Cheers! The Weekend has Arrived!

Activity and traffic Downtown last weekend were a little over the top. Parade, Baseball, Day of Rock, Art. All well and good...but did you notice how crowded (especially the Mall) it was? This weekend offers just as much opportunity to do things, but more on our side. No baseball (Rocks are in Arizona staying inside), no art fair (just the Chalk Art Festival at Larimer Square which assures us of at least one thunderstorm), no parade, and only one big night of outdoor music (the annual Friday night summer series starts at Rock Bottom, 16th and Curtis).

Of course, if you are so brave as to venture just out of Downtown, to the Civic Center for instance, you can dip your birkies into the Capitol Hill People's Fair on Saturday and Sunday. This was a very enjoyable event when it was held on the Esplanade in front of East High School. But, that was at least 20 years ago. Now, it's more like Cinco de Mayo with more yoga, or the Taste of Colorado with less fat.

You could go the other direction, down Cherry Creek to Confluence, cross the bridge and enter Denver's lycra showcase, the Starbucks at REI. Now, this is truly a wonderful place to sit...under the trees and by the river. The bike-by crowd changes constantly. And, many of your friends will probably wander through. Try the herbal tea with lemonade. Starbucks is much better when they don't use coffee in their drinks.

But, the scene in front of you may make you wonder. The river will be full of people, dogs, babies, baptisms, rafts, inner tubes, and the occasional loose hot dog wrapper from the vending cart above. Have you ever really wanted to be in that water? Do you watch sometimes what floats in that direction from our own Creek upstream? Enjoy the breeze through the trees and the sound of rushing water trying your best not to think about all those people treating the area as Coney Island.

And, while you are just in the neighborhood this weekend, enjoy one of the patios or try one of the BCycles (they are all over downtown. Check this link). Drop by Swing Thai, now open on Sundays from 1-8. And, pick up a nice bottle of wine from Jed at Wines off Wynkoop, in the alley behind the Tattered Cover. Enjoy the warm, and less-crowded weekend ahead. But, be careful crossing the streets!