What are the hundred things everyone should do in Colorado before they die? We posed this question to our writers and editors, and over the next few weeks, we'll be rolling out their answers across our blogs.
First up on the Denver Bucket List are Latest Word's 25-16 picks.
Count them down here, and check back on January 16 for the full list -- and in the meantime, post your own suggestions below.
25. Spend 4/20 inhaling at Civic Center Park
There's been plenty of hoopla about Colorado allowing the sale of marijuana to recreational users. But on April 20, buying pot isn't exactly a necessity. Even before the clock strikes 4:20, taking a deep breath is apt to have the same effect as if you had a joint between your lips -- which could happen, too, since there's a lot of sharing going on. It's a unique experience, and an inexpensive one, too. 24. Catch a T-shirt shot by super-mascot Rocky
Year in and year out, teams from around the country try to come up with ways to unseat Rocky, the Nuggets' hyperkinetic mountain lion,from his perch as the greatest mascot in sports. And each year, they fail. Snagging a T-shirt fired or boomeranged into the stands is just one degree of separation from the Nuggets' most valuable player. Continue to keep counting down the Westword 2014 Denver Bucket List. 23. Take a really inappropriate photo with the Big Blue Bear
An ursine icon like no other, the Big Blue Bear (aka Lawrence Argent's "I See What You Mean"), who spends his days and nights endlessly peering into the Denver Convention Center, has been satirized plenty of times -- perhaps most memorably when pranksters left some swirly blue poo beneath him. Coming up with a pic as good as this one won't be easy -- but if it were, this wouldn't be on our list. 22. Attend an Avs game where Patrick Roy loses his shit
When newly minted coach Roy was playing for the Avalanche during the squad's glory years, he had a reputation for feistiness: How many goalies have ever challenged another net-minder to a fight? And his screaming, bug-eyed, glass-wall-shoving display at a game earlier this season was astonishing to behold. Wouldn't you love to see him take things even further? And he could do it anytime. Continue to keep counting down the Westword 2014 Denver Bucket List. 21. Ride the halls of the Stanley Hotel on a Big Wheel
Those Steadicam scenes from The Shining during which Danny pedals madly from corridor to corridor may not have been filmed at the Stanley, the pride of Estes Park. But the striking edifice inspired the Overlook Hotel in author Stephen King's book. Imagine how much fun it would be to bring film and novel together from the seat of a badass three-wheeler. 20. Buy something at Annie's, the planet's first licensed marijuana store
Given all the attention paid to cannabis in Denver and Boulder, few would have bet that the first store to secure a local license would be in Central City. Then again, the historic community, which has reinvented itself plenty of times during its lifespan, has a reputation for long shots and beating the odds. And now, it's also known for Annie's, the little pot shop that could. Continue to keep counting down the Westword 2014 Denver Bucket List. 19. Have the best costume during a Denver Cruisers ride
Wednesday nights have become bike night in the Mile High City thanks to the Denver Cruisers, whose rides are the stuff of modern legend. And since each week has a different theme -- last year alone, they ranged from Woodstock to Redneck Yacht Club -- you've got a chance to outdo every other reveler on two wheels every seven days. 18. Thrift-binge at every Denver-area Goodwill on half-price day
We know plenty of you feel like committing harakiri every time you hear Macklemore's "Thrift Shop." But you needn't harbor a desire to rock those motherfuckin' flannel zebra jammies to love half-price days at Goodwill -- and there are so many great branches in the metro area that visiting all of them before the costs return to normal can set you up for the entire season. And the next one. And the next one. Continue to keep counting down the Westword 2014 Denver Bucket List. 17. Open and close the Colfax Tattered Cover
With the transition from physical content to the digital kind continuing at a rapid pace, plenty of bookstores around the country have found it impossible to survive. But the Tattered Cover is still going strong, in part because all of the outlets, and especially the main branch, are such great places to hang out. Spend an entire day there and prove it. 16. Wear such disgusting makeup at the Zombie Run that even the other zombies are grossed out
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In only a few short years, the Zombie Run at City Park has become one of the largest, craziest and most entertaining annual events in Denver -- and each time around, lots of returning participants try to out-gore each other. Top them with simulated damage and decay so stomach-churning that even the undead will lose their appetite for brains.
Watch for Latest Word's #15-10 entries next Thursday.
More from our Lists & Weirdness archive: "Fifty reasons Colorado is the best state in the country, 2013 edition."
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