Biking In Denver After A Two-Year Hiatus

I was finally able to take a bike ride to downtown Denver and back yesterday morning after almost two years. I brought the Trek bicycle I have owned for many years down to our condo in Stuart, Florida back in the fall of 2024, and planned to have the bike I inherited from my brother-in-law George, tuned up the following spring, which wound up being this spring, instead. But no matter. I finally have a bicycle here once again and today was reminded what a great town Denver is for cyclers. I remember one of our work study students at the University of Denver Bookstore once said that he preferred biking in Denver than back home in Paris. I didn't think he could be serious at the time but am now wondering if maybe he was right after all.

And for the first time, I was able to get a look at the swan boats out on Smith Lake in Washington Park on my way downtown. And I must say, I have to take partial credit for the swan boats now there, one of which can be seen in the background of the photograph on the right. Several years ago, I wrote several blog posts about how Denver's City Park had swan boats on its lake and wondered why Wash Park had to make do with boring utilitarian models. Was this some kind of slight by the city? But now here they are, the city no doubt influenced by my blog post. No thanks necessary - happy to have made an important difference in the lives of the people of Denver.

After riding through Washington Park, I headed through the older neighborhoods of Denver to downtown's 16th Street (formerly the 16th Street Mall), which underwent a three-and-a-half year, $176.7 million renovation that was completed this past October. That project had a major impact on the businesses along that 13-block stretch, many of which went out of business during the renovation, which came on the heels of the Covid-19 pandemic. But I am happy to report that the mall is now looking really good, with lots of people sitting under tree-shaded restaurant patios having lunch and strolling around, checking out the stores and local bistros, many of them new. All this on a Tuesday morning. And the city is not finished with improving the district even further.  They recently purchased the Denver Pavilions, a multi-level open-air mall right off 16th Street, as seen in the photograph on the left, and intend to make it a mixed-use hub for Upper Downtown. And just this past week, the University of Colorado Denver announced they were purchasing Independence Plaza, a 25-story office tower on 17th Street, with a block long frontage on 16th, for $29.8 million and will transform it into a multi-use hub for both educational and commercial purposes. I just hope they reintroduce those Friday night summer concerts they used to have on their 16th Street patio, which I used to bike to religiously back in the day.

All in all, it was a very good bike ride, and I was very impressed with the new vibrancy of the area. For years now people have been bemoaning downtown Denver, complaining about the store vacancies, the empty office buildings, the homeless situation, you name it. Although it is not as busy as before the pandemic, it has definitely turned a corner. And it is now a place where you might see a friendly, abnormally tall cowboy moseying down the street, such as the one in the photograph on the right. And no, I have no idea why he was there, if he was being paid to be there, or if he was just another eccentric, for which Colorado is world-famous.

Feeding Beer To Goats - Is That Even Legal?

My sister Susan and I attended Baby Goat Night at New Terrain Brewery several weeks ago, and just yesterday I was reviewing my photographs from that event and discovered the one above that appears to show a woman about to share her pint of beer with a goat. Granted, this was not one of those baby goats, but a Nigerian Dwarf adult goat, and so I guess this is technically legal. But even so, what if the goat over-imbibes? Will it run wild across the New Terrain outdoor patio, striking fear into the hearts of innocent beer drinkers? Forget Trump's war in Iran and the attempt to manipulate the 2026 midterms through redistricting. This is what actually keeps me awake at night. As it should you. I suggest we all attend the final two Baby Goat Nights on August 5th and September 9th at the New Terrain Brewery in Golden, Colorado and monitor the goings on, as Trump wants to do at polling stations during the midterms. It is, after all, our patriotic duty.

The 52nd Annual Denver Cherry Blossom Festival

I attended the 52nd Annual Denver Cherry Blossom Festival yesterday afternoon. This event takes place at Sakura Square, which is described on their website as "downtown Denver's living legacy to the region's Japanese and Japanese American community." In addition to restaurants and shops selling Japanese food and goods, Sakura Square is also the home of the Tristate/Denver Buddhist Temple. The complex contains an apartment building as well. The festival's Japanese-themed marketplace on Lawrence Street featured all manner of artwork, apparel, jewelry, you name it, as well as booths featuring Japanese food and drink, including sake. I do have to say, however, that the only cherry blossoms I saw were the ones on either side of the Sakura Square sign at the entrance to the complex and at the booth in the photograph on the left, and I am not sure if they were real or not. But I guess if you are located in the middle of downtown Denver, it would be hard to replicate Washington D.C.'s cherry blossoms along the Tidal Basin. Of course, you could always try. Maybe next year.

There was also live entertainment taking place on a stage throughout the weekend. There were Japanese musical performances on both Saturday and Sunday, although when I was there karate demonstrations were taking place, which is not my favorite thing, although I do have to say there was a very large audience watching. What I don't understand are the two guys in the photograph on the right who were walking past the booths on Lawrence Street. I believe they were wearing wolf masks, which I am sure felt quite toasty in the 90-degree heat. Is this part of Japanese culture? I know the Japanese have traditions involving dragon dancing, but wolf dancing I have never heard of. Perhaps they were just random crazies, which, of course, there is no shortage of here in Denver. If I attend the festival next year, I'll ask.

The Hadacol Boogie

I just finished reading The Hadacol Boogie, James Lee Burke's 25th Dave Robicheaux novel. I really like this series, which features Dave Robicheaux, an Iberia Parish Louisiana detective, his private detective friend Clet Purcel, and his daughter Alafair. This latest book starts out with Robicheaux seeing a disfigured man drop a large plastic bag in his backyard, which turns out to contain the body of a murdered young Black woman named Clemmy Benoit. He begins an investigation with his partner, detective Valarie Benoit, and unofficially, with his friend Clete. It leads to the unsavory owner of a local bar and brothel named Jerry Carlucci, an otherworldly handyman, a scary hitman, and a mafia don who wants to build a casino along the Gulf near Carlucci's bar. This is a really good mystery, but in addition to the investigation itself, the story dives into much bigger issues, such as the environment destruction of South Louisiana, racial injustice, Louisiana's haunted past, the presence of evil in our world, and even elements of the supernatural. It is much more complex than the average crime novel, a very serious book indeed, far more so than Burke's previous mysteries. At 89 years old, I suspect Burke wants to get his message of the darkness this country faces out there while he can. 

Mapleton Hill: Tree-Lined Streets, Victorian-Era Homes, Stunning Views, But Not Cheap

Whenever I am in Boulder, Colorado, I like to drive through Mapleton Hill, one of that city's most prestigious neighborhoods. It is filled with some of the oldest and most impressive homes in Boulder. Walking the streets is like going back in time to the Victorian era. I am especially fond of Mountain View Road, which is where I took the photograph on the left of the view that the houses on that street have. Imagine waking up every morning to the sun hitting the Flatirons and the city below. This has been called Boulder's most sought-after neighborhood. I took a look on the Redfin real estate website and the downside to the neighborhood is that it is not cheap. The homes for sale there range from 2.5 to 6 million dollars, none of which are on Mountain View Road. However, there are some lower cost alternatives not too far away. You can get an older, 748 square foot, two-bedroom, one bath condo for $525,000, or a 442 square foot one-bedroom, one bath unit for $340,000, but that is not exactly cheap. And it makes you want to ask yourself how much you want to sacrifice to live in Boulder.

On the positive side, if you did decide to buy that 5-bedroom, 3 bath 2,304 square foot 1903 Queen Ann Victorian in Mapleton Hill for 2.5 million dollars (estimated monthly payment $14,815), you would be only a short walk from West Pearl Street, with all its restaurants and bars, such as the West End Tavern, the front of which can be seen in the background of the photograph on the right. Not to mention Trident Booksellers and Cafe, a popular Boulder gathering spot that has been around for decades. Having a happy hour beer at the West End Tavern, or a cup of coffee every morning at one of the outside tables at Trident, you could relax, enjoy hanging out in that beautiful and vibrant community, and try to figure out how to come up with that nearly $15,000 monthly payment. You would have to knock over an awfully lot of 7-Elevens to come up with that kind of money.

Watching The Colorado Rockies Win A Game At Coors Field - At Last!

I went to Coors Field here in Denver this past Wednesday afternoon with my friend Stuart and sister Susan, as seen in the photograph on the left, to watch the Colorado Rockies play the Boston Red Sox. It was a very unusual game, in that the Rockies actually won. In the previous games we have attended, the Rockies lost to the Texas Rangers in the 9th inning by a score of 5-4, to the San Francisco Giants by a score of 19-6 (that was a fun one), and to the Chicago Cubs 9-3. This time, however, it was a very exciting game, and the Rockies came from behind to beat the Red Sox 8-6. There were a lot of Boston fans in attendance, but when the Rockies came back to take the lead, it seemed like everyone began cheering for the Rockies.

The Colorado Rockies are currently the worst team in baseball with a 32-49 record and a .395 winning percentage, but they are actually doing much better than last year at this time, when they were 18-61 with a .217 winning percentage. And I must say, they do have some talented rookies playing on the team, along with solid players such as Hunter Goodman and Mickey Moniak, which bodes well for the future. Manager Warren Schaeffer says that this season is preparing them for a World Series win down the road. Talk about confidence. Of course, the Boston Red Sox are not exactly the '27 Yankees these days, sporting a 33-46 record and .418 winning percentage, just a few games better than the Rockies. But still, it was good to finally see the Rockies win, and celebrate after the game, as seen in the photograph on the right. And yes, that is indeed Dinger, the Colorado Rockies mascot, waving the victory flag. Savoir those victories whenever you can, guys!

A Little Bit Of Beer Garden Nostalgia, And A Lot Of History

Every time my sister Susan and I go to a beer garden such as the Denver Beer Company on South Downing Street here in Denver, Susan waxes nostalgic about going to a beer garden with our parents, Mary and Nelson, when she was a little girl growing up in Chicago. When everyone got up to dance, including our parents, she would go around all the tables and finish off whatever was left on them. Happy days indeed. I remember talking with my mother years ago, and she told me that beer garden was probably located in South Suburban Glenwood, Illinois. And so just for fun, I decided to do a little research, and found out that place was called Hottinger's Garden, that the building was built in 1843, and that it started out as a hotel and inn. Not only that, but it was also a stop on the Underground Railroad. The train would stop at the station across the street, and the escaped slaves would cross the street to the inn to rest before continuing their journey. The inn became Hottinger's Garden around the turn of the 20th Century and can be seen in the photograph on the left.

Over the years, the beer garden was added and can be seen in the photograph on the right from back in the day. Susan tells me she was around 5 years old when she started going there with our parents, which makes sense, since our father was drafted into the army in 1943, served as a dentist in Okinawa, and came back home to Chicago in 1947, which is when Susan was 5 years old. And with them all living with my mother's parents at the time, I imagine they really valued a night out.

The drawing on the left shows the "modern" Hottinger's Garden, which is the closest to what it was like when Susan and our parents used to go there. And in fact, I remember once going to a beer garden with my parents when I was young, too, and looking at this drawing, I think this was where we went. Sadly, over time, the exterior of that 1843 building was significantly modified. The business failed around 1970, and it became the Fireside Chalet/Amore Bistro. I found a Chicago Tribune review of this restaurant on the internet, and at first, I saw a date of 2021, thinking it was published only 5 years ago. However, when I looked further, it was "updated" in 2021, but originally published in 1994, and when I looked on the google maps site, it was a vacant lot. Evidently the building is no longer there. Doing a little more research, I found that the site was turned into an Underground Railroad Memorial back in 2023, which seems very appropriate, although it would have been nice if the original structure could have been saved. In any case, it is a tale of both nostalgia and history. And of course, beer.