A warm welcome to Denver

We were warmly welcomed at our friends' condo in Cherry Creek North and spent time with them on our first day in Denver ,,, with the exception of a stroll through the neighborhood, to Enstrom Candies and to the Hermitage bookstore (below). This is one of the best curated and nicest bookstores we know!

Denver, The Mile High City, was founded as a mining camp on the South Platte River in 1858 and became the official state capital in 1876, when Colorado became part of the Union. With a population of around 730,000 today, it became one of the "boom towns" of the U.S. and is growing constantly. Its location near the Rocky Mountains, on high rolling plains, with the "Front Range of the Rocky Mountains" as a picturesque background, makes it even more attractive.

 

 

Thursday morning - first stop: Denver Botanic Gardens. Since we had never been there before, we wanted to check it out. Only about 20 min. away from where we were staying, we walked over in the morning. The weather improved in the cause of the day and it became sunny and warmer in the afternoon.

 

An example of the great Bonsai collection in the Botanic Gardens (left) and the "Orangerie" above, below an art installation of famous Spanish artist Jaume Plensa.

On to downtown by public bus. First, to the History Center in the Golden Triangle Creative District of Denver, especially to check out an exhibition about 150 years of Colorado.

 

Super-interesting: An exhibition about The Sand Creek Massacre ,,,

,,, and, another one about Ed Dwight, a bronze sculptur (below, examples of his Jazz series)

We spent two hours in the History Center, then passed by the Art Museum (below), the State Capitol and the famous Public Library.

16th Street Mall, newly renovated, is considered the main axle of downtown Denver with a free shuttle service:

Larimer Square, another main gathering point and entertainment/dining spot:

Approaching Union Station, we stopped at Rockmount Ranch Wear (below), a family-operated store since 1946 and famous as the inventor of the Western snap shirts.

Union Station - the main railroad station - below (always fun to be there!):

We met a dear friend of us in the evening and went on a brewery tour in the up & coming industrial neighborhood "RiNo Art District", renowned for its murals and for its breweries. We had a pleasant evening with excellent beers, first of all, IPAs, and great conversation.