ragerunner

Thanks for the pics and the tour of the Minneapolis. The coaster pic was a nice bonus.

LOL :-D

You have to get a little laugh out of the Wall Street Journal's inability to say the word deflation. "U.S. annual inflation slid deeper into negative territory.." This is the largest deflationary data since the 1940's. I still think that when the economy starts to show real growth again, inflation will go through the roof, quickly. Consumer Prices Show Little Evidence of Inflation Threat By BRIAN BLACKSTONE "WASHINGTON -- U.S. annual inflation slid deeper into negative territory in May as consumer prices posted their largest annual decline in almost 60 years. Still, a slight rise from the prior month and an increase in core prices that exclude food and energy support the growing sentiment at the Federal Reserve that deflation risks have waned. However, there's little evidence that inflation is taking hold, either, a concern that has crept into bond markets in recent weeks. The consumer price index rose 0.1% in May from April, the Labor Department said Wednesday, below economist expectations for a 0.3% increase in a Dow Jones Newswires survey. The core CPI, which excludes food and energy prices, also rose 0.1%, in line with expectations. Unrounded, the CPI rose 0.096% last month. The core CPI advanced 0.145% unrounded. Consumer prices fell 1.3% compared to one year ago, the largest 12-month decline since April 1950. That's way below the 2% annual rate of inflation that most Fed officials think is consistent with their dual mandate of price stability and maximum employment." For the rest of the story. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124524122626523045.html

Great pics. Downtown Minneapolis is truly on of the midwest gems.

I really like this redevelopment/reuse project. Thank you for the pics.

No, Bocaza is about 5 blocks east of that pic on 17th. With that recommendation I will have to stop by and give it a try.

Sorry, no food reviews for this area. But, we did find the best BBQ ribs I have every had at a little restaurant in Estes Park on our way to Rocky Mountain National Park.

The Uptown/17th Street Area is located on the east side of downtown Denver and goes towards the City Park neighborhood. This area has a lot of different architectural styles with a wide range of restaurants, residential units, shopping, and some great outdoor pedestrian space. The City Park neighborhood is located about 2 miles from downtown on the eastern edge of the 17th street area and is home to the Denver Museum of History and Science and the Denver Zoo. City Park neighborhood. Museum of History and Science.

The Arts District on Santa Fe Drive is one of the art focused neighborhoods in the Denver area. The district is located south of Downtown and is home to local establishments. The pics were taken on an early Saturday morning and people were just starting to stir as I was leaving.

Here is a nice chart showing outstanding mortgage debt's percentage of GDP since the early 1900s. Makes your realize why the FEDs are desperately trying to stop the housing bust and get it reversed. http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/7414/mortgagedebtpercentofgdh.jpg

Something tells me not very often. While building may be happening, I do know that both Butler and Warren are seeing some of the lowest building permit activities in years (and they are some of the main homebuilding regions in the metro).

I think its the attention to the pedestrian environment that makes this area work very well. Its a place you want to spend time in.

Many of the underlining economic issues are not improving like many would like you to believe or hope. Coming: A 3rd wave of foreclosures The next group of Americans to lose their homes seemed to have good credit and affordable loans. But those families have been walloped by the recession. There's a simple reason you shouldn't get too excited about the "green shoots" of an economic turnaround. In the housing market, a lot of prime mortgages are becoming subprime as a new wave of foreclosures begins to hit. Mainstream homeowners -- those previously "safe" borrowers with sound credit who have conservative, fixed-rate mortgages -- are getting into trouble at an alarming rate. In the first quarter, the percentage of these borrowers who were behind on their mortgages or in foreclosure had doubled from a year earlier, to nearly 6%. For the first time in the housing crisis, these homeowners accounted for the largest share of new foreclosures. Job losses are a major reason once-safe borrowers are falling into trouble. With unemployment likely to rise, the problem will only get worse. So the core challenge at the heart of our economic crunch -- a poor housing market that infects banks and the whole credit system -- is not going away soon. That's bad news for the stock market and the economy in general. For the rest of the article. http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/CompanyFocus/coming-a-3rd-wave-of-foreclosures.aspx

For the midwest's sake these types of economic events must stop. The region as a whole continues to be home to less and less Fortune 500 companies as well as many other things. It not just the job loss, its the philanthropy, the clout, the image problem its creates and the ability to attract support companies and spin-offs. There are reasons why companies and people are moving to places like Atlanta, Charlotte, Texas, Denver, etc.... in large numbers (you can blow it off but, it doesn't change reality). The midwest as a whole has got to figure this out and adjust (not just hope people will need to move back to have water or other resources - which may or may not happen some day). While many of these places may have sprawl issues (so do most midwest city) they also are densifying quickly and are creating vibrant urban environments that are attracting a large chunk of the country's talent and financial capital.

Haha, ironically I had someone come into my Starbucks in Milwaukee yesterday who was on vacation from Denver. I told her that I'd just gotten back from there and mentioned that I liked Cherry Creek. She then scoffed, told me that she worked at Cucina Colore (pictured below) and then told me that the people there act so rich, but she has another house in South Beach and that her Cherry Creek neighbors have nothing on her. Haha, I could never live in a place like this. Not to be a b!tch, but you must've missed my tour 6 months ago: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,18117.0.html Okay, that was a little b!tchy. Seriously though, I love the way the indoor mall is integrated into the neighborhood. The mall entrances are literally across the street from Cherry Creek North. The parking structure is hidden behind the mall. Thank you for the tour ragerunner, you did a much better job capturing the place than I did. How long are you going to be out there? Did you check out City Park, or The Highlands? I now live in the Denver area. I had an opportunity for a good job promotion and took it. I have been to the Highlands and posted a thread on it a few weeks ago (I really like that area). http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,19122.0.html I have not been to City Park yet, hopefully soon. I really like the Denver area, its has a lot going for it besides just scenery.

Yes the Sears was very well integrated. I thought it was unique to see the auto repair facility located inside the parking garage.

The Cherry Creek urban area is located just southeast of downtown Denver along Cherry Creek and its bike path to downtown. The area is know for its upscale dining, retail, art galleries, residential, and mix of architectural styles. I hope you enjoy the tour. Interesting store. A quick look at some of the single family residential in the CC area. Nice tree lined streets with a lot of architectural styles and pedestrian focused.

A lot of people.

GM Said to Plan June 1 Bankruptcy as Bondholders Back New Offer "May 28 (Bloomberg) -- General Motors Corp., the world’s largest automaker until its 77-year reign ended in 2008, plans to file for bankruptcy protection on June 1 and sell most of its assets to a new company, people familiar with the matter said." http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&refer=top_news&sid=aCdKhRIRlKYE

GM Said to Plan June 1 Bankruptcy as Bondholders Back New Offer "May 28 (Bloomberg) -- General Motors Corp., the world’s largest automaker until its 77-year reign ended in 2008, plans to file for bankruptcy protection on June 1 and sell most of its assets to a new company, people familiar with the matter said." http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&refer=top_news&sid=aCdKhRIRlKYE

Confluence Park area is located on the western edge of downtown Denver were the Cherry Creek and the South Platte River meet. It has a great mix of residential, commercial, outdoor space, and attractions all in a very pedestrian environment. It is also home to Elitch Gardens amusement park, the only downtown theme park in the US. The Platte River and the Kayak run next to the REI store. The Platte River Trolley runs from the REI Store past the Downtown Aquarium and on to the Childrens Museum. It is operated by the the Denver Rail Heritage Society. Centennial Gardens is located along the Platte River and is operated by the Denver Botanical Society. Elitch Gardens is located next to downtown Denver and is a nice midsized theme park and water park (Island Kingdom). The park has its own light rail station located near its main entrance. Island Kingdom water park located at Elitch Gardens.

Of course China and other are distrubed, they see their dollar holdings potentially becoming worth toliet paper. I find it difficult to believe we are nearing the end of the recession (as the media, FEDs, etc... are starting to claim). I think we will see a significant chance of another leg down later this year. I also still believe that we also have a chance to see a world IMF dollar in the next few years. Hopefully not, but we have a lot of 'unpaid bills'. China warns Federal Reserve over 'printing money' China has warned a top member of the US Federal Reserve that it is increasingly disturbed by the Fed's direct purchase of US Treasury bonds. By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard Last Updated: 1:52PM BST 27 May 2009 Richard Fisher, president of the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank, said: "Senior officials of the Chinese government grilled me about whether or not we are going to monetise the actions of our legislature." "I must have been asked about that a hundred times in China. I was asked at every single meeting about our purchases of Treasuries. That seemed to be the principal preoccupation of those that were invested with their surpluses mostly in the United States," he told the Wall Street Journal. US bonds sale faces market resistance His recent trip to the Far East appears to have been a stark reminder that Asia's "Confucian" culture of right action does not look kindly on the insouciant policy of printing money by Anglo-Saxons. ... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics/financialcrisis/5379285/China-warns-Federal-Reserve-over-printing-money.html

Not good at all. Here is a quick look at how some of the Ohio markets have done since their peak(s) around 2006 (Average Sale Price). The downward fall is not over. March 2006 March 2009 Cincinnati $175,556 $132,315 Cleveland Area $162,541 $94,255 Columbus $168,757 $138,500 Dayton $127,458 $101,065 http://www.ohiorealtors.org/news/stats/index.aspx

Nothing like the smell of greed and the desire to keep up with the Jones next door. What an absolute mess. All brought to us by the financial industry, RE industry, HGTV and the average American buying into the spin. That's so 2005: What were we thinking? Huge houses, bad mortgages, reality TV, expensive coffee -- in just a few short years, we've left a dicey legacy. By Liz Pulliam Weston MSN Money "When you're living through them, some of the most bizarre fads can seem positively normal. If you have any doubt, check out your parents' high school yearbook photos. (Yes, your dad really did think he was stylin' in that haircut -- and that shirt.) With time comes perspective, but I didn't want to wait 20 or 30 years to determine what the Pet Rocks and Members Only jackets of our age would be. So I asked around, querying readers on the Your Money message board and my followers on Twitter to determine what financial trends will most embarrass us in years to come. The results are my 20 nominations for the "What were we thinking?" award: 1. McMansions 2. Granite countertops 3. Remodeling as an investment 4. House porn 5. Cash-out refinancing 6. Costco closets 7. Zero-down financing 8. Option ARM mortgages 9. Condos as investments 10. Credit card debt 11. Birkin bags 12. "The Secret" 13. Finance plans for plastic surgery 14. Reality TV 15. Mega-SUVs 16. "Underwater" cars 17. $4, four-adjective coffee 18. Massive plasma TVs 19. Deregulation 20. Las Vegas" For the full article. http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/LearnToBudget/thats-so-2005-what-were-we-thinking.aspx?page=all

By the time this is over the US dollar may be used as toilet paper and toilet paper as a tradeable item. I hope not.