Award-winning dining, Hip micro breweries, live theatre, First Friday art walks and more.
The assignment was to write about the Best of Denver's Urban Winter Lifestyle. Where would one begin? Do you start with the sheer beauty of walking around a city where the sun shines 320 days a year on average and you are surrounded with the splendor that is the Rocky Mountains?
What about our thriving culinary scene? Denver is on the world map now with local chef's like Jennifer Jasinski winning a coveted James Beard award and internationally known chefs are flocking to Denver to create innovative outposts like Richard Sandoval's Zengo and Tamayo. Have you been to Fruition where Alex Seidel serves up amazing local produce and meats from his farm? And Denver's version of New York's Momofuku? Check out LoHi's Uncle. Yum! I know we have no ocean, but seriously, it's easy to forget that at Sushi Den or Sushi Sasa, no?
I moved here ten years ago from Sonoma County and one of my favorite things to do was to discover new vineyards and take out of town visitors to various tasting rooms. Now, I have not done the same in Grand Junction, but I do love to bring visitors to some of our thirst quenching breweries. I think my favorite is The Black Shirt Brewing Company.
OK, so let's talk theatre. Who isn't awed by the beauty of the Denver Center of Performing Arts, especially on a snowy evening as you walk under the canopy watching the flakes but staying dry? But did you also know we have over 100 local theatre groups producing a wide array of original work, as well as classics. Some of my favs include œThe Three Leaches, Curious Theatre and Denver's Most Dangerous Theatre.
And then there is always First Friday. The Santa Fe Art District First Friday Art Walks are known for a vibrant blend of performance art, music and painting exhibitions. It's an event that feeds both your need for art and culture and your desire to have fun! Within the Art District you can enjoy over 60 participating galleries, artist studios and restaurants joining the First Friday Art Walk (6-9 pm) every first Friday of the month. Free guided shuttle coaches pick you up at the light rail station at 10th Avenue and Osage Street and ferry you around the Art District on First Fridays between 5:30 and 9:30PM.
The Golden Triangle Museum District is home to eight of Denver's museums, in addition to more than 50 galleries, fine art studios and specialty stores. Free First Friday Art Tours take place in the Golden Triangle from 5 to 9 p.m. every month, with as many as 50 galleries, artist's studios, specialty stores and museums or cultural centers participating. The free Art Bus shuttles participants around the neighborhood to all of the openings. The Golden Triangle is home to the famed Denver Art Museum, but also several hidden gem attractions, like the Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art and the Molly Brown House Museum.
Head due north of downtownand you'll find the River North Art District, better known locally as RiNo. RiNo is rapidly becoming the hotspot for artsy types in Denver, with a remarkable array of creative businesses, including architects, art galleries, designers, furniture makers, illustrators, painters, media artists, photographers, sculptors, and a wealth of studio spaces. Explore this innovative scene on the first Friday of every month between 5:30 and 9:30 p.m. Second Saturdays in RiNo feature more than 50 open studios, food trucks, music and art for sale.
And, of course, I would be remiss to forget Live Urban's own Highlands neighborhood and the Tennyson Street Cultural District. The neighborhood boasts a growing number of art galleries, as well as a few live music venues and an ever increasing number of eating and drinking establishments. The First Friday evening of each month, the merchants along North Denver's Tennyson Street invite you to stroll, shop, and gallery hop from 6 until 10 p.m. Between 38th and 44th Avenues, check out restaurants, boutiques, coffee houses, indie book stores and, of course, wonderful art galleries and studios, all tucked into one of Denver's funkiest neighborhoods. The historic Oriental Theatre (4335 West 44th Avenue) is one of the coolest venues in Denver, hosting live music, theater and comedy.
And don't forget the Navajo Street Art District. This upstart art district is small, but growing. The best time to see what's happening there is on first Fridays between 5 and 9 p.m., with every month bringing new shows, artists, and art lovers to this lower Highlands neighborhood between 35th and 37th Streets. One of the winners of the Mayor's Excellence in Arts Award, Pirate: Contemporary Art has been a fixture on Denver's art scene for more than three decades, bringing bold and eclectic art to Navajo Street year after year.
And last but not least, Stroll between 1200 and 1800 on South Pearl Street on First Fridays (April through December) and check out eight galleries, plus many shops hosting local artists, not to mention live music, food and drink. The Sand Dollar Gallery (1256 S. Pearl) opened its doors in 1975, making it one of the longest running galleries in Denver.
Hopefully, I have touched on a few of the best of the best of Denver's Urban Lifestyle. Try it, you'll love it!
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