time to pull up the wagon train and rest a day!

Today was a planned no-driving day. Along with Chris & Shannon, who I've been staying with and we have known since my mom was pregnant with Greta (a really long time), my mom's cousin Bill lives in the greater Denver area, so I wanted to make time to visit with both, as well as to actually check out the city a bit. I figured Denver is rather large, so I should devote a day to it.

It was surreal, though; I can't believe only yesterday I was on the road.

The weather was cool and crisp, but sunny, so perfect for walking around downtown. I took the light-rail into Denver from the suburbs. The 16th Street Mall is the focal point of downtown Denver, and the source of much fame because, I suppose, it is pedestrian-friendly. It is also extremely tourist-friendly, lined with chain bistros and discount clothing stores. The free hybrid buses that traverse it are pretty neat (though unnecessary - 16th street is not that long). Kerouac's Denver this is not.

Naturally, I found myself thinking of Kerouac quite a bit as I explored the area as best I could by foot. I will say I was a little surprised not to find a single bar or bistro working the beat angle, exploiting all the starry-eyed travelers who surely wander off the road looking to recreated Kerouac's adventures. I, for one, finished reading "On the Road" the day before I departed Athens. And I rather wished I had kept a copy of the novel with me, if for nothing than reference points in Denver.

I remembered Larimer Street from Kerouac's writing, and walked the length of it, wondering what he would think. Larimer runs into University of Colorado's Denver campus, and is lined with fusion bistros, upscale boutiques, and swanky cocktail lounges with valet parking. Somehow I doubt the folks sipping $10 cocktails are musing about the beat generation. So it goes.

Around the corner from Larimer, down a block or two on 16th, lies the Tattered Cover, a large (though not as large as Powell's!) independent bookstore. They gained some local fame recently when the Homeland Security folks wanted a list of all those freethinkers buying books from a non-conglomerate, naturally they refused, and it went all the way to some high court or another. I actually bought three books, which may be my first splurge of the trip, including a memoir by Mark Vonnegut, ol' Kurt's son.

I also took myself on a brief self-guided tour of the capitol building, the highlight of which was the spectacular view you get from inside the rotunda atop the building. In Denver, the horizon seems to stretch endlessly. My mom's cousin took me up to the top of an even higher ridge; he was fond of tossing around elevation numbers in the thousands like it was no big deal. The National Center for Atmospheric Research is housed in a funky building designed by I.M. Pei, high above Boulder, and from there I swear you can see all the way to Utah.
(I didn't take this picture, though the above one is from my cell phone. Thanks, google image!)

I rode the city bus out through Boulder to meet up with my mom's cousin, and I don't recommend it. Perhaps it's because they see so many repeat customers every day that they are unconcerned with first-time users, but the Denver public transit system leaves a little to be desired. I had three new books to occupy me, though, so I didn't mind all that much.

While waiting for the light rail this morning, I picked up a free newspaper, and leafing through it, found that Reel Big Fish was playing! In Denver! Tonight! Now, I've seen Reel Big Fish play two other times, but - come on! I'm on an adventure! And Reel Big Fish is consistently in my top-five favorite bands. So I found myself a ticket, and after dinner made my way back into downtown to catch a show at the Ogden theater, somewhat south and east of the Capitol. Many thoughts and ruminations about music swirled through my head, but I'll save those for later. There were two opening acts: Suburban Legends, who I quite enjoyed, and the Aquabats, who I got bored with after a while.

The other news of the day comes in weather form:

All that blue stuff? It's snow. And ice. And probably lots of wind in Wyoming. I'm not making any decisions until tomorrow morning, but there's an 80% chance I'll be in Denver another day! Maybe I will find a jazz bar serving cheap whiskey after all...