Some friends and I were trying to think of a nice spot for dinner last night. We had 7 people, voracious appetites, and were craving some good wine. Add to that the fact that we didn’t want to take multiple cabs but instead preferred to walk and we were left with one clear choice…. Vita.

Vita is a new restaurant that opened up two weeks ago. It is located by Lola in the lower highlands area, just over the two pedestrian bridges from Riverfront Park for our walkable group trek. It was a good thing we called for a reservation because it was packed.

Cozy and warm, with subtle lighting and floor to ceiling glass walls that look out to the city, Vita is a wonderful addition to the neighborhood. We had a large table right on the glass [Read more →]

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It’s snowing.

I have been back in Denver for less than 24 hours and the snow is falling again. Reports started at 8 to 12 inches and now I have heard quotes of one to three feet. I only have one thing to say about that.

Awesome!

I am a true snow lover. I love the pure white, the falling flakes, the blanket across the city. I love it so much that I think I may be a snow beacon. A snow beacon is someone who calls to the snow, when they are there the snow will fall. When I still lived up in the mountains last October, November, and December we got some major, and I mean major, snow dumps that allowed me to enjoy one of the most spectacular ski months of my life. I had just wrapped up one chapter of my life and had time in December to do nothing but ski, and so I called to it. And the snow came.

Then… I move to Denver and the winter comes and I miss the snow. So I call to it and we get a terrific snow storm just before I leave town. Then I get back and miss the snow and I must miss me too because it has returned. I have been told that this snow is unusual for Denver, not since many many years past has it been like this. And hence, I think I am a snow beacon. And I am loving it, so don’t mess with my fantasy.

That is not the real purpose of this post. This post is all about people, not snow. It is merely snow that draws people out and makes them a bit more real, pure, and approachable. The best description I heard was someone commenting on all the good will that existed in the streets, the cafes, and the gathering places around our city. I saw people helping others shovel their cars out, helping others push their car our of stranded trenches, and helping others by holding open doors and welcoming them to their table for a cup of tea. And the observation someone made, which stayed with me, was how wonderful everyone seems to be with each other when we are all in contact with each other, by foot, by sharing a table, sharing a seat on the light rail, by passing on the street compared with the attitudes and distance that exist when we travel inside our steel automobiles. Can we learn something from this blizzard?

During Blizzard #1 my lady and I got a chance to play in the snow. We cross country skied to breakfast at Gallop Cafe, using the streets as our trails and getting a few chuckles from folks we passed. We relaxed in their cozy environment with open faced sandwiches and what has to be the best bloody mary I have had in Denver. No kidding, it was huge with a literal vegetable garden inside (pickes, peppers, veggies, yum) and it was also served with a small beer chaser. Talk about cozy, I was in heaven. And everyone was so nice… everywhere. People were on the streets, walking to get coffee, or food, or perhaps stocking up on spirits for an evening by the fire. Whatever they were up to they were right there and they was a real connection with them as we traveled the city by foot. And that mattered.

For dinner we hiked back across the new Highland Pedestrian Bridge and hit Z Cuisine for some cozy dinner, a glass of wine, and some delicious food with our friend Pat. Pat had hiked her butt down from farther up the Highlands after being stranded in DIA for over 24 hours and had similar stories of meeting total strangers and bonding, sharing a meal and a glass of wine. I think she even got a date out of it.

So, my point is to welcome this second snow storm and wish with all your might that we get three feet or more. And if that does happen, go out and xx ski, snowshoe, or hike across your cubby in the city. Explore the local restaurants, meet your neighbors. Remember that two types of restaurants seemed to be open in the first round. One was the hotel restaurant, which is a fail safe that takes care of its lodgers. The other and even more special spot is your true local bistro. The staff and owner usually live within a few blocks, and they tend to be there for their neighborhood. As the folks at Z cuisine said, this is their neighborhood and it was important for them to be open. You wont find that with the big chains (except Starbucks, they are ALWAYS open and do get some kudos for that).

So go enjoy a Gallop Bloody, go have a french dessert with a congnac, go laugh with friends and walk home in knee high snow.

And when the snow has all melted and the roads are open again, try and remember what was so special and keep repeating it.

Happy skiing folks, and lets hope it really dumps.

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Yesterday you got a post about the Highland Bridge lighting. Well today you get the pictues from last night’s lighting ceremony. Someone I was speaking with me today talked about how the I-25 expressway once divided our city. Yesterday a bridge united it.

As the temperatures dropped yesterday, what felt like ten degrees per hour, the crowds were active in attending the most colorful part of the Highlands Pedestrian Bridge opening… the lighting ceremony. With large spinning light displays striking into the sky and dancing across the clouds everyone in the surrounding area knew that something was going on. And that something was a colorful display of the bridge, with the bridge sections illuminated with multiple colors that shifted throughout the night. It was pretty spectacular to see, and a fun photo event so I grabbed a few shots (okay a couple hundred, but who’s counting).

While I was there I witnessed Santa cruising by on the back of a sled (that photo really didn’t come out.. sorry) and an endless parade of bikers, walkers, strollers, and other denver urbanites out for the evening. it was just plain fun and the party on Platte street carried on into the night even with the dropping temperatures.

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Its not just the new pedestrian bridge that opens on Saturday the 16th, but also a new restaurant called Vita. I would give you a review, but it’s not open yet. If you get a chance to visit make sure to come back here and comment. With all the great restauants in the Central Platte Valley and the Highlands, this one should hopefully follow suit and be a treat.

Check out more information here.

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I just had breakfast at Mona’s and saw the workers cleaning the glass at the new Vitamin Cottage and you can see the inside is almost set up. Ah, fresh fruits and veggies in the downtown area…. about time don’t you think.

Here is the story from the Rocky Mountain News.

Vitamin Cottage moves into Riverfront area
New grocery in trendy district is No. 24 for family owned chain
Steven R. Nickerson © News

Cheryl Raff stocks vitamin shelves in preparation for the opening of the Vitamin Cottage store at 15th and Platte streets in Denver’s Riverfront neighborhood. The 10,000-square-foot natural foods grocery will open Nov. 14.
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By Janet Forgrieve, Rocky Mountain News
November 4, 2006
Liz Isely was doing one of her favorite parts of the job Friday afternoon - setting up store No. 24 in her family business.
Isely is a Vitamin Cottage vice president and part of the second generation team that runs the growing Lakewood- based chain of natural markets their parents started in 1955.

“I love opening new stores - I like organization,” she said with a grin, her work-gloved hands poised to move more boxes at the company’s first real urban location.

The 10,000-square-foot space at Platte and 15th streets likely will lure more walk-in traffic from the increasingly trendy neighborhood, said marketing director Nancy Flynn.

So, while most of the space will look much like the company’s other locations - vitamins and supplements on one side, grocery on the other - there will be some tweaks, she said.

The center of the store will hold more convenience food items - ready-made sandwiches, drinks and snacks - that customers can grab and go. Also, it’ll be the first Vitamin Cottage store to stock fresh meats.

The spot is within walking distance for residents in the Highlands and Riverfront neighborhoods.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if it became a top store for us because the area has been so underserved for so long,” Flynn said.

There are two main entrances. Near the Platte Street side, two express registers will help speed pedestrians on their way, Flynn said.

The door on the other side opens onto the store’s parking lot - customers enter through a high-ceilinged lobby and can use either stairs or an elevator to get up to store level.

When the store opens on Nov. 14, manager Daniel Masias will supervise a staff of 22, about half of them from other stores in the chain.

Chris Smith, who coordinates all the natural health and beauty offerings in the stores, has made a few changes as well.

In a nod to the younger residents of the area, Smith has downsized the baby products sections to fit more shower gels and more upscale products, she said.

At 7 a.m. Thursday, about 50 vendors and workers descended and began unpacking. By Friday afternoon much of the packaged goods were in place, and the team was still chugging along.

Vendor Roger Simmons, which has sold Now Foods supplements to Vitamin Cottage stores for 14 years, said the chain is now his company’s No. 1 customer.

“The expansion has been huge,” Simmons said. “Now, with all the renovation and revitalization of this neighborhood, they’ll get a very metro clientele.”

Vitamin Cottage grows

• What: Vitamin Cottage Natural Market, the 22nd in Colorado and 24th for the Lakewood-based chain

• Where: 2375 15th St., Denver

• When: Opening Nov. 14

• Next up: The company is scheduled to open its next store in January in Dillon.

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There are just two units left in Glass House located in Riverfront Park. This photo was taken from one of them, a penthouse located on the 22nd floor. What is great about this property is that it is located on the park side of the building, which means that it faces the mountains and Boulder in a north west orientation. Can you say “forever views”. Awesome, with a great look out to Commons Park, down on the Platte River, and off into the mountains.

With solid walls of glass you can see the storms roll in, which is what I hope happens soon to give us a great ski season. To have this Penthouse unit you will need just under $900K for just over 1800 square feet.

The other unit is up a totally different alley. It is a 1756 square foot townhome located right on 18th, which is where the next pedestrian bridge will go in. With your own private streetside entrance, a townhome in Glass House gives you the best of both worlds. You have the privacy and feel of a townhome with all the awesome amenities of the building (swimming pool, fitness center, club lounge, concierge, etc.). And priced in the mid $600’s it is a true value for this rapidly growing community. Get in now, they wont last long.

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