Recession Special, originally uploaded by aturkus.

This economy sucks.

Many people out there are trying to act like it isn’t that bad.   Bull puckey.  I believe the real expert I talked to the other day…. my cab driver set the record straight for me. It was on this past Friday night.  I had just rolled into the back a green and white hybrid taxi cab of Metro Taxi (Thanks for going green Metro, but don’t stop at a few). I should have known something was different when the “ring ring” of my phone indicating my taxi’s arrival came only a few scarce minutes after I placed the call.  I mean this was fast service. Remember, this was on a Friday night. Usually you can call a cab with time to spare to finish getting ready, have a glass of wine, watch the last few minutes of 30 rock that you recorded on your DVR, or even take the dog out for a final squirt before they usually arrive.  In fact you usually have to make that insecure “did you forget about me call” at least once, which coincidently I believe is the real time that they dispatch the cab.   But not this night my friends.  They were ready and waiting.  Here is why…

“This is my worst Friday ever” the cab driver shared with me. He was pretty noncholant about it. “I thought last Friday was my worst Friday ever, and then this week it got worse” he continued. “This economy must be keeping everyone home”. It was then that we passed tons of people walking to the Pepsi Center. “Or maybe they are just driving”.  That might be scary if they are still out at 2 am.

Whatever their transportation plans are, straight from the cabbies mouth we are seeing the slowdown in the simplest things. I stopped into the Chang (PF Chang) for for a quick lunch while downtown and the place was, well not empty, but lets just say “strangely table friendly” I could pretty much sit wherever I wanted, lay out whatever I was reading, and be taken care of by the readily available team there. Mind you this was a weekday, lunches have consistently been packed on weekdays downtown. (Side note, weekends are a great time to eat at the Chang and avoid lines). Again the feedback I got from my server was “It’s been reeeeeeaaaaaaallllllly slow”. nuff said.

The last omen might not be the economy but a troubled season. I decided to save a little money myself and put a pair of club level Bronco’s tickets for the always popular Raiders game on stubhubb. At the beginning of the season I was all pumped up for the game, now I think I’d be just as happy to sit cozy on the couch with a my own snacks and beverages. Everyone said “those tickets will sell in a snap”. They haven’t. I look and prices are dropping. This one you can’t blame on just the economy, but the Broncos don’t need any more heat.

And for those of you out there, you know who you are, who say “Don’t say the economy is bad, it will scare people into acting in a way to make the economy worse”.  The cat is out of the bag.  Lets just realize it sucks, laugh about it, deal with it, and move on.  Making it a big bad scary thing that you can’t say does make people act a great deal differently.  Treating it like the a zit on the face of life that will come and go makes it a little easier to bear.  Sure, it’s ugly, but it will go away.

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By the way it is either sad or funny what the lowest (0 votes at the time of this post) ranked cutback item is.

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Family in Commons Park on the 4th

What makes a neighborhood a great neighborhood to raise a family? Which criteria matter the most? Would you say it was the school system, the public parks and playgrounds, or simple safety. What about the value of a dollar towards your real estate, because let’s face it people usually make the transition from [Read more →]

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Does anyone know the scoop on Mikey’s Italian Bistro at 4140 W 38th Ave. We went there last night, all geared up for some homemade spaghetti and a bottle of wine in a cozy atmosphere but found instead a closed sigh and it looks like some demolition or other major work is underway.

Please don’t tell me Mikey’s is no more. Could it be that this little nugget is gone? Someone share the scoop. I called their number and it says that “this mailbox has not been set up”. That is certainly not a good sign.

We ended up cruising over to the Saucy Noodle instead for some homemade linguini, which I recommend. But we need to have a nice homemade noodle in our own neighborhood. Any favorites out there people want to share for homemade noodles in Denver or their other favorite Italian spots.

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Wow, what a great night. I had jumped online a week ago and managed to secure 4 tickets to last nights Rockies / Phillies game at face value off the Colorado Rockies website. We were in the nose bleeders, section U311 but we were in the park. After quickly calling a few friends to join me I also thought dinner might be a good idea and grabbed a reservation at the Keg for 6:15 pm.

It couldn’t have worked out better. We chilled out and got the celebration started with a round of cocktails (dirty martini, blue cheese stuffed olives please) and then relaxed over laughter, stories, and catching up while enjoying steaks (baseball sirloin for this day of course) and some great red wine. Our boys night out dinner carried us past the first pitch (which we did want to see) but we got there just in time for the blackout. In fact we timed it so close the folks behind us joked that we caused it.

First of all, let me tell you that the crowd last night was amazing. The energy, the rockies flag waving, the cheers, the jeers, and everything else was like a live current. Someone who watched the game at home said it was boring. I don’t know what they were watching but from my seat it was a nail biter with the close score and then the tie up keeping us all on the edge of our seats (or standing) as we celebrated every strike and out that kept the Phillies from moving ahead. That is to say that the comfort zone when we were 1 - 0 disappeared as we watched their one run homer put us neck to neck.

Somewhere around the 6th inning a few incidents started happening around us. Drunk guy falls down stairs (ouch), another drunk guy (doofus) tries to start the wave on his own with beer in hand and sprays the crowd (many apologies did follow), and the last drunk guy (yes, we see you) tries to start his own cheer leading section. There are always those interesting characters.

But what a finish. When, in the bottom of the 8th, the Rockies scored the needed run to put us up 2 to 1 the crowd went nuts. And then for every pitch, out, catch and moment through the top of the 9th the Rockies put the final touches on the SWEEP of the Phillies.

That moment, on the last out, was magic. Friends yelled with joy and high fives all around. Smiles EVERYWHERE filled every face and goodwill flowed. It was AWESOME. How cool to be there and share it with not just my friends but with 70,000 other fans.

The post game party in the streets and bars around the ballpark was just as exciting and with just as much energy. With laughter in the air, the smell of beer in the air, and traffic crawling through the streets we leisurely walked through Denver to find a spot for one more beer and some quality time to revel in the day. Cheers Denver, the Rockies did it!!

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I just got an email asking if I could spread the word about a new rooftop Terrace opening up.

Of course I will, especially since with this beautiful weather I can think of few things nicer than sitting outside with friends enjoying the weather and having a cocktail.

ROOFTOP TERRACE AT VITA IS OPEN

DENVER, August 30, 2007.  Just when it seemed Highland hot spot Vita’s celebrated ambience couldn’t possibly get better, owners Mark Schuwerk and Jay Beckerman took it up a notch with the opening of their new rooftop dining space. Boasting a breathtaking view of downtown Denver, the casual but elegant deck offers diners a new way to enjoy al fresco dining. The rooftop patio features a full bar, cocktail tables, elegant European rope lighting, and an unparalleled panorama that extends from the Flatirons and Long’s Peak to the Ramparts and Pike’s Peak.

“We wanted to create a space that was sophisticated and fully embraced the unobstructed view across downtown,” Schuwerk said. “At the same time, we wanted to provide a secluded place where people could relax and linger over a cocktail as they drink in Denver’s best view.”

Beckerman added, “Not only does our new deck significantly expand our serving capacity, it offers a relaxed atmosphere that’s perfect for a romantic evening on the town. ”

On the new Rooftop Terrace at Vita, guests who tire of the panoramic downtown view (hard to imagine) can simply wrap themselves in the embrace of the sparkling light columns and imagine themselves transported to an Italian grotto or a starlit Amalfi Coast beach.

On Tuesdays, Vita caters to wine enthusiasts and offers ½ price bottles. Vita’s extensive fresh cocktail menu makes it a popular destination with the cocktail crowd. Vita offer 2 happy hour’s daily; 3:00 pm- 6:30 pm and one for the night owl’s starting at 9:00 pm and until close.

Located in the former Olinger building at 1575 Boulder Street in the Lower Highland area, Vita is open 7 days a week from 3:00 pm – Midnight (Sunday through Thursday), and 3:00 pm – 2:00 am (Friday and Saturday).  Vita also offers Saturday and Sunday brunch from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm with a happy hour from 3:00pm – 6:30 pm.

For more information about Vita and to make reservations visit the web site at http://www.vitadenver.com/ or call 303-477-4600.

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Let’s face it, Black is the ultimate fashion color. Models and all the beautiful people live in black fashion. So do 007 and Darth Vader… along with most of NYC on any given day. And of course there are Black Tie parties, never pink or green tie parties. The ladies have 50 little black dresses and every guy has a slick black suit. So basically, in a fashion sense, black seems to rule.

This coming Thursday night the options for wearing black are going to be explored with the last big finale fashion series event at Riverfront Park. With food, wine, and of course the high energy Riverfront Crowd this is not an event to be missed. There is a catch. Tickets look to be selling out quick so if you want to go make sure to visit www.riverfrontparkfashion.com to get ticket information.

I just wonder if they will play AC/DC Back in Black to kick it off. I am guessing not.

By the way… Black is, scientifically speaking, not a color. A black object absorbs all colors of the visible spectrum and reflects none of them. It is, in effect, the anti-color. Kinda cool!!

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Is too much of our life about the money?

The New York Times this past Sunday had an article about how the millionaires out in silicon valley just don’t feel rich anymore. Apparently, once you make $2 million, or $5 million, or even $10 million you still feel the need to work 60, 70, 80 hour weeks to make sure that you can keep up.

For some folks the money goes into bigger, and bigger, and bigger houses. Or faster cars, expensive gems, boats, trips, etc.

Basically, you will always spend what you make and need to make more.

That is so sad. And yet I seem to be spending what I make. I make more than I did when I was just out of college, but I don’t seem to have a great deal of extra. Isn’t it amazing that people just keep finding new things they “need” that they would never dream of years ago under a different tax bracket.

I have to wonder why it is that we just keep buying more and more instead of saving more and more. Are material items really that much more important than our free time, our ability to travel perhaps for a year and see the world? Do we really need the 10,000 sf house and the six figure car if our budgets grow. Is it keeping up with the jones.

Don’t get me wrong, I have my toys that I buy with extra money. But I don’t mind having a new scooter when my car has been paid off for a year. I really don’t feel the need to have the newest and greatest automobile. I do, however, want the coolest blue tooth ear bud for my iphone.

But given the opportunity to have a couple million in income I don’t believe any amount of peer pressure would make me choose to burn through it as quick as I could. I would like to think I would buy more time. More free time, more flexibility, and more freedom.

Check out the article and let me know what you think. Do you believe you will always be spending what you earn, regardless of how high that income goes? If you say you wouldn’t, let me ask you this…. are you currently making more than you made 5 or 10 years ago and are you spending it all? If so, what makes you think it would change?

Perhaps it was meant to be a sob story, but it is a bit more of a reality check. Here is my advice for you future millionaires who might get trapped into working 80 hours a week. Stop buying stuff.

Duh, and yet not the easiest thing to do. What does that say about our culture.

Here is that NYT article [Read more →]

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Wow, the future is so bright. Today I was in the Union Station Neighborhood Office located in Union Station and they had a great rendering of the vision for the 17th street plaza leading up to the historic Union Station Building.

Check out the cool cutaway showing the bus transit below grade.  Those big glass structures will allow folks who are below grade to check out the stars and restaurants lights above.  Plus the folks on the ground above, after relaxing in a restaurant with a glass of wine, will be able to cruise out to the plaza and look down into the energy of the transit.

Cool, cool, cool

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Wow, this was one incredible Fourth of July and there was no more exciting place to be than the Glass House.

But lets just document the day in order [Read more →]

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Whoooo boy…. Denver was doing it up last night at Potager’s 10th anniversary dinner event.  This special event was held to honor one outstanding restaurant’s birthday and also all the wonderful people on their team who know how to do it right.  With a 5 course dinner to satisfy all of our taste buds we were in heaven.
Being one of the appreciative guests for dinner last night I can tell you it was a ball.  Every course, every bite, was wonderful.  And maybe a wee bit too much wine had me waking up slower this morning, but well worth it.

The team at Potager also had a “once in a lifetime” brunch this morning and then they are taking some well earned vacation time.  They don’t open back up until Tuesday July 17th so get yourselves ready for the new menu on the return.  I would tell you to make a reservation, but they don’t take any.  See you in line.:)

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