Quiet 3-Day Weekend Ahead

To many people Memorial Day Weekend marks the real start of summer in Denver. But, Downtown this weekend offers very little in the way of activity unless you choose to engage in any of the following.

Memorial Day Parade at 10:00 Saturday, free of course.

Museum of Contemporary Art's AstroTurf Yard Sale, great bargains, beer garden, all day Saturday, at 15th and Delgany.

Downtown Denver Arts Festival, 12th year, free at the Pavilions Friday afternoon through Monday.

Denver Day of Rock, free from Concerts for Kids. 20 bands, some you may have heard of, 4 stages on the Mall. From about 2:30 to 9:30 Saturday. Stages at Skyline Park, Curtis and Welton Streets. Rock On!

And, Rock On, Rockies! Five in a row and counting. With the Dodgers in town for a 3-game series. Big crowds for a big series.

Otherwise, a pretty quiet weekend ahead.

When Badgers Fly...

These are mean little animals. So mean, in fact, that long ago German farmers bred a dog unafraid to go down in their holes and rat them out. The dachshund. Weiner dog. Barrel chested little guy with jaws of steel. Very useful downtown for picking up food off the sidewalk.

So now, those Wisconsonites who stole our local airline, Frontier, are putting one of their own on a plane. Part of the deal with Midwest Airlines allowed the name to stay, but included the addition of a badger to the spokesanimal fleet. What to name the creature? Bella, Buddie and Cookie? (its head does resemble an Oreo) were chosen as finalists from "thousands of entries" according to the airline.

But, here's the rub. Their animal. Their name choices. Only residents of Wisconsin get to vote. So call your friends in the off moments of this weekend and tell them to go to FrontierMidwest.com/namethebadger. They could win something. Thanks to the Denver Business Journal for the picture. Thanks to the people of Wisconsin for solving this problem. Let's hope they do the right thing!

Oh, Brother! Bar Badgers Bar Over Name!

We missed this Denver Business Journal story last week. And, today, Westword wrote about it, too. Our very own Downtown version of a McDonald's type muscle job. Take your name to town and beat up on the guy with the same name who has been there forever.

The DBJ article does a good job of explaining the case for My Brother's Bar v. It's Brothers Bar and Grill. The latter is a place planning on opening soon at 1920 Market, part of a Wisconsin-based chain, adding yet another sports and juvenile-drinking-activity establishment to that part of LoDo. My Brother's Bar, of course, has sat serenely and successfully for 40 years at 15th and Platte, selling the heck out of Girl Scout Cookies every year.

This is the place you go for a good burger or the JCB. Classical music plays throughout. The bartenders actually wear ties. The food comes atop funky plastic trays holding condiments, peppers and pickles. And, you can get popcorn. The outdoor patio is one of the better, and better hidden, patio drinking locations in the city. They don't even have a sign over the door. And, it's on the Denver Beat Tour, since its past as a hangout for the likes of Jack Kerouac. His picture is on the wall by the restroom.

There are no televisions at My Brother's Bar. Just a fine place to go. We all know that. Otherwise we would be entering the limbo contest at the other Brothers on Market Street. I think the older Brother should win this fight!

Smart Meters Revisited: Is Denver Losing Money?

We have posted a couple of times about the "Smart Meters" now ubiquitous Downtown. But, as this item by John Schroyer points out, the city's projected revenue drop of a little over 7% has actually increased initially to about 20%! Read about it here at the Denver page of the Huffington Post. Driver convenience by the use of plastic has its price. Now, if people could only figure out how to get their cars into just one neat legal parking place at a time.

Downtown Farmers' Market Opens June 2!

Once again this summer, the Farmers' Market comes downtown on Wednesday's from 9-2 p.m. at Tiri's Garden, at the corner of 15th and California. This transformed corner parking lot is the special project of the Isenberg's, and built by Dale DeLeo. Part of the proceeds from each vendor will go to the Concerts for Kids program, providing funding for a variety of youth activities in Denver.

The garden served as an urban holiday tree lot this past winter which was highlighted here at Denver by the Slice. We'll work on getting a list of the vendors and publish that soon. Welcome to another season in the Garden!

Cake! It's What's for Dinner!

Mark Greenberg, owner of the Market, is Denver's  true "Ace of Cakes" and he proves it every day and especially in May and June. Often during these months of graduations, not to mention Mothers' Day, the Market has to stop taking orders for cakes. They run at the kitchen's capacity. And, that's a big kitchen!

This past weekend, alone, about 200 cakes passed through the door into the micro-climate that resides in front of this Larimer Street institution. Sometimes Mom takes the cake. Sometimes several layers of the same family show up.

Favorite flavor, of course...the Spring Fling shown here. Next fave, Tres Leches. Longtime, highly trusted Market employees often hoist the giant sheet cakes onto their shoulders to give them a chance of safely making it to the proud owner's car. The Market offers breakfast, coffees, specialty foods, hot foods and sandwiches and dinner, spelled c-a-k-e!

Where to Read the London Times

"There is nothing which has yet been contrived by man, by which so much happiness is produced as by a good tavern or inn."

- Dr. Johnson to Boswell
 

So sayeth the landing page for Pint's Pub. So true. A delightful place to spend a rainy Friday afternoon, or any afternoon, at 13th and Bannock. This is easily close enough to be considered in the realm of Denver by the Slice...Downtown!
 
Pint's, complete with dartboard, London phone booth, and a pub menu is a rare but warm place. They offer British "Cask Conditioned" Ales and the largest selection of single malt Scotch whisky "west of Edinborough."
 
If you don't know Pint's, wander over there soon to lift a pint...or a wee dram!