No Slowdown In Denver's Cherry Creek Neighborhood

Denver's status as one of the country's top spots for relocation ended right after the Covid pandemic, when housing costs skyrocketed, downtown suffered due to high office building vacancies and shuttered businesses, and wages could no longer keep up with the high cost of living. Apartment vacancy rates are higher, and empty lots once destined to be apartments and offices are now no longer financially viable. However, the Cherry Creek neighborhood is the one exception. It is growing by leaps and bounds, with office buildings, condos, and luxury apartments going up all over the neighborhood. This is a very upscale area, and so affordability is not an issue for the targeted market. The photograph on the left shows Cherry Lane under construction. It is a mixed-use project "envisioned as a luxury, pedestrian-friendly district blending high-end retail, dining, offices and retail." A few blocks to the east, the Waldorf Astoria Residences is being built, described as "a luxury residential development reinforcing Cherry Creek's high-end positioning."

And right across the street from Cherry Lane, Cherry Creek West, a 13-acre mixed use development that will provide 840 residences, 600,000 square feet of office space, 100,000 square feet of retail, along with walkability and green space, is under construction, as seen in the photograph on the right. Those green spaces will connect the North Cherry Creek District with the Cherry Creek waterway, which will make it a very pleasant place to walk or bike. The developers describe it as "an integrated live-work-play environment." For most of us, however, although we might be able to play or even work in Cherry Creek West, actually living there might involve winning Power Ball or the Mega Millions lottery.  

The Year Denver Parks Lost Their Flowers

I went walking through Denver's Washington Park the other day and spent some time in the garden there. And I must say, it is very impressive this year, as seen in the photograph above. Standing in that garden reminded me that two years ago, Denver eliminated spring flowerbed planting in most of the parks to address the city's migrant crisis, which was projected to cost the city $120 million. I never paid much attention to the flowers in Denver's parks in the past, but you sure noticed it when they were gone. Over 43,000 undocumented immigrants arrived in Denver starting in January of 2023, thanks mainly to the governor of Texas busing migrants to Denver, Chicago, and New York, and the city needed to provide shelter, food, and other services for them. It had to be done, of course - most of those people were facing winter dressed for the tropics and with no means of support. The flowers came back the following year - I did take notice - and it is estimated that half of those immigrants decided to stay in Denver. Although with the Trump administration's mission to deport "the worst of the worst," which to them seems to mean all undocumented immigrants, who knows what their numbers are these days. Regardless, it is time to stop and smell the roses, or any kind of flowers, for that matter. Especially these days.

The July Mutt Of The Month

I took the photograph above of the July Mutt of the Month tied up in front of the entrance to Venice, an upscale Italian restaurant in Lower Downtown Denver (LoDo), located just around the corner from the Wynkoop Brewing Company. And no - I wasn't dining at Venice, but just feeding the meter while dining at the Wynkoop. Just for fun I checked out Venice's webpage when I got home and found that all of the items on it were in Italian, although the descriptions below were in English. Spaghetti con Polpettine is, of course, spaghetti and meatballs. I would complain about the price for it, but everything seems to be expensive at restaurants these days, even at Olive Garden. You would have saved a mere 8 bucks dining there instead. And in case you were wondering, Venice has the largest wine cellar in Colorado. Of course they do. I just hope the owners of that dog were not having a three-course meal while their dog was tied up out there. As I recall, it was starting to get chilly. The least they could have done was to send out the sommelier with a decent vintage for the poor thing. Who knows - perhaps they did after I left. One can only hope.

The Crossroads

I just finished reading The Crossroads, C.J. Box's latest Joe Picket novel. This series is about a Wyoming game warden who gets involved in all manner of dangerous situations that he has to resolve, usually with the help of his off-the-grid friend, Nate Romanowski, and wife Marybeth. The story begins with Joe being found in his pickup truck at Antler Creek Junction with a gunshot wound to the head. Antler Creek Junction leads to three ranches owned by three dangerous families, all of whom Joe has been investigating. He is flown to a hospital in Billings, Montana in critical condition and put in a medically induced coma. While Marybeth sits next to Joe in his hospital room hoping for the best, their daughters Sheridan, April, and Lucy, along with Nate Romanowski, begin their own investigation into the shooting, determined to find out who is responsible. I really enjoyed this story and can definitely recommend it as a good summer read. And, I might add, this was the first book I have read in several months where I did not have to constantly re-read sections to understand technical details or to figure out the meaning of a passage. In other words, a perfect book to read just for fun.

The Cherry Creek Arts Festival

Every year I make a point of attending the Cherry Creek Arts Festival, and this year, it's 35th, was no exception. This event took place this past 4th of July weekend in Denver's North Cherry Creek neighborhood and featured 260 juried artists from across the world. It has been awarded the Gold Grand Pinnacle Award, presented by the International Festivals and Events Association (IFEA), that association's "highest accolade," "recognizing festivals and events that excel in balancing all key elements essential for a successful event." In other words, this is a very prestigious art festival, and even I recognize the high quality of the artwork presented. I especially liked the paintings with a touch of humor to them, as well as some of the very colorful modern artwork, most of which was selling for thousands of dollars. But as usual, I was especially interested in the photography, which was also very good, including the work of Igor Menaker, who specializes in black and white images of Chicago and whose booth is seen in the photograph on the left. You can view his work at https://www.menaker.com/.

Menaker has exhibited his photographs at the Cherry Creek Arts Festival a number of times, as has Xavier Nuez, who is also from Chicago and describes his photography as "light painting," which is very spectacular indeed. His booth can be seen in the photograph on the right. Nuez lights his photos, which include abandoned factories, deserted streets, walkways, and other subjects in a variety of colors, creating stunning effects, which can be seen at https://www.nuez.com/. There was another booth also exhibiting light paintings by Chris and Katie Robleski, which were also quite good. Nuez has conducted workshops on his technique for many years, and I have to wonder if these photographers might be former students now competing against him. And I did notice on his website that he is not conducting any more workshops until October of 2027. Perhaps hoping to avoid still more competition? I also enjoyed the work of Joel Anderson, especially his farm animals, which can be seen at https://www.joelandersonphoto.com/. 

I was also impressed with the photography of Brad Pogatetz, who specializes in photographing ruins, and Kyle Spears, with his wonderful photographs of Europe. But as I mentioned before, there were all manner of art forms on display at the Cherry Creek Arts Festival this year, most of it very good, including the humorous paintings hanging on the side of the booth in the photograph on the left. And, as you can imagine, this festival is great for peoplewatching. In fact, I attended this event twice this year, once to take photographs and the second time to just look at all the artwork and do more peoplewatching. A great festival that I hope to attend next year, too.

The 16th Annual Park Hill 4th Of July Parade

Yesterday the 16th Annual Park Hill 4th of July Parade took place down 23rd Street in that historic Denver neighborhood. This is the first 4th of July parade I have attended since the ones that took place in Cannon Beach, Oregon back when we had some Hoyt family reunions on 4th of July weekends there. Just like in Cannon Beach, the parade was made up of community groups, marching bands, classic cars, politicians looking for votes, non-profits, and costumed characters. The photograph on the left features The Westernaires, a volunteer-run nonprofit youth riding organization. This group is also a regular at the annual National Western Stock Show Parade here in Denver every January, when the temperature can be about 70 degrees lower than they were yesterday. A whole different kettle of fish, as we say here out west.

There were a lot of families with children attending the parade, as you might expect, and those kids were thrilled to see various superheros at the event, including someone who I think was Captain America riding on a motorcycle, as seen in the photograph on the right. I also saw Batman taking part in the parade as well. The parade featured over 50 groups and over 1,000 marchers, riders, and performers, and so it was no surprise that it took almost 2 hours to complete. Not that I was timing it or anything.

It really surprised me how many candidates running for offices such as state representative, state senator, and city council took part in this parade, having their volunteers hand out campaign information to the crowd lining the streets. Of course, that was the case at the Stuart, Florida Christmas Parade last year, too. I remember the master of ceremonies remarking that the Democrats were now passing the reviewing platform, all two of them.  Which was both funny and also not too much of an exaggeration. The horse-drawn wagon in the photograph on the left was promoting the reelection campaign of State Senator James Coleman, who is currently President of the Colorado Senate and represents the Park Hill neighborhood. And why the horse-drawn wagon? Your guess is as good as mine. Politicians are inscrutable. 

Happy Fourth Of July!

Today is the Fourth of July, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, a day of fireworks, parades, picnics, and a new tradition - an extremely long speech by Donald Trump on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. "just to show that I can do anything," as he put it a few days ago. Oh joy! Meanwhile, here in Denver, fireworks will be taking place at Coors Field after the game tonight between the Colorado Rockies and San Francisco Giants. And I am featuring - not for the first time - a photograph of the fireworks at that ballpark that I took back in 2021. As I recall, I spent a long time waiting for those fireworks to begin - it was like watching paint dry. And so instead of going through all that again, I am just using this photograph instead. Let's face it - one fireworks display looks like any other. Can you really tell that this photograph was taken 5 years ago and not after the Rockies game last night? I didn't think so. Just enjoy all those fireworks and parades and ballgames and Trump's extremely long speech (scheduled for 9:45 P.M. Eastern Daylight Savings Time). Which reminds me - what ever happened to the legislation to make Daylight Saving Time permanent? I thought it was a done deal. This is so unlike our elected representatives to let things slide like this. Oh well, what the hell. Happy Fourth of July anyway!

Talking Baseball At The Old Chicago Pizza And Taproom In Lakewood, Colorado

Yesterday afternoon I ventured out to Lakewood, Colorado, located to the west of Denver and in a completely different universe, to have lunch at the Old Chicago Pizza and Taproom with my friend Stuart, seen in the photograph above. For some inexplicable reason, a lot of people like living in Lakewood. There is a treatment for that, which involves driving down Colfax Avenue from one side of town to the other, but perhaps that would be too great a shock for vulnerable residents. In any case, as I have mentioned before, you can't see Lakewood from the bar area at Old Chicago, and so no problem. Over lunch, Stuart and I discussed the state of our respective baseball teams. The last time we had lunch, Stuart's team, the Chicago Cubs (Stuart is originally from the North Side of Chicago) had gone into a June swoon and were barely above .500. As of yesterday, they were 9 and 1 over their last 10 games, 11 games over .500, and 5 games out of first place in the National League Central. My South Side heroes, the Chicago White Sox (I am originally from the South Side Brainerd neighborhood of Chicago), are still in first place in the American League Central and 6 and 4 over their last 10 games, but a mere 4 games over .500. The Sox are holding their own, but have some big names on the injured list, including Munetaka Murakami, "the Japanese Babe Ruth," who was leading the American League in home runs when he pulled a hamstring on May 29th. They definitely need those players to return to the lineup soon if they want to make the playoffs. As for our adopted hometown team, the Colorado Rockies, they are currently tied with the Kansas City Royals for the worst record in baseball with a .398 winning percentage. But they are 5 and 5 over their last 10 games and have a number of promising rookies, and so it looks like they will eventually put together a good team. It might be 2 or 3 years down the road, but it is better than the situation the club has been in the past 5 seasons or so. The important thing is that Coors Field, where they play, is a great place to hang out, win, lose, or draw. Although winning would be better.

Watching England Come From Behind To Beat DR Congo At The World Cup

I watched the World Cup soccer match between England and DR Congo yesterday morning with my friend Mark, who is a big fan of England, and seen in the photograph above standing in front of hundreds of English soccer fans celebrating their team's victory after the game. And I must say, it was a very exciting contest. DR Congo scored a goal in the first 7 minutes, and their goalie, Lionel Mpasi, kept England from scoring most of the game. And then England's Harry Kane scored twice in the final 15 minutes of the match to beat DR Congo 2-1. England now heads to the final 16 to play Mexico on Sunday. I was especially happy about the outcome since Harry Kane is one of only two active soccer players whose names I actually recognize. The other is Son Heung-min. Both of them played for the Tottenham Hotspurs of England's Premier League before moving on to other teams (Kane to Bayern Munich and Son to Los Angeles FC). England will have a tough time against Mexico, I'm afraid, since the match is being played at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, where Mexico has lost only two of 89 competitive matches, and most of the 87,523 fans will be rooting for the home team. I suggest not betting the entire farm on England. Perhaps just half.

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.

Enjoying Weekday Happy Hour At The Denver Beer Company

My sister Susan and I dropped by the Denver Beer Company on South Downing Street here in Denver yesterday afternoon for a couple of happy hour pints. This brew pub is a neighborhood favorite, filled with the old, the young, and everyone in between. And lots of families with kids. In point of fact, the Denver Beer Company even provides a playground at that location for those youngsters, as seen in the photograph on the left. And I must say, they all have a lot of energy, zooming across the patio down to the playground and back again the entire time.

And best of all, the patio is dog friendly, and most days there are more dogs than you can count, sitting by their owners having a beer (the owners, not the dog), or even sitting on one of the benches with them, enjoying the ambiance. I took the photograph of the spaniel on the right sitting with its masters by the fire pit, just enjoying the day. And happily, it was willing to let me take its portrait. Which is a nice change from when I go to take a photo, and the dog immediately turns around and shows me its backside. I just hate that - not the kind of photo you want to see. Try explaining that to the dog, though. Not easy.

The June/July Issue Of Chicago Magazine

I just finished reading the June/July issue of Chicago Magazine, and there are a lot of interesting articles in this month's issue. The cover story, titled Pritzker's Moment, features an interview with Illinois governor JB Pritzker. I know Pritzker is a billionaire and comes from a wealthy family, but I did not know about his rather tragic life during his younger years. In the article, he discusses his confrontations with Trump but says he is not thinking about running for president, which probably means he is. There is also an interesting article about alleys in Chicago, which were mandated back in 1830, when the Illinois and Michigan Canal Commission hired a surveyor to map out a new town along Lake Michigan at the eastern end of the canal's route, in order to deal with horse manure. Chicago now has more alleys than any other city in the country. There is also a nice feature called Doorways of Chicago, featuring photographer Ronnie Frey's impressive photographs of Chicago doorways. There are also, of course, a number of articles about new restaurants, "The Hot List of 10 Places Everyone is Talking About," and a review of a restaurant called Ox Bar and Hearth. Of course, most if not all of those places I would never consider dining at in a million years. Big bucks being charged for very weird food.

The most controversial article to me is "The Best Suburbs to Call Home," featuring a ranking of all 205 of Chicago's suburbs with population of over 5,000, ranked from top to bottom "based purely on the numbers." Chicago Magazine Editor in Chief Terrance Noland writes that they hired analytics firm DataJoe to "collect and weight various statistical measures and crunch the figures." Which brings to mind Mark Twain's famous quote: "there are lies, damned lies, and statistics." I believe that is certainly the case here. As expected, six of the top ten suburbs are located along the upscale North Shore, while one is situated just a bit to the west of that area. The other three are in the western suburbs. The editor, Terrance Noland, in his introduction to the article, did express dismay that his hometown, Oak Park, with its pleasant downtown, tree lined residential neighborhoods, and Frank Lloyd Wright homes, was listed at a rather mediocre 57. And of course, at the bottom of the list were mostly the southern suburbs. There are too many suburbs to go into detail, but what I most want to know is why South Suburban Flossmoor, the downtown of which can be seen in the photograph on the right that I took back in 2010, is number 181 on the list, while Country Club Hills, where I spent a long 10 years while going to high school and college, is ahead of Flossmoor at number 178?

Country Clubs Hills, when I lived there, had no country club, only one hill, and not a single tree in sight. And all of the homes looked the same. When I went back to Chicago to visit back in 2010, it was still as ugly as when I lived there. On the other hand, when I checked out Flossmoor, it was as beautiful as ever - lots of nice homes, a pleasant downtown area directly across from the IC stop (Metra now, of course), and, best of all, the train station had been turned into a brew pub, as seen in the photograph on the left. And Country Club Hills got a higher rating? Has Flossmoor really gone that far downhill since I last visited? I am willing to bet it has not. Homewood, also a very nice suburb and the location of the original Aurelio's Pizza, was listed at number 140 on the list, rated worse than Evergreen Park (number 135), which to me will never win any beauty contests. I could go on and on, but I recommend everyone get their own copy of this month's Chicago Magazine and make up your own mind about that "best" Chicago suburbs list.

The Highlands Street Fair

The annual Highlands Street Fair took place this past Saturday in that historic Denver neighborhood. I love attending this festival. It is always well-attended, especially with people from the neighborhood, and seems more like a social gathering than a street fair. As with other festivals, there are booths from local businesses and artisans, food vendors, and music. The Highlands was founded around the same time as Denver, filled with Victorian-era homes, and located west of the Platte River, overlooking downtown. When I first moved to Denver, it was being marketed by real estate agents as the "affordable alternative to Washington Park," one of Denver's most popular neighborhoods. Since that time, the Highlands has become quite trendy, not to mention unaffordable, but it is still a fun place to visit. And by the way, the booth in the photograph above was offering accommodations in Breckenridge, a really popular and quaint Colorado mountain town, starting at $49 and has a presence at most Denver area festivals. Years ago, I entered a raffle at this booth for a free weekend in "Breck." I didn't win the raffle, but I did wind up getting phone calls about "special vacation offers" for the next five years. Since then, I have avoided raffles for free vacations like the plague. You should too.

Happy Father's Day!

Today is Father's Day, and in honor of this special holiday I am featuring a photograph of my sister Susan and my late father, Nelson, which I took back in the late 1970s in Key West, Florida, most likely somewhere near Mallory Square around sunset. Susan and I had flown down from Chicago to visit our parents, who had recently moved to a condo in Stuart, Florida, and the four of us decided to take a road trip to Key West. My father was a dentist and hated it. When he was finally able to retire, he and our mother Mary moved from Chicago to Stuart, where our Uncle Bill (my mother's brother) and Aunt Elsie had retired to from Cleveland 4 years earlier. Dad and my Uncle Bill used to play golf together when our families would vacation up in Canada every year, and now they finally had the chance to play whenever they wanted. Dad had 7 years of retirement down in Stuart before he passed away, and happily, enjoyed every minute of it. I hope everyone who is able will have a wonderful day with their father and family, and value their time together. Happy Father's Day!

The Summer Solstice - Tomorrow At 2:24 A.M. Denver Time!

Tomorrow is the Summer Solstice. In England, the grounds at Stonehenge are open to the public on both the Summer and Winter Solstices. Tonight the gates to Stonehenge will be opened at 7:00 P.M., sunset will occur at 9:26, and sunrise will occur on Sunday at 4:52 A.M. During that time, Modern Day Druids will have the run of the place, performing their various rituals and chants. Here in Denver, Druids keep a pretty low profile, although I believe they conduct their ceremonies in front of Monkey Island in Denver's Washington Park, as seen in the photograph above. Monkey Island is where the hippies used to gather during the 1960s, and according to an article in the now defunct Washington Park Profile, the ghost of a young girl who disappeared from there back then still roams the island at night. In any case, it is important to remember that the original Druids used to practice human sacrifice, usually by drowning, hanging, or burning. And do modern day Druids follow the same religious rituals as their forebearers? I don't know, but what I do know is that the Summer Solstice here in Denver will take place at 2:24 A.M. tomorrow, and I strongly suggest that everyone get the hell out of Washington Park by midnight at the latest. Better safe than sorry, after all.

World Cup Fever!

My friend Mark and I got together at his house yesterday morning to watch Czechia play South Africa in a World Cup match that took place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. The game was pretty boring, I'm afraid, with little action, and ended in a 1-1 tie. I checked on the internet, and prices for the game were fairly reasonable for a World Cup match, going for a median price of $460, meaning that a fan going to the game in person only had to shell out approximately $500 to watch a bad soccer game. World Cup Fever is hitting North America pretty hard, especially here in the U.S. But the main cause of this malady is not the mad desire to attend these soccer matches, but the high price of tickets to World Cup games people actually want to watch. Tickets to today's game between the United States and Australia, being played in Seattle, are currently going for $2,000 and up in the nosebleed sections and $3,000, $4,000, and even $5,000 each closer to the ground. Which is crazy. This is all due to the invention of "dynamic pricing," in which higher prices are charged depending on the demand for tickets. This wonderful system is why you have to pay $100 for an Opening Day ticket to watch the Colorado Rockies at Denver's Coors Field that will cost $30 the next day. No wonder fans are coming down with fever. And yes, the photograph above is of Mark in front of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, teleported there through the magic of Photoshop. Which is far more interesting than being teleported to a Waffle House, as a high-ranking Trump Administration official claims happened to him. Nothing but the best and brightest for that regime.

Baby Goat Night At New Terrain Brewing Company

Last night was Baby Goat Night at New Terrain Brewing Company, located up in Golden, Colorado, and my sister Susan and I decided to head up there and check it out.  This event is extremely popular - the only available parking space was blocks away, and every table was taken, although we were able to snag a couple of stools and use the ledge of a window to set our drinks on. The baby goats were provided by a company called Guided Goat Hikes, which provides goats for Baby Goat Yoga (where you let the goats crawl all over you as you do your yoga routine), Baby Goat Happy Hour, like at New Terrain, and yes - hikes in the mountains with goats tagging along.

The baby goats at New Terrain were kept in a small, fenced-in area, and small groups of people were allowed in for a set amount of time to get up close and personal with them, including the young girl in the photograph on the right. We arrived around 5:30, and the line to get into that goat pen was pretty damn long. Happily, I was able to just stand by the fence and take photographs from there, which worked out pretty well, although in such a small space, it proved difficult getting good photos of those goats with all those people picking them up all the time. But no matter - all you have to do is take about 500 shots and usually three or four will turn out well.

Left to their own devices, these baby goats are quite entertaining, often jumping up on tables and crates and things, such as in the photograph on the left. But the only chance to take photos like this is when one group leaves and the other comes in, which is not a lot of time. But no matter. I can always take a guided goat hike if I want more photo opportunities.

New Terrain's website states that while the baby goats are in the fenced area, small Nigerian Dwarf adult goats will be walking around the beer garden. I don't know for sure if those are what the goats in the photograph on the right are, but they were the only ones I saw walking around the beer garden, so perhaps they are, although they look like regular old goats to me. But what do I know? In any case, Baby Goat Night at New Terrain is a quarterly event. The first took place on May 13th, the second was last night, and the next two take place on August 5th and September 9th between 5:00 and 8:00 P.M. There are food trucks if people get hungry, and, of course, New Terrain's beer, which is very good. It is definitely worth checking out, although unless you arrive very early, you will need to go on a bit of a hike to find parking. It is a shame they don't provide a few extra goats to accompany you on that hike. You could let off the rest of your party at the entrance to New Terrain, load a couple of goats into the back seat, find that elusive parking spot, and then hike up the hill back to New Terrain and drop off those goats for the next arrival. Just a suggestion.

Discussing The DU Budget Crisis With Stuart At Spanky's Roadhouse

Yesterday afternoon I had a late lunch with my friend Stuart, seen in the photograph above, at Spanky's Roadhouse, located just to the west of the University of Denver campus in South Central Denver. I was surprised to learn that Stuart, a DU alumnus like me, had not heard about the major restructuring and budget cuts that are taking place at DU. The university was facing a $30 million budget shortfall this past fiscal year, mostly due to the decline in the college age population and in the number of international students. They made up the shortfall by not filling vacant positions, cutting expenses, and making up the remaining difference using endowment funds. The university's board of trustees approved a balanced budget for fiscal 2027 last week, but in addition to cutting expenses and not filling vacant positions, the university will also consolidate five of its schools into two and eliminate five of its academic departments. This will require, according to Chancellor Jeremy Haefner, "some rightsizing of our employees." Interestingly enough, Stuart, who has a master's degree in international studies from DU's Josef Korbel School of International Studies, received an e-mail announcement from the dean of that school yesterday morning announcing that three faculty members would be leaving. It appears DU is wasting no time in rightsizing those employees. I suggested to Stuart that now is the time to make that big donation to his alma mater, but he did not seem enthusiastic about the idea. And no, I myself will not be making a donation to them anytime soon, either. I did work for DU for almost 30 years before getting "retired" (i.e. laid off) after the DU Bookstore was outsourced, and so I consider that to be my donation. You're welcome.

The Chicago White Sox Are The Real Deal - I Think

I know it is only mid-June, but my South Side heroes, the Chicago White Sox, are actually playing great baseball and are currently tied for first place with the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Central Division, sporting a 38 and 32 record. Granted, the AL Central is a weak division, but that means the Sox actually have a chance to make the playoffs after losing over 100 games the past three years, including setting the record for the worst team in the history of Major League Baseball in 2024 with 121 losses. In their last homestand, the Sox have taken the series against both the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers, who are currently the two best teams in baseball, which is no mean feat. And best of all, the crowds have returned to Rate Field, cheering their team on to victory. And as you can tell from the photograph above, White Sox television announcers Steve Stone, on the left, and John Schriffen, on the right, are definitely enjoying their time at the ballpark these days. They finally are calling games that actually matter. And will it last? Will the Sox continue their winning ways? I certainly hope so, but no matter what, the Sox have finally put together a good team, which bodes well for the future. And they are doing all this without their star player, Munetaka Murakami, the "Japanese Babe Ruth," who is currently on the IL (injured list). When he comes back, the sky's the limit.

The 50th Annual Parker Days Festival

Yesterday afternoon my sister Susan and I drove out to Parker, Colorado, located 23 miles southeast of Denver, for the 50th Annual Parker Days Festival. To tell the truth, I never heard of Parker Days until this past week, when I saw an item in the paper about it taking place this past weekend. I have driven through Parker maybe twice in my live, and my opinion always was that Parker consisted of one downtown block containing a few historic buildings, surrounded by thousands of suburban housing developments. I couldn't have been more wrong. Parker is, in point of fact, two downtown blocks containing a few historic buildings, surrounded by thousands of suburban housing developments. But the festival was actually quite impressive, and much larger than I thought it would be.

This event is described on the Parker Days website as a family festival with music on 4 stages, 200 marketplace booths, over 25 food vendors, over 50 carnival rides, and many activities for kids. And I must say, this festival reminded me of a county fair, minus all the farm animals. This area is very popular with young families looking for a place where they can afford a home with a nice backyard and which has good schools, which probably explains why there were so many booths selling home improvement items and services. Those 200 marketplace booths filled 2 blocks on Main Street and all of adjacent O'Brien Park. Not being familiar with Parker, I missed the turnoff for downtown, but happily, wound up on the other side of town at the Pace Center, which is where festival goers were advised to park. Since there was a very large crowd attending the festival, I wound up driving around the Pace Center's parking lot three times without finding a parking space. Then I looked up and saw the Pace Center Parking Garage right across the street, where I immediately found a spot. Next time I'll know. 

This festival was very popular with kids, who were taking full advantage of all the kid friendly activities, including the carnival rides. Face painting seemed especially popular. Hopefully the paint is removable, and they will not need to consult a specialist to remove that paint in later years. As I mentioned before, this festival was very well attended, and it was fun to walk around checking out all those booths and doing a bit of peoplewatching. The downtown area was very pleasant, and there were a number of historic buildings along Main Street. My only complaint is that although you could tell those buildings were from the 19th Century, there were no plaques on them telling their history, or even the date they were constructed. The only way to know would be to do research on the internet before you went there. In any case, Susan enjoyed the festival, too, and said she thought Parker was a nice little town, but she wouldn't want to live there. I'll second that.

Graduation Day At The University of Denver

Yesterday was graduation day for undergraduate students at the University of Denver. This was an important day for the DU Bookstore when I worked there as the Finance Manager, before it was outsourced to Follett Higher Education Group. The gift and clothing buyer and her staff would bring tables of gift and clothing items to the Ritchie Center, where the ceremonies take place, and sell a lot of merchandise.  Meanwhile, back at the bookstore on this day, when it was part of DU, the place was filled with students selling back their books and returning rentals. After the ceremonies, parents and their children would fill the bookstore picking out last minute items to take home. And then, by about 1:00 in the afternoon, all those customers would leave, and the store was virtually deserted except for staff for the next two and a half months. Things are much different these days. Last year I went into the Ritchie Center on graduation day, and there was no sign of the Follett-run bookstore at all. National bookstore chains do not seem as interested in going the extra mile to increase sales as institutionally owned stores are, which is not a big surprise. And instead of two graduation ceremonies, one for graduate students on Friday and one for undergraduates on Saturday, each commencement is now split into a morning and evening session, reducing the number of students by half at each ceremony. Which is a good thing, since instead of just bounding up the stairway and entering the auditorium, everyone attending the ceremony now has to line up single file and undergo security screening, including a metal detector, which takes a lot more time. And as for the bookstore, I discovered that these days many if not most students access their books online, eliminating the need to come into the bookstore to buy textbooks and sell them back at the end of the term, resulting in a lot less foot traffic. On the bright side, since these days the DU Bookstore seems to be empty of customers most of the time, the staff probably doesn't even notice a difference once the students leave for home at the end of the school year. Just the same-old same-old every day. An entirely different world in just 15 years. Regardless of that, congratulations to the Class of 2026.

Talking About Cubs Fans...

There was an article in the Denver Post this past Wednesday by sportswriter Patrick Saunders about how Cubs fans turn Coors Field into Wrigley Field West whenever the Chicago Cubs come to Denver to play the Colorado Rockies. It is believed that there are over 100,000 transplants from Illinois in Colorado, and Saunders interviewed a number of them for his article, including Skip Perry, who with his wife Paula own Wrigley's Chicago Bar and Grill in Golden, Colorado. Perry is originally from the Chicago suburb of Waukegan, while his wife is from Arvada, just to the north of Denver. They have run Wrigley's since 2008, and it is quite the Cubs fan hangout. After the Cubs won the World Series in 2016, 750 fans poured into their bar, which at the time had space for 400. Years ago, Skip and Paula would charter a bus and take 75 Cubs fans to Coors Field whenever the Cubs were in town, but decided to phase that out when rounding up those 75 fans after the game began to get problematic. In any case, I drove to Golden to check out that bar and grill yesterday. It is located on West Colfax Avenue, right up against the foothills, as seen in the photograph on the left.

I stopped in around 2:30 on Friday afternoon and found that every space in the parking lot had been taken. Now THAT is impressive. Fortunately, they have additional parking across West Colfax, which is where I and a number of others found spaces. I took the photograph on the right of their outdoor patio, which seems very nice indeed. I also looked in at the main dining room, which is equally very pleasant. I definitely have to suggest to my friend Stuart, who is originally from Lincolnwood (a northside Chicago suburb) and a devoted Cubs fan that we take a break from the Old Chicago in Lakewood the next time we have lunch, go to Wrigley's instead, and catch part of a Cubs game. I will definitely make sure to wear my Chicago White Sox cap.