Outside Dining In November

It is starting to get pretty chilly after the sun sets here in Denver.  No matter how warm it is during the day, the nights are always cold. I took a walk around downtown Denver last week, and saw that despite the cold, all the restaurants in town are trying their best to keep outdoor dining going as long as possible. Many have fire pits, such as in the photograph on the left, which I took in Larimer Square during happy hour.

After visiting Larimer Square, I decided to walk up to McGregor Square to check out the action. On the way, I walked through the Dairy Block, which features a variety of restaurants and shops centered around a central walkway, as seen in the photograph on the right. I did not see many people there, but perhaps they all show up later, closer to the dinner hour. I myself have never had a drink or a meal there. For some reason, the place makes me feel blue. 

The last time I was at McGregor Square was on a Sunday afternoon, and the place was half filled with Broncos fans watching the game on the big screen, witnessing what would become their worst loss of the season. The week before that, it was packed with fans watching the Green Bay Packers play Kansas City. This time, the Christmas tree was up, but there wasn't a soul sitting outside, although inside Mile Post Zero, a food hall, they were doing a moderate business. I am starting to think that McGregor Square might be pretty slow during the winter, and that business might not pick up until baseball season returns (Coors Field is just across the street). That is how it is for most of the bars and restaurants in the area. They make all their money during the baseball season, and hope that will be enough for them to survive the winter. And hopefully, that business model works for the tenants at McGregor Square.