The Union Station Farmers Market - A Venue For Denver's Hipsters?

On the way to Oktoberfest in Denver's Ballpark neighborhood this past Saturday, I walked through the Union Station Farmers Market, which takes place in front of Denver's Union Station every Saturday and Sunday between May 31st and October 26th. It has been a while since I have perused this market and have forgotten how much fun it is. To be honest, I have seen very little produce at this market. It is more about clothing, gifts, crafts, gizmos, and everything else that appeals to the urban hipsters that frequent Denver's Lower Downtown (LoDo) neighborhood. And I suspect produce is not at the top of the list. No doubt dinner will be at either one of the local hotspots that populate the area or a DoorDash delivery to their upscale apartment. And by the way, Union Station was built in 1881 and was once a major transportation hub. It underwent a renovation back in 2014 that turned it into a shopping, dining, and cultural destination, appealing to those same hipsters shopping at the Farmer's Market out front. But it still remains the main transportation hub for buses, light rail trains, and Amtrak service to Chicago and San Francisco, two cities also very appealing to hipsters, although I suspect you won't find them on Amtrak's California Zephyr anytime soon. I imagine an overnight, high-speed trip in their BMW or Porsche to either of those cities is more their style. Anyway, that's the way I would do it.

RTD To The Rescue

As I have mentioned in a previous blog post, someone recently sideswiped my car, which was sitting at the time in its spot in the parking lot of my condo building, requiring me to take it to an auto body shop to replace the front bumper. And so, being without a car for almost a week, I have been depending on the RTD, aka the Regional Transportation District, which operates Denver's buses and light rail trains, to get around town. In my opinion, RTD has done a lot to improve public transportation in Denver over the years, especially with its light rail system. And living in a condo building just a few doors down from the train station, as seen in the photograph on the left, it makes it very easy to get around the city. While my car has been in the shop, I have been able to attend Oktoberfest in the Ballpark neighborhood, as well as the last Rockies home game of the season via a 20-minute train ride. There have been complaints about the lack of policing of the trains and light rail stations, as well as the delay in completing the light rail system promised in a voter approved "FasTracks" plan, but it seems to me RTD has done everything possible to deal with these issues.

The system's biggest critic, ironically enough, is a former chairman of RTD, Jon Caldara. Caldara hosts a current event's show on KBDI-TV PBS 12 here in Denver called Devil's Advocate with Jon Caldara. I remember watching this show when he stated that if he was ever chairman of RTD again, he would immediately close down the entire light rail system and mothball the trains. A system that people, especially those who cannot afford a car, depend on every day. And keep in mind that when Denver was experiencing tremendous growth, the city was encouraging transit-oriented developments (TODs), which resulted in many planned use developments around these light rail stations, giving people an easy commute to work. Can you imagine the chaos if someone came in and just eliminated light rail service to these TODs? And more importantly, how the hell would people who don't own cars or don't want to hassle with parking get to the ballpark? Not to mention Denver Bronco games. Talk about chaos.

The Chicago White Sox (Not To Mention The Chicago Cubs) Are In The Playoffs!

I watched the final game of the regular season on Rockies.TV yesterday afternoon with my friend Mark, a contest between my South Side heroes, the Chicago White Sox, and the Colorado Rockies. It was played at Rate Field in Chicago, as seen in the photograph above. The White Sox won the game 4-2. It was fun to watch, but lacked the drama I was hoping for, since the Sox lost to the Rockies 9-6 the previous day, ending their chance to win the American League Central Division. If they had won that game as well as yesterday's, they would have finished in first place, since the Cleveland Guardians lost to Kansas City Sunday. But no matter - the White Sox still made the playoffs and will play the Houston Astros in the American League Wild Card Series, which starts on Tuesday. If the Sox win that series, they will play the Cleveland Guardians, the team that beat them by just 1 game to win the AL Central, in the American League Division Series. As for their North Side rivals, the Chicago Cubs, they will face the San Diego Padres in the National League Wild Card Series on Tuesday. If they win that series, they will face the Milwaukee Brewers, who won the NL Central by 14 games over the Cubs. And how far will the White Sox and Cubs go in the playoffs? I myself think that the Sox will beat Houston and have an even chance of beating the Guardians. If they make it to the American League Championship Series, I will be thrilled. Getting that far would be a tremendous achievement for a team that lost a record 121 games only two years ago. Thank you, Pope Leo! As for the Cubs, they are pretty evenly matched with the San Diego Padres, and could very well beat them, but their next opponent would be the Milwaukee Brewers, who finished with the best record in the Major Leagues this year with 103 wins. Good luck with that, North Siders.

A Tale Of Two Oktoberfests

I really wanted to go to Breckenridge Oktoberfest this year, which is taking place this weekend up in Breckenridge, Colorado, but my car is in the shop having the front bumper replaced after it was sideswiped, and so I have been limited to where Denver's public transportation will take me. Which yesterday turned out to be Weekend Two of Denver Oktoberfest. Which is all well and good, of course. I must say, the crowd was much larger than last week, and the event was very lively. But there is something about being up in the mountains, with all the leaves turning to gold and so many people in traditional German folk costumes strolling up and down the street that makes the experience very special, like actually being in Bavaria. But it was still fun to walk around at Denver Oktoberfest, do a bit of peoplewatching and see everyone having fun, as seen in the photograph on the left.

Just like last week, traditional German folk music was not being played at Denver Oktoberfest. There was not an accordion in sight. However, this week, instead of rap music, the Denver Dolls were performing. This is a group that has been around Denver for a long time, mostly singing songs from back in the 1940s. I remember seeing them perform once at Denver's Mercury Cafe dressed as WACs like The Andrews Sisters, singing "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," which was a lot of fun. It was good to hear them again, and at least they were wearing traditional German dirndls. Perhaps next year one of them could learn to play the accordion. 

However, up in Breckenridge, they have nothing but traditional German music, as seen in the photograph on the left that I took last year. And I must add that although a lot of people do dress up in lederhosen and dirndls at the Denver Oktoberfest, most of them are 20 something hipster types that live in the surrounding area. Up in Breckenridge, it seems like people of all ages dress up in traditional folk costumes, which really adds to the ambience. And for those of you whose car has not been sideswiped and the bumper detached, the last day of the 30th annual Breckenridge Oktoberfest takes place today from 11:00 until 5:00 on historic Main Street. And best of all, Those Austrian Guys will be performing at 11:30, 1:00, and 3:00 today. And I am willing to bet that it won't be rap music.

Private Rome

I just finished reading Private Rome, James Patterson's latest book with co-author Adam Hamdy. At least I think it is Patterson's latest book. It is copyrighted 2016, but Patterson has so many books out there written with various co-writers that I can't be sure. And does he actually write these books, or does he just edit the co-writer's work? I have no idea, but frankly don't care, since all I care about is the story itself. In any case, a while back I read Private #1 Suspect, which had been sitting on my bookshelf for years. It was okay, nothing extra, but I saw Private Rome featured at the library in Stuart, Florida and decided to give it a try. And it is actually pretty good. Jack Morgan, the head of an international private investigation firm, flies to Rome for the opening of his company's latest office. At the firm's opening party, the person he selected to run the office, Matteo Ricci, is found standing over the body of a dead priest with the murder weapon in his hand. Ricci claims not to remember anything, and Morgan starts an investigation into the killing. He soon learns that eight Vatican priests have died in the last few months, allegedly through natural causes, and that the latest death is connected to the others. Soon his team from the home office in LA arrives to investigate what appears to be a major scandal involving murdered priests, laundered money, and corruption at the Vatican Bank. I really enjoyed reading this novel and can recommend it to anyone looking for an absorbing international thriller. Pick up a copy at your local library today.

The Colorado Rockies Final Home Game Of The Season

I went to the Colorado Rockies final home game of the season at Coors Field yesterday afternoon with my sister Susan and friend Mark, seen in the photograph on the left. It was a bit of an inauspicious start for Colorado, with the Arizona Diamondbacks scoring 6 runs in the first inning and leading the Rockies by a score of 12 to 1 by the top of the 6th. But then the Rockies attempted a comeback, scoring 7 unanswered runs in the last 4 innings for a final score of 12 to 8. Not a victory, but the Rockies put up a fight and didn't quit, which I found quite impressive. The Rockies have lost 102 games so far this season and are now the fifth team in major league history to lose 100 games in a season four or more years in a row, the last team being the New York Mets from 1962 to 1965, an expansion team to replace the Dodgers and the Giants, who moved to California. The bright side is that the Rockies have improved significantly since last season, and the farm system is producing some promising rookies. It is just a matter of time until they become competitive again. How much time is anyone's guess.

The thing I like best about the Rockies final home game of the season is that after the last out, the entire team walks around Coors Field to thank the fans for their support, as seen in the photograph on the right. They started this tradition after the final home game in their first season back in 1993, the year they attracted 4,483,350 fans to the old Mile High Stadium. This year attendance at Coors Field was 2,222,915, thanks to a very nice ballpark and so many transplants from other cities here in Denver wanting to see their hometown teams. When the Cubs or the Dodgers come to Coors Field, virtually everyone in the ballpark is rooting for the opposing team.

And I must add that it is a really nice tradition for the players to walk around the park and shake hands with the fans and wave to them on the final home game of the season, but some players really go out of their way to thank the fans. For many years, Charlie Blackmon, a four-time All-Star who played for the Rockies from 2011 until his retirement in 2025, would be the last player to circle the ballpark, signing autographs, shaking hands and talking with the fans, taking his time to meet every fan he could. I thought that was just great. And now, this year, Hunter Goodman, a catcher who made his debut in 2023 with the Rockies and is a two-time All-Star, appears to be carrying on that tradition, as seen in the photograph on the left. He is arguably the best player on the team these days and yesterday I noticed that he too was greeting each fan, shaking hands, signing autographs, baseballs, hats, you name it, as seen in the photograph on the left. It is nice to see that there are players like that still around. And the Colorado Rockies next opponent? They will finish the season playing my South Side heroes, the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox are one game behind the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Central, and this series against the Rockies at Rate Field in Chicago and the Guardians series against the Kansas City Royals in Kansas City will determine who finishes the season in first place. But it is not the drama I had been expecting. Yesterday the White Sox clinched a playoff spot no matter who finishes first in the AL Central and are the first team in major league history to go to the playoffs after consecutive 100 loss seasons. Holy Cow! Let the playoffs begin!

Walking The Historic Buchtel Boulevard Trail At Prairie Park

Someone sideswiped my car when I was in Florida, knocking off part of the front driver's side bumper, requiring me to drop it off yesterday morning to be repaired. Since the car repair shop is only a mile or so away, I walked back to my condo along the Historic Buchtel Boulevard Trail at Prairie Park, as seen in the photograph above. Which always reminds me of Diana Helper, who was a resident of Denver's University Park neighborhood for 60 years, a community activist, and wrote a monthly column titled "University Park News and Views" for the Washington Park Profile. She spent 30 years working to establish this park, which preserves a bit of the long-gone prairie along Buchtel Boulevard between Colorado and University Boulevards. Helper always attended the monthly University of Denver "Good Neighbors" meetings, which I began to attend as DU began planning a major development across the street from my condo building. As long-suffering blog readers know, I was the Finance Manager at the University of Denver Bookstore and worked there for almost 30 years before the store was outsourced. Each month store managers would meet with the Vice Chancellor for Business and Financial Affairs, and I couldn't help but notice that there was a huge map of the campus on the wall of his office, and right where my condo building is located was a light rail station and parking garage. DU's plans evidently included moving the station to where my building is located so that people getting off the train would have a dramatic view of DU and a gateway to the campus. I contacted Diana Helper, and she reassured me that no way would that ever happen, despite what DU wanted. Sadly, she is gone now, as is the Washington Park Profile, and the dramatic vision for that part of campus across the street has been significantly revised. Not surprising, since last year DU was $30 million under budget and has undergone a lot of budget cuts and layoffs as a result. In any case, Diana Helper did a lot for the University Park neighborhood and the City of Denver, and it is important to keep her memory alive.

Creepies And The Other 49

I read an article on the internet that listed the top 50 restaurants in the country the other day, and I took special note of 4 of them: Creepies in Chicago, Heretik and Milpero in Denver, and Leo's in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I checked each of their websites and confirmed what I already suspected: very weird food. Creepies menu offers beef tartare with mimolette gaufrettes and green garlic, corn crepe with chanterelles lovage and pecorino and other such items, which you can wash down with an elderflower bitter orange saison. I have no idea what most of these things even are. In Denver, Heretik offers hokkaido uni 'pan con tomate' as well as rotisserie chicken croqeutas with tobiko and perilla. And no beer on the menu. Can you bring your own, like Norm of Cheers fame did at a fancy art gallery opening in an old beer commercial? Let's hope. Milpero, also in Denver, offers an 18-course tasting menu that "stays true to the Mexican tradition," with "deep respect for masa." Eight guests are allowed at a time, the evening lasts 3 hours, and costs $225 per person, with beverage selection ranging from $125 to $500. Leo's, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is a Thai and Malay inspired restaurant and bar with curated spirits and "low intervention" wines. They have items on the menu that I actually recognize, such as fried chicken and pork bellied bar steak, but state that most dishes rely on ingredients such as fish sauce and shrimp paste. Yum! And so, for all of you out there who live in Chicago, Denver, or Santa Fe, you now know where to dine tonight. No thanks necessary!

Today Is The First Day Of Fall

Today is the first day of fall, the Autumnal Equinox, which begins at 6:04 P.M. here in Denver. It has been unseasonably hot here until just recently, and so as you can see from the photograph on the left that I recently took at Washington Park, as of yet there are no signs of fall around Denver. However, all the local weather forecasters are saying that in the mountains, the leaves will be changing much earlier than usual this year due to the severe drought conditions we have been experiencing. And so, to check this out, yesterday afternoon I drove from Denver up to relatively nearby Echo Lake on Mount Blue Sky to see if this was true.

At lower elevations, the leaves were just starting to turn, but when I passed Echo Lake, which sits at an altitude of 10,600 feet (the road to the summit, at an altitude of 14,271 feet, is closed between Labor Day and Memorial Day) the aspens seemed to be close to peak colors, as seen in the photograph on the right. The most popular spot to see the fall colors around here is Guanella Pass, located above Georgetown, Colorado, which rises to an altitude of 11,669 feet. It is so popular that on weekends it is often bumper-to-bumper traffic the entire way, and people who park on the side of the road to take photographs or walk among the aspens are ticketed or towed, which is why I have never taken that drive during "leaf peeping" season.

My favorite spot to view the aspens in the fall is Boreas Pass, located above Breckenridge, Colorado, one of my favorite mountain towns. It is a former wagon road which was later converted to the site of a railroad connecting the towns of Como and Breckenridge. It is now an unpaved road for cars that reaches an altitude of 11,481 feet. The thing I like about this pass is that there are plenty of places to pull to the side of the road and walk around taking photographs, and although there are a fair number of cars on this road, it is not overwhelming. The aspens there are spectacular, with views across the valley to the tall peaks beyond. The photograph on the left, which I also took on Mount Blue Sky yesterday afternoon, reminds me of those views. This year I will not be able to head to Boreas Pass until early next week. Hopefully there will still be leaves on the trees when I get there. And if not, on the bright side, you can always head back to Breckenridge, walk around town, and then have a pint in one of the local bars. A win-win situation.

The 2026 Colorado English Motoring Conclave

My friend Mark is a member of the Rocky Mountain Jaguar Club. And no, he does not own a Jaguar. He just likes the cars, and his favorite event is the annual Colorado English Motoring Conclave, which takes place each year at Oak Park in Arvada, Colorado, just to the northwest of Denver and where enthusiasts display over 500 British cars and motorcycles. My sister Susan and I decided to join Mark at this year's event, which seemed to take many hours to get to, due to Interstate 70, the main route to the park, being closed for repairs. We had to take a roundabout way to get there, but get there we did, and I was very impressed with the festival. Mark introduced us to his fellow Jaguar Club members, some of whom can be seen in the photograph on the left. They were all very friendly, and interesting to talk with, and after a lunch under their tent we walked around looking at the cars.

We started with the Jaguars, two of which can be seen in the photograph on the right. Models ranged from the 1920s through the present. Mark has always wanted to own a Jaguar but has actually been warned off buying one by some of the club members themselves, citing mechanical issues, the difficulty with obtaining parts, and high insurance rates. And, of course, Jaguars in good condition are very expensive. The alternative is buying a car in poor condition and restoring it, which would take a lot of time and experience in restoring old cars. I myself am not much of a car person. I mainly just want a vehicle that can reliably take me from point A to Point B. I do remember once going to the Chicago Automobile Show years ago with my parents and admiring an XKE Jaguar. The sticker on the window said the suggested retail price was $6,000, and we all wondered who could possibly afford to pay that much for a car. Of course, that was MANY years ago.

After the Jaguars, we looked at all the other British cars, including MGs, Austin-Healeys, Triumphs, Bentleys, Aston Martins, Morrises, Rolls Royces, you name it. In my opinion, the best were the older models, such as the one in the photograph on the left. I was amazed at how perfect most of these older models looked. It must take a lot of work to get them into that condition. And a garage to make sure they stay that way. All in all, it was a very enjoyable afternoon, and the weather was perfect for the event - sunny with temperatures in the 70s. And I actually made it back home in less than 3 hours. What could be better than that?

Denver Oktoberfest Is Here!

Yesterday afternoon my sister Susan and I visited Denver Oktoberfest, which takes place on Upper Larimer Street in the Ballpark neighborhood, just a few blocks from Coors Field. This neighborhood is hipster central, and so there is always a huge turnout of 20-somethings for this event, most of them carrying huge steins of beer with them. This festival features stein hoisting, keg bowling, music, and, of course, lots of food and drink. There were two stages, one at the festival's entrance on 20th Street, where a stein hosting contest was going on, and the other at the upper end of the festival at 22nd Street, which was featuring music. Rap music, to be precise. One would expect traditional German music at Oktoberfest, but then again, considering the younger crowd in attendance, I suppose festival organizers felt rap music would be better suited to hipsters than accordion music.

While we were there, a stein hoisting contest was taking place with a group that were all wearing Lederhosen and those funky looking German hats, as seen in the photograph on the right. The MC kept telling everyone that if you dropped your steins, you would have to clean up the mess yourself. I had to wonder if there might have been some ugly stein hoisting incident the previous evening or something. There were a surprising number of people walking around together wearing Lederhosen and Dirndls, and I saw one group dressed like the ones in the photograph trying to get into Scruffy Murphy's Irish Pub with full steins of beer. The bouncer told them the steins had to be empty to enter the bar, and so one of them suggested having a chugging contest at the entrance so they could get in. We didn't wait around to see who the winner was.

And yes, there was indeed a stand selling that hallmark of traditional German cuisine, Das Turkey Legs. I like to joke that all the unsold turkey legs from the previous year are defrosted in the spring and then refroze and defrosted throughout the summer for each festival, ending the cycle during the various Oktoberfests, with the remainder refrozen until next year. Of course, I know they really wouldn't do that, right? Right? In any case, it was fun to walk around, do some peoplewatching, and take in the festival. And for all of you Oktoberfest fans out there, the Denver Oktoberfest continues today through 6:00 P.M. and next Friday through Sunday, too. Be there or be square, as we hipsters say.

Friday Afternoon At Chautauqua

I spent some time up in Boulder yesterday afternoon and made a stop at Chatauqua Park, one of my favorite places in Colorado. It was threatening rain, but that did not seem to stop the intrepid locals from heading up the trail into the Flatirons, as seen in the photograph on the left. I myself would have chosen a sunnier day, but Boulder is known for its hearty outdoor types, who would no doubt shrug off a few raindrops. I hiked those trails many years ago and really enjoyed it. You wind around the back of the sheer face and when you get to the top have a spectacular view of Boulder. Definitely worth the effort.

I passed by the Chautauqua Dining Hall and noticed a fair number of people still having lunch on the outdoor patio, as seen in the photograph on the right. Boulder's Chautauqua was constructed in 1898 with the assistance of Boulder City leaders, the Gulf and Southern Railway, and Texas Regents to create a teacher's school along with a Chautauqua. It consists of a dining hall, an auditorium, and cottages and lodges for students and short-term visitors. All of the original structures are still in use today. I fondly remember having Sunday brunch at the Dining Hall a number of times with my brother-in-law George, sister Susan, and our mother Mary. Having breakfast on that patio with that wonderful view is a great experience.

The General Store in the photograph on the left is a relatively new addition. As for the auditorium, it still hosts many concerts and events. I remember attending a Peter Kater concert there one night with Susan and my mother. The acoustics are truly wonderful. I think my mother used a transit chair to get around at the time, and they put us in the front row, which made for a really wonderful experience. The cottages were originally just for summer residents, but over the years they have been winterized for year-round use and can still be rented by the public. Plus, if you do stay there, it is only a 15-minute walk to Boulder's Pearl Street Mall, filled with restaurants, bars, shops, and performances by various buskers and musicians. I would especially recommend a Friday or Saturday afternoon hiking the Flatirons, and a visit to a very lively Pearl Street Mall in the evening. Tell them I sent you.

The September Mutts Of The Month

I took the photograph above of the September Mutts of the Month at Oktoberfest on South Pearl Street here in Denver this past weekend. I saw them walking up and down the street with their owner several times but was only able to get a shot of both of them as I was leaving the festival. One of them is a service dog. At least it was wearing a service dog vest. I know some people try to sneak their pets into grocery stores or onto airplanes with fake vests, such as the person who tried to take their service kangaroo onto a plane (which sadly didn't work). I think that happened in Australia, where I imagine kangaroo pets are not unusual, but I don't intend to fly 17 hours to Sydney just to find out. In any case, I have no reason to suspect that that particular dog was not a service dog, and both seemed well-trained and friendly. And not a kangaroo in sight.

Big News! In-N-Out Burger Is Coming To South Denver!

I read in the Denver Post several weeks ago that In-N-Out Burger is planning to put 2 new locations in Denver - one near Denver International Airport, located not too far from the Kansas State Line, and the other at 1470 South Colorado Boulevard, just a mile or so away from my condo across the street from the University of Denver. That is big news. I have tried In-N-Out Burger only once, when I spent a long weekend in San Francisco right before the DU Bookstore, where I worked as Finance Manager, was outsourced to Follett Higher Education Group (and don't get me started on this). In any case, I was walking around Fisherman's Wharf, about to walk to the Golden Gate Bridge, and noticed an In-N-Out Burger. I had heard about them mainly through Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch novels. Sometimes, when on stakeout, Connelly's fictional LA police detective would stop first at an In-N-Out Burger to fortify him for the long night ahead. And so, I stopped there for lunch, and the burger was great. In-N-Out expanded to Colorado in 2020, and now has 15 locations in the state, although none anywhere near South Denver. The hamburgers might be great, but I have never wanted to make a long drive just to eat at a fast-food restaurant. But now they are coming to the neighborhood! They are only at the permitting stage right now, but plan to put their new Colorado Boulevard In-N-Out Burger on the site of a former Arby's and Black-Eyed Pea, seen in the photograph above. And I can't wait to try their "double double." Which will probably be in 2028 or so, but what the hell. I've waited this long, after all.

Talking Baseball With Stuart At The Old Chicago In Lakewood...

I got together for lunch yesterday afternoon with my friend Stuart, seen in the photograph above, at the Old Chicago Pizza and Taproom in Lakewood, Colorado, a rather ugly suburb just to the west of Denver. And after discussing a number of topics, the conversation turned to baseball. My South Side heroes, the Chicago White Sox, have not been having a good September, and are 3 and 7 over their last 10 games. They have been in first place in the American League Central Division all year, but as of today are only 1/2 game in front of the Cleveland Guardians. With a mere 12 days left in the season, Stuart and I agreed that they have to turn things around quickly or their playoffs dreams will go up in smoke. But I did have to mention that no matter what happens, the White Sox have had a great year with many promising rookies on the roster, and their future looks bright. As for their North Side rivals, the Chicago Cubs, which is Stuart's team, they still have a good chance of making the playoffs, although how far they go in the post-season is a big question mark. I know Stuart isn't putting down any big bets on them winning it all. Over the past 9 seasons, the Cubs have made the playoffs 4 times, winning a total of 2 series. As for our adopted hometown team, the Colorado Rockies, they have gone 2 and 8 over their past 10 games, and their single goal this season was not to lose 100 games for the 4th time in a row. They currently have a record of 56 and 95, with 11 more games to play. So much for that goal. And as for my South Side heroes, the White Sox, miracles do happen, right? Perhaps someone should e-mail Pope Leo to ask for a little help.

The Fall Quarter Has Begun At The University Of Denver

Classes at the University of Denver began last Tuesday, the day after Labor Day. Last year, I stopped by the DU Bookstore - where I worked for almost 30 years - on the first day of classes to see what it was like these days and was shocked to find only 2 employees at the cash registers and maybe 3 customers on the sales floor. Back in 2012, the last time I ever worked the first day of fall classes, the bookstore was jampacked with students. We had 8 cash registers going the entire day, and lines went halfway to the back wall. I took the photograph on the left yesterday morning, the second week of school, and the scene was more or less the same as last year. And how did this business change so much in 15 years? As far as I can tell, most students now get their textbooks via what is called a "course-by-course" access program, where the bookstore, campus, and publishers sign an agreement to provide textbooks on or before the first day of classes, and the materials are delivered digitally via a "campus learning management system." No need for bookstores to hire extra help to receive physical textbooks or temporary cashiers to ring up all those sales. And so, yesterday there were just two employees to ring up a handful of sales. An entire industry turned upside down, just like daily newspapers, network television, monthly or weekly magazines, and countless others, thanks to this new digital age.

Except for the new student center that replaced the old one on the north side of the Driscoll Center, the new freshman dorm (which the university insists on calling student housing), and a new science building on the south side of campus, everything looks pretty much the same at DU, as does the walk from the Driscoll Center back to my condo. And as usual, I passed by students heading to lunch or their next class, as seen in the photograph on the right. Of course, there are far fewer of them these days, thanks to the shrinking pool of college age students, fewer high school graduates moving on to college, and smaller numbers of international students, thanks to Trump administration policies. DU's administration, which had to deal with a $30 million budget shortfall last fiscal year, has combined divisions and departments and laid off faculty and staff to deal with this new reality. Time will tell if it is enough. Hopefully it is. After all, I live across the street from DU. God knows what would replace it if it went away. A maximum-security prison, an AI data center, the new home of a strange and mysterious religious cult? It just boggles the mind.

Oktoberfest On South Pearl Street

Oktoberfest celebrations began this past Saturday here in Denver, including both the Highlands Oktoberfest and Oktoberfest on South Pearl Street in the Platt Park neighborhood. I attended both festivals last September but only had time to attend one this year. The Highlands Oktoberfest takes place over a 4 or 5-block section of West 32nd Avenue in that popular neighborhood, and is always fun, while Oktoberfest on South Pearl is on a single block, but well attended and very lively. Since South Pearl Street is only a mile or so away from my condo across the street from the University of Denver, I decided to head there, and really enjoyed it. I noticed last year that many of the people attending were wearing traditional costumes, and it was the same this year, too, as seen in the photograph on the left.

Oktoberfest on South Pearl is sponsored by Platt Park Brewing, which is located on that block, and there were over 10 local craft breweries represented there this year. Not surprisingly, that was where the majority of visitors were hanging out. There was also live music, stein hoisting contests throughout the day, brat eating contests, not to mention costume contests, too, which probably explains so many people wearing lederhosen and dirndls. I took the photograph on the right of the men's brat eating contest (there was a women's contest right afterwards). There was quite a crowd surrounding the event, and so I wound up having to stand in the back, hold the camera up high, and hope for the best. Which turned out to work just fine.

My only complaint was that the music, at least when I was there, was all rock and roll, instead of more traditional German melodies. This is also true of the Oktoberfest on Larimer Street in Denver's Ballpark neighborhood, which will take place the next two weekends. The only Oktoberfest that seems to have exclusively traditional German music is Breckenridge Oktoberfest, which takes place this year September 25th through 27th. However, I was happy to see that Oktoberfest on South Pearl did host some traditional German dancing, which was very nice, even if the music they danced to was recorded and not live. All in all, a fun event to attend. With more to come in the next few weeks.

Back In Denver With Mark And The Colorado Spurs

Yesterday morning I went with my friend Mark, seen in the photograph above, to Esters Pub, located in the Virginia Village neighborhood of Denver, to join the Colorado Spurs in watching Tottenham play Everton in an English Premier League Soccer match. As usual, that Tottenham Hotspur supporters group was very enthusiastic, despite Tottenham currently being in 17th place in the standings. The two teams seemed equally matched, and the game ended in a 0-0 tie. This is the first time I have watched a Tottenham match since last year, when they finished one game away from being relegated to the English Championship League, which would be the equivalent of a major league baseball team being demoted to the AAA division. In other words, not a good thing at all. Tottenham has yet to score a goal during their first four games, but I'm sure they will get one by the time the season ends next May, especially since the team spent 380 million pounds during the off-season to beef up the team. But no matter - it is early in the season. There are still 34 games to go. And on the bright side, if you bet big on Tottenham to win it all and they actually do, you could make a fortune.

The Flight Home

My sister Susan and I flew back to Denver from Stuart, Florida this past Thursday, a fun-filled eight hour and five-minute experience, not counting the drive to President Donald J. Trump International Airport (I still can't believe they did that) and the rather pricey Uber ride from Denver International Airport back to my condo across the street from the University of Denver. The problem, of course, is that there are no direct flights between Denver and West Palm Beach during the summer, and so you have to change planes, either with a long layover or a very short one, desperately trying to get to the opposite end of the airport to make your connection. Frankly, I prefer driving, even if it does take 3 full days to get from Denver to Stuart. Much less pain and stress, and a lot of interesting places to visit along the way, with brewpubs now in almost every town. Perhaps just that happy fact is worth putting 4,000 miles on your car each round trip. It's all how you look at things, right?

A Final Visit To Stuart Beach Before Heading Back To Denver

It has been pretty damn hot and humid here in Stuart this summer, but then again, this is Florida, so what do you expect? The good thing about summer down here is that you do not have to fight the crowds to get a table at a restaurant, or, when visiting places like Palm Beach, having to wait in long lines to cross the drawbridge over Lake Worth in order to get back to reality. But best of all, when you are at Stuart Beach, as seen in the photograph above, or even along the St. Lucie River on the patio at Sailor's Return, you get a breeze off the water that makes August very tolerable. And definitely laid back. Sadly, since the tourists and the snowbirds are afraid to come down to South Florida this time of year, fearing they might melt, there are no festivals or events taking place. There used to be Dancing in the Streets every August here in Stuart, but that is long gone, and don't get me started about that 30-year tradition being killed off back in 2017. But no matter - things will start happening again down here around the end of October, including the 2026 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, the largest in-water boat show in the world. I definitely plan to attend that event and finally pick out my "forever" Superyacht. Can't wait. I am sure I can arrange an affordable payment plan. They are probably desperate for sales.