U.S. CI T Y SP OTLI GHT
DENVER COMES OF AGE
by NANCY HELLMRICH
C E N T E R S O F GR A V I T Y 1
➊ Union Station This polished BeauxArts transportation hub has a Great Hall that’s known as Denver’s living room, the lofty Crawford Hotel, dining, shopping, and a classy Terminal Bar. ➋
Historic LoDo In Lower Downtown, buildings that used to house saddleries, meat markets, and dairies now sport art galleries, trendy restaurants, chic boutiques, and Maven Hotel.
➌ RiNo Arts District River North is a vortex of old warehouses, airy lofts, street art, and ironic urban creatives. Hotspots include the Insta-worthy alley between Walnut & Larimer Streets.
50 ENSEMBLE VACATIONS WINTER 2019
➍ Highlands & LoHi Across I-25 from Riverfront Park, you’ll find trendy rooftop restaurants, an epic sushi joint, charming shops, and lifeaffirming views of the city skyline. ➎ Cherry Creek This posh neighborhood boasts designer shops, hipster coffee, an annual art show, Elway’s Steakhouse, a modern mall, and the highly social MOXY and Halcyon hotels. ➏ South Broadway SoBo is the place to go for art films, vintage clothes, antiques, and the “green mile” of cannabis dispensaries (aka Broadsterdam).
Laid out in a sunny river valley on the front range of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains – with rodeo country to the north and ski country to the west – the Mile High City has undergone a renaissance over the last several years. Long known for its active outdoor lifestyle, comforting microbreweries, and aerospace engineers, Colorado’s capital is now riding high with an energetic, entrepreneurial spirit, dynamite new culinary options, rooftop lounges, new-meets-old architecture, and an off-thecharts music scene. Who doesn’t want in on that? 2
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