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Denver discovery; hip, cozy, and post-industrial: 3 neighborhoods redefine the city's urban landscape - Travel & Recreation - Denver, Colorado

Lora J. Finnegan

As metropolitan Denver continues to grow ever outward, it's easy to overlook the changes in the downtown area. Which is why the emergence of three neighborhoods smack in the city's urban core may be just the excuse you need to plan a trip into town.

Each neighborhood vibrates with its own unique, even quirky, personality. The new Commons Park area is rising from an industrial site behind the historic Union Station. The shopping on Old South Gaylord Street just keeps getting better, and East Colfax Avenue is emerging as an after-hours hot spot. Call it cachet, character, or style--these neighborhoods are making Denver more interesting.

A riverfront revival

Commons Park neighborhood

There's nothing common about the redevelopment surrounding Commons Park, an area so new that few know what to call it. With a lovely greensward at its core, the district sits near the confluence of Cherry Creek and the South Platte River, a part of the Central Platte Valley Many of the railyards have been removed, but the district doesn't hide its working past. The grand and still vibrant Union Station rubs elbows with renovated warehouses, converted flour mills, and industrial-chic condos that are bringing a new vitality to the area.

At the area's heart is Commons Park, the largest urban park in the valley. From its high knoll, you can look up and down the valley; to the west is the 1901 Denver Tramway powerhouse, now housing a sleek REI store.

While shops and restaurants are only beginning to open in the area, there's already plenty to do. Hop on the paved 10 1/2-mile South Platte River Greenway Pedestrian Path (access at parking area for City of Cuernavaca Park at the end of Platte St.; 720/913-0668) for an afternoon of strolling or biking. Watch kayakers on the South Platte in Confluence Park (on the river at 15th St.; 720/913-0668), or stroll the new Centennial Flower Gardens (1100 Little Raven St. at 15th St.; 720/913-0668), a 5-acre garden with a twist: it displays a mix of Colorado native and drought-tolerant plants.

Or just prowl the streets. This is a neighborhood where chance discovery may be the best reason to visit.

Don't miss

Soaring Millennium Bridge, with its white 200-foot mast--the main support of the stunning suspension bridge--is less than a year old but is already a city landmark. Its pedestrian walkway, which links LoDo (Lower Downtown) with Commons Park, yields a killer view of the Central Platte Valley. Stop at Grassroots Market for sandwiches, then picnic in Commons Park.

Cafe Ink. A good spot for a cup of Joe, sandwiches, smoothies, and pastries. 1590 Lit tie Raven St.; (720) 214-1111.

Grab a bite

Grassroots Market. A wide selection of artisan cheeses, breads, deli foods--even specialty sodas. 2100 16th St.; (303) 433-6300.

Reinventing tradition

Old South Gaylord Street

Old South Gaylord Street was on-line in the 1920s--on the trolley line to the University of Denver. But, like many districts overshadowed by growth, it faded.

"In the 1980s, the neighborhood had empty storefronts and a shabby main street," says Kaye Moss, a neighborhood activist for more than 20 years. In 1992, locals started the Old South Gaylord Business Improvement District, levying a tax to spruce things up--they added trees, flower borders, handsome sidewalk payers, and antique streetlamps. Now residents feel it's "like living in a quaint small town, with its characters, politics, and colorful shops," Moss says.

You can easily spend an afternoon hitting the highlights along Old South Gaylord between Mississippi and Tennessee Avenues. Start at the Devil's Food Bakery, named after the cake--and a collection of devil figurines. Owner Gerald Shorey creates sinfully good European-style pastries and cakes.

Across the street, tiny Trout's Drygoods & Flyfishing (1077 Old S. Gaylord St.; 303/733-1434) has angling gear, a log of daily fishing updates, and hundreds of flies in more than 50 patterns. Quilts in the Attic (1025 Old S. Gaylord; 303/744-8796) sells fabrics and hosts quilting classes in its attic. And the Tended Thicket (1034 Old S. Gaylord; 303/7226815) sells stylish garden goodies, from plant stands to candles and lavender sachets. When it's time for real sustenance, grab a sidewalk table at the Washington Park Grille.

"People are hungry for neighborhoods like this," Moss says, "because they have a soul and a personality."

In spring, Washington Park (Downing St. and Virginia Ave.; 720/913-0668) is a haven for joggers, picnickers, and strollers who enjoy its two lakes and colorful formal garden (on Downing near Exposition Ave.), May 24-26, the Old South Gaylord Memorial Day Festival (free; www.merchantsofsouthgaylord.com) presents two stages of live music, plus food and crafts booths.

Don't miss

Grab a bite

Devil's Food Bakery. 6-5 Tue-Fri, 7-4 Sat. 1024 Old S. Gaylord St., (303) 733-7448. Washington Park Grille. An Italian grill with such house favorites as a lobster club sandwich and grilled salmon salad. Pleasant outside seating. Lunch and dinner Mon-Sat, brunch and dinner Sun. 1096 Old S. Gaylord; (303) 777-0707.

Street of sweet music

East Colfax Avenue

"Once, Colfax Avenue was the eastern gateway to Denver--the way to the West for thousands of auto travelers," says Dave Walstrom, executive director of the Colfax Business Improvement District. Freeways changed all that, but "the Fax," as locals call it, is still Denver's longest commercial street (26 miles).

Over breakfast in Pete's Kitchen, a classic diner and local landmark, Walstrom tells how Colfax has changed. "When highways and interstates replaced Colfax as Denver's gateway some businesses withered," he says. But the Fax--specifically some 40 blocks of East Colfax Avenue between the state capitol and Colorado Boulevard--is being revitalized by a surge in venues for edgy live music. Attractions are widely separated and establishments run the gamut from bookstores to tattoo parlors.

Three once-shuttered historic theaters have recently emerged as leaders of a growing music scene. The Ogden Theatre (935 E. Colfax Ave.; www.nipp.com or 303/830-2525) was built in 1917 as a vaudeville venue and was converted into a concert hail for breakout rock groups. Down the street is the Bluebird Theater (3317 E. Colfax; www.nipp.com or 303/322-2308), with its distinctive neon sign. Born as a movie house in the 1930s, it too has been revived as a stage for live bands. The Fillmore Auditorium (1510 Clarkson St. at E. Colfax; www.ticketmaster.com, www.cc.com, or 303/837-1482), the biggest of all, is kin to the original Fillmore in San Francisco. Housed in a 1907 skating rink, the Fillmore now boasts a state-of-the-art sound system for rock concerts and a wall of vintage posters from '60s and '70s concerts, but it did keep its historic Moorish-style exterior.

If you prefer your music on vinyl, skirt the clubs and just pop into Wax Trax Records (638 E. 13th Ave.; 303/831-7246), about two blocks off East Colfax. It's an eclectic CD and record store with an awesome collection of what used to be called platters. You can find books on music--and just about anything else--at Capitol Hill Books (300 E. Co/fax; 303/837-0700).

Nightilfe is the real attraction here. The Bluebird, Ogden, and Fillmore host everything from unknown local bands to groups like the Moody Blues and the Smashing Pumpkins. Tickets go on sale six to eight weeks in advance of shows. The hot post-performance hangout is Pete's Kitchen, where rockers hunker down over scrambled eggs and wait for their ears to stop ringing.

Don't miss

Grab a bite

Goosetown Tavern. First opened as a tavern in 1873, it was relocated from its Golden, Colorado, location and serves salads, pizzas, poor boys, and beer. Lunch and dinner daily 3242 E. Colfax Ave., (303) 399-9703. Pete's Kitchen. Classic diner food. Open 24 hours Fri-Sat, 6 A.M.-11 P.M. Sun-Thu. 1962 E. Colfax, (303) 321-3139.

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