There are many good reasons why Colfax Avenue is the most famous street in Denver, and none of them has anything to do with Schuyler Colfax, the disgraced vice president of Ulysses S. Grant. Colfax is defined by its people, a mix of working stiffs, high-schoolers, day laborers, concert-goers, bus drivers, moms and kids, construction workers, grannies, bicycle enthusiasts and the occasional — but very Colfax-centric — shiftless, shirtless creep. Sure, most of these people could be found on any street in any city, but there's something about Colfax that makes basic interactions between these humans binge-watchable. No matter what office window you're peering from, what restaurant you're dining in, what corner you're standing on or what bus stop you're impatiently waiting at, the city's most notorious strip is a like a live, 24-hour news network. People meet, fights break out, drugs are dealt, road races are routed, spare change is panhandled, ladies are hassled and strangers help each other. As Denver grows, Colfax might be inching toward a "cleaner" facade, but its diverse, human element will forever be a reminder that the "longest, wickedest street in America" cannot — and will not — be tamed.
Readers' Choice: 16th Street Mall
The City Park and Capitol Hill neighborhoods have long been in need of an affordable indoor fitness facility, and the Carla Madison Rec Center certainly delivers. The state-of-the-art gym, which opened earlier this year, has it all: a fully stacked weight room, cardio equipment as far as the eye can see, a gym space that can accommodate volleyball and basketball games, lap lanes for hard-core swimmers, and even a lazy river for those looking to do no exercise at all. The center takes full advantage of our wonderful weather, too, with an exterior rock wall, floor-to-ceiling windows, a rentable rooftop deck with kitchen facilities, and a plaza on the ground floor complete with a bouldering rock (it's Colorado, after all). With affordable rates for adults and free entry for kids with the My Denver Card and seniors with the My Denver PRIME Card, there's no better deal in this fitness-obsessed city.
Chef/restaurateur Lon Symensma picked the right person to oversee Cho77 when he opened this mailbox-sized Asian eatery on South Broadway three years ago. Right-hand man Ryan Gorby keeps turning out winners, whether they're dead-on renditions of such classic street food as chicken coconut curry styled after northern Thai khow soi (served in a metal lunchbox), tempting fusion snacks like bacon-cheeseburger shu mai, or one of his house inventions, such as wok-seared duck leg with fragrant jasmine rice. A seat at the bar gives you a view of the kitchen, where the flames roar beneath hot woks, dumplings steam in bamboo baskets, and knives gleam and flash in the dim light. You may be on trendy Broadway surrounded by bars, bistros and bands, but this is as close to a Southeast Asian night market as you'll get without leaving Denver.
Readers' Choice: Gozo
What you collect is your own damn business, and if you favor taxidermied snakes in jars, human skeletons, tarantula specimens, tooth pendants and stuffed bats, welcome to the Room of Lost Things, a popular First Friday stop in the Art District on Santa Fe. Not everything in the room was once alive, though, so if your taste runs instead toward creepy doll-head night-lights and planters, vintage cigarette boxes or skeleton keys, you're covered, too. Don't forget your barf bag, if you're one of those people.
Sweet! Every half-hour, free tours travel through the Hammond's factory in north Denver, where you can learn interesting tips about the homegrown company and a century in the candy business while seeing your favorite confection get pulled, twisted, shaped and packaged by hand — just as they have been since 1920. Of course, back then you didn't watch the process on large video screens installed throughout the factory, but technology has improved not only the viewing, but the hygiene, as well. Although the tour ends with a treat fresh from the factory, you'll want to save time for a visit to the Hammond's store, with its huge selection of signature candy canes and lollipops, an old-fashioned chocolate counter, and the Oops! Room, filled with discounted, if slightly distorted, candy at bargain prices.
Readers' Choice: Coors Brewery
Sometimes it's all about the basics, and that's what the Twentieth Street Recreation Center does best. There's a lap pool, a basketball court with a manually rotating scoreboard, a weight room with just the necessities, and a nice set of ellipticals, treadmills and stair climbers that face soaring windows looking onto 20th Street. The center offers spin classes, pickleball, pottery studio sessions and aqua aerobics, but Twentieth Street's crowning achievement is its seventy-year-plus boxing program, which serves kids and adults of all skill levels. Built in 1908, the center retains a well-worn charm, from the beautiful banisters on its grand staircase to the tile floors, and natural sunlight pours into the historic structure. The gym's real secret? A knowledgeable, caring staff that greets you by name from behind a massive wooden desk. Old-school customer service from a truly old-school establishment.
Since 1992, Orrs' has been trafficking in seed beads, deer hides, porcupine quills and other craft items unique to Native American arts on Broadway, with an ever-changing audience that now includes groups as diverse as the re-enactor community and those newfangled bead artists caught up in the DIY crafting revolution. But if you're seeking a classic buffalo skull that looks like you just picked it up along the roadside in Wyoming, consider yourself part of the clientele at Orrs', where you'll often find staff decorating the window. Inquire within.