Wealthy Denverites have been endowing huge tracts of land to the municipality since the gold rush in an attempt to urbanize the wide-open feel of the Rockies.
When I was a child, there was still a working cattle ranch in near range of the state capitol. The foothills were underdeveloped and still quite lush.
By the time I went to high school, a boom in development left Denver struggling for air. Once reknown for its numerous sunny days and abundant oxygen, temperature inversions trapped Denver’s carbon emissions in the metro area. Air quality was second only to Los Angeles in severity.
Help was already on the way. As an air traffic hub with millions in federal dollars, Denver made bold plans to enhance its transit and its airport. It took the green road without looking back.
Today, five light-rail lines extend far into the suburbs. A robust bus line, a mall closed to vehicles, and wide sidewalks help its natives get granular with civic attractions. Denver also boasts more parks per capita than any other city.
The public bike system is a further enhancement. One can rent bikes in a number of convenient, high traffic locations near parks and businesses.
I paid five dollars for a 24 hour membership to see how much of the local character I could take in during one day.
I went from The Denver Post building to Cheeseman Park. I continued through the Speer Boulevard Bike Trail to the Denver University stop off near Larimer Square.
The racks of public bikes are make more striking by their bright red color. Also, every bike has a basket. Perfect for shopping!
This is some of the public art along the Spear Boulevard bike trail. What was once an inconvenient ditch has been transformed into a twisting, elegant trail that takes cyclists from the South East part of Denver into LoDo or Lower Downtown.
File under "This is not a water feature." The trail follows an indigenous whitewater stream the downtown area was constructed around back in the day.
The gardens at Cheeseman Park. There are several bike racks around the park.
The giant clocktower at Arapahoe in LoDo where Denverites ring in their new year!
Larimer Square is a historic preservation district in LoDo with restaurants and shopping.
One of my all time favorite rest-stops at the end of any jounery! The Tattered Cover is a world-reknown independent bookstore with a lovely cafe. This is Jackie's Corner where authors covet the chance to be featured.
