Best View of Downtown 2005 | Speer Blvd. at I-25 | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
Navigation
Support Us
Search

Best View of Downtown

Speer Blvd. at I-25

Two massive stone monuments etched with downtown maps stand on either side of Speer Boulevard as it leaves northwest Denver and heads down into the city. But you don't need to study those to know what lies ahead, because you can see everything in the stunning 180-degree view, from Invesco Field at Mile High to the right all the way to Coors Field at the left. With stops for the Platte Valley, Elitch's and Ocean Journey, the Millennium Bridge, the "Travel by Train" sign at Union Station, the converted warehouses, the high-rises behind the converted warehouses, even the top of the Denver City and County Building and the dome of the State Capitol building, the history of the Queen City of the Plains -- both good and bad -- spreads before you. Read it and reap.

Best View of the Mountains

The Rockpile

Ignore that hairy back directly in front of you. Sitting in the Rockpile at Coors Field at dusk, watching the dimming light turn the glass of downtown's skyscrapers into silver and the old brick warehouses to a dusky gold, gazing beyond the Platte Valley to the mountains that gave our baseball team its name, you see why it's a privilege to live in Colorado. And it would be even better if the Rockies won a game.

Best View of the Mountains

The Rockpile

Ignore that hairy back directly in front of you. Sitting in the Rockpile at Coors Field at dusk, watching the dimming light turn the glass of downtown's skyscrapers into silver and the old brick warehouses to a dusky gold, gazing beyond the Platte Valley to the mountains that gave our baseball team its name, you see why it's a privilege to live in Colorado. And it would be even better if the Rockies won a game.

Best Virtual Views of Denver

www.arounddenver.com

Denver is a city with great views -- but the best may be on Denverite Dave Krick's "ultimate virtual reality site," www.arounddenver.com, which offers stunning, panoramic views of assorted spots in the metro area. Seeing is believing.

Best Virtual Views of Denver

www.arounddenver.com

Denver is a city with great views -- but the best may be on Denverite Dave Krick's "ultimate virtual reality site," www.arounddenver.com, which offers stunning, panoramic views of assorted spots in the metro area. Seeing is believing.

Best Proof That Denver Is the Center of the Universe

MapQuest

Sure, you depend on MapQuest to figure out where you're going -- the majority of the country does -- but did you realize that the company that gives us direction is now celebrating its tenth year in business? And in Denver.

Best Proof That Denver Is the Center of the Universe

MapQuest

Sure, you depend on MapQuest to figure out where you're going -- the majority of the country does -- but did you realize that the company that gives us direction is now celebrating its tenth year in business? And in Denver.

Best Illegal Drag-Racing Venue

Broadway Marketplace

Folks in the Kmart that anchors Broadway Marketplace claim that a sheriff patrols this parking lot until the Albertsons closes at midnight, but after that, the bland strip of paved land becomes the envy of Bandimere Speedway. Several nights a month, usually on weekends, Denver's illegal racers congregate here to make use of the tree-median slaloms, ample exits and close access to Alameda, Broadway and I-25. Denver police have winked when speaking to Kmart employees and local residents about a pending sting, but the lot remains open at night for light-rail users. And our speed racers -- engines revving, lights low -- move fast between the different race courses on their circuit, sometimes stopping only to plan the next move and then peel out.

Best Illegal Drag-Racing Venue

Broadway Marketplace

Folks in the Kmart that anchors Broadway Marketplace claim that a sheriff patrols this parking lot until the Albertsons closes at midnight, but after that, the bland strip of paved land becomes the envy of Bandimere Speedway. Several nights a month, usually on weekends, Denver's illegal racers congregate here to make use of the tree-median slaloms, ample exits and close access to Alameda, Broadway and I-25. Denver police have winked when speaking to Kmart employees and local residents about a pending sting, but the lot remains open at night for light-rail users. And our speed racers -- engines revving, lights low -- move fast between the different race courses on their circuit, sometimes stopping only to plan the next move and then peel out.

Best Highway Beautification Project

"Currents and Eddies"

Martha Daniels

The elevated portion of I-70 that cuts across north Denver is an ugly behemoth that scarred the Swansea and Elyria neighborhoods -- which is one reason there's talk of moving the highway out of there. In the meantime, though, as part of a bigger effort to ennoble ignoble spaces along I-70, the Colorado Department of Transportation commissioned artists to do murals. Among them was Martha Daniels, who, in her biggest piece ever, festooned the Washington Street underpass with "Currents and Eddies," a tile mural. Using both ready-made and artist-made tiles, the mural abstractly conveys the nearby Platte River -- and does so beautifully. In this case, at least, CDOT made the best of a bad situation.

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