Heritage Harvest At Larimer Square: Signs Of Life Again On Denver's Most Historic Block!

Back in the 1960s, when urban renewal was all the rage, the City of Denver wound up tearing down hundreds of its most historic buildings, especially in the downtown area, leaving vast empty spaces that would stay vacant for years. And since Larimer Street had become skid row, the reasoning was that if the buildings on that street were torn down, the vagrants would disappear. Instead, they just moved a few blocks north. Who could have guessed that would happen? However, that street's most historic block, between 14th and 15th Streets, featuring Victorian style commercial buildings from the 1870s to the 1890s, was saved by preservationist Dana Crawford, who began acquiring and rehabilitating the buildings on that block in the 1960s. This became Larimer Square, the most popular gathering spot in Denver. But then came twin crises - first, the Covid pandemic, and after that the sale of the block to Asana Partners in December of 2020. The pandemic resulted in the closure of The Market, a cafe and deli, after 42 years in that location, as well as other businesses. And then, a major renovation of the buildings by the new owners forced Bistro Vendome, a popular French restaurant, to move, and Green Russell, a speakeasy style bar, and Russell's Smokehouse to close. Ted's Montana Grill closed after failing to negotiate an extension to their lease. Needless to say, for a number of years Larimer Square was almost like a ghost town. However, recently, new businesses have moved in, and events are beginning to be held there again, such as the Heritage Harvest, described as an autumnal celebration, with pumpkins, seasonal bites and cider, live bluegrass, and more, as seen in the photograph on the left. And it is really nice to see the place filled with people again.

New shops on Larimer Square include Little Blue Pigeon Bookstore, which had a major presence at the festival, as well as a new restaurant in the space formerly occupied by Ted's Montana Grill called Romyo, which the owners describe as the place where "Rome meets Tokyo in Larimer Square." I'm not sure how they can pull that one off, but it is definitely better than a vacant storefront. My favorite restaurant at Larimer Square was Josephina's, an Italian restaurant that was around for 30 years before closing and being replaced by Rioja, a Mediterranean-style restaurant, and Corridor 44, a champaign bar. I remember going to Josephina's many times with my then-wife Lisa. The food was good, the downtown atmosphere was fun, and the prices were reasonable. Of course, these days, you don't go to restaurants in Larimer Square for the reasonable prices, but they do seem popular, and their outdoor patios keep the block lively. Heritage Harvest was by no means a major event, but it did draw a crowd, and hopefully there will be many more events to come. And yes, the photograph on the right is of one of the live bluegrass bands performing during the festival, right in front of the Little Blue Pigeon Bookstore, no less. Works for me.

All Is Quiet At Chicago's Rate Field. Say It Ain't So, Joe!

Last night the American League Championship Series began, but sadly, my South Side heroes, the Chicago White Sox, were not the team facing the Tampa Bay Rays to see who will advance to the World Series. After winning the first 2 games against the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Division Series, needing only one more victory to move on to the ALCS, the White Sox lost the next 3 games, thus exiting the playoffs and leaving Cleveland to face those Tampa Bay Rays. That last game of the Division Series was particularly hard to watch, a 2-0 loss to Cleveland. In the end, the Sox's home run bashing stars could not come through in the most important game of the year, and Rate Field will now remain quiet until next season. And just for the record, the Guardians beat the Rays 7-3 last night. On a positive note, the White Sox had a remarkable season, progressing to the second round of the playoffs with a ton of rookies after losing over 100 games the past three seasons. It bodes well for the future, and so, as Sox fans have said so many times, "Wait until next year!" And yes, the photograph above is indeed of Rate Field in Chicago. I took it back in 2010, the last time I visited my old hometown, when the ballpark was known as U.S. Cellular Field. Rate Field sounds much snazzier, don't you think?

Columbus Day Or Indigenous Peoples' Day Or No Holiday At All? That Is The Question...

Today is either Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples' Day or no holiday at all, depending on where you work or go to school. Back when I attended Fort Dearborn Grammar School in the South Side Brainerd neighborhood of Chicago, we got Columbus Day off every year.  I myself hated school and welcomed a day off no matter what the reason - Columbus Day, Indigenous Peoples' Day, or for that matter, even Alfred E. Newman Day. Which begs the question: do they still publish Mad Magazine these days? But I digress. Back in 2019 the Chicago Board of Education voted to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples' Day, but students continue to get the day off, although the City of Chicago still recognizes Columbus Day, as does the State of Illinois. Colorado, where I now live, eliminated Columbus Day as a holiday in 2020 but does not recognize Indigenous Peoples' Day. On the other hand, the Denver City Council voted to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples' Day back in 2016. It is not a Denver Public Schools holiday, but it is considered to be a conference day, and students get it off anyway. Does that clear everything up for you? And by the way, I took the photograph above of Fort Dearborn back in 2010, when I went back to visit my old hometown. I am holding a photograph of one of the Kloak kids that I took on the school's playground after classes had let out for the day. Always a happy time.

Watching Tottenham Play Manchester United With The Colorado Spurs

My friend Mark and I went to Esters Pub in Denver's Virginia Village neighborhood yesterday morning to watch the Tottenham Hotspurs play Manchester United with the Colorado Spurs, an official Tottenham Hotspur supporters club. At least we watched the game with some of them, since this weekend the Premier League Live Fan Fest is taking place in front of Union Station and many of the Colorado Spurs were there to watch the soccer matches, see Premier League soccer legends, and take photographs with their favorite Premier League team mascots. Tickets sold out quickly for this event, and fans of every team and from all parts of the country attended this huge watch party on Saturday and will be there again today. In any case, Tottenham dominated Manchester United for most of the game and scored a goal in the closing moments to tie the game at 1-1, which is how the match ended. Although Tottenham has not yet won a game in their first 6 contests, they are playing better and have moved up from last place (20th) to 18th. And the fans at Esters were very happy to get that tie. Can an actual win be in Tottenham's near future? And yes, that is indeed Mark posing for the photograph above at Esters wearing an Ipswich Town jersey and Tottenham Spurs cap. Mark has complex allegiances when it comes to soccer.

The Mount Evans State Wildlife Area - Definitely Not Very Safe For Wildlife

I drove up to Evergreen, Colorado from Denver yesterday afternoon and took Upper Bear Creek Road all the way to its end, where the Mount Evans State Wildlife Area begins. This is a 3,438-acre protected sanctuary on the eastern slope of Mount Blue Sky (formerly Mount Evans). It is a very pretty drive, and the aspens were in full color, as seen in the photograph above. But when I got to the entrance, there were restrictions spelled out on a sign detailing who could enter the area and when. Although this is an important breeding ground for Rocky Mountain elk, bighorn sheep, black bears, deer, foxes, mountain lions, and unicorns (just kidding - I think), it does not sound like much of a sanctuary, since only hunters and fishermen with valid Colorado licenses are allowed to enter from the day after Labor Day until mid-November, when elk and deer hunting is allowed. Public access is not allowed from January 1st until June 14th, after which unarmed individuals are allowed in for wildlife viewing and hiking. I assume that picnicking is allowed, too, although don't blame me if you wind up getting handcuffed and taken away if it is not. This area is 9 miles west of Evergreen, and if I were an elk or deer, I would definitely hightail it out of that "sanctuary" and head down to one of that town's many parks, or even its residential neighborhoods. It is a very elk friendly kind of place. Even players on the Evergreen Golf Course are careful to play around elk lounging on the fairways. And no, I did not take a chance and drive into the Mount Evans SWA even though no one seemed to be around. Why risk the chance of getting shot by a hunter, or even worse, getting my car shot up? My insurance rates are high enough as it is. 

The October Issue Of Chicago Magazine

I just paged through the October issue of Chicago Magazine yesterday evening. Online, of course, since Chicago no longer has mail order subscriptions. If the Chicago Tribune, which owns the magazine, does not deliver in your area, you are out of luck if you want an actual physical copy, and for some reason the Tribune does not have home delivery here in Denver. Go figure. In any case, the cover story this month is "Feed Frenzy: How Social Media Influencers are Transforming Chicago's Dining Scene." Evidently, social media influencers on sites like Instagram and Tik-Tok are having a major impact on restaurants in Chicago. In the article, it tells of a restaurant called Brews and Bites that invited a group of influencers to their establishment one evening for free food and drinks in exchange for posts that are read by sometimes thousands of followers. Many of these influencers are paid to create videos promoting restaurants on sites like Instagram and Tik-Tok. One influencer at Brews and Bites was not only promoting that particular restaurant, but everything she was wearing in the video she was filming. Followers could purchase those items, which she was being paid to promote, with just a tap on the screen. She said it is "just like killing five birds with one stone." One hospitality executive said promoting his restaurants this way was far cheaper than it cost to advertise in the Chicago Tribune back in the day. In other words, most of these influencers are producing videos that are in fact commercials, not reviews. Welcome to the modern era.

In the "Chicago Stories" section, in an article titled "Bicycle Thieves," Jean Iverson writes about buying a $700 bike that was stolen just a month later, and describes her efforts to get it back, including sending photos of the bike along with its serial number to various bike shops in case someone tried to sell it to them. And she did indeed get a call from a bike shop owner letting her know that a woman was in his store trying to do just that. She called the police, but the officer couldn't come right away. She confronted the woman, who said the bike was given to her and that it was hers. Instead of running away, she joined a man standing out in front of the store and just lingered there. Iverson photographed the couple as instructed by the police officer and texted him the photo. They appeared to be homeless and eventually walked away. Iverson took her bike and went home. The police officer called later that day and said he located the couple. The woman had another bike by then and told the officer Iverson's bike was given to her by someone named Marcus, who lived under a viaduct near Loomis, and did Iverson want him to find the guy. She said no, and thanked him, not wanting to cause more trouble for someone who lived under a viaduct and stole bikes to give to people who needed the cash. Which gave her some perspective on the incident. There was also an article titled "10 Fall Culture Events Not to be Missed." And I looked all of them over for you. I definitely recommend missing all 10 of them. Finally, as usual, there were real estate ads featuring homes and condos for sale in the Lincoln Park, Gold Coast, and other trendy North Side neighborhoods. The cheapest was $1 million, the most expensive almost $5 million. I am beginning to think Chicago Magazine caters to an upscale readership. No wonder there are so many articles about unbelievably expensive restaurants featuring menu items you need to research on the internet to learn what you are eating. And yes, the photograph on the right is still another that I took on my last visit to Chicago back in 2010. Definitely have to head back there soon.

Watching A White Sox Playoff Game At McGregor Square: A Loss, But Still Hope

I went down to Denver's McGregor Square, located just south of Coors Field, yesterday afternoon to watch the third game of the American League Division Series between my South Side heroes, the Chicago White Sox, and the Cleveland Guardians, as seen in the photograph above of me standing in front of the big screen there. The series had moved to Rate Field in Chicago, and if the Sox won yesterday's game, they would move on to the American League Championship Series against the Tampa Bay Rays. Up until now, the White Sox had won all four of their playoff games, and Rate Field was packed with Sox fans. It would be their first home postseason playoff clinch since 1906, when the White Sox, known as the "hitless wonders" that year, went on the beat the Chicago Cubs in the World Series. But alas, it was not to be. The Cleveland Guardians beat them 9-3. The Sox still have two more chances to take the series, and so all hope is not lost. They play at Rate Field again tonight at 7:00 Central Time. For a ballclub that set the record for the worst team in the history of Major League baseball (121 losses) just two years ago, and lost 102 games last season, the Sox have come a long way, win or lose this series. But it would sure be nice to see them in the ALCS against Tampa Bay, which will determine the AL team that goes on to the World Series. Of course, Tampa Bay had the third best record in baseball this past season with 98 wins, versus 84 for the Sox. Not an easy task, but just making it that far into the playoffs would still be magical. Go White Sox!