Lakewood, Colorado, the suburb just to the west of Denver, is pretty damn ugly, but I must say, the Belmar Shopping District and Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park, a 20th century history park, are both pretty nice. Of course, Belmar Shopping District, a mixed use development that now functions as Lakewood's downtown, is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Residents of that suburb evidently prefer the strip malls, fast food outlets, pawn shops, and other delights of West Colfax Avenue. And will Festival Italiano, the one event in Lakewood that is actually a great deal of fun, take place in Belmar this year? If so, they are keeping pretty quiet about it. Lakewood evidently does not want to encourage fun. Another highlight of Lakewood is Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park, which has views of the mountains and historic structures, including early 20th century farmhouses and remnants from the glory days of West Colfax that have morphed over time from being tacky to iconic, an example of which can be seen in the photograph above. Feel free to visit, but just remember: Jack Kerouac bought a house in Lakewood, but sold the place and moved away after just a month or two - it is rumored Lakewood drove him to drink.
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