Best Description of Denver by a National Writer -- Historic 2004 | John Gunther, Inside U.S.A. | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
Navigation
Support Us
Search

Best Description of Denver by a National Writer -- Historic

John Gunther, Inside U.S.A.

John Gunther traveled across the country after World War II, compiling reports that resulted in the classic Inside U.S.A. His dispatch from Denver included this: "I don't know any other American city quite so fascinatingly strange. Not merely because yellow cabs are painted green or because the fourteenth step on the state capitol bears the proud plaque ŒONE MILE ABOVE SEA LEVEL' or even because it has luxuriant shade trees (every single one of which had to be imported) . . . The remarkable thing about Denver is its ineffable closedness; when it moves, or opens up, it is like a Chippendale molting its veneer. This is not to say that Denver is reactionary. No -- because reaction suggests motion, whereas Denver is immobile. We will in the course of this book come on other cities, like Tulsa, that really are reactionary; but Denver is Olympian, impassive, and inert. It is probably the most self-sufficient, self-contained and complacent city in the world."

Best Way to Learn Something on Your Lunch Hour

Denver Press Club

Denver's venerable press club is one of the oldest in the country -- but its "Lunch on Deadline" series is right up to the minute. The Denver Press Club regularly hosts noon confabs that feature visiting authors and other newsmakers as the main course -- everyone from syndicated columnist Ellen Goodman to Frontier Airlines CEO Jeff Potter (a sellout). The luncheons are open to the public, and the club's beautifully renovated space provides a far more intimate setting than the auditoriums and ballrooms in which you usually find such high-caliber speakers. (In fact, there's so much food for thought in these lunchtime presentations that many are later shown on Denver's Channel 8.) And you won't be eating any rubber chicken at the club, either: Under Daniel Young, the kitchen's really cooking. The bar's open, too, but you'd be wise to avoid it if you need to return to the office.

Best Way to Learn Something on Your Lunch Hour

Denver Press Club

Denver's venerable press club is one of the oldest in the country -- but its "Lunch on Deadline" series is right up to the minute. The Denver Press Club regularly hosts noon confabs that feature visiting authors and other newsmakers as the main course -- everyone from syndicated columnist Ellen Goodman to Frontier Airlines CEO Jeff Potter (a sellout). The luncheons are open to the public, and the club's beautifully renovated space provides a far more intimate setting than the auditoriums and ballrooms in which you usually find such high-caliber speakers. (In fact, there's so much food for thought in these lunchtime presentations that many are later shown on Denver's Channel 8.) And you won't be eating any rubber chicken at the club, either: Under Daniel Young, the kitchen's really cooking. The bar's open, too, but you'd be wise to avoid it if you need to return to the office.

Best Bum

Smoky

Armed with a guitar, a sign and a smile wider than the Platte River, Smoky's been in the game long enough to claim a coveted corner as his own. Camped out at the busy intersection of Speer Boulevard and West Colfax Avenue, he treats drivers to daily shows, singing, ripping jokes and telling it like it is. No rat-race-humpin' day job is going to cut it for this bluesman of the boulevard, so he needs some money -- bad. But unlike many of his panhandling peers, whose art is often limited to carefully crafted cardboard signs, Smoky's giving something to the people in exchange for a little coin. Isn't that what the free market's all about? C'mon, brother, you can spare a dime.

Best Bum

Smoky

Armed with a guitar, a sign and a smile wider than the Platte River, Smoky's been in the game long enough to claim a coveted corner as his own. Camped out at the busy intersection of Speer Boulevard and West Colfax Avenue, he treats drivers to daily shows, singing, ripping jokes and telling it like it is. No rat-race-humpin' day job is going to cut it for this bluesman of the boulevard, so he needs some money -- bad. But unlike many of his panhandling peers, whose art is often limited to carefully crafted cardboard signs, Smoky's giving something to the people in exchange for a little coin. Isn't that what the free market's all about? C'mon, brother, you can spare a dime.

Best Sidewalk Psychic

Ms. Mac

Ms. Mac doesn't need a crystal ball or a smoking urn full of incense to look into your future. All she needs is a table, tarot cards and your open mind. A small, spry medium of the deck, Ms. Mac doesn't waste time with vague predictions, observations or ego strokes. If the cards say you're shacking up with the wrong girl or guy, she's going to tell you to get out quick. If you're wasting your time in a going-nowhere job, heading for trouble or missing an opportunity to make some money, expect an earful. Ms. Mac reads every Saturday afternoon at Herbs & Arts on East Colfax Avenue; Tuesdays, she's up the street at the funky new-age coffee shop Oh My Goddess. See her only if you're ready to face the truth: Oracles don't get much saucier than this.

Best Sidewalk Psychic

Ms. Mac

Ms. Mac doesn't need a crystal ball or a smoking urn full of incense to look into your future. All she needs is a table, tarot cards and your open mind. A small, spry medium of the deck, Ms. Mac doesn't waste time with vague predictions, observations or ego strokes. If the cards say you're shacking up with the wrong girl or guy, she's going to tell you to get out quick. If you're wasting your time in a going-nowhere job, heading for trouble or missing an opportunity to make some money, expect an earful. Ms. Mac reads every Saturday afternoon at Herbs & Arts on East Colfax Avenue; Tuesdays, she's up the street at the funky new-age coffee shop Oh My Goddess. See her only if you're ready to face the truth: Oracles don't get much saucier than this.

Best Development on Colfax

Original Downtown Aurora Arts District

While Denver's just beginning to define its new vision for Colfax Avenue, twenty years ago Aurora officials looked at a crumbling stretch of the street and decided to create the twelve-square-block Original Downtown Aurora Arts District. That stretch, which is already home to the Aurora Fox Arts Center, will soon see the opening of the $10 million Martin Luther King Library and Municipal Services Center. Next up is the Florence Square mixed-use project, which includes not just housing, commercial and retail space, but artist live/work studios and an Artists Walk area. If Aurora builds it, will they come?

Best Development on Colfax

Original Downtown Aurora Arts District

While Denver's just beginning to define its new vision for Colfax Avenue, twenty years ago Aurora officials looked at a crumbling stretch of the street and decided to create the twelve-square-block Original Downtown Aurora Arts District. That stretch, which is already home to the Aurora Fox Arts Center, will soon see the opening of the $10 million Martin Luther King Library and Municipal Services Center. Next up is the Florence Square mixed-use project, which includes not just housing, commercial and retail space, but artist live/work studios and an Artists Walk area. If Aurora builds it, will they come?

Best Architectural Visionary

Cabell Childress

When University of Denver chancellor Daniel Ritchie embarked on a plan to re-create the campus a decade ago, he enlisted the help of distinguished Denver architect Cabell Childress. The DU of today, dotted with many impressive new buildings done by a host of mostly local architects, owes its distinctive character to the overriding vision of Childress, who imagined it all before any of the structures were even

started. Although Mark Rodgers has now taken over as DU's campus architect, Childress is still architect emeritus -- and the campus stands as testament to his good work.

Best Of Denver®

Best Of

Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our terms of use, our cookies policy, and our privacy policy Westword may earn a portion of sales from products & services purchased through links on our site from our affiliate partners. ©2024 Denver Westword, LLC. All rights reserved.
Do Not Sell or Share My Information
Powered By Foundation