The Inside Scoop

The smallest hood in all Denver, most likely the least populated, lies directly south of Downtown and is referred to as the Golden Triangle. An older yet vital piece of the city, G.T. includes the Civic Center as the northern portion, seating governmental structures that support the city and county of Denver but, most importantly, the state of Colorado. A modern forum reminiscent of ancient Greece or Rome, it has remained an assembly of citizens, art, and commerce that recently experienced a rebirth of sorts, with many of its original storehouses and garage buildings being transformed into retail and office spaces...

Energy is swirlin' residentially about the area, with new classically designed high-rises of developer Craig Nassi ~ the Prado, Belvedere and Beauvaillon ~ adding to the vibrancy of the Golden Triangle. The modernistic Denver Art Museum and Central Library add an innovative yet aesthetic freshness to the place, while historic Victorians and bungalows share space with the Denver Condominiums and portray the boom-town elegance that originated Downtown...

What used to be a concrete jungle of industrialism has given way to a newborn civilization of big-city beauty and respect for the simplicity of nature and fun times, found in G.T.'s retail, hospitality and outdoor arrays that continue to change and attract newcomers.

Entertainment, Theater & Music

As the Muses inspired the Greeks back in the day, so they must be nowadays in the Golden Triangle, where art, theater and music are embodied and the architecture is astonishing in and of itself. Become inspired visually by the Golden Triangle Arts District and the Denver Art Museum. Make the rounds to artists' studios, galleries and museums on the “First Fridays” of each month, riding the Art Bus from site to site. Ogle over of what the Denver Art Museum has in its medley of material and media offerings, in addition to continental collections that span the globe. The new wing is built out of titanium by German architect Daniel Libeskind, selected as the architect to rebuild the World Trade Center in New York, reflecting sunlight and moonshine to catch everyone's eye from afar...

Lend an ear and get your audible inspiration from musical presentations and community lectures in the Acoma Center. Combining sight and sound to inspire the mind thoroughly, the Acoma also hosts theatrical performances by Curious Theater Company in its ornate and heavenly atmosphere, reminding attendees of its holy past as a church. Check the postmodern Central Library, Denver's largest neighborhood library, for anything you could imagine or want to know...

Wonderin' what inspired the original settlers and families of Denver long ago? Find out by paying a visit to the fancifully furnished Byers-Evans House or our very own Colorado History Museum, headquarters of the Colorado Historical Society until it moves to its new home down the street at 12th Avenue and Broadway, to be oddly-named History Colorado Center. Collections of historic and prehistoric artifacts and documents are maintained here, as well as exhibits and educational programs about the early days of the Centennial State.

Nightlife

Should you invoke the spirit of a muse, aka girlfriend, for some company, you best keep her entertained by showin' her a good time with a night on the town. Maybe you're lookin' to attract that Aphrodite or Adonis with your ballsy body language or just spazzin' out for a drink to satisfy your thirst after a long day at the office. Well, fortunately, you won't have to roam for from your Denver Condominium for that! The Golden Triangle isn't at all ancient when it comes to nightlife...

Let your hair down while sippin' a mojito on Sutra Room's front lounge patio at 11th & Lincoln. For a taste of Eng-a-land before getting' randy, tap into Pints Pub, where they brew their own poison. Bannock Street Garage is the watering hole for auto enthusiasts, a remodeled garage with a giant engine boom that swings over the bar and front & back garage doors to let in the fresh air. Simma down with some Milk, half of the dynamic-duo lounge complex of the chic Bar Standard, and relish in the surrounding house music. The Jazz Room dishes out live music and GrooveTop, the open-air patio atop the club, gives you gorgeous views of Denver. Put your back into it and party down at a retro club like Club Vinyl, with four floors of different flava-flaves, VIP rooms and another rad rooftop bar...

Deviate from the norm with the gay hangout of constantly-entertaining Compound on South Broadway, or join in the diverse dancing of La Rumba on 9th, a come-as-you-are bar that hosts the renowned Lipgloss, maybe the hottest place in Denver to show your mad skills on Fridays.

Area Restaurants

Kick back and enjoy the bold and elegant ambrosia of the Golden Triangle in quiet corners, roomy renovated warehouses and fancy Victorians. Indulge in sweet baked goods, clever confections and jivey javas served from refurbished industrial buildings...

Cherokee Dining on 12th Avenue has supplied home-cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner meals for 25 years in their flowered patio and cozy dining room. Tony's Market peddles great-tasting eats, meats and produce from a large deli and bakery to drool over and gobble up on the street beside Broadway. Sport some liederhosen and head into Cafe Berlin for schnitzel and cabbage rolls. Whoop it up with the historical (meanin' style, not age) hotties of Diamond Cabaret & Steakhouse on the north-side while salivating over mouth-watering steaks...

Now if these options seem a bit ordinary and American, try the temptuous and eccentric seasonings of the Caribbean and Latin America from Cuba Cuba's on Delaware, the hood's very own 4-star place for spicy romance and fresh passion. Get a bit insane on Dazbog Coffee's aromatic cups of joe before strollin' over to the Art Museum. Finally, wrap it all up in a French twist with the crazy confections, cupcakes and tortes & tarts of Gateaux Bakery in the heart of Golden Triangle.

Parks & Recs

Let your spirit flourish and fly like Icarus amongst Golden Triangle's de-paved and neoclassical parks. You'll be sure the gods are looking down and breathing life into the concrete jungle with exuberance and nature. Mimic Nike while runnin' in a pair of her name-sakes on the Cherry Creek bike path along Speer Boulevard, on which you can bike or walk Fido and Fifi...

The mainstream activity arena in the G.T. is Civic Center Park and it isn't much ado about nothing, more like a mid-summer's night dream with all the gardens, fountains and statues. Most cultural and civic events in the hood take place here, like one of the longest St. Patty's Day parades and the largest Cinco de Mayo fiesta in the nation. Performances of the theatrical and musical sorts during the summer and fall, including the People's Fair, PrideFest and Taste of Colorado celebrations, finally ending with the annual Parade of Lights in the holiday season...

Besides the big-city events, it's just a grand place to chill, sunbathe or tour. Filling two city blocks, this immense park is centered among governmental happenin's and is flanked on its sides by our Denver City and County Building, the Colorado State Capitol, the Voorhies Monument & Pond and the Greek Amphitheater. Step across the street for close encounters of the loot kind in the Denver Mint. Also be sure to check out smaller Sunken Gardens Park, decorated only by West High School, a marvel in itself, a good-sized playground and basketball courts for hoopin' it up with your homies.

The Commute

When the need arises to take your chariot for a spin around Denver or head out on a far out odyssey, Golden Triangle is filled with quick exits. The major thoroughfare of Colfax runs the length of the city east and west, scenic Speer Boulevard dissects downtown diagonally, and the spacious Lincoln & Broadway journey north and south respectively. All such arteries make reaching I-25 speedy and easy as pie. When travel on Colfax seems like you're going up a creek without a paddle, 8th and 13th Avenues make great alternate routes to north/south channels Federal and Colorado...

Seek the aid of Denver's hard-workin', stylin' rides of its bus system to transport you around without having to deal with the metropolitan mayhem. The city's light rail is planning updated service to add better coverage to its already efficient downtown web of stops, from Littleton to County Line Road. From outside the lobby of your Denver Condominium, hail taxi cabs that frequent the vital voyage-ways around the G.T.

Shopping

Trying to find the latest toga, lambskin sandals or sculpture of Zeus? Please... we're in the 2000's people and we lack such civilized goods. Really, you don't have to wait for the local trade caravan to arrive! Just wander around the village and you'll run across fashionable offerings...

Drape yourself with cool threads from Wardrobe Works, for gently-used, upscale clothing for women, or Soul Haus, on 13th, specializin' in the dopest urban menswear. Sports Authority at Broadway & 10th provides your favorite Colorado team sportswear and gear, or other team's, should you be so brave...

To help you settle into your pad stylishly, furniture is available at the lavish Howard Lorton showroom and Zeitgeist Modern for some sick home outfittings. You just might be able to find a statue of your choice deity inside the multitude of art galleries in G.T., like Gallery 1261, Walker Fine Art or Native American Trading Company. Urban Roots, planted on Acoma St., has plants and gardening supplies for the minimalist gardener, i.e. one who has limited space for greenery in cosmopolitan coziness. But, alas, the grand selections available to say, Athens or Rome, may be desired. Don't panic, 16th Street Mall is just blocks north and Cherry Creek Shopping Center is minutes to the southeast.

Going Green

Please the gods by revering the earth and all its blessings... Recycle! Become a part of the collective forces pulling together for a green revolution. Waste Management and Denver Recycles have teamed up to physically remove the reusables locally, often for a small fee but sometimes at no cost. Denver’s Climate Action Agenda, which has the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 10 percent by 2012, is spreading additional green practices amongst the city's citizens. Greenprint Denver spreads their resource and community newsletter to help out newbies and veterans alike in gettin' their questions answered regarding recycling programs, sustainability, and reducing greenhouse emissions.

Schools

Send the little ones off to learn the the arts or Parliamentary Procedure that one day may land them in the Art Museum, Civic Center or even the Capitol. Their budding minds can take advantage of Denver Public Schools' educational choices from preschools/early childhood to high schools, and as long as there's space, your offspring can attend ANY school. DPS employs a lottery system if too many applications are received for one in particular, to keep things fair...

Around the G.T., though, the public elementary Greenlee K-8 teaches on Lipan Street and Denver West High School is on Elati, across from the Sunken Gardens Park. The charter P.S. 1, voted one of Denver's top schools, lives inside the Rocky Mountain Banknote Building at 11th and Delaware. The charter school has over 275 students in grades 6 through 12, personifying Denver's different hoods and ethnic diversity. CEC Middle College and the Denver Center for International Studies help prepare students for college and the business world with exemplary classes and activities...

Shine on the bureaucrats and senate at the great colleges and universities of Downtown Denver. Learn a lesson or two from such pros like University of Denver, University of Colorado Denver, Metro State College of Denver and Community College of Denver. Pay a visit to the Tivoli Student Union, a division of the Auraria Higher Education Center, for programs, services and assistance with such improvement steps. Strive to have your own exhibit in the Denver Art Museum with art or design skills from the Art Institute of Colorado.

Sports

No doubt your family, in from outta town, will be impressed and totally down for intense heat caused by rivaling teams from their hometowns hosted by the Broncos, Nugs and Rockies. Get your cohorts together for a hike over to Invesco Center, the Pepsi Center, or Coors Field, all minutes away from your Denver Condominium! Get your own blood pumpin' at the Denver Athletic Club on Glenarm, who provides 125,000 square feet of racquetball courts, a full size basketball / volleyball court, a bowling alley boastin' 8 lanes, an Olympic-size indoor swimming pool and the best squash center in the state.

If you just can't stomach the thought of entering a Colorado team's home or forkin' out the funds for tickets, watch your favorite team or debate athletic politics with fans and foes in Cap City Tavern on Bannock, serving up gluten-free & vegan menu items and free wi-fi. Andrews on Lincoln is a large New York-style sports bar with many rooms for hostin' a pub crawl or a birthday croanie-fest with tons of HD tellies so less fights break out... just kiddin'.

Medical & Health Care

In case of Herculean brawls resulting from the occasional beer-chasin' ball game riots, you may need to race your buddy to the ER at a hospital nearby. Thanks to the spirit of Hippocrates, the “father of modern medicine”, medicine abounds around your Denver Condominium, in the heart of medical centers and the hospital district. With Denver Health Medical Center to the south end of the hood, Exempla St. Joseph Hospital and Presbyterian St. Lukes Medical Center of Uptown's hospital district and the pioneering research from University of Colorado Hospital on Colorado Blvd. to the east, you can sleep soundly...

Love being treated like an emperor, being pampered and tended to by spas throughout the Golden Triangle, such as Spa Universaire Matrix Fitness & Spa on Lincoln, Spa in the City on Bannock or Eden II Day Spa's secret garden setting. Retain flexibility and fluidity of the body, mind & soul by becoming a regular of Unite Pilates Aligned or the Core Power Yoga sites that encircle G.T.