The Patio Crowd Is Back, But For How Long?

I did both some biking and walking around Denver this past weekend, and I must say, the patios of the bars and restaurants in Denver's hipster neighborhoods are going great guns. I took the photograph on the left of the Tacos Tequila Whisky Bar on a walk downtown. It is located at the corner of Colfax Avenue and York Street, which is in the gentrified part of East Colfax, which runs about a mile from York Street to Colorado Boulevard, and includes lots of upscale restaurants, bars, the Tattered Cover Bookstore, Twist and Shout Records, and even a Whole Foods for those who feel they can't pay enough for their groceries.  To the west Colfax becomes a haven for the homeless, and to the east are run down motels from the 1950s that cater to people who cannot afford to rent an apartment. And by the way, the upper floors of the building in this photograph used to house Denver Free University, where I once took a photography class. And no, Denver Free University is not, and never has been, free.

I took the photograph on the right of the Vine Street Pub as I was biking downtown this past Friday afternoon. This is the sister brew pub to the Mountain Sun Brewery on Pearl Street up in Boulder, and is located on 17th Avenue, which used to be called - and perhaps still is - restaurant row. Both the food and the beer are good here, but neither of these pubs take credit cards - only cash and checks. I remember one time my friend Stuart and I came here for dinner. After we each ordered a beer, we discovered their no credit card policy, and somehow managed to scrounge up the cash for the drinks, thus avoiding an evening of dishwashing. And while all these hipster hotspots are doing well now while we are having perfect fall weather, what happens in another month or so when the weather turns bad? Will people still be willing to dine inside with Covid-19 still active? I think the only hope is if winter never comes this year. Don't count on it.