I'm in Denver for the American Institute of Architecture Students' annual FORUM Conference.  We're here for 4 days, and after day 1 I'm blown away.  To say that this city is thriving would be a massive understatement.

 

 

DENVER TOUR MAP:

    Part 1 Morning in LoDo and Downtown http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,18083.0.html

    Part 2 Boulder (Mountains and downtown) http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,18084.new.html

    Part 3 Residential Boulder http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,18085.new.html

    Part 4 Dusk in the Highlands and Downtown http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,18093.new.html

    Part 5 The Financial District and Condo Hell http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,18094.0.html

    Part 6 Cherry Creek Shopping District http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,18117.new.html

    Part 7 Residential Denver http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,18118.new.html

    Part 8 City Park http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,18119.new.html

    Part 9 University of Colorado at Denver http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,18120.new.html

   

DAY 1: MORNING

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This should be on EVERY  bus shelter in America:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out Part 2.  I go to Boulder to see mountains and Pearl Street Shops:

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,18084.new.html

 

 

Personally, I don't think Denver is all that.  But to each his/her own.

I really like Denver. I remember driving up there when my father and I lived in Colorado Springs! It always looked nice, even back then!

The best thing ever about Denver!    :evil:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJFtjb4cGLE

 

Hehe, you called Denver a "city."  That's cute.  Really.

 

Nice shots of my mom's hometown.  She used to work in this building (the curvy silver box):

 

I think it looks nice and fresh.

I'm very impressed with their mass transportation system, especially with the street cars.  I mean no city in Ohio (currently and I say currently because Cincy should have some soon) has street cars.

 

I noticed that one of the stations is underground; is that apart of a light rail system?

Battery Park I seee yooouuu

 

 

 

 

Denver looks cool. I wouldn't mind living there for a few years. I knew a girl who went to school in Boulder - she said there was a lot of street performers.

I'm very impressed with their mass transportation system, especially with the street cars. I mean no city in Ohio (currently and I say currently because Cincy should have some soon) has street cars.

 

I noticed that one of the stations is underground; is that apart of a light rail system?

 

No, the "streetcars" are actually light rail trains that run on the street in downtown.  The underground station is one of two (they're currently building a third) that the busses use as a hub.  They all drive underground before the station and then there is a waiting area with gates and scheduled departure times underground.  It's a really nice system.

 

And to David, there are a TON of street performers.  They also have a lot of those pedal cab things that you see in Asia. 

Personally, I don't think Denver is all that.  But to each his/her own.

 

Agreed.. it's a big fish in the small pond part of the country.

Personally, I don't think Denver is all that.  But to each his/her own.

 

Agreed.. it's a big fish in the small pond part of the country.

 

That's a good assessment.

Hateful bastards!!

Hateful bastards!!

 

That's just my experience.  Denver=What'ev!  :roll:

Hateful bastards!!

 

That's just my experience. Denver=What'ev! :roll:

 

In other words too many white people for your taste. Racist

Hateful bastards!!

 

That's just my experience.  Denver=What'ev!  :roll:

 

In other words too many white people for your taste. Racist

 

The place is a lil to mayonnaise-y for my taste!  Nothing racist about saying a place is not very ethnically diverse.

 

ProkNo5.

 

See if you can get to Casa Bonita, don't eat the food, just go for the indoor "entertainment".  Your young you might like it.

Yeah, I was told to go there, but then I found out that it was in the burbs.  I'm staying in the city for this trip (minus the excursion to Boulder.) 

 

I've decided to hold off until I get home to post the rest of the pictures because I want to give you the full spectrum of what I'm finding in this city.  I really don't understand the animosity toward Denver on this forum.  I walked all over the city proper (13 miles total over three days) and have found nothing but a thriving metropolis.  The houses are beautifully ornate here, the parks are well placed, the monuments are tastefully designed, the public art is innumerable, the street life is amazing, the restaurants are varied from sleek and elegant to wild and crazy, the corporate world and the boutique world both have a stronghold, the shopping within city limits would blow every city I've been to (except Chicago and NY) out of the water, and the people are active, lively, engaging, and I have yet to see one overweight person. 

 

I've heard from many locals that a lot has changed in the last 8 years since their mayor took office, so maybe it WAS a boring place, but what it's become is nothing short of amazing.

I like it!

^I have nothing against Denver. I have plenty of envy (not green yet) for cities like these. They already have alternate modes of transportation in place including modification of roads for cyclists (even though bike-lanes are not good, they have something). Along with these improvements they have seen (duh) development that fits in with this new infrastructure, just like all the other cities that have done so like Portland, Charlotte, etc, etc.

 

As a Columbusite, it's especially maddening when we're supposed to be the most well-off, progressive city in the state, yet we shot down light-rail (twice), couldn't get a streetcar line up (we have no problem with throwing millions and billions at roads, highways, and bridges) and for bike infrastructure even Evansville, IN is well ahead of us. We should be traffic calming and and converting our wide one-way streets, particularly those with businesses, on a large scale to make up for all that, but we don't even get that. Until more residents speak up like myself (recommended a speed limit reduction for Long St. in King-Lincoln, they approved 30 instead of 25, but it's an improvement) nothing will move forward. I'm glad that people in other cities care enough to make these improvements happen.

 

I especially like the terminated vista with Union Station as the focal point.

^Totally agree. High St. in particular absolutely NEEDS a bike lane right now. Something has to be done. The writing is on the friggin wall. You see people on bikes constantly. It wouldn't even be in promotion of multi-modal transit, it would be catering to what already exists! Despite what they think, business owners wouldn't need street parking because there's already so any people willing to ride bikes to those places.

Speaking of bikes lanes, I know Denver already has a network, but it´s curious that on what look like major streets, there are none. Maybe there´s a focus on routing bikes on shared roads or bike lanes on side streets?

I didn't see any bike lanes, except in Boulder, but there were clear paths that bikes should take.  There's a good picture on a bike route in the City Park thread of the tour.

I like Denver.  Not everywhere has to be New York or Chicago.  And for ethnic diversity, it has plenty.  When is the last time you were there?  It isn't the same as even five years ago.  The wonder bread crowd has moved on...it has become too urban!!! The downtown is vibrant, the populace committed to mass transit, and things seem to get done.  Seems okay to me.

Fixed rail transit has certainly done wonders for that city.

# Denver receives 300 days of sunshine a year

# Denver is the nation's most highly educated city with the highest percentage of high school and college graduates.

# Denver brews more beer than any other American city.

# Denver has the largest city park system in the nation with 205 parks in city limits and 20,000 acres of parks in the nearby mountains.

# Denver is the "Baby Boomer" capital of America with the highest percentage of boomers of any major U.S. city.

# Denver is 20th in the U.S. in population, but has the 10th largest downtown in terms of office space and retail space.

# Denver has the nation's second largest performing arts center. The Denver Performing Arts Complex has eight theaters seating over 9,000 people.

# Denver citizens contribute more public funding for the arts per capita than any other U.S. city.

# Denver has the thinnest residents of any U.S. city, according to a federal study.

# Denver really is a mile high. There's a spot on the west steps of the State Capitol building that is exactly 5,280 feet above sea level.

I lived in Denver for three years and loved it.  The downtown and central city is tough to beat on most comparative bases.  Development of all types has been going gangbusters for 15 years (housing, office, hotel, restaurant/bar, transportation, parks, convention center, sports facilities, etc.) and showed no sign of slowing down until the current economy hit.  The city definitely gets a boost from being the only big city in a large 8 state region and being a state capitol, plus being the gateway to ski country!  That growth has come at a cost though of sprawl, traffic congestion and rising housing costs.