The common crane species

  Denver's skyline March of 2016

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'
Though the streams are swollen
Keep them crane's a rollin',

Crane-high

Rain and wind and weather
Hell bent for pleather
Wishin' my spleeth was by my side

All the things I'm missin'
Good vittles, love and kissin'
Are waiting at the end of my pride

 

Move 'em on
(Raise em' up!)

Rasie em' up
(Move 'em on!)
Move 'em on
(Head em' up!)

Crane-hide!

 

Cut 'em out
(Move 'em in!)

Move 'em in
(Cut em' out!)
Cut 'em out
Ride 'em in,

Crane-hide!

 

Keep movin', movin', movin'
Though they're disaprovin'
Keep them doggies movin',

Crane-hide

Don't try to understand 'em
Just raise em up and brand 'em
Soon we'll be livin' high and wide

 

Hats off to Colorado Matters. They actually covered something that matters - to me.

 

In Denver’s Building Boom, Is Good Design Losing Out?

By David Hill Mar 21, 2016 

 

Is the construction boom in Denver making the city ugly? Some observers say many of the apartment complexes going up are unattractive and poorly constructed. They help meet the need for more housing, of course, but is Denver failing at design?

• As Colorado Construction Booms, Experts See No Evidence Of A Bubble

In an interview with Colorado Matters last year, longtime developer and preservationist Dana Crawford said: “Growth and change always brings difficulty. I think that … the cost of living has increased, and the thing that I regret that’s coming with it is an enormous amount of growth of building apartments, rental apartments, and I think so many of them are being constructed from plywood. I say we’re just building a plywood city that 15 years from now isn’t going to hold up.”

Listen to the rest of the show here

http://www.cpr.org/news/story/denver-s-building-boom-good-design-losing-out

No evidence of a boom? There's some Orwellian truth speak if I ever heard it.
 

 

 

 

where to go in Denver and feel like you're somewhere else part 2

 All week I have been thinking of things to add to this list. I'm trying to avoid ethnic restaurants because, of course, you feel elsewhere, unless it's Sushi Den, which definitely feels like South Pearl. So help me out people.

 The first addition has to be Sante Fe Avenue

   


Next is Dazzle Jazz














Next would be Wax Trax




 I'm ambivalent about this next place. As I try to recall if I'd ever actually heard of Nathaniel Radcliffe and the Night Sweats before they showed up on TV, Twist-and-Shout was booking them for an in-house performance. Yes, it's an institution that needs to be preserved, the record store, but unlike Wax Trax, Twist-and-Shout tends to take itself too seriously some times. Having said that, I will continue to support independent record stores in Denver: Mutiny, Black and Red, Wax Trax and I'm not sure what else matters'












Tattered Cover - of course - Like being in London

Even though, supposedly, Anonymous dissed them a few days ago for their homeless policy.

http://www.westword.com/news/anonymous-rips-denver-tattered-cover-over-homeless-policies-threatens-doxing-7723871

Denver Oddities: Because you want something to tell people who are thinking of coming here, other than, "there's legal pot".

Do I wish Denver was quirky enough to be cool like Austin or Miami? Yes, yes I do. But alas, Denver may not have enough cultural kitsch to merit it's #7 status on Forbe's list of Americas10 coolest cities, even though Gary Sweeny gave it his best shot with his nostalgic art. I wish I could put things here like Flossy McGrews, but it's gone the way of The Organ Grinder (look it up). So, this entry is an attempt in that direction, even though many of Denver's cool places are becoming a thing of the past. Any additions to the list are welcome.

I think El Mesteno at the airport wins the prize for Denver Kitsch, but next in line, in my humble opinion, is Lakeside Amusement Park. I do love this place and hope it never changes.
 
I just recently learned about this "famous TV person walk of fame" that can be found in front of the Rocky Mountain PBS building on 11th avenue. It has some hand prints and signatures of celebs from the 1950s and '60s such as Bill Bixby and Jackie Coogan.


You can really impress visitors to Denver by getting them high and visiting The Cell- Counter Terrorism Lab on 11th avenue downtown, after you've viewed the TV walk of fame.  This is an especially good time for followers of Alex Jones.
  http://www.thecell.org/ 
 
This guy has been on Federal for 50 years. He was supposed to be the entrance to an amusement park that never got built.
Unfortunately, this amusement park did get built and sets Denver apart as one of the only U.S. cities with a roller coaster at it's center other than Orlando.


You'll notice that Denver is so proud of it's amusement park that if you Google image-search Denver skyline, all the images of it have the park cropped out.



Since 1977, Colorado has been home to one of the largest Mustang salvage yards. Screaming "wow", this graveyard of car bones boasts over 2,000 skeletons of Mustang dating back to 1964 and can be found off of east Colfax in Aurora. I think this needs to be a concert venue Mark McCoin. Oh yeah, you moved to Texas.


I can't mention the other horse that Denver is known for because it arouses a gag response (okay, so I am a snob), but I think it's safe to say that Denver is odd when it comes to mixing art and sport, to which this photo will attest


Denver does have Colfax Ave, which I heard is the longest commercial strip in the country. And it still has some good neon which Colorado Preservation is trying to keep from demolition. This link has a great video about it Colfax Neon. This is a picture of Colfax in the '70s.

This sign enjoys preservation status. They had to change it from Bugs Bunny to Bigs Bunny after being threatened with a lawsuit by Warner Brothers. Yikes.


PS Lounge and the Lions Lair deserve a shout out - both on Colfax - may they live forever.

 


I'm not sure this qualifies as kitsch, but it is a Denver oddity.;The sound walk between 15th and 6th on Curtis (north side). Sounds such as a subway, gurgling water, farm animals, singers, etc will rumble up through about 6 grates. It plays 40 to 100 different sounds per hour. Credit goes to artist Jim Green. Most people walk over it unawares because traffic on Curtis drowns it out.








In my neck of the woods is Rock-a-billies, which oozes '50's period fun, including every rock-a-Billie band on offer.

Denver's Modernism Show is up there with the Denver County Fair in it's attempt to reflect some deep culture in this cowboy town. Plenty of amazing things along with things gaudy and glaring can be found at both events.










El Chapultepec is still holding court to a mix of jazz and blues, but it is quickly getting swallowed up by sports bars.


The Buckhorn Exchange exudes Denver's charisma as does the Buffalo Rose, both institutions that deserve western kitsch status in my opinion.

Handprints and signatures from the 1960s and '70s fill the sidewalk around a former TV station. Look, it's Jackie Coogan (Uncle Fester) from The Addams Family! And Bill Bixby from The Courtship of Eddie's Father! Currently threatened with demolition. - See more at: http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/51230#sthash.kKFy7Bqw.dpuf

Handprints and signatures from the 1960s and '70s fill the sidewalk around a former TV station. Look, it's Jackie Coogan (Uncle Fester) from The Addams Family! And Bill Bixby from The Courtship of Eddie's Father! Currently threatened with demolition. - See more at: http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/51230#sthash.kKFy7Bqw.dpuf

Handprints and signatures from the 1960s and '70s fill the sidewalk around a former TV station. Look, it's Jackie Coogan (Uncle Fester) from The Addams Family! And Bill Bixby from The Courtship of Eddie's Father! Currently threatened with demolition. - See more at: http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/51230#sthash.kKFy7Bqw.dpuf

Where to go in Denver and feel like you're somewhere else.

Honestly people, it's been a challenge trying to find these places in Denver, and when I do they often go away. So far I've seen this happen to Sketch (1st and Broadway), It's neighbor El Diablo, Beauty Bar (13th street), Black Crown (South Broadway under new not-so-good management), Crash 45, The Sidewinder, Ironton, etc etc... I'm starting to think that whenever I utter the words, "I feel like I'm somewhere else than Denver" in any given establishment, I have actually uttered a curse. There are some places that have not fallen victim of said curse, however, and these include the Brothers, Domo, Mercury Cafe, Turnverine, Larimer Lounge, Navajo Street, the High Dive and on the same block, Mutiny book store, Three Kings, and Karma Asian(my frequent stomping grounds).

I wish I could say that young people in Denver are friendly and open to us older inhabitants. With some rare exceptions, I have not found that to be true. When you enter establishments of interest here, many have been saturated with a millennial dust that makes those over 50 invisible. (I hope I was not so disrespectful of my elders at that age, though I probably was.) That doesn't mean I need to be noticed, but it is nice to be served at the bar like a real person or responded to when starting a conversation. So, I have to pinch myself once in awhile when I discover that the bearded-plaid-yoga-pants-brew-pub set are not the only inhabitants of Denver. And if you look hard enough, you will find these "others". I'm really not a snob. Really. But, I do like to find people of my ilk, or close to it, when I go on a foray into my community. I also like to find places that have so much character that they don't seem to fit here. So, for my first entry into this post, I am recommending Sushi-Rama on North Larimer. If you've been to the UK, you have probably stumbled on a Yo Sushi (there's also one in Florida) and stuffed yourself from their rotating sushi offerings. Now you don't have to go that far. Yes, Sushi-Rama has a rotating sushi bar, and yes, there are Asians making the stuff, and the offerings are fresh and some are even delicious. Full disclosure - some are not. Anything with pumpkin tempura is brilliant. Prices range from 3 to 5 dollars a plate.

My second recommendation is Syntax Physic Opera on South Broadway. Even 50 somethings can dance there on soul night and be okay with themselves.






I am not ashamed to admit that I admire Dana Crawford for the service she has done Denver in saving Union Station, and of course creating Larimer Square. I was in a state of shock when I first found out the train station was being turned into a hotel. But now, I love it. If I really want to feel like I'm elsewhere, I go sit inside the Terminal Bar and dream.


This list would not be complete without a shout out to Black and Red; a throwback book, game and vinyl shop right in my backyard that will make you feel like your in the old neighborhoods of Chicago or L.A. Check it out.

I'll stop here and see what others are suggesting so I can check them out before they disappear.

Domo.

I have to face facts. Denver has always been a gold rush city. A get-rich-quick-by-any-means-possible-and-move-on kind of place. This was true for gold diggers, and now it's true for developers. Denver still has the cheapest real estate for scraping, and developers flock here for that reason. Now, granted, it is younger than U.S. cities in the East or even North West, but not so young that it has little or no history. The problem is, whatever history exists here is getting harder and harder to find. I know there are many, like myself, who loath the demolition of Denver that takes place every 10 years or so. Having been here 35 years, I don't recognize the place I moved to anymore. Below is a link to a map of Denver scrapes between 2009 and 2014. As you can see, much of the real estate of 2014 Denver is built on what was a place and is no longer a place.

http://khamm.cartodb.com/viz/b8ef1f86-acb5-11e4-882c-0e0c41326911/public_map

I was offered some hope for Denver when it was explained to me that Mickey Zeppelin was working with the RINO community to support sustainable development that is inclusive of artists, history, and culture. I'm not sure Kyle Zeppelin got that memo. Because just when I was thinking I would look for a place to live near north Larimer, I spotted this in the RiNo archives.

That, my friends, is the Source Hotel going up on Brighton Blvd, dwarfing the Source marketplace. And no surprise, it's butt ugly.

So, before I give up on Denver all together and move on, I'm starting this blog with the hope that people will share pics of what was Denver, before-and-after shots of demolition in your area, places that are worthy of their newness because they offer Denver some character rather than robbing it, and comments on how you are coping with all the change.

Many of you will, like me, pack your bags and leave. In the meantime, lets have some fun celebrating, and grieving for what was, our lost city.