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SPECIAL RECOGNITION
Oliver Frascona Lifetime Achievement Award
The Denver Metro Association of Realtors® (DMAR), an organization comprised of over 8,000 real estate professionals, hosted its annual Excellence Awards on March 7, 2024 at the Seawell Ballroom at the Denver Center of Performing Arts. The event recognized Denver Metro’s residential real estate top producers for 2023. Over 30 awards were presented for individuals, partnerships, projects, teams and o ces as well as special recognition award categories.
Social Media Impact Award
Larry Hotz, Kentwood Real Estate DTC
Broker Manager of the Year
Bailey Dolian, RE/MAX of Cherry Creek
Realtor® of the Year
Kelsea Imanuel, milehimodern
TOP INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
Individual | $ Sales Production
Libby Levinson-Katz, Kentwood Real Estate DTC
Industry Partner of the Year
Anne Dresser Kocur, LIV Sotheby’s International Realty, DTC
2. Je Plous, Hatch Realty
3. Lori Abbey, Compass - Cherry Creek
4. Kristin Harris, milehimodern
5. Shannon Tiger, LIV Sotheby’s International Realty, Cherry Creek
Individual | Number of Transactions
Brenna Harper, Chicago Title of Colorado
Rookie of the Year
Shelby Richardson, LIV Sotheby’s International Realty, Cherry Creek
Support Person of the Year
Grettel Barrios, 8z Real Estate Denver Central
Community Service Award
Pathways Award
Live.Laugh.Denver. Real Estate Group
Anne Dresser Kocur, LIV Sotheby’s International Realty, DTC
2. Timothy Wade, Keller Williams Advantage Realty, LLC
3. Leo Rowen, RE/MAX of Cherry Creek
4. Je Plous, Hatch Realty
5. Jennifer Briseno, eXp Realty
5. Maria Gallucci, Compass - Cherry Creek
TOP PARTNERSHIP AWARDS
Partnership | $ Sales Production
Ian Wolfe & Chris Bouc, LIV Sotheby’s International Realty, Cherry Creek
2. Gina Lorenzen & Kara Couzens, Kentwood Real Estate DTC
3. Liz Richards & Deviree Vallejo, LIV Sotheby’s International Realty, Cherry Creek
4. Stuart Crowell & Delroy Gill, LIV Sotheby’s International Realty, DTC
2. Ian Wolfe & Chris Bouc, LIV Sotheby’s International Realty, Cherry Creek
3. Ronald Buss & Susan Todd, Coldwell Banker Realty - Denver Central
4. Jared Blank & Kacey Bingham, The Agency Denver
5. Debra Guy & Chris Harvey, RE/MAX of Cherry Creek
TOP TEAM AWARDS
3-5 Members | $ Sales Production
The Behr Team, LIV Sotheby’s International Realty, DTC
2. Helm Weaver Helm, Compass - Cherry Creek
3. The Jason Cummings Group, Compass - Cherry Creek
4. DiVito Dream Makers, RE/MAX Alliance - Arvada O ce
5. Stoddard, Dana and Murphy Team, Coldwell Banker Global Luxury
3-5 Members | Number of Transactions
DiVito Dream Makers, RE/MAX Alliance - Arvada O ce
2. The Behr Team, LIV Sotheby’s International Realty, DTC
3. The Dream Weavers, RE/MAX Professionals - Thornton
4. The Jason Cummings Group, Compass - Cherry Creek
5. The Kissel Group, Compass - Highland
6-15 Members | $ Sales Production & Number of Transactions
Team Front Range, Keller Williams Denver Southeast
2. EmpowerHome Team Colorado, Keller Williams Realty DTC
Fumnanya Camara, Camara Real Estate
Olivia Kunevicius, milehimodern
5. Jared Blank & Kacey Bingham, The Agency Denver
Partnership | Number of Transactions
Liz Richards & Deviree Vallejo, LIV Sotheby’s International Realty, Cherry Creek
3. Flourish Real Estate Network, Real Broker, LLC
4. Colorado Urban Living, RE/MAX Alliance Olde Town Arvada
5. Savvy Group, Kentwood Real Estate Cherry Creek
16-25 Members | $ Sales Production & Number of Transactions
3. CENTURY 21 Trenka Real Estate
4. Aspen Grove Real Estate Group
201+ Agents | $ Sales Production & Number of Transactions
Jordan Terrell Group, Real Broker, LLC
2. The Gri th Home Team, RE/MAX Professionals - Thornton
3. Nostalgic Homes Group, CompassCherry Creek
26+ Members | $ Sales Production
The Impact Group, Your Castle Real Estate, Central O ce
2. Elite Home Partners, Keller Williams Integrity Real Estate
3. New Era Group, Your Castle Real Estate, Je erson Park
11-30 Agents | $ Sales Production
The Agency Denver
2. Megastar Realty
3. RE/MAX Alliance Olde Town Arvada
4. PorchLight Real Estate Group, DTC
5. LIV Sotheby’s International Realty, Evergreen
11-30 Agents | Number of Transactions
The Agency Denver
2. Megastar Realty
26+ Members | Number of Transactions
Elite Home Partners, Keller Williams Integrity Real Estate
Jordan Terrell Group, Williams Integrity Real Estate
3. PorchLight Real Estate Group, DTC
4. RE/MAX Alliance Olde Town Arvada
5. Corcoran Perry & Co. - West Highland
31-50 Agents | $ Sales Production
Compass - Cherry Creek
Compass - Cherry Creek
2. Your Castle Real Estate, Central O ce
3. Keller Williams Integrity Real Estate
4. Keller Williams Denver Southeast
Thank you to our sponsors:
2. The Impact Group, Your Castle Real Es-
2. The Impact Group, Your Castle Real Estate, Central O ce
3. New Era Group, Your Castle Real Estate, Je erson Park
TOP PROJECT AWARDS
Project | $ Sales Production & Number of Transactions
Lance Chayet, Hanover Realty
2. Bryon Horvath, Wild & Mild Homes
TOP OFFICE AWARDS
1-5 Agents | $ Sales Production & Number of Transactions
2. Hatch Realty
3. RealGroup
Metro Brokers Team Lassen
4. 4 Walls That Fit Real Estate
5. Larson Home Realty
6-10 Agents | $ Sales Production
Corcoran Perry & Co.Cherry Creek North
2. Grant Real Estate Company
3. Aspen Grove Real Estate Group
4. CENTURY 21 Trenka Real Estate
6-10 Agents | Number of Transactions
Grant Real Estate Company
2. Corcoran Perry & Co. - Cherry Creek North
RE/MAX ProfessionalsThornton
2. Kentwood Real Estate City Properties
3. Compass - North Denver
4. RE/MAX Alliance - Arvada O ce
5. PorchLight Real Estate Group, Highlands
31-50 Agents | Number of Transactions
RE/MAX ProfessionalsThornton
2. RE/MAX Alliance - Arvada O ce
3. Compass - North Denver
4. Kentwood Real Estate City Properties
5. PorchLight Real Estate Group, Highlands
51-75 Agents | $ Sales Production & Number of Transactions
LIV Sotheby’s International Realty, DTC
LIV Sotheby’s International
2. Kentwood Real Estate Cherry Creek
3. RE/MAX of Cherry Creek
4. Madison & Company Properties, Greenwood Village
76-100 Agents | $ Sales Production & Number of Transactions
Kentwood Real Estate DTC
2. Compass - Highland
101-200 Agents | $ Sales Production & Number of Transactions
milehimodern
2. LIV Sotheby’s International Realty, Cherry Creek
3. Compass - DTC
Presented by:
On Thursday, April 18, visit these restaurants for breakfast, lunch, happy hour, dinner, 25% of your bill to Project Angel Heart.
ALL COL OR ADO LOCATIO NS
AU ROR A
Anthony’s Pizza & Pasta – Aurora
Five Guys – Arapahoe Road
Stanley Beer Hall
Wine Experience Café
CAPITAL HILL/CENTRAL
Bang Up To The Elephant
Cuba Cuba Cafe & Bar
DiFranco’s Fruition
Shells and Sauce
Table 6
CENTRAL PARK
Anthony’s Pizza & Pasta –Central Park
Bistro VendÔme
Cuba Cuba Sandwicheria –Northfield
Five Guys - Northfield
Oblio’s Pizza
CHERRY CREEK/GLENDALE
Barolo Grill
Bull and Bush Brewery
The Cherry Cricket – Cherry Creek
Cuba Cuba Sandwicheria –Glendale
Hapa Sushi Grill and Sake Bar – Cherry Creek
Machete Tequila + Tacos –Cherry Creek
Sam’s No. 3 Diner – Glendale
COLORADO SPRINGS/ SOUTHERN COLORADO
3.14 Pi Bar
1350 DISTILLING
Anthony’s Pizza & Pasta –Colorado Springs
Bingo Burger – Colorado Springs and Pueblo locations
Fuel & Iron Food Hall
Phantom Canyon Brewing Co.
DOWNTOWN
Anthony’s Pizza & Pasta — Ballpark
Carmine’s on McGregor Square
D’Corazon Flight Club
Kachina Cantina
Machete Tequila + Tacos — Union Station
Mercantile Dining and Provision
Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant
Rioja
Sam’s No. 3 Diner — Downtown
Stoic & Genuine
Tamayo
Ultreia
EAST COLFAX
Bastien’s Restaurant
Machete Tequila + Tacos — Colfax
EAST DENVER
Anthony’s Pizza & Pasta — 7th & Colorado
Anthony’s Pizza & Pasta — Dartmouth
Anthony’s Pizza & Pasta — Gateway Park
Green Valley Ranch Beer Garden
India’s Restaurant
Inga’s Alpine Tavern
Lowry Beer Garden
Monaco Inn Restaurant
NORTH METRO
Anthony’s Pizza & Pasta — Brighton
Beau Jo’s Colorado Style
Pizza — Fort Collins
Five Guys — Thornton Satire Lounge
NORTHWEST DENVER/ HIGHLANDS
Bodega
Café Brazil
duo
El Camino Community Tavern PARISI
Señor Bear
RINO/FIVE POINTS Beckon
Cart-Driver — RiNo Hop Alley
Nocturne
Osaka Ramen
Rosenberg’s Bagels & Delicatessen — Five Points
SOUTH BROADWAY
Blue Bonnet Restaurant
Bruno’s Italian Bistro
Colore Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria
Kaos Pizzeria
Sweet Action Ice Cream — South Broadway
Taste of Thailand
One lucky diner will win a $2,000 gift card from King Soopers
dinner, or takeout and they will donate
SOUTH METRO/ DTC
Anthony’s Pizza & Pasta — Castle Rock
Anthony’s Pizza & Pasta — DTC
Beau Jo’s Colorado Style Pizza — Lone Tree
Cranelli's Italian Restaurant
Cuba Cuba Sandwicheria — Castle Rock
Cuba Cuba Sandwicheria — DTC
La Fogata Mexican Restaurant — DTC
SOUTHEAST METRO
Anthony’s Pizza & Pasta — Parker
Anthony’s Pizza & Pasta — Smoky Hill
Five Guys — Parker Road
LuBo’s NY Pizza
SOUTHWEST METRO
Anthony’s Pizza & Pasta — Highlands Ranch
Anthony’s Pizza & Pasta — Littleton
The Cherry Cricket — Littleton
Cuba Cuba Sandwicheria — Highlands Ranch
Palenque Cocina y Agaveria
Piccino Wood Oven Pizza
Sazza Pizza + Salads
UPTOWN
Coperta
Hamburger Mary’s Denver
Sullivan Scrap Kitchen
WASH PARK/DU
Anthony’s Pizza & Pasta — DU
Carmine’s on Penn
Que Bueno Suerte!
Uncle — West Wash Park
Uno Mas Taqueria — S. Pearl
La Fogata Mexican Restaurant — Evans
WEST METRO/MOUNTAINS
240 Union Restaurant
Anthony’s Pizza & Pasta — Lakewood
Anthony’s Pizza & Pasta — Golden
Beau Jo’s Colorado Style Pizza — Arvada
Beau Jo’s Colorado Style Pizza — Evergreen
Edgewater Beer Garden
Five Guys — Colorado Mills
Five Guys — Lakewood
Moose Hill Cantina
The South Restaurant = Donating 25% of food and bar sales!
List as of February 22 Visit DiningOutForLifeCO.org for the most up-to-date list.
April 18, 2024
DiningOutForLifeCO.org
Can’t di n e o ut Apri l 18 ?
Donate online to provide medi ca ll y tail or ed me al s to n ei gh bor s in n eed .
DONATE NOW!
In 2024, Project Angel Heart will prepare and home-deliver 755,000 delicious, medi cally t a il or ed meal s to 5, 00 0 Co loradans living w ith HIV/ AID S, c anc er, kidney disease, and other severe illnesses. The meals are specifically created to s upp or t t h eir h ealt h a n d imp rov e t h ei r
#projectangelheart
Colorado is world famous for its natural landmarks, but our state boasts quirky, human-made destinations, too. We found 15 roadside attractions worth taking a detour to experience.
EDITED BY JESSICA LARUSSOThe Centennial State’s 65-and-older population is exploding—a reality that has spurred local governments, educational institutions, health care providers, and nonprofit organizations to find novel ways to support Coloradans as they age.
BY BARBARA O’NEILResidents of the formerly miningdependent western Montrose County need visitors to help revive their economy. They’re just not sure they want them.
BY ELISABETH KWAK-HEFFERAN
With primary and specialty care clinics across the Front Range, CU Medicine provides healthcare that always puts you and your family first. Our providers CU and treat you with the most advanced technology— and compassionate care you can trust. Because at every stage of life, we CU as our #1 priority.
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18 Reflecting on what might have been for a family property in a former coal town.
21 SHOPPING
RiNo’s Rowdy Poppy is making floral design a little bit greener.
22 MARIJUANA
Three places you’ll be able to consume cannabis in public this year.
24 BOOKS
Local authors to love at an upcoming romance-focused book festival.
26 ADVENTURE
For one writer, a forthcoming guidebook was more than just an assignment—it was physical therapy.
28 DESIGN
A Denver firm creates sensory rooms for neurodivergent kids.
30 HIGHER EDUCATION
How four students view their COVID-19 college experience.
33
34
At Berkeley’s Hey Kiddo, chef-owner Kelly Whitaker wants to ignite your curiosity via a menu injected with sustainable ingredients and global flair. Plus: How to order the perfect cocktail at its sister bar, Ok Yeah.
94 DINING GUIDE
38 ENVIRONMENT
Why has it taken more than 60 years for a pipeline to bring clean water to residents of the lower Arkansas River Valley?
BY DALIAH SINGER120 THE OVERSIMPLIFIED
GUIDE TO: BUYING MARIJUANA
Five tips for picking prime herb, according to a certified Ganjier (aka a cannabis sommelier).
FRIDAY, AUGUST 30
SATURDAY, AUGUST 31
MICHAEL MARCAGI
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 1
THE WAR AND TREATY
3-DAY GENERAL ADMISSION & VIP PASSES ON-SALE NOW
JAZZASPENSNOWMASS.ORG
TICKET & LODGING PACKAGES: 800.SNOWMASS
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Kelly Bastone, Laura Beausire, Jay Bouchard, Christine DeOrio, Courtney Holden, Sarah Kuta, Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan, Jenny McCoy, Allyson Reedy, Meredith Sell, Daliah Singer, Martin J. Smith, Andy Stein
Ruble
Sarah Banks
CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS
Abby Athena, Kyle Ellingson, Barbara Gibson, Simone Massoni, Arthur Mount, Stephan Schmitz, Kasia Serafin, David Williams
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Steal away a day on the award-winning, historic Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. Climb aboard and leave your worries behind. From the open air gondola to the breathtaking views from your private window, this is a scenic train ride unlike any other. Join us for a day trip through the unspoiled Rocky Mountain West. Vibrant and beautiful as always. Depart from Antonito, Colorado or Chama, New Mexico. The modern world can wait while you take the ride of a lifetime.
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I think about my grandparents’ old house by the Cherry River a lot: We called it “the camp” since the dwelling, in Richwood, West Virginia, was more of a dilapidated cabin than a vacation home. I only visited as a small child, but I still fixate on the 10-acre property—which my papa sold for a pittance in the late 1980s—because I know the potential it would have today. With its private river access and proximity to Monongahela National Forest, the camp could’ve easily been turned into an adventure resort, a business that could help the former coal and lumber town as it attempts to transition to a tourism-based economy.
West Virginia is widely known for its coal mining—an industry that’s been slowly dying as the world moves away from burning fossil fuels—but Colorado’s Western Slope has rich seams of black gold, too. Today, seven mines remain, but many extraction companies have closed their underground operations and plants, taking critical jobs and tax revenues with them and leaving surrounding communities without an economic driver. In this issue’s “A Seamless Transition?” (page 80), freelance writer Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan examines how a handful of towns in western Montrose County have been trying to build an economy around the area’s plentiful outdoor recreation opportunities since the local coal mine and plant closed in 2017 and 2019, respectively.
DAVID WILLIAMS
It hasn’t been easy, and residents not only disagree about the merits of luring tourists to their sleepy towns, but they also fear how big-monied visitors could unravel the cultural fabric of an area long rooted in mining.
That may sound strange—the idea that a community is clinging to a time when coal was king—but I can tell you that it is neither unusual nor unreasonable. I never worked in a coal mine, but my grandfather and both of my great-grandfathers on my mother’s side lived in the coal fields and took the mantrip nearly every day. I’m certainly aware that burning fossil fuel is antithetical to a healthy global climate, but I’m proud of my family’s mining history
and well understand the cultural underpinnings. Even in my home state, however, changes are afoot: The Richwood Convention and Visitors Bureau beckons tourists to plan a trip “to observe the fall foliage or fish in one of our abundant trout streams.” The camp might be gone, but I still daydream about it and know I would’ve happily trained a bunch of former miners to be top-notch fly-fishing guides.
LINDSEY B. KING Editor lindsey@5280.com
David Williams has been earning a living via editorial and commercial photography for 11 years, but the Denver-based creative is so dedicated to his mission of “documenting life” that he can’t help but capture images in his free time, too. “Whether I’m going to the grocery store or on a long road trip, I almost always carry a camera with me,” he says. That passion for memorializing slices of the day-to-day made him the perfect choice to traverse the state for “Hey, You Gotta See This!” (page 60), a feature that highlights some of Colorado’s quirkiest roadside attractions. Williams took his four-year-old son along to experience Morrison’s Tiny Town, a spot he grew up visiting, and he was happy to learn that three of the story’s locales are in the San Luis Valley. “My wife’s family is from the town of San Luis, and we spend a lot of time at our cabin down there,” he says. “It’s a really special place to us, and I treasure any time I get to spend in that part of Colorado”—even at Mosca’s Colorado Gators Reptile Park, where he was surprised at how hands-on sanctuary manager Jay Young was with the alligators. “I kept my distance and was happy to leave with all 10 of my fingers,” Williams says.
Everyone has a friend or a cousin who speaks fondly of their time in the Black Hills and Badlands region. But what is it about this place that makes it the best for memories?
When people mention the Black Hills and Badlands, they’re talking about a feeling.
really plan for, but you enjoy in the moment. The magic of this region comes from the friendliness of local communities, but also from the solitude on the trail.
a gift to give to yourself and your family this travel season.
This feeling lives in the smiles of all who come and remains in the memories of all who are ready to return. Come see what adventurers are talking about.
And it’s a feeling you simply fall into here.
This place is full of tangible memories to collect along the way, but most importantly, there's an excitement of experiencing the here and now.
It’s something you can never
From the peaceful woods of the Black Hills to the meditative geology of the Badlands, you’ll find traces of something new and yet very old at the same time. You’re guaranteed nature’s quiet, and a glimpse into another world.
Disappearing for a while in this place is
If you haven’t already, now is the time to put the Black Hills and Badlands of South Dakota to the top of your travel list.
It’s time to uncover the phenomenon.
Badlands National Park
When Kim Zimmerman moved from Georgia to Colorado in 2005, it didn’t take long for the hobby gardener to realize that our state’s clay soil and dry climate were a more challenging canvas. “I killed a lot of things at first,” she says. To learn how to work in her new terrain—and hone her artistic skills—she enrolled in Colorado-specific gardening and floral design classes. One of her biggest takeaways: Florists use a lot of environmentally harmful materials, including foam, chemical-packed flower foods, and plastic wrappers. So Zimmerman set out to start a sustainable flower business and founded Rowdy Poppy in her Whittier home in 2018. To fulfill her mission, she opts for natural, recyclable, and compostable materials whenever possible and grows most of her flowers locally to reduce the carbon emissions associated with importing blooms from faraway countries, a norm in the industry. This spring, Zimmerman is expanding her roots by opening a retail location of Rowdy Poppy in RiNo, where she’ll also host Earthfriendly workshops. In other words, the student has blossomed into
PHOTOGRAPH BY SARAH BANKS
OPEN NOW
Like any good watering hole, this north Denver “cannabar” hosts live music, comedy shows, and ladies’ nights. But unlike your favorite dive, you’ll find actual bud instead of Bud Light. And while JAD’s was the first weed hospitality business of its kind to navigate the state’s original regulations when it opened in April 2022, it’s still benefiting from the new rules: You can now order a larger serving of flower from its budtenders, and they’ll even wrap up your leftovers to go.
OPENING THIS SPRING
Getting a massage with THC-infused lotions and therapy creams is considered consumption, which, under the old state rules, meant security cameras had to watch. Now that MED has abolished that buzzkill, massage therapist Rebecca Marroquin will open Denver’s first cannabis spa sometime in the next few months. You can set the mood pre-massage by burning a joint from the on-site dispensary in the outdoor garden and then rouse yourself with a weed-free latte from its coffeeshop on your way out the door.
OPENING THIS FALL
Despite being legal for years, marijuana bars and cafes have been basically nonexistent in Colorado. Why? Because regulations were so cumbersome it simply wasn’t worth the effort. That changed on January 8 when the state Marijuana Enforcement Division (MED) rewrote its rules to allow, among other things, weed hospitality businesses to sell the same amount as dispensaries of most products (like up to an ounce of flower) and axed a requirement for security cameras in consumption areas. “Cannabis hospitality is the next frontier,” says Brian Vicente, founding partner of Vicente LLP, a Denver-based law firm specializing in the marijuana industry, “and it’s been anticipated the state would eventually tackle it.” But Vicente isn’t convinced the new rules are simply to reduce red tape. With tax revenue from marijuana sales down significantly since the pandemic, Colorado may be trying to bolster its other stash of green. Regardless of the reason for the policy shift, entrepreneurs aren’t waiting around. Here are three spots where you’ll be able to toke in public this year.
—BARBARA O’NEILDenverite Arend Richard, who got started in the weed business in 2012 with a now defunct, stoner-friendly YouTube channel, is bringing a highend cannabis club to East Colfax. As with most swanky establishments, you’ll be able to make a reservation to visit this smoke spot, which will be inspired by cocktail lounges of yore. The 85-year-old building’s $3.5 million renovation—including a new ballroom, flashy chandeliers, and a pink grand piano fit for ganja royalty—should make Cirrus worthy of its namesake high-flying clouds.
When Readers Take Denver (RTD) returns for its second annual gathering (April 18 to 21; Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center), attendees will have to adjust to its new scale. “The first year, we had about 1,000 people,” says writer Lisa Renee Jones, who founded the romance-focused book festival. “This year, we’re going to have 3,500.” Part of the reason for the explosive growth? Bookworms are in love with love: While print book sales were down in the first half of 2023, according to Publishers Weekly, sales of romance novels grew by 34.6 percent, making the category the fastest-growing adult fiction genre in the country. These authors—all of whom you’ll find at RTD—have helped set the mood in Colorado. —NICHOLAS HUNT
REBECCA YARROS
Colorado Springs
Romantasy
KRISTEN ASHLEY
Phoenix, Arizona
HELEN HARDT
Denver
Contemporary Romance
Violet, the bookish daughter of a warrior-general mother, must use her wits to survive at an elite military college for dragon riders—and to decide which of her classmates she fancies most.
Ashley may live in Phoenix, but she started her writing career in Denver. This series is set in the fictional Colorado towns of Gnaw Bone, Carnal, and Chantelle, where the lives of eight men intertwine as they each seek another chance at love.
Your turn-ons include love triangles, mythological beasts, and political intrigue
You crave mountain men with broken hearts in need of mending
MEGHAN QUINN
Colorado Springs
Dark Romance Rom-Com
This sprawling 30-book series begins with the aptly titled Craving. After being left at the altar, Jade Roberts escapes to a Western Slope ranch only to fall for a man who has never healed from some truly disturbing childhood trauma.
When he’s asked to be his female best friend’s man of honor, billionaire Breaker Cane does the thinkable and falls for her. Now he just has to outmaneuver the groom’s mother-in-law— not to mention the groom.
Trigger warnings won’t stop you from turning to page one
Witty banter gets you hot and bothered (and you don’t believe “humble billionaire” is an oxymoron)
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For one local writer, a forthcoming guidebook was more than an assignment—it was physical therapy.
On January 1, 2022, Joshua Berman greeted the new year with a herniated disk. But when a doctor told the then 48-year-old writer that he might avoid surgery by pairing a steroid injection with intensive physical therapy— especially a lot of walking—Berman had to laugh. For the past month, he’d been mulling over an offer from publisher Moon Travel Guides. The assignment? Hike hundreds of miles while cataloging Colorado’s best trails. Berman accepted the gig from his hospital bed and hoped it wasn’t a huge mistake: His back was an open question, and he was also raising three kids, penning an outdoors column for the Denver Post, and teaching Spanish at the Shining Mountain Waldorf School in Boulder. The added responsibility felt daunting.
Berman started in March 2022 with Hogback Ridge Trail, a short 2.8-mile loop just north of Boulder. By summer, he felt ready to go vertical. “My physical therapist was probably not thinking I should do the eight-mile loop to the summit of Greyrock Mountain, so maybe I pushed it a little bit,” he says of the 2,421-foot ascent, “but hiking really worked. I never re-injured my back.”
The byproduct of Berman’s rehabilitation, Moon Colorado Hiking: Best Hikes Plus Beer, Bites and Campgrounds Nearby , will be published on April 30 and catalogs 75 trails by difficulty and region. Berman not only trekked every route, but he also
Good pints, delectable comfort food, and scenic campsites can be as hard to find as first-rate trails, so we had Berman dish on his favorites.
captured authentic après-hiking experiences by asking locals where they relaxed after leaving the trail. Moreover, he discovered that his physical therapist’s advice that “motion is lotion” didn’t only apply to his back. Researching the book proved he could spend
more time outdoors than he’d thought, and hiking proved to be a great way to bond with his kids. Now, two years after his injury, Berman’s dad bod has melted away, and more important, he no longer allows excuses to keep him off the trail.
—CHRIS WALKERBEER The Nugget Mountain Bar near Durango opened in 2018, but its shabby chic ski decor isn’t a put-on—the cabin was built in 1969. There, Berman chased a hike on nearby Cascade Creek Trail with a hazy IPA from Ska Brewing.
BITES While Berman was scouting trails around Fort Collins, a friend turned him on to a well-kept local secret: Consuelo’s Express. The drive-thru’s green-chile-soaked breakfast burritos are the perfect fuel for a sunrise trek.
CAMPING With cliff-top views, a slew of nearby trails, and plenty of piñon pines for ambience, the Saddlehorn Campground inside Colorado National Monument tops Berman’s list of Colorado bivouacs.
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A local design firm creates sensory rooms that help neurodivergent kids thrive. As an architecture student at the University of Colorado Denver in 2017, Jenny Arzberger found an unexpected purpose for her studies. “I devoured what it meant to design a space that would help [my son] Jaxsen,” she says—the then sevenyear-old had been diagnosed with autism when he was a toddler.
Arzberger converted her home’s rarely used formal sitting room into a “sensory gym,” a calming space with soft seating and muted hues where Jaxsen could retreat when overstimulated by sights, sounds, and social interactions—common triggers for individuals on the autism spectrum. “The room facilitated his self-soothing capabilities and contributed to his overall sense of comfort and equilibrium,” Arzberger says. This parental win quickly led Arzberger to launch Jarz Design Studio, which creates living and learning spaces tailored to the distinct needs of neurodivergent clients. For a glimpse into her process, we chatted with Arzberger about the tools she uses to soothe and engage. —MICHELLE
JOHNSONHarsh, artificial lighting can bother, well, everyone, but it can especially vex neurodivergent folks. So instead of LEDs and fluorescent fixtures, Arzberger installs large windows and skylights whenever possible to take advantage of mood-boosting natural light. If that’s not an option, she pairs soft, warm lights with dimmer switches to mimic the day-night cycle. Arzberger also weaves calming hues—think blues, greens, and pastels—throughout each space. “Shades of red and orange can trigger a stress response,” she says.
Sound sensitivity and intolerance are common in people with autism or ADHD.
“Something as little as the rattling of an HVAC system can make them have a horrible day,” Arzberger says. So she relies on acoustic panels, sound-dampening curtains, and upholstered furniture to reduce echoes and muffle dins, while double-glazed windows, well-sealed doors, and high-quality insulation absorb bothersome street noise.
“What works for one child may not work for another,” Arzberger says, noting that some clients tend to avoid tactile sensory input (read: tight clothing and scratchy textures), while others seek it. For the latter, she includes weighted blankets and cocoonlike fabric swings—both of which provide a gentle hugging sensation—in her projects. She also adorns walls with fidget elements such as zippers, ropes, and slabs of knotty wood that can help sensory seekers concentrate or redirect their attention.
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The Colorado freshmen who arrived on university campuses in fall 2020 encountered a very different environment than previous generations. With the COVID-19 class due to graduate next month, we asked four of them how the pandemic affected what were supposed to be the best years of their lives. —JAY BOUCHARD
KYRA KAUFFMAN
Colorado State University
Looking back on freshman year, if I knew what I was about to go through, I wouldn’t have done it. The very first thing I did was take a COVID-19 test before I could move in. Everything was dark, quiet, and hot. There were bad wildfires that year. It was eerie. A lot of college students rely on their orientation groups to make friends, but my entire first week was sitting alone on Zoom calls. When I came back sophomore year, I was so happy to see silverware and furniture in the dining hall. Just sitting down with people and sharing a meal was the first time I felt like I was in college.
ANNIKA LEWIS
Fort Lewis College
I had been accepted to the Art Institute of Chicago, but tuition was more than $50,000 per year. I didn’t want to pay that much to take classes online. So I started remotely at San Juan College in Farmington, New Mexico, then after a year, I transferred to Fort Lewis College in Durango, where I majored in sociology and minored in studio art and gender and sexuality studies. Sometimes, I think about Chicago. It would have been a good experience, but I’m really happy with where I’m at. I’m only $5,000 in debt now, and I might be able to afford a master’s degree.
BEN TORRES CSU
If you got exposed, they quarantined you in a separate building for 14 days. I remember getting a text saying, essentially, “Your hall will have to submit a saliva test this week because COVID-19 was detected in wastewater.” My entire dorm is going to get tested? What? It was such a bizarre message to get. By spring 2022, things were pretty much back to normal. I’m not jealous of underclassmen who are going to get the true college experience, but I wonder what it would have been like if we did. We lost an opportunity to build community, because we only had 21 months of normal college. On the other hand, we now know how to adapt.
STEPHANIE GARCIA
University of Colorado College of Nursing
I’m one of the first people in my family to go to college. My mom doesn’t speak much English. So when things shut down in spring 2020, it was very hard to figure out how to apply for everything—especially the FAFSA [financial aid form]—and I had to do it by myself. I was very social in high school, but once COVID-19 hit and I had spent all that time at home, I had a bunch of social anxiety when I returned to school in person. I did spend time [training] in hospitals, but it will still be nerve-wracking when I start working full time in a bigger setting.
“THE MISSION SAVED MY LIFE”
When Bao Phommatha and Julia Vang opened Kuluka Boba & Sweets in November 2022, the best friends and business partners were worried their cozy Westminster boba and dessert shop wouldn’t be able to compete with national chains such as Mochinut and Dochi that have expanded to the Front Range. “We’re a small, family-owned business, so we don’t have a marketing or advertising budget,” Phommatha says. But word spread via social media about Kuluka’s mochi doughnuts—a cross between the Japanese rice cake and the American fritter—and now Phommatha and Vang sell more than 500 of the eye-catching treats per day. The pair spent a year experimenting with ingredient ratios, mixing techniques, and frying times to produce the ideal texture: soft and slightly chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside. They enrich the fried beauties with an array of custom flavors such as raspberry-drizzled Funnel Cake and sprinkle-topped Animal Cookie. Whatever you order, chase it with a brown sugar boba tea or lychee slush in Kuluka’s hangout-worthy space, which is furnished with velvet and leather couches and two swinging chairs.
—PATRICIA KAOWTHUMRONG
At Hey Kiddo, chef-owner Kelly Whitaker wants to ignite your curiosity with a menu injected with sustainable ingredients and global flair.
If you hadn’t heard of chef Kelly Whitaker or his restaurants— Basta, the Wolf’s Tailor, Brutø, Dry Storage, and Hey Kiddo—before the Michelin Guide came to town last fall, you almost certainly know him now. After all, Wolf’s and Brutø each received a Michelin star, along with green stars denoting leadership in sustainability; Basta was named a highquality-for-the-price Bib Gourmand restaurant; and Hey Kiddo nabbed a Recommended nod.
The thing about dining at a Whitaker restaurant is that you know you’re
in for an impressive mix of deliciousness and ingenuity. When I say Whitaker’s menus are innovative, I don’t mean unapproachable or pretentious. Rather, I mean there’s almost always a clever dish or an interesting ingredient (or both) that’s destined to lodge in my brain and send food-nerd me researching after the meal. Planting question marks and conversation starters throughout a meal is very much by design. As Whitaker sees it, dinner isn’t a transaction, it’s a dialogue—and Hey Kiddo in Berkeley definitely encourages discourse.
Opened in January 2023, the eatery was dreamed up by Whitaker and Deuki Hong—a San Francisco–based Korean American chef who consulted on the project—and several others at Whitaker’s restaurant group. The menu is a mishmash of flavors, techniques, and culinary heritages: There are Korean dishes (galbi, shaken rice, kimchi) interspersed with European items (shrimp cocktail, chicken liver mousse, potato pavé), but it manages to all hang together under the banner of an American restaurant.
After riding the elevator to the third floor—Hey Kiddo lives above a boutique hotel—you’ll step into the angular space, accented by light wood, where you can choose to eat in the
bar or in the adjoining dining room that faces the open kitchen. Choose the dining room, because the menu, which is helmed by chef de cuisine Jonas Zukosky, almost begs you to ask questions. I found the service there to be friendly, fluid, and well-informed—staff easily answered queries about ingredients, cooking, techniques, and pairings—while the bartenders were often distracted and far less knowledgeable. No matter where you sit, the pro move is to order from the boutique wine and bubbles list because, while the cocktail menu is filled with unusual spirits, sadly, many of those enticing flavors don’t pop to the forefront. Those seeking first-rate cocktails should head to Ok Yeah, a tiny sister bar in the back of the restaurant.
The top of Zukosky’s menu lists generous starters such as cucumber wedges garnished with mint and a nubby, where-have-you-been-allmy-life chile-hazelnut crisp. I visited three times and ordered this crowd-pleasing dish twice. But the $10 Texas toast piped with dreamy chicken liver mousse and topped with crispy tempuralike bits and pickled mustard seeds is hard to pass up, too. The starter is so satisfying that I could easily sit at the bar and just order the toast, sip on a glass of the bright, vaguely floral Fallen Grape orange wine, and leave very, very happy.
There are, of course, larger, higherpriced plates on the menu that can easily be shared as well. Hong is known for his Korean fried chicken, and it’s a Hey Kiddo standout. Chefs Whitaker, Zukosky, and Hong went deep on the R&D for this dish—there are three versions (whole bird, half bird, and popcorn)—and ultimately used regenerative Colorado flour to exact crunch and snap. For the wagyu beef galbi, traditional Korean-style short ribs arrive dressed with soy and sesame oil while whole charred scallions cut the richness. (Pair this dish with the house kimchi and ever-changing pickles for an ideal tang-and-crunch quotient.) Sticky Kurobuta pork ribs feature a glaze crafted from sourdough gochujang that’s fermented in-house, a brilliant
product that sings with umami and reduces food waste to boot. There are other mains, but honestly, the joy of Hey Kiddo is cluttering the tabletop with smaller items.
Whatever you decide to order, don’t skip the shaken chef rice. The dish, which is a cache of rice and leftover mise en place from the kitchen, is presented in a tin box before it’s shaken—literally—tableside. The creative mashup harks back to the experiences of members of Hong’s parents’ generation, who headed to school with containers of rice and sundries that, after bouncing around in their backpacks, would get mixed in a happy culinary accident.
Of course, there’s nothing accidental about Whitaker’s success at Hey Kiddo. He wants to pique your interest and make you wonder, as I did, about the inspiration behind ingredients such as sourdough gochujang and where I can buy tins to reproduce shaken rice at home. When a meal incites such questions and curiosity, I consider it dinner well done.
If you can’t figure out what makes Ok Yeah’s cocktails taste so beguiling, it’s probably because they’re crafted with something unconventional like beef tallow. The intention behind this bar inside Hey Kiddo is “full utilization,” or thinking of typical throwaways, such as leftover pickle juice, as ingredients ready for a second life, says Caroline Clark, director of beverage and hospitality. Here’s how to enjoy the perfect sip. —AMF
1. SELECT There are usually six beverages to choose from on the nightly menu, which could include creations such as the gin- and yuzu-infused Two for the Show. But we recommend telling the bartenders what flavor profile you enjoy—boozy, citrusy, floral, etc.— and having them concoct a customized cocktail that will cost from $18 to $25 (“Within Reason”) or market price (“Let’s Be Unreasonable”).
2. OBSERVE Watch the barkeeps mix, shake, and stir a bespoke drink that screams you. My cues were bitter, anything green chartreuse-ish, and low ABV, and I was rewarded with a tulip glass holding a divine elixir of two kinds of sherry, Suze (a French apéritif), and a squeeze of lemon.
HEY KIDDO
4337 Tennyson St. hk-oy.com
The Draw: A number of wellexecuted dishes ranging from Korean to French
The Drawback: The quality of the service depends on where you sit; Hey Kiddo’s cocktails are intriguing but lack balance
Noise Level: Medium on a busy night
Don’t Miss: Shaken rice, cucumber starter, chicken liver mousse, popcorn chicken, wagyu galbi, anything on the specials board
3. PAIR While you’re nodding with pleasure and whispering OK, yeahhhh between sips, order a couple of handrolls, such as the spicy tuna with sourdough gochujang and crispy tempura bits.
About 10 miles east of Pueblo, just off U.S. 50, Chris Woodka steers his SUV past a nine-foot-deep channel that’s been dug out of the hard-baked dirt. Bulldozers and a dump truck beep and growl as they push and haul earth around the site, while a modest collection of workers wearing hard hats mills about the massive excavation site. Black pipes welded together into mile-long sections lie in the trench like a monstrous snake.
Passing motorists could be excused for assuming this is just another road project frustrating their commutes. In reality, the construction is the first stretch of one of Colorado’s most significant infrastructure projects in two decades: the Arkansas Valley Conduit (AVC), a 130-mile-long, estimated $600 million pipeline that will bring treated water from Pueblo
Why has it taken more than 60 years for a planned pipeline to bring clean water to residents of the lower Arkansas River Valley?
BY DALIAH SINGERReservoir to 39 rural water systems in the southeastern part of the state. Although it’s being billed by its makers as “the straightest pipeline in the United States,” the AVC didn’t take a direct path to this moment. “This project was always going to be complicated and costly to build,” says Woodka, senior policy and issues manager for the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District (SCWCD).
First authorized in 1962 during President John F. Kennedy’s administration, construction of the AVC was delayed by funding obstacles, leaving 50,000 residents in the lower Arkansas River Valley—which stretches from Pueblo to Prowers counties—to contend with tap water plagued by radionuclides and other contaminants for six more decades. The project finally broke ground a year ago this month, and the first pieces of this initial six-mile section went into the ground in August. Delivery lines will carry filtered water from the main pipeline to Avondale and neighboring Boone, the first locales that will receive AVC water, in a year or two, but the conduit’s main line won’t reach its final destination of Lamar until about 2031.
Woodka continues driving beyond the construction site, passing miles of pipe waiting to be buried along Avondale Boulevard. The former Pueblo Chieftain journalist looks out the window of the SUV as trucks bore a new trench under the Arkansas River. “All of my career at the paper and most of my career at the
NEUROREHABILI TATION & RESEARCH HOSPITAL
district, I had to listen to people say this project could never get built,” Woodka says. “And now we’re building it.”
DURING THE DUST BOWL of the 1930s, farmers in the lower Arkansas River Valley watched their fields dry up and destructive brown clouds rip through their crops. They needed a new, dependable source of irrigation.
Much of Colorado’s agricultural landscape lies in the east, but around 80 percent of the state’s water falls over the mountains and flows down into the Western Slope through rivers and streams. In the late 1940s and early ’50s, communities on the Eastern Plains banded together and proposed tapping the Fryingpan River near Aspen, even selling commemorative frying pans to pay for lobbying trips to Washington, D.C. The politicking eventually worked: On June 15, 1962, the headline in the Pueblo Star-Journal read, “Brought Home Bacon In Fryingpan.”
That August, Kennedy flew to Pueblo to celebrate the passage of an act authorizing the project. Standing outside at a school stadium decorated with red, white, and blue bunting and at least two dozen hanging frying pans, he remarked: “There is no doubt but that this will be a sound investment in the future of both Colorado and the nation, an investment which will yield rich dividends in the years to come.” Afterward, U.S. Senator John Carroll of Colorado presented the president with a frying pan to take home.
The Fryingpan-Arkansas Project marked a monumental expansion of Colorado’s water infrastructure. Most of the pieces proposed in the plan got built between 1965 and the mid-1980s and included the Ruedi Dam and Reservoir, the Mount Elbert Powerplant (which powers around 20,000 households annually), the Pueblo Dam and Reservoir, and the Charles H. Boustead Tunnel, which transports water from the Western Slope to southeastern Colorado. Today, the diversions provide supplemental water to more than 900,000 residents and 217,000 irrigated acres of land stretching from Colorado Springs to Pueblo. But although the AVC was part of the Fryingpan-Arkansas’ original blueprint, the pipeline never became a reality.
“Most federal construction projects are required to be repaid over time by the beneficiaries of the project,” says Jeff Rieker, eastern Colorado area office manager for the Bureau of Reclamation, the federal agency that owns and operates the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project and is building the AVC’s main line. The Colorado Springs section of the Fryingpan-Arkansas, for example, was completed in the 1980s; area taxpayers paid it off in 2022. But by 1978, the
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price tag for the AVC was estimated at $50 million, and it was clear area residents wouldn’t be able to pay that bill: Crowley, Otero, Bent, and Prowers are four of the most economically disadvantaged counties in the state. Those counties also have some of the greatest need for clean water.
In fact, 18 of the 39 water systems that will be served by the conduit contain unsafe levels of radionuclides such as radium and uranium, which are naturally present in the Earth’s crust
and reach water through deep wells. “In Colorado, we happen to have certain geologic formations that have more of this material in it than other places,” says Ron Falco, the safe drinking water program manager for the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE). “And in the Arkansas Valley, they’ve got more of these types of rock formations and more of this in the soil as compared to other locations in Colorado.” In an evaluation of 50,000 water systems in the
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United States, the nonprofit Environmental Working Group found that six of the 10 worst radium levels are in southeastern Colorado.
The CDPHE has never determined that the valley’s water has caused people to become sick, largely because regulators can’t conclude culpability over such a large region, where factors such as age, genetics, and how much water someone consumes skew results. Additionally, towns rich in radionuclides—which, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, can lead to serious health issues such as cancer, anemia, and necrosis of the jaw—are required to pay to remove radium from their supplies and safely dispose of it, if they don’t secure clean water from elsewhere.
Still, there are other concerns. Melissa Bohl, who’s owned a flower and gift shop on Lamar’s main drag for 20 years, says it’s common to see people with stained teeth caused by the high concentrations of naturally occurring fluoride in the water. “It’s all of the outlying communities and the very small water infrastructures that have the majority of the problems,” she says. When Bohl lived in Wiley, about 10 miles northwest of Lamar, there were times when the water flowing to her washing machine ran rust-colored and she couldn’t clean her clothes.
Wiley bought new wells in the early 2000s, and Lamar built a new water treatment facility in 2010. But Bohl still drinks bottled water.
WOODKA HAS SPENT about 40 years studying the AVC, and the evidence of his research is piled high on his desk in Pueblo: Seven three-inch white binders hold information on the communities the conduit will serve. A book beneath his two computer monitors is titled Drinking Water: A History. He points to a whiteboard. Covered in numbers in various colors, Woodka’s “dashboard,” as his boss calls it, is a record of past, current, and future conduit funding sources. “[Valley residents] know it’s coming. Are they excited about it? Mostly the question we get is, ‘How much is this going to cost us?’ ” Woodka says.
Not as much as they might think. Legislation passed by Congress in 2009 changed the math so that instead of local communities repaying all construction costs, the split is now 65 percent federal, 35 percent local. “It paved the way for a much more feasible and viable project,” Rieker says.
Since 2009, AVC designs have been updated and environmental impact statements completed, opening the valve for money to finally flow. During the past four years, the Bureau of Reclamation and Congress have supplemented the approximately $30 million previously allocated toward the conduit with $220 million
more. Grants and loans from the Colorado Water Conservation Board, a statewide agency created in 1937 to protect and manage the state’s water, added $120 million. That covers more than half of the project’s estimated $600 million price tag. Revenue from the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project generated by storing other entities’ water in Pueblo Reservoir—from $3 million to $4 million a year—will also provide funding. Woodka estimates that the $10 million to $20 million that will need to be repaid by taxpayers over a
20- to 30-year period will add less than a dollar to monthly water bills. Some communities, however, feel they have already paid enough.
With more than 7,000 residents, La Junta is one of the most populous towns in the valley. Unlike most of Otero County, La Junta draws its water from shallow wells that don’t contain radionuclides, but it does hold high concentrations of calcium, iron, and manganese, which can have a metallic taste and sometimes stain appliances or clothing red. The result is a supply
that’s more viscous than drinking water should be. “You’d basically have to chew it,” says Tom Seaba, the city’s director of water and wastewater, of the stuff he grew up on.
In 2004, La Junta spent $12 million to build, among other improvements, a reverse osmosis water treatment plant and added a now $17 maintenance fee to their customers’ monthly bills to cover the cost as well as future projects. Although the town engineered the plant to connect to the conduit when (and if) the AVC was ever completed, more than half of the facility will no longer be in use if it plugs into the new pipeline because the water is already treated. That would save the town money on staff and electricity while also improving conservation: During treatment, about 30 percent of La Junta’s water is converted to nonpotable wastewater. If the city only used conduit water, treatment waste would be zero. But residents would still have to pay that monthly fee even if less than half of the plant remains open.
La Junta will also have to cover any additional costs necessary to connect to the AVC—as will many others. The conduit will carry treated water from Pueblo, but some communities along the route will need to make improvements to be able to link up, such as building additional water storage capacity, altering chemical mixes to balance pH levels, or, as in the case of Rocky Ford, updating aging infrastructure to minimize leaks and main breaks. These efforts can cost well into six figures and could reach into the millions.
The CDPHE’s Falco believes the investment will pay off long-term. “We have this unique circumstance where this one project is going to solve this problem and sustainably solve it for quite a number of these communities,” Falco says. “It’s a big effort for the communities down there, it’s a big effort for us, it’s a big effort for the federal government. But it’s so worth it. It’s going to bring much higher water quality to communities down there—a sustainable source of water.”
Despite the reality of that miles-long pipe finally reaching its way toward them, for many valley residents, the water issue has endured for so long that it’s simply become a part of life. Six years ago, Meghan Yergert, the operator in charge of La Junta’s treatment facility, was helping Seaba clean out the previous director’s office when she found a pile of papers from the 1960s. They were all about the conduit, which she hadn’t heard of, even though she was born in town and has lived in the region her entire life. “It seems,” Yergert says, “like it’s been this crazy pipe dream forever.” m
Daliah Singer is a freelance writer based in Denver. Email feedback to letters@5280.com.
Welcome to the Faces of 5280 —featuring the crème de la crème of professionals. These individuals are top performers, pushing boundaries and setting new standards in their fields. They are leaders, innovators, and game-changers who have made significant contributions and gained recognition for their outstanding achievements. Join us in celebrating the best of the best and be inspired by their stories of success.
TTreating Team USA and the athlete in all of us, The Steadman Clinic is a world-renowned orthopaedic clinic with facilities located in Aspen, Basalt, Edwards, Frisco and Vail, Colorado. As a designated National Medical Center for the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, The Steadman Clinic and Steadman Philippon Research Institute provide superior orthopaedic treatment plans for Team USA athletes. Our practice has led to significant advancements in the science and practice of orthopaedics and regenerative sports medicine. In collaboration with Steadman Philippon Research Institute, our 24 elite physicians practice the latest, evidence-based treatments, continually improving techniques, procedures and outcomes.
The goal of The Steadman Clinic is to deliver the highest standard of orthopaedic care and personal attention to every patient—recreational and professional—seeking our help. Our success in helping our patients reach their goals is what attracts people from all walks of life, from all over the world, to The Steadman Clinic.
SStephen Burg is a shareholder and a trial attorney with Burg Simpson Eldredge Hersh & Jardine. As the Practice Group Leader of the firm’s Personal Injury Department, Stephen is focused on representing victims of automobile and motorcycle crashes, trucking collisions, product liability injuries, gas explosions, wrongful death, and harmful drugs and medical products. Mr. Burg’s most recent trial resulted in a $18,105,000.00 verdict.* A dedicated advocate for those who have been harmed by the carelessness of others, Stephen Burg has a long-standing reputation for his formidable skills as a litigator and a negotiator. He has a passion for holding negligent parties accountable for their actions and for maximizing financial recoveries for his clients.
Mr. Burg has been recognized for his legal excellence both nationally and locally. He was named as a “Recommended Attorney” by the U.S. Legal 500, and has been consistently recognized by the National Trial Lawyers as a “Top 100 Trial Lawyer” since 2012. He has also been selected by his peers as a Best Lawyer in America and a Colorado Super Lawyer.
*past results do not guarantee future success
40 Inverness Drive East Englewood, CO 80112
(303) 792-5595
burgsimpson.com
WWendy’s CUSTOMER-FIRST philosophy is the reason she is highly successful. There are many qualities and skills that go into being an excellent real estate professional: integrity, in-depth community and market knowledge, marketing savvy, effective negotiation skills, being ethical, and a high-quality professional network. All of these are hallmarks of Wendy’s expertise. Wendy finds that providing the very best service is always about putting her clients first. This means being accessible, paying attention to details, being a good listener, a good communicator and responding quickly to clients’ needs in order to have smooth and seamless transactions.
As a third generation Denver native, Wendy knows the city and neighborhoods. This, along with her extensive knowledge, experience, passion and high values blend together so that clients trust her to help them navigate the bumpy waters of today’s real estate world. Turning dreams into reality!
HHusband and wife duo, Gary and Linda Brauns, began their journey in 2012 with the desire to escape the corporate world and embrace a hands-on farming lifestyle. Being recently voted by industry members as 2023 Colorado Winery of the Year is a true testament to their dedication to building a strong community and contributions towards elevating the Grand Valley into a world-class destination. Immerse yourself in Restoration’s awardwinning wines at their Palisade winery where you will experience exceptional, personalized service in the modern tasting room. Take in the breathtaking views of the lush vineyards, towering Grand Mesa, and Bookcliff mountains on the expansive patio and lawn area. Restoration Vineyards is a premier destination for their annual “Band in the Barrel Music Series” which features a free concert series all summer long. Go see what all the buzz is about and schedule your trip out to the Grand Valley.
Gary Brauns,
(970) 985-0832
3594
restorationvineyards.com
81526
(303) 232-3000
12345 W. Colfax Avenue
Lakewood, CO 80215r
efirstbank.com
KKelly started her journey in the banking and financial industry over two decades ago. Her digital prowess and eye for innovation skyrocketed Kelly into several leadership positions before she was recently appointed Chief Operating Officer at FirstBank, one of the nation’s ‘top-performing’ and largest privately-held banks. Today, the company operates with over $28 billion in assets and is known as Colorado’s largest locally headquartered bank. Thanks in part to Kelly’s many contributions, FirstBank is also considered an industry leader in digital banking and instant payments. For instance, it was the fourth bank in the country to launch Zelle®, a fast, safe and easy way to send money to friends and family. Recently, it implemented Real-Time Payments®, which reduces cash flow challenges by making funds immediately available, and IntraFi Cash Service (ICS), which allows customers to deposit over $250,000 while meeting FDIC insurance requirements.
Kelly’s focus on making money management easier, secure and convenient for businesses and consumers alike has led FirstBank to be named among the top banks and fintechs nationwide for customer experience by an American Banker study. It was also recognized as Forbes “Best in State Banks,” and the No. 1 bank for customer satisfaction in the Southwest region.
DDr. Elizabeth Crespi and the devoted team at Sunrise Pediatric Dentistry provide high-quality dental services to infants, children, and young adults. In order to prevent dental problems, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that children see a pediatric dentist no later than age one. “We want kids to be excited about going to the dentist,” says Dr. Crespi. “That begins with seeing them early and by creating positive associations with dentistry. I take pride in using my specialized training in pediatric dentistry to tailor each child’s individual experience. I strive for the best quality care while simultaneously making the dental office a fun, inviting place where kids feel safe.”
Dr. Crespi and her team embody Sunrise Pediatric Dentistry’s Mission Statement: “We are committed to delivering the highest standard of pediatric dental care and education in a compassionate, fun environment where our patients are seen and heard regardless of socioeconomic background, gender identity, or race.”
The Sunrise experience begins with the kidfriendly reception area. Our specially trained team guides each child through his or her first dental visit, making it not only fun but also educational. The office is state-of-the-art with only the latest and safest dental materials and technologies—including laser dentistry. We can often avoid numbing during simple dental procedures. Parents can relax knowing we aim to accommodate any family’s busy schedule. An important part of Dr. Crespi’s training is her extensive hospital experience in anesthesia and emergency care. When treating patients, she practices specific behavior management and calming techniques. This ensures kids of all ages will have a positive dental visit at Sunrise. As a mom to a young child herself, Dr. Crespi can relate to challenges many parents face. Come join our patient family!
3650 East 1st Avenue, Suite 301 Denver, CO 80206 | (720) 660-2467
sunrisepedsdentistry.com
(303) 536-0118
1946 County Road 53 Keenesburg, CO 806430, Denver wildanimalsanctuary.org
TThe Wild Animal Sanctuary is the largest nonprofit carnivore sanctuary in the world with over 900 rescued animals including lions, tigers, bears, wolves, leopards, and other large carnivores, plus wild mustangs—all living in their own large natural habitats.
Established in 1980, the Sanctuary operates three locations within Colorado and one in Texas with more than 30,000 acres for abused, abandoned and/or confiscated animals. The Sanctuary specializes in rehabilitating captive wildlife so they can be released into natural habitats where they’ll roam freely and live with others of their own kind for the rest of their days.
The main facility in Keenesburg, Colorado is open to the public for education every day from 9 a.m. to sunset. Guests may learn about the Captive Wildlife Crisis from a 1.5-mile-long elevated walkway.
More information on the mission, how to support, and details for visiting is available at www.wildanimalsanctuary.org
1125 17th Street
Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 (303) 622-5502
harrisfamilylaw.com
TThe Harris Law Firm cares about its clients, its employees, and the world around us. This is evident in their non-billable outreach and support for clients, regular employee WeCare℠ training, and their support in the community, both locally and abroad. For over 30 years the firm has been providing outstanding family law and estate planning services to the Colorado community. Clients go to The Harris Law Firm for guidance, support, and assistance during both exciting times and challenging times. With a team of over 30 attorneys and a wealth of experience handling more than 9,000 cases, The Harris Law Firm is well-equipped to tackle any family law or estate planning matter.
Partners of The Harris Law Firm: Jennie Wray, Katy Ellis, Sarah Rizzolo, Rich Harris, Dan Droege, Niceta Bradburn, Peter Goldstein
GGrown locally with love, Native Roots is Colorado’s most popular dispensary. With hundreds of products to choose from, you’ll be sure to find exactly what you need. Whether you’re looking to try something new or stock up on your favorites, we are here with a warm welcome, budtender-guided education and award-winning products. All our flower is categorized by five mood states—Sleep, Relax, Focus, Uplift, Energize—so you can be confident you get what you want. Green Label is our bulk flower, available in half or full ounces. Onyx Label is hung dry, hand manicured and hand packed. Gold Label is our top-tier flower that is handcrafted each step of the way, and released in drops because it sells out quickly.
We invite you to join CannaQuest starting on April 10th, a (free!) three-month-long challenge filled with adventure, prizes and promotions. To join, grab a CannaQuest passport at our 17 recreational locations (while supplies last) to compete for thousands in prizes.
At Native Roots, we use cannabis to enhance the lives of our customers, employees, and communities. We are a private, locally owned and operated company and we’re proud to be recognized as one of the 50 most community-minded companies in Colorado by Civic 50. Visit nativerootscannabis.com to join our loyalty program and receive special discounts, view menus at our 21 locations, or place an order for pickup or home delivery in the Denver area.
TThe Children’s Diabetes Foundation (CDF) has received unwavering support from McDonald Automotive Group, Haley Custom Homes, Empower, and M&N Aviation through their annual unique golf tournaments, held both locally in Colorado and in Las Vegas with a memorable fly-away experience. Established over twenty years ago, this alliance serves as a beacon of hope for families grappling with new diabetes diagnoses, a cause that hits close to home for all parties involved, given their shared experiences with type 1 diabetes and in support of their loved ones.
The partnership’s significance goes well beyond the financial contributions but truly lives in the personal connection each partner has to the cause, understanding the impact of type 1 diabetes on too many lives. CDF’s mission, centered around education, coping assistance, and preparation for those navigating diabetes challenges, aligns with the collective commitment of these four partners and friends.
The local and flyaway tournaments, raising over 15 million dollars since 2002, have been instrumental in advancing CDF’s research and support initiatives. The collaboration emphasizes genuine care and dedication to making a meaningful impact on affected families. The unified effort of everyone involved reflects a shared commitment to empower those confronted with the life-changing realities of diabetes and the research needed to find a cure.
Wherever you are in your home buying journey—upsizing, downsizing, refinancing, expanding or building from scratch—Commerce Bank can help. Let us help unlock the door to the solutions that fit your needs.
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Every path to owning a home is unique and we’re here to help. Visit our newest branch in Centennial located at 7481 E. Arapahoe Road or check us out online at commercebank.com/mortgage. Mortgage made simple. Stress less. We’ve got this. Commerce Bank NMLS #411948. Commerce Bank is an Equal Housing Lender.
DDr. Susan Kutis, owner of Blue Sage Dental, has worked in the dental field for over 26 years and has been practicing cosmetic and family dentistry for 23 years. Her number one goal is to build lasting relationships with patients. She is passionate about providing the most conservative and functional dental care for her patients using the most current techniques for optimal results. She provides the best quality dentistry through making personal connections, demonstrating empathy and compassion, and exceeding expectations in customer service. Dr. Kutis has been awarded Top Dentist recognitions in both Chicago and Denver.
Dr. Kutis’ investment in continuing education at leading international organizations for dental education has set her apart, recognizing Blue Sage Dental as one of the best cosmetic and family dentistry practices in Colorado. As a former board member of Metropolitan Denver Dental Society (MDDS), Dr. Kutis helped organize one of the largest dental conferences in the western United States—providing education, support, and advocacy for the dental organization. Additionally, Dr. Kutis is an educator for the Pacific Aesthetic Continuum and the Chair of the Colorado Dental Association Foundation. During the pandemic, Dr. Kutis was inspired by other dental leaders that stepped up and provided guidance and support during a very difficult time.
There is a reason Dr. Kutis has so many loyal, long-term patients: they want the best dental care possible, and Blue Sage Dental delivers. Visit bluesagedental.com for before and after photos of her cosmetic procedures.
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DITED BY JESSICALaRUSSO
DAVID WILL I A M
Coordinates: 37.70598, -105.87017
Odometer: 202 miles
En Route To: Durango
If you’ve driven along CO 17 north of Alamosa over the past four decades, you may have been one of the countless passersby who, intrigued by the homemade signs, pulled off to discover that alligators are indeed living in the arid San Luis Valley. But that stream of visitors nearly ended in April 2023, when a fire destroyed one of the Colorado Gators Reptile Park’s larger barns. “We had animals we really loved in there,” says Jay Young (pictured below), who manages the sanctuary with his wife, Erin. “We lost more than 100 snakes. We lost parrots. All but one of our lizards died. We lost about 30 tortoises.” The couple intended to close the doors while sifting through the ashes, but as it goes with roadside attractions, the cars just kept coming. And there was still plenty to see, as the stars of the sideshow—more than 300 alligators—survived.
That there are alligators on-site at all is a curious story. After Jay’s parents, Erwin and Lynne, discovered geothermal pools on the property in the mid-1970s, they opened a tilapia farm, selling fish to regional restaurants. But as fish carcasses piled up, they invested in an eco-friendly, if bizarre, solution: 100 baby alligators to eat the byproducts. Before long, the alligators drew crowds, and in 1990, the Youngs decided to start charging admission. (Currently, it’s $25 for adults and $12.50 for kids six and older; five and younger are free.) Some of those original alligators are still around, and the Young family has rescued—mostly from private owners unable to care for them—an additional 200-some, including Morris, who starred in Dr. Doolittle and Happy Gilmore. Want to do more than stare at the reptiles? Sign up for a Gator Aid day ($100), during which you can help wrangle and care for sick or injured alligators. This spring, visitors should also be able to see the newly rebuilt reptile building, though it will be a little while before the park fully restores its population of rescued snakes, tortoises, and lizards. But as long as road trippers continue to cut through the valley, the park will almost certainly stay busy.
—Jay Bouchard
An ET-curious traveler spent the night at the San Luis Valley’s UFO Watchtower.
As we sit together on her 600-acre property, 79-yearold Judy Messoline is patient with my questions. We discuss the most practical aspects of extraterrestrial life: If aliens ever land at the UFO watchtower she built 24 years ago, how will she greet them?
“I’d ask why they’re being so secretive,” she says. “Then I’d want to know about the cattle mutilations.”
I ask if she thinks aliens speak English. She expects they communicate via telepathy. I wonder if she’d offer them food—green or red chile?
She’s not sure. She shares a few thoughts about ETs (Sasquatch, for instance, is an alien, she says), and then she offers an admonition about the unexplained lights people seem to see around these parts: “Just don’t tell me they’re satellites.”
Messoline moved to the San Luis Valley from Golden in 1995. Upon arriving, local ranchers told her about the area’s unusually frequent UFO encounters and, when
her cattle ranching operation wasn’t working out, suggested she build a watchtower on her plot—which she did and opened to the public in 2000. Her geodesic dome features a 12-foot-high viewing platform around its roof and a small museum ($5 per person), with items such as news clippings and the skeleton of Snippy, an allegedly alien-mutilated horse, inside. The adjacent rock garden contains offerings— figurines, license plates, plastic saucers—left by visitors who followed the signs from CO 17. Messoline has been sought out by psychics, alien enthusiasts, and bureaucrats and has documented more than 300 UFO sightings. Most visitors, like me, are just curious. That’s why she allows people to camp here for $20 a night.
As I nestle into my sleeping bag in my truck bed later that evening, I gaze toward the stars. As if on cue, I see a line of red dots in the sky. They move back and forth, accelerating and decelerating. The process repeats. I have no idea what I’m witnessing, and I’m perplexed as I slip into a nervy sleep. I’ll probably never know exactly what I saw. But when I tell and retell this story in the months and years to come, I’ll echo Messoline’s words: Just don’t tell me those were satellites.
201-249 CO 17, unincorporated
Saguache County —JB
Almost 100 years ago, the World’s Wonder View Tower began dazzling passing motorists. Its new stewards hope the oddity stands for at least 100 more.
In 2014, Westword editor and co-founder Patricia Calhoun was driving along I-70 near the Eastern Plains town of Genoa when she spotted an auction sign on the grounds of the World’s Wonder View Tower, a bygone roadside attraction featuring a 65-foot-tall tower with a boxy
observation room protruding from its upper half. Calhoun’s journalistic instincts took hold. She soon found out that following the death of its latest owner, Jerry Chubbuck, in 2013, his family was putting much of the quirky on-site museum collection—including a two-headed calf mount—up for sale. Two years later, Calhoun and a group of friends found themselves holding the deed to the tower itself, with plans to reopen it to the public for the first time in more than a decade. —Chris Walker
5280: How did the World’s Wonder View Tower come to be?
Patricia Calhoun: Construction on it started in 1925 when Charles Gregory, who was known as the P.T. Barnum of Colorado, decided he wanted to create this great stop for people who were then starting to drive across Colorado. He first set up a roadhouse with a stage for concerts and a cafe and a gas station. Then he created this incredible tower.
He claimed you could see six states from the top. Is that true?
I am so sorry to say, no. It is not true. But it’s always been a great way station, and that you couldn’t see six states didn’t matter, because you could see license plates from all over.
What inspired you and others to buy the tower?
I got some friends who wanted to save historical buildings involved—including Paul Tamburello, Kevin Kearney, Reed Weimer, and Chandler Romeo—and we felt we couldn’t let this go away. So we bought the tower and gave it to a nonprofit [Friends of Genoa Tower] we created to save it for future generations.
To that end, you’ve since raised some $2 million for renovations. How’s that going?
Well, this roadside attraction is almost 100 years old, and the fact that it’s falling apart is one thing. We also discovered the well was dry, and there was no sewage service. But we recently got annexed by the city of Genoa, so we could get water and sewage. Our goal is to have part of the tower open by the 100th anniversary of the complex in 2025. We’ll have events, people can go into a gift shop and museum, and we will have this as a gathering place again.
If You Go: Until construction is completed, you’ll have to view the tower with wonder from the road. 30121 Frontage Road, Genoa
Coordinates: 38.06223, -105.09421
Odometer: 162 miles
En Route To: Taos, New Mexico
South of Florence, Greenhorn Highway offers miles of twisting mountain road engulfed by tall pines, which makes turning the corner to see Bishop Castle, located in a clearing just off the thoroughfare, all the more breathtaking. In 1959, then 15-year-old Jim Bishop persuaded his parents to buy (using money he’d earned from doing chores) two and a half acres of land adjacent to the San Isabel National Forest. It wasn’t until Jim was 25 and newly married, however, that he started to build a vacation home on the site. While the project was initially supposed to be a small, onebedroom abode, he just kept adding rooms. When friends joked that it seemed like he was building a castle, Jim decided to do just that. Over the next four decades, he hand-dug holes for the castle’s foundation, hauled rock and steel to the land, and designed pulley systems to hoist the materials onto towers, one of which now reaches 160 feet high.
While Jim has retired, his son Daniel continues to expand the sprawling castle—and there’s no completion date in sight. “I’m planning to work on the rock on the main building this summer,” Daniel says. “There’s also a tower that needs to be built up another 30 feet.” Visitors can explore the castle’s Grand Ballroom, complete with stained-glass windows, while those unafraid of heights can navigate tight corners and nail-biting spiral staircases lining the castle’s exterior that provide sweeping views of the surrounding forest. Part of the elder Bishop’s vision is to keep the site admission-free—it’s open to the public every day, year-round—a desire that stems from childhood memories of his family being unable to afford pricey zoo and theme park tickets. That means Bishop Castle is funded entirely by donations and sales of trinkets such as back scratchers and keychains in the gift shop—a small price to pay for the experience of exploring one man’s wildest dream.
—Barbara O’Neil
Coordinates: 38.70925, -105.17254
Odometer: 118 miles
En Route To: Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
Roadside attractions skew kitschy, so you might imagine that a largerthan-life troll would fit into the same zany category as, say, a giant statue of Paul Bunyan. But Danish sculptor Thomas Dambo’s trolls are closer to works of art. Each one of the more than 120 sculptures he’s handcrafted around the world uses recycled materials and showcases a new character Dambo has imagined, complete with elaborate folklore. “Rita the Rock Planter” is no exception. Since August 2023, the wooden troll, which is positioned on its hands and knees pushing a pile of rocks, has been delighting hikers near the town of Victor, a 46-mile drive southwest from Colorado Springs. “I love the mountains, and I love the whole outdoors mentality in Colorado,” says Dambo, who has another wildly popular sculpture in Breckenridge. “I was invited to come to Victor by a couple who lives there…. It is such an old city, and it has a gold mining [history] that says a lot about us as humans and our obsession with shiny stuff.”
Dambo hopes to parlay fans’ obsession with his trolls into spreading messages about conservation (Rita, for example, is repairing holes in the earth left by miners) and inspiration. “I really want people to go out, get out of their cars, and experience the world with all their senses,” he says. “That’s why I hide the trolls.” Still, Rita isn’t particularly difficult to find or to get to: Dambo has recorded Rita’s approximate home on his website trollmap.com, and its exact location, less than a mile hike from the Little Grouse Mountain trailhead, is even marked on a website that rhymes with oogle. But Dambo encourages troll hunters to explore as they seek his sculpture. “You’ll see all kinds of other stuff while you go on a little walk,” he says. —CW
In the foothills between Fort Collins and Loveland, Masonville Mercantile is an unexpected treasure trove of period costumes and accessories.
Cyclists pedaling the bucketlist Rist Canyon Loop often roll into Masonville Mercantile’s lot at the intersection of Buckhorn Road and West County Road 38E. The sign on the 128-yearold, weathered wooden building advertising “cold beer and ice” promises refreshment, while a pair of vintage, nonfunctioning gas pumps makes passersby think they’re entering a convenience store. They most definitely are not.
What are they walking into? For one thing, the shop is attached to proprietors Holly and Bruce Cook’s home. Touristy tchotchkes share shelf space with a collection of locally made artwork and jewelry. A lofted area toward the back holds a tiny bridal boutique (with a haunted mannequin model). Beyond that, there’s a community space and tearoom set up to host yoga sessions and quilting classes. Also on-site is an original phone booth from Estes Park’s Stanley Hotel and two early 20th century Loveland jail cells. Most notably, however, the bulk of the store is filled with striking, high-quality, mostly replica clothing and accessories that span eras and genres, from Victorian to the Roaring ’20s to steampunk to the Old West. “It’s my fantasy,” says Holly of the eccentric spot, which was a 3.2 beer bar in the late 1970s and a wedding gown shop in the ’80s.
Although she’s happy to sell drinks from her handful of coolers and grub from
a small snack section to road riders (some of whom give her donations to fund upkeep on the port-a-potty outside), the 61-year-old co-owner’s primary passion is dressing cosplay enthusiasts who visit to outfit themselves for events such as the annual 1940s Ball at the Boulder Airport or a Downton Abbey watch party. Groups can also call ahead and give Holly some direction on their fantasies; for a fee, she’ll curate a rack of, say, Britishmade corsets, leather lace-up dance boots, and lavish hats and fascinators. Once everyone is done playing dress-up, Holly will take photographs in a side room with a stone fireplace she’s decorated for this purpose. If they’re lucky, Bruce, 71, might emerge from his studio out back to play some tunes on his guitar.
The couple’s energy may seem as endless as the functions of this remote outpost.
But another sign on the exterior—in red and white and reading “for sale”—hints that they don’t intend to run Masonville Mercantile forever. With a third business partner ready to move on, Holly and Bruce are looking for someone to take over the storied shop. “I’m excited to see the next generation leave their mark on this place,” Holly says. 9120 N. County Road 27, Loveland —JL
A 5280 editor’s Tripadvisor-style, hot and cold takes on three classic Colorado roadside restaurants whose wacky surrounds are just as much of a draw as the food.
10 Old Stagecoach Road, Bailey
After living in Colorado for almost 23 years, I finally pulled over at this riverside wiener stand. Its 42-foot-long, 18-ton frank is surrounded by a wooden deck with umbrellaed patio tables, but inside, the dinerlike interior offers redtopped barstools, a circular booth, and a trip back to the 1960s. According to my postmeal Googlings, the Coney Island hot dog stand was built in
1966 on West Colfax Avenue, which seems about right. Four years later, though, someone put the hot dog on wheels and stationed it in Aspen Park, where it stayed until 2006, when it rolled into Bailey. There was a for-sale sign in the front window when I was there, so I hope the place doesn’t close. It’s a little pricey—$9.75 for a quarter-pound frank and $15 for an elk brat—but you’re paying for the irresistible novelty (and the selfie, of course).
6715 W. Colfax Ave., Lakewood
Following all the buzz Casa Bonita got when it reopened in mid-2023, I wanted to hate it. I don’t have kids, so I’d
never had a reason to go, but I couldn’t resist the hype and signed up for the reservation lottery. I won several weeks later and pulled into the parking lot on a Saturday night in July. The constructed-in-the1970s, Pepto Bismol–hued palace has an 85-foot-tall tower—visible for miles— topped with a gold dome and a statue of Cuauhtémoc, the last Aztec emperor. The kitsch continues indoors with 56,000 square feet of silliness, including a puppet show, a haunted cave, an arcade, and a 30-foot waterfall from which cliff divers (read: teenagers who must be on the local high school dive team) leap and plunge into the pool below. If I were just reviewing the entertainment (or if I were, you know, eight years old), I’d consider handing out a five. But my margarita was too sweet, the enchiladas were bland, and the $40 adult dinner entrée price (that’s without booze, y’all) is steep.
THE FORT
19192 CO 8, Morrison
Being of, ahem, a certain age, I played the Oregon Trail in elementary school. Having lost a lot of oxen in my day, I was predisposed to liking the Fort restaurant (an homage to Bent’s Old Fort, an 1880s-era trading post in southeastern Colorado). It was originally built to be a family home, but realizing they’d busted their budget, Sam’l and Elizabeth Arnold opened a restaurant in 1963 on the lower floor to help pay the Santa Fe–based architect and the Taos artisans who hand-carved the gates, doors, and furniture. Partial as I might have been to the rustic yet elegant vibe, the owners must still be in arrears, because the prices—$72 for an eight-ounce buffalo filet?— are outlandish. Maybe it’s just me, but I’d rather die of dysentery than pay that kind of a bill again. —Lindsey B. King
Coordinates: 39.60375, -105.22357
Odometer: 24 miles
En Route To: Buena Vista
Anyone who grew up in Denver in the past 100 years likely has childhood memories of peering into the windows of Tiny Town’s diminutive buildings (now numbering 100-some) or riding a miniature steam train around its ⅝-mile track. The charming attraction along Turkey Creek, just off U.S. 285 between Indian Hills and Conifer, is extremely accessible, both geographically and financially: This past season, admission was $5 for adults and $4 for kids ages two to 12; train tickets were $4 apiece; and although there’s a snack bar, families are welcome to pack their own picnics to enjoy at plentiful tables by the playground. So perhaps it’s not surprising that when COVID-19 closures threatened to permanently shutter the beloved spot in summer 2020, the community rallied to save it. A GoFundMe campaign raised nearly $34,000, and in 2021, tens of thousands of visitors were once again able to admire 1�6-scale replicas of local landmarks, such as the Molly Brown House and Idaho Springs’ Argo Mill, and old-timey saloons, jails, churches, shops, and the Tiny Town Tribune office.
The pandemic is not the only big challenge Tiny Town has had to overcome. Since George Turner began building what was then called Turnerville in 1915 to entertain his terminally ill daughter, it has survived a fire, floods, the rerouting of U.S. 285, and multiple ownership changes. In 1989, however, the nonprofit Tiny Town Foundation was established to oversee operations and ensure that it remains “a place where time stands still and you can be a child forever,” as park manager Elvira Nedoma wrote in her book, If These Tracks Could Talk. Today, paid employees and volunteers refresh paint on the kid-size structures (some Turner’s originals, others constructed or donated over the decades), work the register in the gift shop and food stand, and operate the steam trains, whose engines can use up to 140 pounds of coal per day to boil the 100 to 150 gallons of water it takes to transport kids, and kids at heart, around this longtime Colorado treasure. —JL
Coordinates: 37.91852, -105.66908
Odometer: 201 miles
En Route To: Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
Nestled at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, about 20 miles off CO 17, the Crestone Ziggurat definitely isn’t the weirdest thing to call the San Luis Valley home—see: aliens and 300-some gators (page 63)—but it may be the most eerily beautiful. Twisting skyward several stories into the air, the ochre yellow, concrete cylindrical tower stands atop a sand dune, with a ramp wrapped around the outside that leads visitors to its summit. The structure was commissioned and erected in the 1980s by a transplant to the area named Najeeb Halaby, a former CEO of Pan Am Air and head of the Federal Aviation Agency under President John F. Kennedy who was attracted to Crestone’s spiritual community. (Today, the town of fewer than 200 and the surrounding area host multiple Buddhist retreat centers, a Hindu temple, and one of three Shumai sacred sites in the world, among other religious venues.) Drawing its roots from ancient Mesopotamia, where ziggurats were constructed as gateways from Earth to heaven, the Crestone iteration was built as a place for spiritual practice and meditation, although Halaby and his wife were also known to enjoy cocktails at the top.
Open from dawn to dusk and free to the public, the ziggurat is accessible from a parking area at the end of Cordial Way outside of town. A short and sandy half-mile hike meanders through piñons, and ascending the sunny yellow tower takes mere minutes, but the surrounding landscape demands a pause at the apex. The jagged wall of peaks that rises out of the ground to the east and runs the length of the valley juxtaposes beautifully with the beige Great Sand Dunes farther south. “There’s a feeling of uplifted-ness when you reach the top,” says Njal Schold, director of the Karma Thegsum Tashi Gomang executive committee, the organization tasked with the Crestone Ziggurat’s upkeep. “You see the expansiveness of our world.” —Sarah Banks
Four off-the-beatenpath—or just offbeat— museums scattered across the state.
THE OLD JAIL MUSEUM
85 W. Second St. North, Cheyenne Wells
A little more than two hours of tumbleweeds east of Colorado Springs is the no-stoplight town of Cheyenne Wells—and perhaps the state’s coolest Old West jailhouse. Now known as the Old Jail Museum, this building was once the temporary home of the baddest of eastern Colorado’s bad men. Today, visitors (call 719-767-5865 to make an appointment) to the whitewashed, Romanesque-style jail—designed by famed Mile High City architect Robert S. Roeschlaub, whose CV includes Denver’s East High School—can see two 130-yearold cells along with day-to-day items, newspaper articles, and photographs documenting Colorado’s early Eastern Plains denizens. A striking feature is the second-story turret, which gave lawmen miles-long views across the mostly barren landscape. $5 for adults; kids free
NATIONAL MINING HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM
120 W. Ninth St., Leadville
In the country’s highestelevation incorporated city, this museum is a shrine to underground exploration. More than 60 exhibits, an elaborate model railroad, and a walkthrough replica of a hardrock mine fill the 25,000-squarefoot building, which also has sweeping Rocky Mountain views. Hang out in the Gold Rush room to examine crystals, native gold specimens, fluorescent rocks, and geodes the size of basketballs. From Memorial Day to late September, you can add on a guided or self-guided surface tour of
the once-silver-rich Matchless Mine. $15 per adult
AMACHE MUSEUM
205 E. Goff Ave., Granada Camp Amache, the former World War II Japanese internment camp in southeastern Colorado, only officially became a National Historic Site earlier this year. But since 1996, the Amache Museum has preserved artifacts from this shameful chapter in American history, when the country incarcerated tens of thousands of people with Japanese heritage, many of whom were U.S. citizens. The Granada institution is run by students from the local high school who over-
see a collection that includes tea sets, clothes, and other items that once belonged to residents. The teenagers have also played an enormous role in unearthing details of camp life, such as discovering a longburied koi pond. Free
DRAGONMAN’S
MILITARY MUSEUM
1200 Dragonman Drive, Colorado Springs
Get an up-close look at World War II–era tanks, planes, and weaponry and perhaps the greatest collection of 20thcentury military uniforms this side of the Smithsonian—all stockpiled on a 260-acre compound that includes a go-kart track and a paintball park. The brainchild of “Dragonman” Mel Bernstein, the museum is shocking for its size and scope but remains impressive for its ability to contextualize the cost of war for those who’ve seen its horrors. $20; kids five and under free —Robert Sanchez m
Colorado’s 65-and-older population is exploding—a reality that has spurred local governments, educational institutions, health care providers, and nonprofit organizations to research solutions for common problems and find novel ways to support Centennial Staters as they age.
Kristine Burrows has dedicated a big chunk of her young life to old age. She earned a master’s degree with a focus on leadership and healthy aging from the Colorado School of Public Health in 2018, launched a statewide day program for older adults with disabilities through the Lakewood chapter of national nonprofit Easterseals, and eventually worked as director of aging, care, and connections for the Jewish Family Service of Colorado. So when the Colorado Department of Human Services (DHS) started hiring for a new role last year—senior specialist on aging— Burrows was the ideal candidate.
The position wasn’t just any job-board gig, though. Its genesis was rooted in a bill that went into effect in March 2022: the modernization of the Older Coloradans’ Act. The act, which was updated for the first time in more than 50 years, called for a liaison within DHS to connect state and local agencies with the department. That level of legislative action is crucial: Colorado’s population of older adults is projected to double to 1.7 million people by 2050, according to the Colorado Health Institute, making the state’s aging population the second-fastest growing in the nation (behind Alaska).
There’s an adage—frequently attributed to Bette Davis—that says aging is not for sissies. The actress was likely referencing the degradation of the human body, but these days, that indignity is joined by a host of others: age discrimination, barriers to finding health care, and a lack of affordable housing. So while it’s laudable that the Older Coloradans’ Act was updated in the face of a growing senior population, it’s now Burrows’ job to put together a blueprint for the state on how to tackle aging care. “The biggest part of my role is to create a multisector plan on aging,” Burrows says, something only five other states in the country
are currently developing. While her work remains in its infancy, she expects to complete the first draft of Colorado’s 10-year multisector plan—which will address health care, transportation, and housing, among other things—within the next year.
In the meantime, private organizations throughout Colorado are also stepping up to help older adults work through the positives and negatives of accumulating so many years. Peter Kaldes, president and CEO of Denver-based Next50, a foundation that funds aging-focused organizations throughout the region, says Colorado’s private aging organizations are at the forefront of the field. “Nationally, Colorado has earned a really nice reputation for being thoughtful and progressive when it comes to doing innovative aging work,” Kaldes says.
Percentage of Colorado’s population that will be over the age of 60 by 2030, an increase of 32 percent from 2012, according to the U.S. Census Bureau
And while Burrows will likely spend the next decade redrafting and updating the state’s multisector plan, her job description boils down to one simple idea. “Aging is living, and my work is to help people live the best lives that they can,” she says. In other words, we’re all aging. In the following pages, we outline some of the people, organizations, and initiatives that are helping all of us age a little more comfortably in the Centennial State.
Intentional intergenerational housing is a relatively new housing concept that pairs older adults and young people in one community. According to the University of Wisconsin's Center for Aging Research and Education, older adults can benefit from increased social engagement and physical positives like increased strength and balance, while younger generations gain increased empathy. That’s the idea behind the Village on San Juan, a Montrose
providing supportive housing to at-risk youth and adults over the age of 62. Created in part by Court Appointed Special Advocates of the 7th Judicial District, the development (which includes 30 supportive housing units) aims to provide a safe and beneficial environment for youth and older adults, with completion scheduled for later this year.
When the federal Older Americans Act was updated in 1973, local Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) were founded throughout the country to ensure that those in their golden years can live independently in their communities while still accessing critical resources. More than 600 AAAs exist in the United States; 16 are located in Colorado and are funded by the state’s Department of Human Services. These, in turn, provide those 60 and older with access to things such as community meal sites, health and wellness classes, and transportation services. Because the needs of older adults vary depending on where in Colorado they reside, we took a look at resources provided by five AAAs throughout the state, along with challenges they face in providing that crucial support.
While older adults living in the metro area usually have access to health care and public transportation, Next50’s Peter Kaldes says a big challenge in Denver is reaching underserved populations, such as people of color, low-income individuals, or the unhoused. That’s why, earlier this year, Denver’s AAA entered into a 15-month-long national Health Equity Learning Cooperative with 19 other organizations throughout the country. Through the program, Denver’s AAA staff will partner with clinicians from Denver Health to screen Medicare recipients and connect them with community services they could qualify for, all in an effort to make sure every older Denverite gets the most care possible.
Approximately 20 percent of people living in the six counties that comprise the Lower Arkansas Valley AAA are older than 65. The AAA there provides legal services, devices for the visually impaired like magnifiers and talking watches, and a meal delivery program. In the town of Bristol in Prowers County, Next50 is partly funding the construction of the only community center for older adults in the area, which, when completed later this year, will be the town’s first new building in more than a century and will offer art therapy and an intergenerational community garden targeting the area’s youth and seniors.
“It’s interesting to see a town choose to make the investment in bringing older adults together,” Kaldes says. “The rural community can be isolating.”
In the sparsely populated counties of Colorado’s Eastern Plains,
public transportation is almost nonexistent, and ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft don’t operate. That leaves older adults who can’t drive with few options when they need to get to medical appointments or the grocery store. One potential fix: The East Central AAA offers a bus system called the Outback Express to shuttle residents, including older adults, living in the area, but the 12 or so buses operate on a part-time schedule, and finding staff to drive them has been difficult. According to Sean Vanous, senior and transit services director for the East Central AAA, new buses will be added to the fleet this year, and none of them require CDL licenses to drive, which means anyone with a typical driver’s license can operate them. “But finding staff who can
drive them is still tough,” he says. “There’s a lot of folks out here who need transportation.”
Among the five counties in southwestern Colorado, nearly 26 percent of the total population is older than 65. There, the San Juan Basin AAA connects seniors with the usual resources, like Medicare counseling and home chore assistance, but also recently undertook the construction of four new grow domes. Completed in October 2023 and staffed by trained horticulturists, these greenhouses grow fresh produce for older adults in the region. One of the domes, located on Ute Mountain Ute tribal land in Towaoc, provides fresh food specifically for the local senior center. “I don’t know of any other program like this in the state,” says Christina
Knoell, executive director of the San Juan Basin AAA, “so it’s really unique and exciting for us.”
Composed of counties near Colorado’s western border, Region 10 offers volunteer-run programs to keep older adults in their own homes longer. The AAA’s Senior Companion Program pairs volunteers with aging Centennial Staters to combat loneliness and help with light housekeeping. Volunteers also install stair railings or change smoke detector batteries to keep seniors safe at home. In Delta County, Next50 helped fund the North Fork Valley Creative Coalition, based in Paonia, which will create the area’s first art program for older adults, complete with classes and supplies.
Ten out of 10 doctors agree: Staying active as you get older is a key to aging well. Coloradans are no strangers to outdoor recreation, but with each wrinkle, skiing those black diamonds can get more difficult. That’s why we asked three medical professionals how you might accommodate your changing body without sacrificing your favorite activity. (Make sure to consult your doc first, though.)
YOU LOVE…
Rolling out the yoga mat
Gliding your way down a ski slope
You can’t keep your balance like you used to
The joints in your knees and ankles hurt on the way down
Slowing down the pace with which you move from one pose to another; just keep your limits in mind and ask your instructor for pose modifications if necessary
Riding your bike on Denver’s miles of trails
One Colorado hospital is reaching a new demographic.
You find yourself stopping for more oxygen and muscle breaks than you want to
Avoiding moguls and sticking to groomed, gentle slopes, which will put less strain on your achy joints
Hillary Joseph, a physical therapist and owner of Denver’s Blue Sky Physical Therapy, says doing balance exercises throughout the day (like standing on one foot while you brush your teeth) can improve your balance over time.
Opting for an electric bike, which can take over when your legs—or lungs—get too tired
Patrick Donovan, a physical therapist at Glendale’s Heather Lane Physical Therapy, says counter-assisted hop squats, where you hold onto a counter and take small hops, can help get you mogul-ready again. He also stresses you are not doomed to surgery: “Just because your neighbor had a knee replacement due to arthritis doesn’t mean that’ll be the case for everyone,” he says.
Dr. Thomas Johnson, a geriatric medicine practitioner with CU Medicine, says, “Sometimes we just need to take a break if our body is running out of energy.” He recommends working your way (back) up to more cardio-heavy trails slowly and accommodating your body’s needs over your brain’s desires.
The state’s ballooning population of older adults means that a growing number of older Coloradans are living with HIV. In fact, more than half of all people nationwide who have the virus are over the age of 50. Living with the virus means older Coloradans might experience an earlier onset of age-related conditions, like osteoporosis, and they may be more at risk of mental health conditions like depression, too. When an older adult with HIV sees multiple doctors at different practices for different conditions, there’s also a higher chance for miscommunication or medical errors. For instance, a primary care provider who prescribes statins for heart health might not be aware of how that medication could interact with anti-HIV prescriptions. UCHealth’s University of Colorado Hospital found a new way to care for older adults living with HIV by opening the Positive Aging Clinic in late 2022. The clinic is one of just a few like it in the country that target both HIV and age-related maladies together, which means older adults now have a one-stop shop for care.
From top: The Good Brigade/Getty Images; Getty Images (2)
Nearly 14 percent of Coloradans older than 65 live in rural areas, where they often struggle to access medical professionals.
Searching for solitude and mountain views, Darcy (who asked that her real name be withheld to protect her privacy) moved in 2003 to Red Feather Lakes, an unincorporated town in Larimer County about an hour from Fort Collins. At the time, the town of around 500 people had a health clinic run by a local doctor who would treat minor ailments like cuts and sprains. But when the clinic shuttered in 2012, residents of Red Feather Lakes (more than 45 percent of whom are over the age of 60) were left in the middle of a health care desert. “Most of us have to make the trek to Fort Collins for care, which can be a hassle,” says Darcy, who is now in her mid-70s.
Darcy’s situation in Red Feather Lakes isn’t unique. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, rural areas tend to have higher proportions of older adults compared to urban areas. And while less populated areas
provide the quiet life many seniors are seeking, rural geographies often don’t offer enough health care providers, according to research from Colorado State University.
That’s why the Innovations in Aging Collaborative, a Colorado Springs–based nonprofit that helped the city develop a more age-friendly community design in 2020, recently expanded its work to the entire Pikes Peak region, which includes all of El Paso County. Last year, executive director Erin Maruzzella, her team, and local stakeholders like government leaders and city residents created an extensive plan with 60 actionable steps—such as developing age-focused training for health care organizations, creating a network of informal community caregivers willing to check in on seniors in need, and improving access to fitness programs for older adults—with the goal of completing the action plan by 2028. Funded in part by private donations and grants, the nonprofit reached 90 percent of the goals it outlined in its initial action plan for Colorado Springs, a fact Maruzzella says makes her hopeful that she and her team can reach the vast majority of the benchmarks they’ve set for their expanded coverage area.
Although the Innovations in Aging Collaborative works in El Paso County and Area Agencies on Aging serve their respective regions throughout the state, programs that specifically target Colorado’s rural locations are limited. “We’re having trouble finding enough people to work in rural communities, which means those adults aren’t getting access to any resources,” says the Department of Human Services’ senior specialist on aging, Kristine Burrows. The reasons for that are myriad. Burrows notes that there’s an economy of scale problem: It doesn’t make financial sense for a specialist to set up shop in a smaller town. Plus, in-home health workers are not usually paid enough to make the commute. The result is that many older Coloradans might be foregoing essential preventive care or driving significant distances to access it. “One of my neighbors passed away from cancer that started as just a little thing in her mouth,” says Darcy, adding that her friend didn’t believe getting the small sore checked out was worth the lengthy drive to the city. “She didn’t think much of it at first, but it was eventually the end of her.”
the National Council on Aging
While Darcy would consider moving closer to town at some point in the future, she doesn’t see it happening anytime soon. “I don’t want to be a burden to anyone, and I don’t want my kids to worry about me [up here],” she says. “But as long as I can stay here, I want to stay here. They’ll probably have to carry me out.”
Janine Vanderburg has worked to end workplace ageism through her Colorado-based national nonprofit, Changing the Narrative, which receives funding through Next50. We asked Vanderburg, who is now a senior strategist for the organization she founded in 2018, what ageism in the office looks like today.
Local universities are diversifying their programs with age in mind.
5280: Why is combating ageism so important to you?
Janine Vanderburg: When I took on this initiative, I was not prepared to be heartbroken by the stories I heard from folks my age about trying to live off $600 a month in Social Security while “help wanted” signs were everywhere. There’s proven research that shows that having a group of employees that are diverse in age is just as beneficial as racial and gender diversity. Last year, Harvard Business Review released study results showing that women are never the right age for leadership in the workplace. You’re either too young or you have kids and you’re seemingly too busy attending soccer games, and next thing you know you’re going through menopause and you’re just too old. It’s absolutely unfair.
What does ageism in the workplace typically look like?
It often starts in the hiring process, which is why we worked on advocating for Colorado’s Job Application Fairness Act. Even though it’s illegal to discriminate based on age, employers will sometimes ask for a graduation date on a job application. Employers in Colorado won’t be able to do that on an initial application as of July 2024. Other times, employers will put out a job description saying something like “I want a digital native,” and you can’t be a digital native if you didn’t grow up with a cell phone. When you’re on the job, it can look like people stopping by your desk and saying things like, “You’re not retired yet?” It can look like not being invited to meetings you used to be invited to or not being invited to development courses teaching new software. Sometimes it’s obvious, but other times it can be really subtle.
How can employers avoid ageism?
They should remove age identifiers from applications. Also, hiring managers should be trained on implicit bias. We all have bias, but knowing about it can help us look past it. Hiring teams should also be intergenerational. A friend of mine who has years of experience in marketing was told by a hiring team that they went with a younger candidate because they felt like that candidate would be better at social media. She didn’t pursue legal action on them even though she probably could have, but if they had just looked at her social media, they would have seen how creative and innovative her ideas are.
Statistically speaking, fewer older adults enroll in universities to earn a degree; instead, a 2011 University of Georgia study suggests over-60ers attend college to further their personal growth. That’s why in 2012, Ireland’s Dublin City University started the Age-Friendly University Global Network, an international consortium that bestows its designation upon educational institutions that meet 10 specific principles. Anne Button, director of the CU Denver Change Makers program, spearheaded the university’s initiative to obtain the designation in 2022. Since then, Button and her colleagues have worked to make the campus welcoming of all ages by forming a committee to assess the school’s age diversity, which made courses more age inclusive. For instance, a macroeconomics class will now include units on the economics of the aging population and the labor market. In addition to CU Denver, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, and Colorado State University have become Age-Friendly Universities.
This spread, clockwise from left: Sarah Banks; Courtesy of Semester at Sea; Courtesy of OATS/AARPWhether older adults are looking to break into a career field or just find a productive way to spend their time, these four educational organizations in Colorado offer learning opportunities targeted toward those who already have a lot of life experience.
Founded in: 2023
Adults thinking about retirement, or those who have recently retired, meet twice a week (once on campus and once virtually) to learn how to navigate life transitions. Students attend lectures with topics ranging from community leadership to planning for longterm health. Plus, students can audit nearly any CU Denver class, meaning they can sit in on art, history, or even engineering courses.
Student report card:
“I was in the aerospace industry for 34 years, and the program helped me see that there’s a bigger world out there than just the career I had. I can apply my skills to more than just playing golf or pickleball every day,” says 61-yearold Alex Chernushin, who participated in the program during the 2023 fall semester. “I’m now in an accountability group with three other former members, and we still meet every week to check in on each other.”
Founded in: 2002
in Lowry, students can take technology courses on everything from the fundamentals of Instagram to how to buy a decent laptop. The program is designed for adults over 60.
Student report card:
This Denver-based organization dedicated to lifelong learning, founded by former teacher John Henderson and his business partner Zane Robertson, offers free, hourlong classes at various locations throughout the metro area on an eclectic assortment of topics. From the origins of whiskey to the history of the Mongol Empire, the programming is available to all ages, although Active Minds’ primary demographic remains older adults of retirement age.
Student report card:
“I worked with the U.S. government for 35 years, including as an international diplomat, and have been to 46 countries. I have a great interest in what’s happening in the world, and Active Minds fills that need I have to keep learning,” 85-year-old Ann Tull says. “Some of the classes are online, which is great for those who can’t drive. Having this available has meant all the difference in the world for my happiness.”
Founded in: 2004
Senior Planet is a program run by nonprofit Older Adults Technology Services, which is affiliated with AARP, a nationwide interest group for those 50 and older. With both virtual and inperson classes at the Senior Planet Center
“I had just started a job that required me to be computer-literate, but I wasn’t literate, so they laid me off,” says 65-year-old Adeleye Alao, who attends Senior Planet classes with her husband, 74-year-old Ayo. “I dragged my husband along to the [10-week] Computer Basics class, and everyone is so nice that we feel comfortable learning. I still want to work, so when the class is over, I’ll look for jobs again.”
Founded in: 1986
Based out of Fort Collins, Semester at Sea is a study-abroad program primarily directed toward undergraduate college students who take a semester to sail to 10 different countries while taking university-level classes on board a passenger ship. Semester at Sea’s Lifelong Learning Program, however, targets an older demographic, inviting them to join students aboard the MV World Odyssey to travel the world while auditing classes. While the program is technically open to anyone over the age of 30, many Lifelong Learners are retirement age—and some, in recent years, have even been in their 90s.
Student report card:
“I sailed the full fall semester in 2022. I loved it so much I’m now working with them,” says Vera Nicholas, who serves as the program’s coordinator. “At the time, I was recently divorced and in my early 60s and just wanted to go for myself. My voyage started in Amsterdam, and we went to places like Lisbon and Dubai. I took classes like coastal environmental ecology. One night, a school of dolphins started playing near the anchored ship and stayed there all night long. It’s one of my most treasured memories.” m
Residents of the formerly mining-dependent West End region of Colorado need visitors to help revive their struggling economy. They’re just not sure they want them.BY ELISABETH KWAK-HEFFERAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY ABBY ATHENA
In place of mining, the West End is hitching its future prospects to natural resources like the multiuse Paradox Trail.
IF HE’S NOT MOUNTAIN BIKING, TEACHING THEATER AT A LOCAL SCHOOL, OR RECORDING HIS PODCAST, YOU’LL PROBABLY FIND BROCK BENSON AT THE BIKE SHOP HE NEVER INTENDED TO OWN.
Benson, 49, grew up roaming his family’s cattle ranch, a sprawling 1,000-plus-acre parcel on the Uncompahgre Plateau in what’s known as the West End of Montrose County. “When I was 11 years old, my dad was content to send me out by myself on a horse,” Benson says, “as long as I had a gun and the dog.” Three years later, though, the Peabody coal mine where his parents worked shut down; the couple split up around the same time. Benson moved to Craig with his mom. After high school, he bounced around Colorado for a few years before landing in Denver. He spent 11 years stage acting and teaching in the Mile High City but always planned to retire to the ranch. Maybe, he thought, he’d even keep some bees.
When the world began reopening after COVID-19 shutdowns in 2021, Benson and his partner finally moved back to the West End, where Benson was pleasantly surprised to learn that the local mountain biking scene had blossomed in his absence. Benson had fallen in love with the sport while in college in Grand Junction. (His family sold the coal reserves on their property, and he’d spent his first royalty check on a new bike.) Now, Benson discovered that a group of dedicated cyclists had developed the West End’s trails and mining roads over the previous decade, building some new ones but mostly cleaning up, mapping, and promoting an existing network. “When I saw an entire population working to make this a mountain bike destination, my first thought was, I’ll offer repairs out of my garage,” says Benson, who also worked as a bike mechanic in Denver. “But within a week or two of that, I realized I would need more space.”
Paradox Cycle, the first cycling shop in Naturita (population 485), opened its doors in summer 2022. Outside, Benson flies Colorado, U.S., and rainbow flags; inside, he stocks the former liquor store with bike tools, tire tubes, and cycling backpacks. Some days, a brand-new Salsa mountain bike for sale rests out on the front porch. Other days, it’s a fleet of cruisers or a Strider toddler bike. Business has been “crazy good,” says Benson, who has his hands full tuning his neighbors’ rides, selling new bikes, and donating fixed-up two-wheelers to local kids.
Just under half of his sales come from the growing number of tourists who are beginning to discover the West End. They stop in for gear before exploring the trails or call for a rescue when their mounts break down on the nearby San Juan Huts route.
It’s not just mountain bikers flocking to the West End, though: ATV enthusiasts explore the area’s off-road routes, hunters scope for trophy elk, drive-through tourists follow the UnaweepTabeguache Scenic and Historic Byway, and boho van-lifers look for a Burning Man–style experience at a new glamping resort. In many ways, these visitors are exactly what the West End needs. “Tourism will have a really important role in our economy,” Benson says. “But change hasn’t always been viewed as a positive thing.”
Ask any longtime resident of mountain meccas such as Aspen, Crested Butte, Estes Park, or Vail and you’ll likely get an earful about the
dark side of popularity, from overrun trails to gapers on the ski runs to sky-high housing prices. But tourism has been the economic driver in those places for decades, and locals are used to the interlopers. In the West End, however, coal was king until only a few years ago, and many residents of the formerly overlooked communities wonder if the tiny towns can evolve into tourist destinations without losing their saltof-the-earth soul. “I knew that if I didn’t step up and offer a proper bike shop, then somebody from the outside would,” Benson says. “I knew somebody would come in and see the potential. And I don’t know that they would love the community like I do.”
ON A MAP, Montrose County looks like two overlapping rectangles. The eastern one contains the city of Montrose and 95 percent of the total population; out west, you’ll find high-desert scrub, plunging canyon walls the color of Cheetos, the San Miguel River, and the tiny towns of Nucla, Naturita, Paradox, Redvale, Bedrock, and Norwood (which is technically just over the border in San Miguel County). Their combined population: about 1,900.
With the West End’s scenic beauty, abundant public land, and location halfway between Telluride and Moab, Utah, it has long been a gem—one that locals preferred to keep hidden. Agriculture has been an important part of the economy from the start of Western settlement in the late 1800s, but underground riches paid the bulk of the wages in the 20th century. First radium, then vanadium and uranium milling and mining operations reigned, supporting an 800-person company town called Uravan just west of Naturita and supplying the Manhattan Project during World War II. But in the mid-1980s, amid concerns over radiation, the federal government demolished Uravan and declared it a Superfund site. (Anyone who’s interested can still drive to the old town, a fenced-in, graveled-over expanse with radiation warning signs screwed to the barriers.)
Coal mining and the coal-fired Nucla Station power plant were well-established in the West End by the time uranium tanked, and they soon accounted for most of the area’s dependable high-wage jobs. That base, in turn, buoyed the rest of the community, from teachers to health care workers to retail clerks.
But in 2013, the environmental group WildEarth Guardians filed a lawsuit that targeted Tri-State Generation and Transmission, owners of the mine and the plant, over regional haze rules. The company eventually shuttered the mine in 2017, with the plant following two years later. Although a boon for air quality and the climate, the closures put scores of West Enders out of jobs, leading to more than a 50 percent loss in property tax revenue, which affected the community’s fire department, cemetery district, and schools. Many residents moved away in search of work, and the portion of the population living below the poverty
line shot up. (It’s currently about 19 percent in Nucla and Naturita, compared to 9.4 percent for the entire state of Colorado.)
Transitioning to outdoor tourism is common among former mining communities nationwide, which tend to be located in rural, wild, and beautiful places. Once beholden to coal, Gallup, New Mexico, rebranded as an adventure destination with a substantial hiking and biking trail network. Parts of southern West Virginia have begun to compensate for declining coal mining with a booming whitewater rafting industry. Crosby, Minnesota, transformed its iron-mining pits into a popular singletrack trail system. And Moffat County in Colorado’s northwestern corner, another region affected by coal’s decline, is currently developing river access points and a whitewater park on the Yampa River.
“We’re in this really sweet spot,” says Makayla Gordon, executive director of the West End Economic Development Corporation (WEEDC). “You get the arches and the desert and the red rocks, the hiking and the ATVing. You get the skiing and the mountain biking and climbing the mountains. Outdoor recreation is absolutely a part of our strategy.” Besides those attractions, the West End also boasts proximity to a 160-mile jeeping/ATV route called the Rimrocker Trail; the over-100mile, multiuse Paradox Trail; vast stretches of national forest and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) terrain open to hiking, rock climbing, and camping; Ancestral Puebloan petroglyph panels on the remote cliff walls west of Naturita; and floating opportunities on the San Miguel River.
“I’ve always thought that the outdoor recreation part of the economy here has never been fully explored,” retired Nucla woodworker Paul Koski says. With the coal industry’s decline, Koski and several others formed the West End Trails Alliance in 2014, which worked to help turn the region’s miles of old, two-track dirt roads and existing singletrack into serviceable bike routes. The group has gone on to spruce up and build more trails, print maps, produce an online trails guide using Trailforks, and launch a new website funded through grant money. They’ve also helped with two new biking events, the West End
Gravel Rush and the Grand Loop Race. “The writing was on the wall,” Koski says. “We said, ‘The easiest thing we can do is get some maps printed, try to get people interested in the area.’ ”
That includes people like Renata Raziano. Since moving to Montrose in 2011, the avid mountain biker explored singletrack in all the usual places: Fruita, Gunnison, Crested Butte, Telluride. But it wasn’t until six years later, after meeting Koski through a regional mountain biking group, that Raziano ventured to the West End. In June 2017, she drove an hour and 15 minutes to the Thunder Trail system in the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests south of Norwood. The area’s extensive options impressed her, as did the red-rock scenery and distant views of the snowcapped San Juan Mountains. Best of all: “There’s no one here!” Raziano recalls thinking. “It’s the uncrowdedness that makes it special.” She now tries to ride the West End at least twice a year.
Some West Enders moved quickly to capitalize on the influx of tourists. Aimee Tooker, president of WEEDC’s board of directors, and her husband bought a historical building on Nucla’s main street in 2018. “Nucla needed short-term rentals,” says Tooker, who worked for an inn in Telluride in her 20s, “and I had the
Tourist-wary Jane Thompson of the Rimrocker Historical Society of Western Montrose County
background.” They converted the space into a homey bed-andbreakfast, decorating the main building’s four rooms according to West End themes, such as Uravan (yellow accents pay tribute to yellowcake uranium) and the area’s original inhabitants, the Tabeguache band of Utes (complete with tribal artwork on the walls). Since opening in 2020, Vestal House has been busy, hosting everyone from out-of-state elk hunters to motorcycle tourists to mountain bikers in town for one of the area’s many rides or races. The business expanded into the building next to it last year, adding an event space and two more guest rooms.
Natalie Binder, a hospitality entrepreneur based in Telluride and the West End, also saw the region’s potential. In 2017, she snapped up Vancorum, a former uranium mining company town. Within four years, Binder transformed it into a glamping, arts, and music complex called CampV. With its rehabbed miners’ cabins and safari tents, stargazing tower, sculpture installations, and events ranging from music festivals to film screenings to therapeutic ketamine retreats, CampV has become a destination unto itself, attracting guests from around the world. “People are searching for the next undiscovered place,” Binder says.
Then came the pandemic. Nervous out-of-towners realized social distancing was easy in the remote West End, and suddenly, campers and boondockers inundated BLM land on the outskirts of town. “We became everybody’s secret gem,” WEEDC’s Gordon says. “People came during COVID, and now they come back every year.”
JANE THOMPSON HAS SEEN her share of booms and busts in the West End. She grew up in Uravan in the 1960s and ’70s, back when the little town had an elementary school, a public swimming pool, and a lighted baseball field. Thompson, who is Tooker’s aunt, left the West End after she married a Navy man, but they returned to Nucla in 1994 when he retired. Although the area was still recovering from the loss of Uravan, she found it an ideal place to raise her youngest son, an adopted nephew, and three grandchildren. The kids played peewee basketball and golf and rode their dirt bikes and four-wheelers around the family’s two-acre property. “The boys, especially, as long as it had a motor on it, they were happy,” she says.
However, Thompson—president of the board of directors of the Rimrocker Historical Society of Western Montrose County—has been watching the uptick in tourism warily. She’s enjoyed meeting travelers at a historical society–managed campground called the Ball Park (built over Uravan’s old baseball field) but would like tourism to remain a small slice of the area’s economy. “We can all remember when Telluride was little, when Moab was little. Now, you go to Telluride and see the mass chaos and confusion. You go to Moab, it’s the same way. You’re just sitting in traffic.”
Former mining towns themselves, the West End’s mega-popular neighbors—who now teem with $17 martinis, overcrowded trailheads, and 5,000-square-foot vacation houses—serve as a
cautionary tale for many who live here. Some of that concern is purely practical. The aging water and sewer systems in Naturita, Nucla, and Norwood are at capacity, Gordon says: “Growth is a little scary considering our infrastructure isn’t up to par yet.” (Some of those systems are undergoing upgrades, funded in part by grants from the Colorado Office of Just Transition, a five-year-old state government entity dedicated to helping coal communities rebuild and diversify.) Plus, she says, “We don’t currently have enough beds for people to come down and stay in hotels.”
But much of the angst is existential. Tooker recalls her last few visits to Telluride, when passersby on the streets ignored her cheerful goodmornings. “You will not find that in Nucla and Naturita,” she says. “People are friendly. They ask you how you’re doing. That is lost in [Telluride and Moab]. Those places have exploded so much. That’s not what we want to be.”
Thompson has listened to local ranchers complain about cyclists leaving cattle gates open and trespassing on private land. She’s also read about the recent controversy in Routt County over the highly popular SBT GRVL gravel bike race, which starts in Steamboat Springs before winding through rural areas outside of town. Last fall, scores of local ranchers packed a county commissioners’ meeting to share their frustrations about the annual event, including clogged roads, disruptive noise, garbage left behind on the course, and cyclists relieving themselves on private property. The SBT GRVL attracts 3,000 riders, while the largest West End event caps participation at 200— but the potential for discord still worries her. “The farmers and ranchers there felt very disrespected,” Thompson says. She hopes visitors to the West End will be more courteous—and notes that cyclists do seem to be responding to the concerns of locals.
Benson doesn’t fully understand his neighbors who are reluctant to embrace tourism. “For a community that doesn’t want new people around, I feel like this is a good fit,” he says. “Mountain bikers come, they spend some money, they leave.” But Benson, with his family’s mining background, can also sympathize. He understands longtime residents are still reeling from the loss of a way of life. “As mining has collapsed, it’s put [the community] in a position of scarcity and fear. I don’t think the rest of the world understands the personal and dramatic impact that has had on everybody. Houses used to be filled with people who made a decent wage, and now those wages and those families are gone. We’ve got this poverty situation. People are depressed because the reality of the situation is that the economy sucks, and opportunity and jobs are gone.”
can indeed help rebuild a coal community’s economy, but it doesn’t play as significant a role as one might think.
Yes, tourists generate tax revenue through their hotel stays, gas tank refills, and camping fuel purchases. Outdoor-related jobs,
such as those created by the bike-shop-slash-pizza-parlor that opened across the street from Paradox Cycle in 2023, help lower the unemployment rate and feed the region’s diminished budget through property taxes. But outdoor businesses probably won’t create enough new jobs to replace the ones that have been lost. Plus, those types of gigs aren’t exactly known for high paychecks, and they’re often seasonal, meaning for six or more months of the year, they might not exist.
Where outdoor rec can really help, though, is by attracting businesses that have nothing to do with trails, snow, or whitewater.
“More and more, what people are looking for is a community that’s got some character,” says Mark Haggerty, a Montana-based senior fellow in energy and environment at the Center for American Progress who has studied coal town transitions. “The recreation economy isn’t just the transactional part of it, where people stay in hotels and go to restaurants. It’s people who move to your community because they want to live in a place with good recreation access. Then they open a business that’s not related to the recreation economy. That’s amenity migration. The recreation economy serves as a driver of growth in other sectors.”
Sandpoint, Idaho, stands as a case study for this kind of transition. Primarily a timber town until the
nything goes for brides and grooms walking down the aisle in 2024 as weddings start to reflect couples’ unique styles and stories. Expect bold colors and flower arrangements, thoughtful menus, and laid-back gatherings focused on the guest experience.
Need a little inspiration as you plan the Big Day? Scope these top trends on pages:
92
Make these seven wedding day trends your own.
Even brides are thinking beyond their ceremony dress. These days, couples are styling multiple looks—and asking guests to bring the chic too.
More than ever, thoughtful food and beverage menus are keys to a fabulous wedding. Here, five ways to impress your guests.
Make these seven wedding day trends your own.
Small wedding parties continue to be in, but 2024 couples are taking the low-key theme further by opting for private ceremonies or vows and leaning into warm, accessible events that are about the people not the decor.
It’s no longer just about the rehearsal dinner and ceremony. (And forget that boring farewell brunch.) Couples are planning multi-day affairs, with casual get-togethers, wine tastings, or pickleball tournaments on the schedule in order to provide a special experience for guests and maximize quality time.
Everything old is new again, especially Champagne towers, DJs spinning vinyl, vintage-style cakes with lots of piping, and Polaroid cameras. Speaking of photography: Film (rather than digital) is in, as is hiring photographers to capture more candid, documentary-style shots.
Modern couples want more than just a photo album and three-minute recap video. They want to catch all the in-between moments in quick hits designed for social media.
Couples are looking for creative ways to delight their guests. That means live painters, permanent jewelry booths, palm readers, and even tattoo or piercing stations.
Tech-forward, innovative touches are making a splash. Enter the audio guest book, where well-wishes are shared via a specialty phone or through a specialty phone number and then compiled for the happy couple.
Bold hues, tonal palettes, and fun patterns are back in a big way. For floral arrangements, consider adding varying textures to monochromatic bunches or choosing unexpected color combinations. Celestial details— like moon phase designs on your invites or naming your tables after constellations—are the motif du jour. And sustainable decor, such as thrifted furniture and biodegradable confetti, continues to be a focus.
These days, couples are styling multiple looks—and asking guests to bring the chic too.
Stand out with these trending ideas:
1. Multiple Looks: Instead of just one ceremonyto-party outfit change, brides are opting for up to three looks, adding another new ensemble before the after-party, for example.
2. Two-in-one: Dresses with removable layers, particularly dramatic overskirts, and two-piece sets were all over runways, allowing brides who don’t want to shop for more than one outfit to easily transition from the ceremony to the rest of the festivities.
3. In styles: ’90s silhouettes, statement bows, boudoir influences, nonwhite dresses (particularly pastels and black), and jumpsuits are all in fashion for 2024.
Whether it’s a color palette (all black) or a fun theme (Western wear), more and more couples are asking their attendees to subscribe to a specific vibe for the day.
Matching dresses are out, so go ahead and show off your individual style—within a color or pattern theme of the bride’s choosing, of course.
CONTINUED PAGE 92 ›
Located in the heart of downtown Denver, The DAC offers a variety of indoor and outdoor spaces to accommodate your wedding day. From an outdoor ceremony on our 9,700 square foot Sundeck, to a reception in our elegant Grand Ballroom, The DAC offers a truly unique wedding venue in the Mile High City.
“
The beauty of your venue at The Denver Athletic Club and the accommodations from the food and drinks to the hospitality shown by you and your staff, was beyond what we could have expected at the beginning of this journey.”— Jess & Tanner
OUR CATERING TEAM WILL HELP YOU CREATE A DAY TO REMEMBER. WEDDING SITE VISITS ARE BY APPOINTMENT ONLY: 720-931-6771.
More than ever, thoughtful food and beverage menus are keys to a fabulous wedding.
Here, FIVE ways to impress your guests.
No more generic, catered buffets. Couples are opting for curated, meaningful dinner plans that reflect their cultures, love stories, or favorite bites. For example: a family recipe or a dish from a memorable date.
Guests don’t want to be pulled away from the dance floor to eat wedding cake (not to mention the cake-cutting ceremony is passé these days). Instead, build an elaborate dessert station with a variety of sweet treats, and include cake slices in to-go boxes for them to enjoy later.
Up the fun factor with “action stations”— food tables where chefs become part of the entertainment, toasting s’mores or grilling tropical fruit to order.
Wedding receptions are following the trend toward nonalcoholic cocktails on bar and restaurant menus. These can still be signature sips—just sans booze.
Post-dinner snacks are always welcome, and couples are upping the ante with surprising late-night or after-party snacks that serve as a delectable grand finale. Think: a taco truck, a French fry bar, or your favorite fast food.
MAKE YOUR NEXT EVENT AN occasion
SYMBOL
KEY
Indicates a restaurant featured in 5280 for the first time (though not necessarily a restaurant that has just opened).
A5 STEAKHOUSE
$$$$
LoDo / Steak House This unfussy chophouse by the team behind Forget Me Not and Tap and Burger features perfectly seared steaks, hearty sides, and draft cocktails. Never pass up the beef tartare katsu sando and the chickpea fries to start your meal. Reservations accepted. 1600 15th St., 303-623-0534. Dinner
AFRICAN GRILL & BAR $$
Lakewood / African Explore a bevy of dishes from across Africa at this warm and inviting restaurant run by the Osei-Fordwuo family. Peanut soups, fried fish, samosas, and jollof rice are just some of the crave-worthy options you’ll order again and again. Reservations accepted. 955 S. Kipling Parkway, Lakewood, 303-985-4497. Lunch, Dinner
ANNETTE
$$$
Aurora / American James Beard Award–winning chef Caroline Glover’s Annette delivers a lineup of seasonal salads, pastas, wood-fired proteins, and other comforting bites in a modern, inviting space. Don’t skip dessert, particularly if pecan pie is on the menu. Reservations accepted. 2501 Dallas St., Suite 108, Aurora, 720-710-9975. Dinner
ASH’KARA
$$$
LoHi / Middle Eastern Chef Daniel Asher offers a playful take on Middle Eastern cuisine at this plant-bedecked eatery. Order the falafel and a shareable tagine. Reservations accepted. 2005 W. 33rd Ave., 303-537-4407. Dinner, Brunch
BANH & BUTTER BAKERY CAFE $
Aurora / French Thoa Nguyen crafts French pastries inspired by her Vietnamese heritage at this East Colfax cafe. Go for the dazzling crêpe cakes, each made with 25 to 30 layers. Reservations not accepted. 9935 E. Colfax Ave., Aurora, 720-513-9313. Breakfast, Lunch
BLACKBELLY $$$
Boulder / American Chef Hosea Rosenberg’s carnivore-friendly menu focuses on charcuterie, small plates, and daily butcher specials. Try the koji-cured heritage pork chop. Also check out the adjacent butcher shop and market, which serves breakfast and lunch and is stocked with locally made retail goods. Reservations accepted. 1606 Conestoga St., Boulder, 303-247-1000. Dinner
At face value, Dough Counter, a seven-month-old pizzeria in University Hills, blends in with its fast-casual brethren. But as the sister restaurant to Marco’s Coal-Fired, which pioneered Neapolitan pizza in Denver, Dough Counter displays a mastery over dough, sauce, and cheese that’s often achieved only after years in the biz. Unlike its older sibling, the red-tile-adorned eatery specializes in thin yet sturdy New York–style pies and focaccialike Sicilian pizza. Try them both: The BBQ Hawaiian, topped with bacon, chicken, pineapple, red onion, jalapeño, and barbecue sauce, and the Triple Threat, crowned with stripes of marinara, pesto, and vodka sauce, are excellent choices. A side of hand-breaded chicken strips doesn’t hurt, either.
THE BRONZE EMPIRE $$$
Cory-Merrill / Chinese This cozy restaurant specializes in Chinese hot pot, which features an aromatic, bubbling broth for cooking fresh ingredients right at your table. Dip everything from noodles to steak into the savory cooking liquid. Reservations accepted. 1591 S. Colorado Blvd., 720-599-8888. Lunch, Dinner
BRUTØ $$$$
LoDo / International At the Wolf’s Tailor’s sister restaurant at the Dairy Block, executive chef Byron Gomez highlights heritage grains and house ferments in a Latin-influenced, omakase-style tasting menu. Tack on the cocktail pairing to make the experience even more special. Reservations accepted. 1801 Blake St., 720-325-2195. Dinner
CABRÓN CARBÓN TAQUERIA & GALERÍA $
Golden Triangle / Mexican Try quesabirria, aguas frescas, and papa asadas (loaded baked potatoes) in this neon-laced taqueria and art gallery. Reservations not accepted. 1043 N. Broadway, 720-598-6934. Lunch, Dinner
CANTINA LOCA $$
LoHi / Mexican Chef Dana Rodriguez’s welcoming LoHi taqueria invites diners to connect over plates of tacos, shareable entrées, and drinks infused with the Chihuahua, Mexico–born matriarch’s own line of agave spirits, Doña Loca. Order the molcajete. Reservations accepted. 2890 Zuni St., 303-284-6738. Dinner
COMAL HERITAGE FOOD INCUBATOR $
RiNo / International Immigrant and refugee women develop the skills to operate their own food businesses by serving up renditions of their family recipes at this indoor-outdoor restaurant. Try the pupusas or the plato caribe: fried fish with tostones and coleslaw. Reservations not accepted. 1950 35th St., 303-292-0770. Breakfast, Lunch
CORNER OFFICE $$$
Downtown / International Find global comfort food from Jamaican jerk chicken to tuna poke at this trendy spot. Reservations accepted. 1401 Curtis St., 303-825-6500. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
D BAR
Uptown / Contemporary Owners and chefs Keegan Gerhard and Lisa Bailey produce exquisite desserts and modern comfort food. Bonus: Check out the grab-and-go coffee and pastries. Reservations accepted. 494 E. 19th Ave., 303-861-4710. Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
DAUGHTER THAI KITCHEN & BAR
$$$
EARLY BIRD RESTAURANT $
Westminster / American This attractive breakfast and lunch spot offers a well-balanced menu and local ingredients. The all-day breakfast menu includes open-faced omelets and French toasts. Also try the Greenwood Village location. Reservations not accepted. 11940 Bradburn Blvd., Westminster, 303-469-9641. Breakfast, Lunch
$$$
LoHi / Thai This date-night-ready Thai restaurant from Ounjit Hardacre serves beautifully plated dishes and inventive cocktails with an elegant ambience to match. The menu features tried-andtrue favorites such as pad thai and massaman curry alongside a rotating lineup of rare-inDenver specialties. Reservations accepted. 1700 Platte St., Suite 140, 720-667-4652. Lunch, Dinner
DOUGH COUNTER
$$
University Hills / Pizza This fast-casual pizzeria specializes in Sicilian- and New York–style pies. For the former, we especially like the Triple Threat striped with marinara, pesto, and vodka sauce. Reservations not accepted. 2466 S. Colorado Blvd., 303-997-8977. Lunch, Dinner
DRAGONFLY NOODLE
$$
LoDo / Asian This eatery from restaurateur Edwin Zoe serves a multinational variety of bao and noodle dishes. Order any of the slurp-worthy bowls of ramen with house-made noodles. Also try the Boulder location. Reservations not accepted. 1350 16th Street Mall, 720-543-8000. Lunch, Dinner
EDGE RESTAURANT & BAR $$$$
Downtown / Steak House Inside the Four Seasons Hotel Denver, this restaurant serves contemporary steak house fare by chef Craig Dryhurst. Order the dry-aged buffalo rib-eye and the wedge salad with blue cheese mousse. Reservations accepted. 1111 14th St., 303-389-3050. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
EDGEWATER PUBLIC MARKET $$
Edgewater / International Satisfy your cravings for everything from wild game sandwiches to Ethiopian fare at this eclectic collective of nearly two dozen food stalls and boutiques. Tenants include Konjo Ethiopian, Lucky Bird, Lazo Empanadas, and more. 5505 W. 20th Ave., Edgewater, 720-749-2239. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
EL JEFE $$
Sunnyside / Mexican Farm-to-table Mexican fare will lure you to this welcoming Sunnyside haunt. Pair a house margarita with the four-cheese queso dip, and don’t miss the mushroom tacos or the grilled Spanish octopus. Reservations accepted. 2450 W. 44th Ave., 720-389-7615. Dinner, Brunch
FINN’S MANOR $
RiNo / Pub The indoor bar serves a wide selection of cocktails, while food trucks offer a diverse variety of bites, from fried chicken sandwiches to Puerto Rican fare. Reservations not accepted. 2927 Larimer St. Dinner
FIRE RESTAURANT $$$$
Golden Triangle / American Located inside the Art, a Hotel, Fire Restaurant serves contemporary American dishes made with locally sourced ingredients, including a roasted half chicken. Reservations accepted. 1201 Broadway, 720-709-4431. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
FOX AND THE HEN $$
LoHi / American This sunny brunch eatery brightens up any morning. The animal-style hash brown smothered in American cheese and special sauce (an homage to In-N-Out) is a must-order, but any of the elevated toasts or egg dishes are a smart way to start your day. Reservations accepted. 2257 W. 32nd Ave., 303862-6795. Breakfast, Lunch, Brunch
FRASCA FOOD AND WINE $$$$
Boulder / Italian The elegant cuisine always wows at Frasca, an ode to the cuisine of Friuli-Venezia Giulia in northeastern Italy from master sommelier Bobby Stuckey and chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson. Splurge on executive chef Ian Palazzola’s nine-course Friulano menu. Reservations accepted. 1738 Pearl St., Boulder, 303-442-6966. Dinner
I was sitting in class and the professor started talking about health equity and social justice. I realized—in that moment—that I could become a doctor and support change in my community.
- DR. WILL MUNDOStudied Public Health & Ethnic Studies Became Medical Doctortranscends
CU Denver’s approach to health education
boundaries. Our programs in diverse disciplines instill a holistic understanding of health’s impact on individuals and communities alike. We’re reshaping the pathways to health-related careers.
ucdenver.edu/health
PRESENTS
APRIL 28TH 11AM-3PM
FEATURING
GAETANO’S $$$
LoHi / Italian This neighborhood hangout features old-school favorites, such as chicken Parmesan. Reservations accepted. 3760 Tejon St., 303-4559852. Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
GLO NOODLE HOUSE $$
West Highland / Asian Blackbelly’s Chris Teigland and Ariana Pope bring Asian fusion fare to West Highland with Glo Noodle House. Don’t miss the spicy tuna served on a crispy rice cake. Reservations accepted. 4450 W. 38th Ave., Suite 130, 303-993-4180. Dinner
GOLD POINT $
RiNo / American This hip hangout serves craft cocktails and a variety of small and large bites from Caddywampus Comfort Foods. Reservations not accepted. 3126 Larimer St., 720-445-9691. Dinner
GQUE BBQ $$
Westminster / Barbecue This fast-casual joint serves award-winning hickory-smoked pork, brisket, chicken wings, ribs, and more. Also try the Lone Tree location. Reservations not accepted. 5160 W. 120th Ave., Suite K, Westminster, 303-379-9205. Lunch, Dinner
HASHTAG $$
Central Park / American Prolific Denver chef Troy Guard takes on the breakfast joint with Hashtag. Try the smoked salmon eggs Benedict. Reservations not accepted. 10155 E. 29th Drive, 303-993-6896. Breakfast
HEY KIDDO $$$$
Berkeley / Contemporary From the team behind the Wolf’s Tailor and Brutø, this eclectic, globally inspired restaurant presents fine dining fare in relaxed environs. Try the wagyu beef galbi with the chef rice that’s shaken tableside. Reservations accepted. 4337 Tennyson St., Suite 300, 720-778-2977. Dinner
HIGHLAND’S INDIAN CUISINE $$$
Highlands Ranch / Indian Enjoy upscale curries, biryani, and tandoori selections at the first Indian restaurant in Highlands Ranch. Reservations not accepted. 9344 Dorchester St., Suite 101, Highlands Ranch, 720-420-9374. Lunch, Dinner
HIRA CAFE & PATISSERIE $
Aurora / Ethiopian Pastry chef-owner Hiwot Solomon pairs her from-scratch desserts and Ethiopian breakfast plates with house-roasted, single-origin coffee at this cheery cafe. Reservations not accepted. 10782 E. Iliff Ave., Aurora, 720-949-1703. Breakfast, Lunch
IMPERIAL CHINESE $$$
Baker / Asian This stalwart offers Cantonese, Mandarin, and Sichuan food in an elegant setting. Reservations accepted. 431 S. Broadway, 303-698-2800. Lunch, Dinner
INDIA’S RESTAURANT $$
Hampden / Indian This spot serves traditional fare, including flavorful dishes like tandoori chicken. Take advantage of the lunch buffet, and be sure to try the cinnamon bread pudding. Reservations accepted. 8921 E. Hampden Ave., 303-755-4284. Lunch, Dinner
ISTANBUL CAFE & BAKERY $
Washington Virginia Vale / Middle Eastern
Inside the shopping center at the intersection of South Monaco Parkway and Leetsdale Drive, friendly owner Ismet Yilmaz prepares authentic Turkish pastries. Reservations not accepted. 850 S. Monaco Parkway, Suite 9, 720-787-7751. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
IZAKAYA DEN $$$
Platt Park / Japanese Ultra-fresh sushi, sashimi, and creative small plates are on the menu at this local favorite. Reservations accepted. 1487-A S. Pearl St., 303-777-0691. Dinner
J’S NOODLES STAR THAI 2 $
Westwood / Thai This traditional Thai spot has developed a cult following over the years. The tom yum soup, drunken noodles, and pad thai are regulars’ picks. Reservations not accepted. 945 S. Federal Blvd., 303-922-5495. Lunch, Dinner
JAMAICAN GRILLE $$
Lincoln Park / Jamaican This family-owned Jamaican restaurant serves classic Caribbean-centric dishes like jerk chicken, fried plantains, and rice and peas. Reservations accepted. 709 W. Eighth Ave., 303-623-0013. Lunch, Dinner
JERUSALEM RESTAURANT $$
University / Middle Eastern You can’t beat this spot’s tasty, affordable, and traditional Middle Eastern fare, including gyros, baba ghanoush, and sambusas. Reservations accepted. 1890 E. Evans Ave., 303-777-8828. Lunch, Dinner
JOVANINA’S BROKEN ITALIAN $$$$
LoDo / Italian This gorgeous eatery in LoDo expands on traditional Italian cuisine by incorporating unexpected, seasonal ingredients. Reservations accepted. 1520 Blake St., 720-541-7721. Dinner
KAHLO’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT $$
Westwood / Mexican Enjoy plates of mole and enchiladas verdes, as well as a menu of almost 30 different juices and smoothies, in a space decorated with the art of Frida Kahlo. Reservations accepted. 3735 Morrison Road, 303-936-0758. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
KAOS PIZZERIA $$
Platt Park / Pizza A wood-fired oven, gourmet ingredients, and wine to-go make this a perfect pizzeria for dine-in or delivery. If the weather’s nice, eat outside in the spacious garden area. Reservations accepted. 1439 S. Pearl St, 303-7335267. Lunch, Dinner
KARMA ASIAN CUISINE $$
Speer / Asian Go out to this trendy eatery for a variety of Asian tapas (such as spicy edamame or calamari salad), or get more bang for your buck with the Thai bang bang chicken and shrimp. Reservations not accepted. 22 S. Broadway, 303-871-0167. Lunch, Dinner
KATSU RAMEN $$
Aurora / Japanese Satisfy your cravings with one of the traditional styles offered at this cozy spot. Get the most out of your dollar with a combo meal. Reservations not accepted. 1930 S. Havana St., Aurora, 303-751-2222. Lunch, Dinner
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LA CHIVA $$
Platt Park / Colombian This brick-and-mortar, spawned from the popular food truck of the same name, gives Denverites a cozy, colorful place to enjoy the cuisine of chef-owner Jorge Aguirre’s native Colombia. Reservations accepted. 1446 S. Broadway, 720-389-9847. Lunch, Dinner
LA DIABLA POZOLE Y MEZCAL $
Ballpark / Mexican This lively eatery from James Beard Award finalist Jose Avila serves up comforting pozole and other traditional Mexican fare at affordable prices. Don’t miss the weekend brunch for chilaquiles, huaraches, and a killer house michelada. Reservations not accepted. 2233 Larimer St., 720-519-1060.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
LE BILBOQUET $$$$
Cherry Creek / French An offshoot of the more than 30-year-old New York City establishment, Le Bilboquet serves upscale French fare in a posh setting. Try the foie gras terrine and the mussels. Reservations accepted. 299 St. Paul St., 303-8359999. Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
LEVEN DELI CO. $$
Golden Triangle / Deli Classic deli meets California cool at this bright spot. Get a taste of the house-made pastrami on the Reuben sandwich or go for the crisp chop salad. Reservations not accepted. 123 W. 12th Ave., 303-325-5691.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
LUCINA EATERY & BAR $$$
South Park Hill / Latin American Bold flavors from Latin America, the Caribbean, and coastal Spain tantalize at this lively restaurant. Try the mofongo, a plantain mash with pork belly chicharrón, or the two-person paella with rotating toppings only served on Fridays and Saturdays. Reservations accepted. 2245 Kearney St., Suite 101, 720-814-1053. Dinner
MAJOR TOM $$$$
RiNo / American This lounge from the team behind Beckon offers a Champagne-centric drink menu and a delectable lineup of shareable bites. Throw back some oysters on the beautiful patio space. Reservations accepted. 2845 Larimer St., 303-848-9777. Dinner, Brunch
MANGO HOUSE $$
Aurora / International This immigrant- and refugee-led food hall is home to six outstanding culinary concepts, including Urban Burma, Jasmine Syrian Food, and Nepali Spice. 10180 E. Colfax Ave., Aurora, 303-900-8639. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
MARIGOLD $$$
Lyons / European This small, light-filled restaurant serves seasonally driven French- and Italian-influenced fare. The pink-peppercornlaced farinata (chickpea pancake) is a delicious mainstay of the frequently changing menu; the amaro-centric cocktail program is also delightful. Reservations accepted. 405 Main St., Suite B, Lyons, 303-823-2333. Dinner
MISFIT SNACKBAR $$
City Park / Contemporary You’ll never be bored by the imaginative, flavor-packed offerings from
chef-owner Bo Porytko at this eclectic concept housed inside Middleman cocktail bar. Start with the chips and dip: smashed potatoes with an everchanging house sauce. Reservations not accepted. 3401 E. Colfax Ave., 303-353-4207. Dinner
MOXIE EATERY
$
Speer / International Taste local Colorado ingredients in the lamb sandwich or chicken ramen at this globally inspired eatery. Be sure to try the vegetarian acorn squash torta. Reservations not accepted. 70 Broadway, Suite 150, 303-524-9236. Breakfast, Lunch
NANA’S DIM SUM & DUMPLINGS $$
LoHi / Chinese Enjoy a spread of house-made dumplings and shareable Asian plates at this swanky restaurant in LoHi. Xiaolongbao lovers should go for the bite-size “thumblings.” Reservations accepted. 3316 Tejon St., Suite 102, 720-769-4051. Lunch, Dinner
NARRATIVE
$$$$
Cherry Creek / American Chef Paul Nagan serves gussied-up versions of American favorites‚ such as shrimp and grits with Tabasco butter‚ at this sleek eatery. Reservations accepted. 222 Milwaukee St., 720-571-8080. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
NOBLE RIOT
$$$
RiNo / American Find charcuterie boards, fried chicken, and other bites at this sommelieroperated natural wine bar. Reservations accepted. 1336 27th St., 303-993-5330. Dinner
NOISETTE RESTAURANT & BAKERY $$$
LoHi / French Chefs Tim and Lillian Lu serve elegant renditions of bourgeoisie-style specialties (French home-cooked comforts) in a romantic, light-drenched space. Tear into the perfectly crisp baguette to set the Parisian scene for your dining experience. Reservations accepted. 3254 Navajo St., Suite 100, 720-769-8103. Dinner, Brunch
NOLA VOODOO TAVERN AND PERKS $$
Clayton / Southern New Orleans native and owner Henry Batiste serves his grandmother’s recipes for gumbo, po’ boys, and much more at this Louisiana-inspired spot. Reservations accepted. 3321 Bruce Randolph Ave., 720-3899544. Lunch, Dinner
OAK AT FOURTEENTH $$$$
Boulder / Seasonal This bright space just off the Pearl Street Mall offers a diverse, ever-changing menu of seasonal, oak-fired eats from chef Steve Redzikowski and creative cocktails from Bryan Dayton. Order the kale salad, roasted ocean trout, or a handmade pasta. Reservations accepted. 1400 Pearl St., Boulder, 303-444-3622. Dinner
OLIVE & FINCH $$
City Park West / American Discover wholesome, inspired meals at this restaurant, bakery, and juice bar, where you’ll find a full coffee bar, artisan sandwiches, hearty soups, tasty salads, and daily house-made pastries. Also try the Cherry Creek location. Reservations not accepted. 1552 E. 17th Ave., 303-832-8663. Breakfast, Lunch
ONEFOLD $$
City Park West / Contemporary This eatery does early-day dining justice. Pair the bacon fried rice with house-made bone broth, Vietnamese iced coffee, or a local IPA. Also try the LoDo location. Reservations not accepted. 1420 E. 18th Ave., 303-954-0877. Breakfast, Lunch
OPHELIA’S ELECTRIC SOAPBOX
$$
Ballpark / Contemporary The menu at this Edible Beats “gastro-brothel” features globally inspired pub fare like flatbreads, small plates, and burgers. Reservations accepted. 1215 20th St., 303-9938023. Dinner, Brunch
OSAKA RAMEN
$$
RiNo / Japanese Jeff Osaka’s modern ramen shop features original noodle soups, bento boxes, and creative small plates. Try the mochi doughnuts. Reservations not accepted. 2611 Walnut St., 303-955-7938. Lunch, Dinner
PARK & CO $
Uptown / American This casual tavern serves sandwiches and salads but specializes in gourmet burgers. Try the Hatch burger. Reservations not accepted. 439 E. 17th Ave., 720-328-6732. Lunch, Dinner
PHO DUY $
Westwood / Vietnamese Slurp down delicious bowls of noodle soup at this popular Vietnamese mainstay. Reservations not accepted. 925 S. Federal Blvd., 303-937-1609. Lunch, Dinner
PHOENICIAN KABOB
$$$
South Park Hill / Mediterranean This quiet restaurant serves a solid menu of Middle Eastern and Lebanese fare. Try the sabanekh, pastries stuffed with spinach, onion, and pine nuts. Reservations accepted. 5709 E. Colfax Ave., 720-477-0046. Lunch, Dinner
POINT EASY $$$$
Whittier / Contemporary This casual, inviting farm-to-table eatery produces feasts made with thoughtfully sourced ingredients, many of which are local. Reservations accepted. 2000 E. 28th Ave., 303-233-5656. Dinner
THE PORKLET $
Aurora / Asian This fast-casual spot in a shopping center excels at producing renditions of katsu (fried cutlets encrusted in panko breadcrumbs). The Volcano Fried Rice is a must. Reservations not accepted. 12201 E. Mississippi Ave., Suite 123B, Aurora, 303-364-1287. Lunch, Dinner
Q HOUSE $$
City Park / Chinese Enjoy a modern take on Chinese cuisine at this City Park eatery operated by chef Christopher Lin, an alum of Momofuku in New York City. Reservations accepted. 3421 E. Colfax Ave., 720-729-8887. Dinner
QUALITY ITALIAN $$$$
Cherry Creek / Steak House This upscale spot in Cherry Creek serves a smart mix of steak house fare and American-Italian favorites in warm, contemporary environs. Reservations accepted. 241 Columbine St., 303-532-8888. Dinner, Brunch
QUE BUENO SUERTE $$$
Platt Park / Mexican The menu at this vibrant restaurant offers familiar items like tacos and fajitas as well as upscale, regionally inspired Mexican fare. Try the molcajete on Friday and Saturday. Reservations accepted. 1518 S. Pearl St., 720-6427322. Dinner, Brunch
QUIERO AREPAS $
Platt Park / Latin American The entirely glutenfree menu at this Platt Park eatery offers delicious selections like the pollo guisado arepa, a flatbread that comes stuffed with shredded chicken, black beans, and cheese. Also check out the LoHi location. Reservations not accepted. 1859 S. Pearl St., 720-432-4205. Lunch, Dinner
RECESS BEER GARDEN $$
LoHi / American This spot offers an oasis to sample 25 local and international cold brews on tap. Nibble on the pork torta or tuck into a hearty burger. Reservations not accepted. 2715 17th St., 720-638-0020. Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
RESTAURANT OLIVIA $$$$
Washington Park / Italian This cozy yet modern neighborhood spot from the team behind Bistro Georgette specializes in fresh pastas and Italian classics like porchetta. The stuffed pastas are must-orders. Reservations accepted. 290 S. Downing St., 303-999-0395. Dinner
ROAMING BUFFALO BAR-B-QUE $$
Rosedale / Barbecue House-smoked Colorado craft barbecue is the specialty at this laid-back spot. Innovative meats like bison back ribs and pulled Colorado lamb are available by the pound. Reservations not accepted. 2387 S. Downing St., 303-722-2226. Lunch, Dinner
ROOM FOR MILLY $$
LoHi / American A menu of refined small plates and killer cocktails complements a jazz-age ambience inspired by a fictional globe-trotting socialite at Room for Milly. Reservations not accepted. 1615 Platte St., Suite 145, 720-6307020. Dinner
There’s a lot to love about Denver’s boutique new home community, Midtown. And now there’s a lot of new to look forward to. Like a brand new park, coming soon. A new go-to breakfast spot (hello, Early Bird.) And, of course, a collection of brand-new 1- and 2-story townhomes – with patios and optional rooftop decks. All this just 5 miles from downtown? Well, that’s new indeed.
BrookfieldResidential.com/Midtown 67
ROSENBERG’S BAGELS & DELICATESSEN $$
Five Points / Deli Get your fix of New York–style bagels at this Five Points deli. Don’t miss the Standard topped with gravlax, tomato, and onion. Also try the Stanley Marketplace location. Reservations not accepted. 725 E. 26th Ave., 720-440-9880. Breakfast, Lunch
SAFTA $$$$
RiNo / Mediterranean At Safta, acclaimed chef Alon Shaya and his team serve modern Israeli fare. Crave-worthy specialties include hummus, labneh, and other dips accompanied by wood-oven pita and crispy Persian rice with cherries and sunflower seeds. Also check out the weekend brunch buffet. Reservations accepted. 3330 Brighton Blvd., Suite 201, 720-408-2444. Dinner, Brunch
SAP SUA $$$
Congress Park / Vietnamese This smart eatery from husband-and-wife duo Ni and Anna Nguyen finds its culinary footing in Vietnamese flavors. Herbaceous offerings like chrysanthemum green salad and culantro-capped tomato toast are favorites of the menu, as are seafood plates like the hamachi collar with a coconut caramel glaze. Reservations accepted. 2550 E. Colfax Ave., 303-736-2303. Dinner
SHI MIAO DAO YUNNAN RICE NOODLE $$
Aurora / Asian This build-your-own rice noodle soup restaurant specializes in cross-the-bridge
noodles from China’s Yunnan province and delicious boba milk teas. Reservations not accepted. 2000 S. Havana St., Aurora, 720-583-2839. Lunch, Dinner
SPUNTINO $$$$
Highland / Italian Enjoy the eclectic and locally sourced menu at this Italian-inspired, husbandand-wife-owned spot. Go for any of the dishes with Southern Indian influences—a product of chef Cindhura Reddy’s heritage—like malai kofta gnocchi. Don’t miss the house-made gelatos for dessert. Reservations accepted. 2639 W. 32nd Ave., 303-433-0949. Dinner
SPUTNIK $
Baker / Pub This bar features a variety of classic sandwiches as well as vegan-friendly eats such as a jackfruit Cubano. Reservations not accepted. 3 S. Broadway, 720-570-4503. Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
STONE CELLAR BISTRO $$$
Arvada / Contemporary Visit this farm-to-table spot in Olde Town Arvada for beautifully presented dishes made with local produce by chefs Jordan Alley and Brandon Kerr. Don’t miss the foie gras parfait or the hot honey fried chicken. Reservations accepted. 7605 Grandview Ave., Arvada, 720-630-7908. Dinner
SULLIVAN SCRAP KITCHEN $$
City Park West / Seasonal Chef-owner Terence Rogers uses sustainably sourced ingredients and leftover or unused food items from his catering company, TBD Foods, to produce light and fresh fare at this casual cafe. Reservations accepted. 1740 E. 17th Ave., 720-242-6292. Dinner, Brunch
SUNDAY VINYL $$$
LoDo / European This Union Station restaurant offers warm hospitality, exquisite cuisine, and an extensive wine list, all to the soundtrack of a vinyl-only playlist. Order the duck-liverstuffed gougè res (French cheese puffs) and something from the indulgent selection of sweet treats. Reservations accepted. 1803 16th St., 720-738-1803. Dinner
SUNFLOWER ASIAN CAFE $$
Littleton / Chinese Upon arriving at this familyowned eatery, ask for the traditional Chinese menu, which features eastern Chinese Huaiyang dishes and sizzling Sichuan specialties. Reservations not accepted. 91 W. Mineral Ave., Suite 100, Littleton, 303-798-0700. Lunch, Dinner
SUSHI-RAMA $$
RiNo / Sushi This sushi joint features a fun, conveyor-belt-style dining experience. Try creative offerings like the CLT roll: soft shell crab tempura, lettuce, and tomato with garlic mayo on top. Reservations not accepted. 2615 Larimer St., 720-476-4643. Lunch, Dinner
TABLE 6 $$$$
Speer / American This space’s warm and cozy atmosphere extends to the American bistro cuisine, which is elevated by haute foodie touches. Don’t miss the French onion tots. Reservations accepted. 609 Corona St., 303-831-8800. Dinner
TESSA DELICATESSEN $
Montclair / Deli This modern all-day eatery from Vince Howard, formerly of Del Rey Deli in Los Angeles, serves hot and cold sandwiches and salads to the Montclair neighborhood. Reservations not accepted. 5724 E. Colfax Ave., 720-746-9138. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
THAI POT CAFE $
Virginia Village / Asian Try a variety of curries, noodle bowls, soups, salads, and coconutinfused desserts at this cozy Thai restaurant in Virginia Village. Reservations not accepted. 1350 S. Colorado Blvd., Suite 191, 303-639-6200. Lunch, Dinner
TOCABE, AN AMERICAN INDIAN EATERY $
Berkeley / American Feast on Indigenous fare such as fry bread tacos made with ingredients sourced from Native producers at this fast-casual spot. The company also has an online marketplace for Native-produced bison and pantry goods and donates prepared meals to tribal communities in need . Reservations not accepted. 3536 W. 44th Ave., 720-524-8282. Lunch, Dinner
TOFU STORY $$
Aurora / Korean House-made tofu is the main draw at this airy Korean eatery from chef-restaurateur J.W. Lee. Order the spicy seafood soondubu stew featuring silken tofu with the pressurecooked rice. Reservations not accepted. 2060 S. Havana St., Aurora, 303-954-9372. Lunch, Dinner
TUPELO HONEY SOUTHERN KITCHEN & BAR $$$
LoDo / Southern Nosh on reimagined versions of down-home dishes, such as the signature honey-dusted fried chicken. Reservations accepted. 1650 Wewatta St., 720-274-0650. Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
UCHI DENVER $$$$
Curtis Park / Japanese This bustling eatery from James Beard Award–winning chef Tyson Cole delivers artful and inventive Japanese small plates and sushi made with some of the freshest fish in town. Visit for the daily happy hour, when nigiri and temaki are less than $10. Reservations accepted. 2500 Lawrence St., 303-444-1922. Dinner
ULTREIA $$$
LoDo / Spanish James Beard Award–winning chef Jennifer Jasinski brings Iberian fare to Union Station. Try the cured trout. Reservations accepted. 1701 Wynkoop St., Suite 125, 303-5341970. Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
UNCLE $$
Speer / Asian This reliable Pan Asian noodle house from chef-owner Tommy Lee has a revolving menu of steamed buns, small plates, rice and curry bowls, and ramen. Order the spicy dan dan noodles. Also try the Highland location. Reservations not accepted. 95 S. Pennsylvania St., 720-638-1859. Dinner
THE UNIVERSAL $
Sunnyside / American This breakfast and lunch nook is an industrial farmhouse-chic spot for breakfast foods, including tasty eggs Benedict and biscuits and gravy. Reservations not accepted. 2911 W. 38th Ave., 303-955-0815.
Breakfast, Lunch
URBAN VILLAGE GRILL $$$
Lone Tree / Indian Chef Charles Mani serves classic and contemporary dishes from regions across India at this eatery inside Park Meadows Mall. Order the chef’s tasting menu, a multicourse feast featuring Urban cauliflower, butter chicken, and other popular dishes. Reservations accepted. 8505 Park Meadows Center Drive, Suite 2184A, Lone Tree, 720-536-8565. Lunch, Dinner
US THAI CAFE $
Edgewater / Thai Classic, fresh ingredients, spicy dishes, and a chef straight from Thailand make for an authentic, if mouth-tingling, dining
experience. Try the green curry. Reservations accepted. 5228 W. 25th Ave., Edgewater, 303-233-3345. Lunch, Dinner
VESPER LOUNGE
$$
Capitol Hill / Middle Eastern This laid-back lounge presents a Middle Eastern–inspired menu of pitas, crispy fries seasoned with a house spice blend, artichokes, and burgers. Ten taps pour mostly Colorado beer, and the cocktails are suitably potent. Reservations not accepted. 233 E. Seventh Ave., 720-328-0314. Dinner
VIET’S RESTAURANT
$
Westwood / Vietnamese Enjoy sophisticated Vietnamese cuisine at this modern eatery. It boasts everything from fresh spring rolls and pho favorites to gourmet seafood plates. Reservations accepted. 333 S. Federal Blvd., Suite 125, 303-9225774. Lunch, Dinner
VIEWHOUSE
$$
Ballpark / American This is your place to catch the game and enjoy a variety of bar bites, from burgers and tacos to steak. Watch your favorite team while enjoying a draft beer and a plate of nachos. Multiple locations. Reservations accepted. 2015 Market St., 720-878-2015. Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
VITAL ROOT
$$
Berkeley / American Justin Cucci’s fourth eatery focuses on quick, healthy food. Grab a seat in the airy space and nosh on creative, wholesome fare. Reservations not accepted. 3915 Tennyson St., 303-474-4131. Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
VOGHERA RISTORANTE & APERICENA
Berkeley / Italian Enjoy Italian-style tapas such as beef tartare, Burrata, and pancettawrapped scallops at this rustic-chic Berkeley outpost. Reservations not accepted. 3963 Tennyson St., 303-455-9111. Dinner, Brunch
WEATHERVANE CAFE
$$$
$
City Park West / American Enjoy a small but sumptuous menu of breakfast items, sandwiches, and salads at this cozy Uptown cafe. Reservations not accepted. 1725 E. 17th Ave. Breakfast, Lunch
WELLNESS SUSHI
$$
Congress Park / Japanese Vegan sushi stars at this fast-casual joint by husband-and-wife duo Steven and Phoebe Lee. Don’t miss hot options like the soupless ramen. Reservations not accepted. 2504 E. Colfax Ave., 720-306-4989. Lunch, Dinner
WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT
Ballpark / American This watering hole in Ballpark offers a vintage-inspired atmosphere. Wash down your burger or fried chicken with one of the 95 available whiskeys. Reservations not accepted. 2907 Huron St., 303-226-1540. Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
WHITE PIE
$$
$$$
City Park West / Pizza This neighborhood joint has an excellent selection of New Haven–style pizzas and house-made pastas. Pair the Porky Porkorino, topped with soppressata, mozzarella, pickled chiles, and hot honey, with frosé. Reservations not accepted. 1702 Humboldt St., 303-862-5323. Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
WHITTIER CAFE
Whittier / Cafe This espresso bar, which supports social-justice-related causes, serves coffee, beer, and wine sourced from various African nations and a small menu of pastries, breakfast burritos, panini, and more. Reservations not accepted. 1710 E. 25th Ave., 720-550-7440. Breakfast, Lunch
WILD TACO
Capitol Hill / Mexican Casual, modern Mexicaninspired bites from chef Javier Sanchez (formerly of Tamayo and OsakaRamen) are the draw at Capitol Hill’s Wild Taco. Reservations not accepted. 215 E. Seventh Ave., 303-856-7145. Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
WORK & CLASS
$
YACHT CLUB $
Cole / American Enjoy classic and creative cocktails at this loungelike bar alongside an array of snacks. Reservations not accepted. 3701 N. Williams St., 720-443-1135. Dinner
$
$$$
RiNo / American This elevated meat-and-three concept from chef Dana Rodriguez offers a delicious hybrid of American and Latin cuisine in raucous, repurposed-shipping-container digs. Our picks: the rotisserie chicken, chickpea croquettes, and the roasted Colorado lamb. Reservations not accepted. 2500 Larimer St., 303-292-0700. Dinner
XICAMITI LA TAQUERÍA
$$
Golden / Mexican This long-standing joint serves cooked-to-order burritos, tacos, quesadillas, and alambres (skillet dishes) made with recipes drawing from Walter Meza’s childhood in Mexico. Reservations not accepted. 715 Washington Ave., Golden, 303-215-3436. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
YAHYA’S MEDITERRANEAN GRILL & PASTRIES $$ City Park West / Mediterranean This family-run restaurant serves silky hummus, a variety of excellent grilled kebabs, and from-scratch sweets. Try the beef koobideh. Reservations accepted. 2207 E. Colfax Ave., 720-532-8746. Lunch, Dinner
YAMPA SANDWICH CO. $
LoDo / Deli This LoDo deli serves up sandwiches, soups, and salads for the lunch crowd. Try the fan-favorite Turkey Trailhead with Swiss cheese, avocado, red onion, lettuce, and tomato. Reservations not accepted. 1617 Wazee St., 303-534-7900. Breakfast, Lunch
YAZOO BARBEQUE COMPANY $
Five Points / Barbecue This unpretentious counter-service barbecue joint offers a Deep South menu, featuring slow-smoked pork ribs and brisket. Reservations not accepted. 2150 Broadway, 303-296-3334. Lunch, Dinner
YUMCHA $$
LoDo / Asian From restaurateur Lon Symensma of ChoLon and Bistro LeRoux comes a dim sum house and noodle bar serving creative Asianinspired bites. Reservations accepted. 1520 16th Street Mall, 720-638-8179. Lunch, Dinner
ZEPPELIN STATION $$
RiNo / International This industrial-chic food hall in RiNo is home to seven globally inspired food and drink vendors, including Procession Coffee, Purisma, and Gyros King. 3501 Wazee St., 720-862-0008. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
ZOCALITO LATIN BISTRO $$$
Downtown / Mexican Formerly located in Aspen, chef/owner Michael Beary’s upscale Oaxacan eatery found a home in the heart of Denver. Try the pork tenderloin with red mole sauce. Reservations accepted. 999 18th St., Suite 107, 720-923-5965. Dinner
ZOMO $$
Englewood / Asian Owners Alysia Davey and Ryan Anderson serve family recipes inspired by their Vietnamese and Chinese roots. Reservations accepted. 3457 S. Broadway, Englewood, 720-739-8882. Lunch, Dinner
ZORBA’S $$
Congress Park / Greek Zorba’s has served American and Greek fare—burgers, salads, sandwiches, and classic breakfast dishes—in Congress Park since 1979. Reservations not accepted. 2626 E. 12th Ave., 303-321-0091. Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch
These listings are in no way related to advertising in 5280. If you find that a restaurant differs significantly from the information in its listing or your favorite restaurant is missing from the Dining Guide, please let us know. Write us at 5280 Publishing, Inc., 1675 Larimer St., Suite 675, Denver, CO 80202 or dining@5280.com.
APR 18
Participating Restaurants | Denver & Colorado Springs
Dine Out. Give Back. Dining Out For Life® is back! Dine at one of 120+ restaurants across Denver/Colorado Springs on April 18, and 25% of your bill will benefit Project Angel Heart’s program providing meals to Coloradans living with severe illnesses.
Information and list of participating restaurants at diningoutforlifeCO.org.
MAY 4
May 4, 7, 10, 12 | Ellie Caulkins Opera House
Enjoy Saint-Saëns’s operatic take on this well-known biblical story. Samson has one true weakness, and it’s the sultry Delilah’s job to find out what it is. Indulge in a performance of stunning visuals, epic dance, and gorgeous music.
Information and tickets at operacolorado.org.
APR 28
Marjorie Park | 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Join us for a family-friendly event that features a pancake brunch, live Celtic music, Maypole dancing, flower crown and basket making, and an adult beverages bar. Enjoy the public premiere of Lonnie Hanzon’s “Cabinet of Curiosities and Impossibilities,” a new immersive art exhibition.
Information and tickets at moaonline.org/laprimavera-festival.
JUL 18
Cherry Creek North, Fillmore Plaza | 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Our annual, all-inclusive, bash celebrating the best stuff in and around Denver is back at Cherry Creek North! Mark your calendar and make sure you’re signed up for The Scene List so you can be the first to know when tickets go on sale.
Information and tickets at 5280scene.com/the-scene-list.
Nestled within the breathtaking landscapes of the Rocky Mountains lies a golfer's haven, where fairways stretch across valleys and greens are framed by towering peaks. Welcome to our beloved state of Colorado, where the fusion of natural beauty and championship-caliber courses creates an unforgettable golfing experience.
Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting your golfing journey, Colorado's courses offer something for everyone. Tee off against a backdrop of snowcapped peaks, navigate through pine-scented forests, or test your precision on links-style layouts that blend seamlessly with surrounding cityscape.
In this guide, we will highlight some of Colorado's best best golf courses—each with its own unique charm and challenges—as well as resources to local golfers. Lucky
for us, Colorado boasts a variety in both areas that caters to every golfer's preference and skill level.
Before you head out for your next day on the green, make sure you have all of the resources you need right at your fingertips.
Anyone who loves golf can join the Colorado Golf Association. CGA membership includes an Official USGA Handicap® and access to the GHIN Mobile App, which features score posting and stat tracking, GPS, Smart Watch Integration, and games!
CGA Members also have access to Member Play Days which are fun opportunities to play premier Colorado courses such as TPC Colorado, RainDance National Resort & Golf, and Frost Creek Golf Club.
Looking to fine tune your game? Participate in CGA indoor, practice and playing clinics. If you are ready to compete against the state’s top amateurs, sign-up
for CGA Championships or USGA Qualifiers. Another great benefit of membership is a 28% discount on green fees at CommonGround Golf Course, Home of the CGA!
Want to get your kids involved? CGA Junior Membership is only $25 and includes a Youth on Course which allows kids to play for $5 or less at participating courses.
CGA membership also supports the next generation of golfers through the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy, the Broadmoor Caddie & Leadership Academy, Golf InSchools, and other player development programs.
Official USGA Handicap® and GHIN Mobile App
GPS 10,000+ Courses
Post Scores & Track Stats
On-course Games
Smart Watch Sync AND MUCH MORE!
Membership means more with the CGA. Learn more at ColoradoGolf.org and join today.
Denver Golf operates seven golf facilities scattered throughout the Denver Metro area, along with Evergreen, their mountain park golf facility. The Denver Golf portfolio boasts diverse and distinctive locations, ensuring a unique experience at each venue. From urban golf settings to a genuine Colorado mountaingolf adventure, Denver Golf offers affordable rates and maintains some of the finest playing conditions in the city.
Players can hone their skills at one of four driving ranges, including the distinctive water driving range at Aqua Golf. Families can enjoy miniature golf courses and par threes, ideal for outings. Additionally, kids can partake
in free rounds at one of the four junior courses or join junior lessons through the First Tee-Colorado Rocky Mountains golf programs, which cater to children across Denver and the wider state of Colorado.
Adults have access to a variety of golf passes, social events, and night golf activities, ensuring there's something for everyone regardless of skill level. Whether one resides in the heart of Denver or its outskirts, there's a golf facility or program tailored to their needs. Denver Golf invites all to "come home to play," as it aims to be the neighborhood course for all.
For more information or to book a tee time, visit CityOfDenverGolf.com
In Aurora, five award-winning golf courses await enthusiasts of all skill levels, providing a picturesque backdrop of the Rocky Mountains. The courses, open to the public yearround, boast full-service pro shops, practice facilities, and dining options. Among them, Springhill offers a quick-play executive layout perfect for refining short game skills with its 10 par-3s challenging golfers of every proficiency level.
Aurora Hills, the city's original municipal course, is praised for its affordability and walkability, while Meadow Hills features tree-lined fairways emphasizing strategic shot placement and breathtaking mountain views from the 10th tee box. Murphy Creek, a prairie-links course, offers varied tee options, spacious greens, and wide landing areas evoking a nostalgic ambiance. Saddle Rock, the mountain course within the city, showcases extensive native areas and elevation changes for an unforgettable round, accompanied by splendid views of Pikes Peak on clear days.
After a satisfying round, patrons can unwind in one of Aurora's excellent restaurants, offering delightful patio seating to savor panoramic views alongside delicious fare and refreshing beverages.
For more information or to book a tee time, visit GolfAurora.com.
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1980s, the Sandpoint area began to attract growth through its recreational blessings— the surrounding Selkirk and Cabinet mountains, the nearby Schweitzer ski resort, and its shoreline access to Lake Pend Oreille. Tourism then fueled the founding of businesses in everything from specialized screw manufacturing to marketing software to salad dressing. (Litehouse Foods employs more than 300 people.) “We talked to the leadership of nine companies in the area,” says Megan Lawson, an economist at the nonprofit research group Headwaters Economics in Bozeman, Montana, “and every single one of them said they chose to either move their business or open it there because they’d first visited as a tourist and fell in love with it.”
The West End is only beginning to witness the seeds of amenity migration. Galit Korngold moved to the West End from Montreal in 2017, after looking for a property with ample space for her dogs. She missed her former city’s eclectic food scene and eventually opened a health food store, called Wild Gal’s Market, in 2019. The folks beginning to visit and even relocate to the area—“They’re healthy, outdoorsy people,” she says—have been a boon for business. Last fall, Korngold moved the store and her four part-time employees from Nucla to a bigger space on Naturita’s main drag, largely to tap into the growing traffic there.
With diversified growth in mind, WEEDC has been working on broader business development throughout the West End. The nonprofit is organizing expert-led courses for small-business owners in everything from QuickBooks to regenerative agriculture, trying to develop a meat-processing plant by creating a turnkey business plan for prospective companies, and providing grants for commercial building improvements. “We’re not interested in putting all our eggs in that one basket,” Tooker says. “Recreation is obviously going to be a part of our growth. It’s not going to be all of it.”
that are saying, ‘I don’t know if I can make it,’ I don’t know that that’s the problem we have right now.” Instead, locals are left to hope that outsiders will appreciate the region’s character for what it is, even as growth inevitably means change.
Benson sees himself as a kind of bridge between the community that raised him and the West End of the future. At Paradox Cycle, he offers a free bicycle-maintenance workshop to local students and organizes free family movie nights in a Naturita park during the summer. He also is helping develop Nucla High School’s outdoor recreation program. “Instead of expecting the community to support the bike shop, [my programs] are a way for the bike shop to support the community,” he says. “That’s the door I needed to open so people would be supportive of cycling. As new people move in, I’m kind of the gatekeeper. I can be very vocal about what our culture is like and what we don’t want. If you have a dream, if you have the means to buy some property, you could still come here and work really hard and make a life for yourself.”
And it could be a very good life. During Saturdays in the West End, a handful of mountain bikers spread out on trails, rarely spotting anyone else for hours. Families gather for pizza or burgers at restaurants. Nucla High School basketball fans pack the school’s gymnasium. Chickens cluck in yards. Drivers cruise unhindered by a single stoplight while enjoying aspen stands lining the roadway. From the top of the hill on Nucla’s main street, the view encompasses a vast, open bowl bordered by the San Juan Mountains in one direction and the Uncompahgre Plateau in the other. “I feel like the mainstream problems that the rest of the world gets swept up in don’t really have a home out here,” Benson says. If the West End has its way, they never will. m
Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan is a Montana-based freelance writer. Email feedback to letters@5280.com.
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Trying to choose the perfect green can leave you dazed, which is why we asked Zachary York, director of inventory and purchasing for Denver-based Lightshade dispensaries and a certified Ganjier (basically a cannabis sommelier), how to pick prime herb.
—SPENCER CAMPBELL
Indicas aren’t necessarily relaxing, and sativas aren’t always energizing. In fact, the classification has so little bearing on your high that York calls it “bro science.”
A higher price could reflect higher quality, but not always. You’re better off trusting your eyes: A big bud and plenty of perky stigmas (aka hairs) indicate the plant is full of the fun stuff.
Your sense of smell is your best tool. Does the flower have an earthy, floral, fruity, or sweet bouquet? It’s probably good. Moldy, stale, or chemical-heavy? Pass on that grass.
Once your nose grows more sophisticated, try to pinpoint individual terpenes, the essential oils that affect the experience. A whiff of lavender, for example, suggests the presence of calming linalool, while stimulating limonene smells of citrus.
Explosive THC levels (above 25 percent) don’t mean a better high since weed in the teens can devote that extra energy toward developing full-bodied terpenes. It’s like this: Everclear gets you drunk, but a craft whiskey is a more enjoyable experience.
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