Editor's note: this column contains profanity.
I have been keeping an informal survey; one out of 10 new people that I have met in the last month are Colorado natives, six out of 10 have lived in the Mile High City for less than two years.
According to the Census Bureau, Denver ranks 11th on the list of cities in the country with the greatest addition of residents. The state of Colorado is the second fastest growing state in the U.S., driven in large part by growth in the Denver metro area.
In the past, my old curmudgeonly self would have been pissy about all of these greenhorns crowding into our glorious former Cow Town, but I have turned over a new leaf (aka, a New Year’s resolution) to be a cheery cheerleader for our booming metropolis.
Oops, my negativity is rearing its ugly head. Let me get back to welcoming all of our new friends. Jump in, the water is warm and our pot/ganja/weed/reefer is legal. If you hurry, you can help ink!Coffee happily gentrify a few more neighborhoods.
So, like our new $11.5 million dollar welcome sign at the airport, I say WELCOME (the more the merrier) and HOWDY! Have you seen our new sign? The one that looks like a disco-lighted snow fence with enormous and dynamic LED screens that greets our visitors and acts as a high tech advertising billboard. At nighttime, it is really something. It is almost as special as the red-eyed stallion.
For those who haven’t read my column before, yes, that was a satirical and wise-ass comment about both the hideous horse sculpture and the just-as-silly sign—$11.5 million dollars, are you kidding me? Rest assured, the airport people tell us that tax dollars were not used to build the sign and that the ad revenue on the sign will eventually pay for its construction. Yeah, probably in about 37 years and by then it will have to be replaced. A new school could be built for 11.5 million. A couple homeless shelters with food pantries could easily be built for that kind of coin. WTF…
Oops, my negativity is rearing its ugly head. Let me get back to welcoming all of our new friends. Jump in, the water is warm and our pot/ganja/weed/reefer is legal. If you hurry, you can help ink!Coffee happily gentrify a few more neighborhoods. I have lived on Capitol Hill for 34 years, so let me give you newbies a few tips:
For late night dining, Pete’s Kitchen on Colfax is famous and yummy, but my pick is Tom’s Diner, just a few blocks west of Pete’s on the FAX (what old-timers/locals call Colfax Avenue). It is open all night long and this greasy spoon knows how to prepare food that sticks to your ribs and the waitresses are friendly and helpful. Gyroz drive-thru at Colfax and Emerson is my new favorite late-night stop for a cheap, delicious Greek sandwich.
Speaking of my favorite street on Capitol Hill, you can’t go wrong with the number one combo at the Bourbon Grill—for $11.10 you get the addictive bourbon chicken on a pile of rice, plus two sides and a small drink—and the eggrolls rock! Check out their new digs at the corner of Colfax and Pearl, which is a huge upgrade from the hole in the wall they use to be in at Colfax and Franklin.
Go a little east on the FAX to get the Sugar Steak at Bastien’s. This former 1950’s root beer stand is a throwback that is a priceless landmark.
There is a lot more to the Hill than just food though. Get your booze at Joy Liquors (previously Joy Pharmacy) at 6th and Marion. Across the street is Buzz Cafe, a low-maintenance and likable coffee shop that is not pretentious at all (unlike a few other shops in the 'hood.) Also, Trout’s Fly Shop is on the other corner and is a great place to talk about fish. Just a block away is the Esquire—my all-time favorite movie theater.
In creating this list, I can’t help but think of all of the swell places that the new people to town have missed because they have disappeared in recent years. Here are just a couple:
The day Smiley’s Laundromat closed, I shed a tear. It needed to go to make room for more condos.
The World’s Most Expensive Dog Park was wiped out to build the Carla Madison Recreation Center on the corner of Colfax and Josephine. My dogs shed a tear when the bulldozers plowed up their favorite place.
Once again, WELCOME to all of my new friends, I am so glad to meet you.
