospel singer and civil rights activist Mahalia Jackson. A very interesting issue indeed. And what the hell, maybe I will still continue to read Chicago Magazine online, although reluctantly so.

The Douglas County Fair And Rodeo

This past Sunday was the final day of the Douglas County Fair and Rodeo, and my friend Mark, sister Susan, and I decided to take advantage of the free grounds admission and head down to Castle Rock, Colorado to check it out. Like all county fairs, there were carnival rides, live music, rodeos, food, a marketplace selling locally produced products, and of course, animals raised by local youths, which was the best part of the fair.

I took the photograph on the right of that friendly cow relaxing in its stall and turning its head to pose for its portrait, which was very nice of it to do. All the other cows in the building paid no attention to me, busy scarfing up the food in their feed bag. And happily, there were a million fans placed all around the building, and so it was pretty comfortable for both man and beast (should that be person and beast?).

In the next building over, I took the photograph on the left of the young girl trying to interact with the llama (or is it an alpaca?). Being raised in the Brainerd neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, we did not see too many llamas or alpacas around. I have heard that these are not especially friendly creatures. Just the other day at the Colorado Day celebration at Denver's Union Station, a woman tried to pet an alpaca, and it wound up spitting at her. And there was a warning sign on a cubical letting visitors that those animals do not really like people and will either bite your hand or spit at you if try to touch them. I did notice that that particular beast did not approach the young girl, and so fortunately there were no biting or spitting incidents. At least this time.

The llama in the photograph on the right was also a bit standoffish, sitting in the middle of its compound and keeping away from all the people approaching its compound. Fortunately, it was willing to pose for a portrait, looking quite regal as it checked out everyone who walked by, probably thinking to itself that it was too far away to try spitting at them. The rest of the building was filled with goats, many with babies, who were quite cute. And there were signs letting people know that those babies were for sale for $150 each. Susan really wanted to take one home, but I told her she would have to discuss it with the building manager and possibly get HOA permission to keep it in the condo. I wonder how long it takes to toilet train one of those babies?

And, of course, there were a number of sheep around, too, such as the one in the photograph on the left. The Junior Livestock Sale took place last Friday, and so I imagine the animals stay in their pens until the end of the fair, when the new owners take possession of them, putting them in the back seat of their SUVs or however they plan to transport them to their backyard. And this particular sheep was also happy to have its photo taken. We skipped the carnival rides, as well as the carnival food, and called it a day after viewing the animals and the items for sale at the Marketplace. It all made for a very pleasant day, even if we didn't buy a baby goat to take home.

Colorado Day!

This past Saturday was Colorado Day, the 150th anniversary of Colorado becoming a state, and there was a big celebration that took place at Denver's Union Station, which features restaurants, bars, boutiques, and a huge central gathering space, in addition to serving as a train station. Inside that gathering space, there was a stage with live performances and cultural experiences, although the most interesting part of the celebration was outside on the plaza and included a petting zoo, gold panning sponsored by the Mighty Argo Mill in Idaho Springs, and guided tours of the Lower Downtown (LoDo) neighborhood. That gold panning event also included an actual 19th century gold miner and his donkey, as seen in the photograph on the left.

The National Western Center, which hosts the National Western Stock Show every January, brought animals for the petting zoo, no doubt ones typically seen on Colorado ranches and farms over the past 150 years. The donkey in the photograph on the right was pretty popular with both the kids and adults. In addition to the donkey and an alpaca (I think), there was a separate petting zoo where parents could take their kids inside and let them pet baby goats, lambs and even ducks. I tried to take some photographs of that, but the space was so crowded and the light so poor that I quickly gave up trying.

I don't think alpacas like the one in the photograph on the left were being raised on Colorado ranches 150 years ago, but they are definitely popular here now. The woman in that photograph walked up and petted the alpaca on the head, which prompted it to spit in her face for her trouble. She said she didn't get any moisture on her, which is a good thing, although I am sure she will think twice the next time she decides to pet an alpaca, or for that matter, a llama. All in all, a fun celebration.

Watching The Rockies Play The Royals At Coors Field With Mark And Susan

I went to a night game at Denver's Coors Field for the first time in years yesterday evening with my friend Mark and sister Susan, seen in the photograph above. I have been avoiding night games because it seemed like every one I attended would go into extra innings or be subjected to a rain delay or held up due to a UFO sighting, resulting in my not getting home until well after midnight. However, since today's weather forecast called for sunny skies and temperatures above 100 degrees, we decided to go to an evening game instead of today's afternoon contest. In any case, this game between the Colorado Rockies and Kansas City Royals started out looking bad for the home team, with Kansas City leading 4-0 at the top of the 3rd inning. But happily, Colorado scored 6 runs in the bottom of the frame and won the game 12-6. And I must say, the Rockies are much improved this season. They won only 43 games all of last year, but yesterday they won their 44th, with almost two more months of baseball to play. Of course, despite this progress, the Rockies still are currently the second worst team in baseball, and Kansas City is no World Series contender either, 20 games under .500 as of today. But things are indeed looking up for Colorado, and the fans at Coors Field, all 40,216 of them, seemed pretty excited about that win last night. And so, it might not take another decade for the team to once again be a playoff contender. One can only hope.

An Afternoon Visit To The DAM

Yesterday afternoon I went to the Denver Art Museum (the DAM), seen in the photograph on the left, to look around for a few hours and escape the 90-degree temperatures Denver has been experiencing for most of last month. The last time I was there it was to see The Honest Eye: Camille Pissarro's Impressionism, which was a truly excellent exhibit that took place last fall. This time the two major exhibition spaces were closed, and the top exhibits yesterday seemed to be "Knife Fork Spoon, Everyday Tools, Extraordinary Design," and "Conversation Pieces, Stories from the Fashion Archives," both of which I really don't consider art. That evening "Untitled: Artist Takeover," the museum's after-hours quarterly program with local artists and "one-of-a-kind experiences" was going to take place, but I had no intention of staying for that. This event replaced what was once called Final Fridays, which took place monthly and featured a buffet table, a cash bar, and lots of fun talks and tours, many of them quite funny. On one tour I joined, the two guides took us through the Modern and Contemporary Art Gallery and gave us a hilarious interpretation of various artworks. And a pair of comedians would put on a monthly show, portraying the two subjects in the painting titled Self-Portrait with Swimming Coach Charlie Sava. Then the free buffet table went away, the event went from monthly to quarterly, and the discussions turned very serious. After attending this new event several times, hoping to see a return to a more lighthearted evening, I gave up and never went back.

I did very much like an exhibit I saw yesterday called The Tangled Self, seen in the photograph on the right, which I thought was geared towards children, but later learned was designed to "make our inner monsters more approachable." The artist, Sadie Young, graduated from Metropolitan State University of Denver with a BFA and a background in psychology, and soon after founded Spectra Art Space, a woman-owned art gallery and immersive art space. I don't know about walking into the mouths of towering monsters and having it tame feelings like rage, grief, fear, and shame, but that exhibit did make me smile, which I have to admit does tame rage, grief, fear, and shame, at least for a little while.

The Denver Art Museum is most famous for its Native American and Western American art, but as I recall, years ago, their collection of Impressionist painting was fairly limited. However, a while back, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Fredrick C. Hamilton, loaned his collection of Impressionist paintings to the museum for a special exhibition. When the exhibit was about to end, the museum asked if they could keep them. Hamilton, no doubt thinking about how high his insurance premiums were with a house full of Impressionist paintings, said he was willing to donate those paintings if the museum made copies of them to replace the originals, which they happily did. And now the museum has an entire gallery of Impressionist paintings in the Hamilton Building, as seen in the photograph on the left. All in all, a fun day at the DAM, despite the lack of a major exhibition.

Eyes On Alameda

It has been a while since I have driven north on Denver's Pearl Street as it crosses East Alameda Avenue. And so yesterday afternoon, as I approached that intersection, I noticed for the first time the building in the photograph on the left with the huge eyes staring out at you. I like this mural very much. It is very understated in its colors and makes you smile as you look at it while waiting for the light to change.  This building is an older, tree-lined neighborhood and this mural seems to fit right in. There are not that many murals on the buildings in this particular locale, which gives this one more impact when you come across it.

As opposed to the murals in Denver's River North (RiNo) neighborhood, which are everywhere, all of them with very vivid colors, often with messages, such as the one in the photograph on the right.  RiNo is Hipster Central, with lots of bars and brewpubs and very expensive apartments catering to the younger crowd. In fact, I read an article on my web browser that lists RiNo as one of the coolest neighborhoods in the city. In other words, a place that expects exactly that kind of art. Different neighborhoods, different murals, but all of them interesting.