An Interview with McLoughlins
Living in Riverfront Park means you certainly know one pub by heart. And just like that old Cheers show with norm and cliff, the beauty of this gem is that everyone really does know your name. Of course sometimes that is because you had a little bit too much fun the night before and your antics are well remembered. This, of course, is not a story about me and my friends… It is everybody else.
McLoughlin’s is like a den mother that is always there to make sure you are well fed, warm, and never thirsty. When we are working 80 hour weeks they have been kind enough to bring over our lunch and make sure we don’t forget to eat. When we come home late at night and want to regroup with friends for a nightcap they are open until their 2 am closing, no matter how slow their evening is. When you need a great meal and a friendly face they are always there. The people are great, the food is great, and the beer is cold.
And I haven’t even told you how great the summers are sitting out on the patio. That was the best.
During the blizzard when everything was shut down they kept us fed until the last scrap of food was gone. How’s that for reliability.
So join me in getting to know a little bit more about McLoughlins and Jon Koenig General Manager/Owner. [Read more →]
January 30, 2007 2 Comments
An Interview with Little Raven Vineyards
Today’s topic is wine, wine, and more wine!
Urbanites are social. We throw our dinner parties, our martini balls, our football get togethers, and our impromptu late nights with friends. So what do we consider a bare essential…. our wine store and having a great selection available for us.
So join me in getting to know Little Raven Vineyards and Peter Klann, Proprietor.
Peter, can you tell me what first attracted you to wine, what you love about it and a little bit about your background?
Shortly after moving to Colorado in 1976 my wine adventure began in the cellar of a neighbor who had an extensive collection of French and German wine. I have traveled to several of the major wine regions in the world to further my education. My formal wine education includes advanced Sommelier and Advanced Wine and Food paring certificates from the IWG.
What was your inspiration for Little Raven Vineyards and the wines you select? [Read more →]
January 19, 2007 No Comments
Between 60 and a million miles per gallon
And I am not kidding!!
Just imagine driving to work every day and never having to buy a single drop of gas. Again, I am not kidding. Before you read this article, think about this for a new company; Green Cabbie. Green Cabbie would be a cab company where every vehicle is a hybrid. Even if cost a little more to the consumer I would choose them every time. If the city/state gave companies a break for using hybrids instead of gas guzzlers just think of the impact we could have. Green Taxis would be huge for NYC. If someone does start Green Cabbie, let me invest. For the record, I still prefer public transportation or my bike, but if you gotta drive…
“GM announced the Chevy Volt, due for delivery in April. This hot little car has two engines, one is powered by batteries and one by gasoline. All propulsion is accomplished by the electric engine which, in turn, is powered by the lithium ion batteries. The batteries are charged by plugging them into the wall. For the first forty or so miles of driving, the batteries have enough power to move the car from zero to sixty in 8 seconds and hit a top speed of 120 mph.
Then, after all that aerodynamic, electric, regenerative-brake-using driving, an ultra-efficient, small, inexpensive gasoline engine kicks on and recharges the battery. Using only power generated by the gas generator, the car gets about 60 mpg [Read more →]
January 16, 2007 No Comments
Avalanche seats and real estate
One of the most wonderful treats that happen when you live downtown is what I call the magic ticket. The magic ticket is that last minute invitation to go to some event downtown. It might be the Avs, the Nuggets, the Broncos (less common) or any number of other events. But somehow, some way, you have that magic free ticket to go. Why does this happen?
Well, for one thing people are just plain old fashioned nice. I know I will get some disagreement on that one so all you nay sayers can just look in a mirror. You get what you give folks, keep that in mind. The other reasons could be… [Read more →]
January 12, 2007 No Comments
Denver Stock Show comes to town!
Always a good time to remind Denverites of our cowboy roots, the Stock Show hits town January 6th through the 21st. Check out the western events at the website.
January 6, 2007 No Comments
Happy New Years!
Happy New Years Eve to Everyone! This year I joined some new friends at a home in Breckenridge for some wonderful food, excellent company, and much laughter. After fighting off a cold from non stop travels, events, and moves I finally got knocked down and my energy and voice only made it till minutes after midnight. But it was still a wonderful New Years Eve and I remembered my love of the mountains. For all my Urban Braining, perhaps I have a Mountain Heart. Denver is wonderful for allowing us the best of both worlds.
I hope everyone had a wonderful New Years Eve and here is to an even better 2007! My best to everyone.
January 1, 2007 No Comments
Discussion forums
Someone emailed me to ask if there was a Glass House Discussion Forum, for new residents to meet each other and for general discussion. So a new forum was created at the Urban Brain Discussion. Just pass it along, and make sure to share news about new restaurants and other events happening here in Denver.
December 20, 2006 No Comments
The 12 days of Glass House
The festive Holiday season is upon us and I, like many of you, will soon be fighting the crowds and leaving town for awhile to bask in some midwest truly cold weather. To prepare, today I braved the crowds and in addition to my Christmas shopping (I found some cool gifts, it was worth the crowds) I had an excuse to add some new winter wear for myself to help keep me from freezing anything off. And of course the stores are filled with the sounds and songs of Christmas, which i do love but the 100th time you hear the 12 days of Christmas you begin to wonder if it will every truly leave your mind.
That was when the idea struck me… I am going to be traveling and won’t be here to capture new urban nuggets or events. Plus I am on vacation, and I suppose that should be a break from everything else and a focus on family and friends. So in the spirit of the season and with new residents on the brink of moving into the new Glass House building this blog will be starting the 12 days of Glass House, with a new photo (or photos) every day from inside this new building. Isn’t it great to preschedule blog entries.
Ho Ho Ho… and on the first day of Christmas the Glass House gave to me…a cool and funky super lobby.Meet Katie, the Rockstar Glass House Property Manager. She is truly awesome!
The next blog entry will be coming out tomorrow at 8 am. Know someone who wants a peek into glasshouse, make sure to send them this link.
Happy Holidays
P.S. Meet Katie, the Rockstar Glass House Property Manager.
The next blog entry will be coming out tomorrow at 8 am. Know someone who wants a peek into glasshouse, make sure to send them this link.
Happy Holidays
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December 19, 2006 No Comments
Highlands Bridge Opening Today!!
Events, ribbon cutting, and more. I cruised by during the ribbon cutting ceremony and you could just feel the excitement in the air. Which is good because you really couldn’t hear the speakers at all. Someone was commenting about how years ago none of what surrounds us was there. That is certainly true, and if you think about how much the area will be growing and evolving with the Union Station expansion, the growh in the Highland area, and RTD… it won’t look anything like it does today very soon.
Denver is growing up, and the Central Platte Valley is growing along with it in terms of the elements I love (Architecture, new restaurants, new culture, and walkable infrastructure). Very cool.
So go check out the bridge and enjoy letting your feet carry you to your next cup of coffee, glass of wine, tasty appetizer, or just a casual stroll You will be among the company of the crowd of happy locals I saw there, just looking at another milestone in our urban growth.
December 16, 2006 No Comments
Seniors to Get Riverfront Digs
Seniors to get riverfront digs
Cosmopolitan Club to have amenities of five-star hotel
By John Rebchook, Rocky Mountain News
November 24, 2006
Louisville-based Balfour Senior Living plans to build a $110 million building for active seniors in downtown Denver’s Riverfront Park, in the Central Platte Valley.
Construction of the luxury 264- suite, seven-story, age-restricted Cosmopolitan Club building next to the historic Moffat Train Depot at 15th and Little Raven streets is scheduled to start in February.
Monthly rents in the club, one of the few age-restricted developments in the country in a downtown, are expected to range from about $3,500 to $8,000 a month. The club also will charge a one-time entry fee of $10,000.
“The Cosmopolitan Club will have all of the amenities of a five-star hotel,” said Michael Schonbrun, CEO and founder of the 10- year-old Balfour.
“In today’s day and age, people over 60 are very active and want to be part of the buzz and energy of the city,” said Schonbrun, a lawyer by training, who was president of National Jewish Hospital from 1981 to 1991 and worked for former Gov. Dick Lamm after coming to Colorado in 1974.
The Cosmopolitan Club will be a welcome addition to Denver, said Tami Door, president and CEO of the Downtown Denver Partnership.
“We want to ensure that we have a great diversity of people living downtown,” she said. “That is very important for the vibrancy of downtown.”
Door said she suspects that many people living there will want to participate in downtown as mentors and volunteers.
Charlie Woolley, head of the St. Charles Town Co., has put his planned 37-story senior high-rise at 14th and Stout streets on hold, saying he has too many projects on his plate.
But he said there’s room for both the Cosmopolitan Club and his development, which he hopes to resurrect next year.
“Our site is very different from their site, but I like their location very much, too,” Woolley said. “They’re going to do great. These urban locations for seniors are more appealing, as far as activities and lifestyles, than ones in the suburbs.”
Harry Frampton, CEO of East West Partners, the developer of Riverfront Park, is a small investor in Balfour and may invest in the Cosmopolitan Club.
Frampton first pitched the site to Schonbrun when they bought the property from Trillium Corp. in the 1990s.
“I think this is really pretty cool,” Frampton said. “Balfour has been successful financially, but even more important, it builds communities that are just wonderful places for people to go to when they age.”
The land was initially sold to Archstone-Smith, the Arapahoe County-based apartment real estate investment trust, but the -REIT decided to sell most of its Denver portfolio to concentrate on other parts of the country.
Schonbrun will renovate the depot and use it as the “great room” for the development.
The long-vacant 100-year-old building was partly destroyed by a fire in 1995.
Balfour may also open the 1,200-square-foot depot for an occasional public forum or event, although the retirement community also will have a separate building for that function, Schonbrun said.
When completed in 2008, the 369,000-square-foot Cosmopolitan Club building will include 214 independent-living rental apartments, ranging in size from 600 square feet to 1,900 square feet; a European- style piazza with a garden; and four dining areas, including a bistro/pub and a gourmet-style restaurant. It also will sport a a rooftop garden, a library, a billiard room, a movie theater, a performance hall, a business center, a card room, a hair and beauty salon, and an arts and crafts room.
The amenities don’t stop there - a high-end spa is also planned.
There will be around-the-clock concierge service and 130 underground parking spaces, although Schonbrun said he suspects that most residents will find they don’t need a car. They will have private town cars to ferry them to Cherry Creek, sporting events, shopping, golf and other events.
The club will be designed by a New York firm, Robert A.M. Stern Architects. Stern is dean of the Yale School of Architecture.
His firm has designed a luxury condo at 15 Central Park West, next to the Time-Warner building, in New York; a new Ritz-Carlton hotel/condominium project in Dallas; and Aspen Highlands Village. Stern, working in Denver for the first time, will be joined by Denver- based klipp Architecture.
The interior designer, Carleton Varney, CEO of New York City- based Dorothy Draper Inc., is perhaps even better-known than Stern, at least in New York City.
Varney, known for his use of color and contrasts, has been the interior designer for such properties as the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, New York’s Waldorf Towers and Plaza and the Grand Hotel of Mackinac Island, in Michigan.
He even has his own brand of coffee.
“We went to the theater with him in New York, and you can’t walk two feet in New York without somebody stopping him,” Schonbrun said. “He told me he is at a stage in his life where he only works on projects that he thinks will be fun and special.”
November 29, 2006 No Comments
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