Soon after she moved to West Washington Park, Gillis described her neighborhood bar, the Candle Light Tavern, "a.k.a the man-delight," on her myspace page. "The ratio is absurd," she wrote. "Oh. Wait. That's all of Denver. MENVER. If you are a guy I feel bad, just don't leave."
A night out with Rachel and her friends at Govnr's Park offers a fast look at life in Menver. As soon as Silly Gilly and her roommate, Annie, walk in, they spot two former suitors. Annie wasn't that into her old beau, who broke up with her via a text message: "Let's just be friends." Rachel's erstwhile love connection asked for another girl's number right in front of her. Within minutes, another guy walks in who won't stop calling Rachel even though she's already let him down. But these women don't mind sifting through the masses. There's just something about a long-haired, unshaven "Colorado mountain man" they can't resist. And besides, in Menver, there are always more men.
Dozens of myspace profiles and blogs — written by grateful women and frustrated men alike — will attest to that.
But after GQ dropped a reference to "Menver" last month, Off Limits finally decided to investigate whether the numbers actually support the nickname. And judging from U.S. Census projections for 2006, they don't. This year, in the 20-to-39-year-old age group, the ratio is 53 percent male, 47 percent female in Denver County. Throw in the other six counties in the metro area, and the sexes are even more equal: about 52 percent male, 48 percent female.
That's not a huge gender gap, but try telling bartenders around town that the Menver name doesn't hold up. "It can be a bit of a sausagefest," says Keli Hanley, a bartender at Govnr's Park. "If you're picking up guys, it's great." And it's not bad for the female-dominated staff, either.
At the Celtic Tavern and the Sports Column in LoDo, there are always more men than women. Ditto at the Atomic Cowboy on East Colfax, where a beautiful brunette bartender smiles when asked if she's ever heard the Menver nickname. "I think you'll find that all over," she says. "It seems like the population of Denver is more men."
Across the street at the Goosetown Tavern, a regular is sipping a pint and smoking a Camel as he laments the fact that there are so few women in the bar, when the male/female ratio is much more even next door at Mezcal. "I keep saying I'm going to go over there because it's where all the women are," he says, "but they treat me so much better here."
Hey, bucko, are you a man or a mouse?
