Friday 9 May 2025

Another sunny day here. No wind. We’re in the leafy eastern suburbs as the Melbournians would say, except that the main streets are wide, tree lined boulevards. Lady P has devised a full itinerary today and we Uber into town to the Denver Art Museum, which is a collection of art spaces over seven and four floors, connected by a glass bridge, in the centre of the civic and government area.

Downtown Denver's architecture is a mix of historical grandeur and modern innovation, showcasing a variety of styles from ornate Beaux-Arts to sleek contemporary designs. It's characterized by iconic buildings like Denver Union Station, the Colorado State Capitol Building, and the Brown Palace Hotel. A great many feature classic materials like ornate red brick. Then there's Yule marble, granite, and sandstone. Newer skyscrapers with glass and steel facades are prominent, reflecting Denver's growth and development. 

Metro Denver has a population of more than three million people and has a growth rate that has consistently outpaced the national rate every decade since the 1930s. 

So, in we head to experience the wonderful architecture and culture, in what is really a smallish capital city. After the Art Museum and it being a warm day, we went to the Brown Palace Hotel, which is a flatiron brick marvel, a bit like the Windsor, for a club sandwich and a beer. Then as we were walking to the 54Thirty roof top bar for a cocktail, we noticed a large number of police, detectives, ambulance, a roped off alley and a white crime scene tent covering something in the alley. How exciting.

After a nice relax in the dappled sunshine, on the roof, looking out to the snow capped mountains, we walked to a little laneway to find Deviation Distillery, where, in a surprise move, Lady P ordered a flight of gins. Five of them. Flashy settled for a coffee. Well, an espresso martini is sort of a coffee.

Not satisfied with enough cultural pursuits, we went to the beautiful, neoclassical Italian Romanesque, Union Station, where we had a coupe of Champagne in the Beaux-Arts station lounge. Still light outside, so off we go to a bookstore. Williams and Graham is in the LoHi neighbourhood and is a speakeasy bar. Inside the door of the bookshop is a wall of books. The kindly chap behind the desk pushes a secret button and the shelves pivot to  let you into the darkened cocktail bar. No wine. No beer. Just cocktails. The bartender is up for a challenge, making Lady P an innovative Negroni and under Flashy’s careful scrutiny, he makes the perfect dry gin, stirred, straight up, with a twist – martini. By the time the fried Brussels Sprouts appetizer arrives we can just about see the bar and customers. Exit is out of a door at the back, leading to a side street. Uber home on dusk.

Now as for the police we saw. Several incidents were reported in Denver: a baby kidnapping and shooting with two arrests, a man shot at Union Station with serious injuries, multiple people were injured in a shooting near Coors Field, and a shooting near Union Station also resulted in a woman being shot and not expected to survive. Not too bad, really.

Gin flight and coffee.
Champagne at Union Station.
The Williams and Graham Bookstore.
Inside the speakeasy.
A big blue bear sculpture in the city.
Magnificent brickwork at the Brown Palace Hotel.
Denver Art Museum.
Modern buildings.




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