"Water World," Westword staff, May 10
Kudos to the Westword staff for some excellent writing on one of city's overlooked assets. As a regular user of the Platte bike trail, I'm excited about the prospect of what these improvements will offer.
Max Planck
Denver
Great article! I've been observing unsanctioned use of the Lakewood Gulch area for several years. It's interesting to see the Platte River Greenway renewal's effect on the homeless (and day-drinker) population. There are already new unsanctioned paths being trampled to and from clandestine camping spots in the area — taking advantage of the new light-rail tracks segmenting off one side of the creek into barely accessible enclaves. It has, however, shifted a lot of homeless people away. Not so much up by the Taxi building; on a recent bike ride up there, I saw easily forty to fifty homeless people and several quasi-permanent camp spots. The ban on urban camping initiative will undoubtedly bring more people into the corridor, hiding out from sweeps in the 16th Street Mall and Civic Center Park areas.
Peter Miles Bergman
Denver
"High Hopes," Laura Shunk, May 10
This review is spot-on and almost mirrors my two experiences at Ignite! The first was awful, due mostly to the subpar cocktails fed to us by the overanxious wannabe mixologist. The first was an unappetizing "dirty" martini that included what looked to be a large olive but was in fact a caper berry. After we expressed our displeasure, we were urged to try one of the beer-bomb cocktails and were assured they were "big" in Vegas right now. I'm sorry — I don't care how popular you claim a liquor is in Vegas, I certainly don't want it to be mixed with a Coors Light and considered chic.
I had hoped for this to be a great spot, but it's just not that great.
Brian Zygmun
Denver
I could not agree more. My partner lives in the neighborhood, and we have tried many times to like Ignite! Each time it was between okay and horrible, never better than okay.
If you're there to spend time outside, don't bother ordering food. If you absolutely must eat, the wings and mussels are the only food we have found to be at least okay. The wings are woefully sweet but at least tolerable. Same with the mussels. If you're there to drink, order the cheapest thing on the menu. If you order anything else, you'll wish you hadn't wasted your money.
Overall, Ignite! tries very hard and falls woefully short. The menu is enticing enough to bring new people in the door, but the execution has fallen short every time. Go to Biker Jim's, Trillium or Marco's for your food fix. If you have to be outside, stand on the street corner warning everyone not to go to Ignite!
Heather Strack
Denver
