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.