Settling into Denver
Construction is underway on the multi-billion dollar FasTracks project to expand the region's public transportation system with 119 miles of new light rail and commuter rail. It is the largest light rail initiative in American history. Union Station at 17th and Wynkoop streets in downtown Denver will become a hub for rail lines that will branch out to all parts of the city, including a light rail line to Golden in 2013 and a commuter rail line between Denver International Airport and downtown Denver by 2014. For more information, call tel. 303/299-6000 or visit www.rtd-denver.com.
A new aloft hotel opened near Denver International Airport in December 2008. Located off I-70 about 10 miles south of DIA, the colorful and stylish hotel features a restaurant and bar, an indoor pool, and a gym. There are 144 guest rooms with nightly double rates of $99 to $119. A second aloft hotel is scheduled to open in 2010 in Denver's chic Cherry Creek neighborhood. Call tel. 303/371-9500 or visit www.alofthotels.com for additional information.
The long-awaited Four Seasons Hotel Denver is slated to open in the winter of 2009. The hotel will occupy the bottom 16 floors of a 45-story high building and feature a restaurant, lobby lounge, full-service spa, and a rooftop pool. The hotel will be located at 14th and Arapahoe streets, across the street from the Hotel Teatro, one block from the Denver Performing Arts Complex, and two blocks from the Colorado Convention Center. For additional information, browse www.fourseasons.com
A new W Hotel is set for the corner of Market and 16th streets in LoDo. When completed in 2010, the 12-story hotel will include 180 guest rooms as well as private residences. For more information, visit www.starwoodhotels.com.
From February 21 to February 27, Denver Restaurant Week offered a terrific meal deal: For $52.80 -- a penny per foot the city sits above sea level -- you got dinner for two at one of almost 200 restaurants. Stay tuned for next year. See www.denverrestaurantweek.com.
Local magazine 5280 released its list of the city's top new restaurants in December 2008, including Beatrice & Woodsley, 38 S. Broadway; (tel. 303/777-3505; www.beatriceandwoodsely.com); Bistro One, 1294 S. Broadway; (tel. 720/974-0602); and Fuel Café, 3455 Ringsby Ct., #105; (tel. 303/296-4642; www.fuelcafedenver.com). For the full list, see www.5280.com.
The theatre/restaurant hybrid Neighborhood Flix in the Tattered Cover development on East Colfax Ave. closed its doors in fall 2008.
What to See & Do in Denver
The Colorado Historical Society is re-locating the Colorado History Museum, with construction on the new site starting in spring 2009. Projected to open in 2011, the new museum building will cost approximately $113 million and is located just south of the current building at 12th Ave. and Broadway. The new museum will be an environmentally-friendly, LEED-certified building. For more information, call tel. 303/866-3682 or visit www.coloradohistory.org.
The Denver Zoo is planning a $40-million addition. Construction on the "Asian Tropics" area is scheduled to begin in 2009. The 10-acre project will include habitats for Asian elephants, Indian rhinos, and Malayan tapirs complete with streams, sand pits, and mud wallows. Leopards, flying box bats, fishing cats, turtles, and fish will also find a home here. The new exhibit will be powered by recycled zoo trash and animal waste. For more information, call tel. 303/376-4800 or browse www.denverzoo.org.
Early 2009 will also see groundbreaking for the new Clyfford Still Museum, featuring 2,000 works by the renowned abstract expressionist of its name, adjacent to the Denver Art Museum. The museum will open in 2010. For more information, call tel. 720/865-4317 or visit www.clyffordstillmuseum.org.
The Ski Train kicked off its annual winter season, making its first trip from Union Station in downtown Denver to the slopes at Winter Park on December 27. Fares are $59 per adult round trip, $49 for seniors and kids 3 to 12. Call tel. 303/296-4754 or visit www.skitrain.com.
Boulder
In the heart of downtown Boulder, the grand Hotel Boulderado turned 100 years old on January 1, 2009 and is celebrating its centennial all year long. Call tel. 303/442-4344 or visit www.boulderado.com.
The St Julien Hotel & Spa was named one of the top 100 hotels in the U.S. in the Condé Nast Traveler Readers Choice Awards 2008 and was also featured on the magazine's "Gold List" as one of the world's best places to stay. St Julien was also awarded the large business winner for Eco-Cycle's 2008 Zero Waste Community & Business Awards. Call tel. 877/303-0900 or visit www.stjulien.com.
Boulder's dining scene continues to gain national attention. Beyond the stellar reviews ladled on Frasca and The Kitchen by top critics near and far, the city sent two chefs to compete on Bravo's reality TV series Top Chef New York: Jax Boulder's Hosea Rosenberg and Centro's Melissa Harrison.
A new restaurant by the prolific Big Red F Restaurant Group (Jax, Centro, and West End Tavern), Happy Noodle House is opening its doors at 835 Walnut St. in January, with a creative menu of Asian-inspired noodle bowls. Visit www.happynoodlehouse.com.
Colorado Springs
Garden of the Gods celebrates its 100-year anniversary beginning on February 12, 2009. Kick-off included an inaugural press conference and youth art competitions. Additional activities and programs are pending. Also big news at Garden of the Gods: An entirely new dinosaur species discovered in the park was recently identified. The new species known is known as Theiophytalia kerri (or "Theio" for short); fossils are currently exhibited at the Garden of the Gods Visitor & Nature Center. Call tel. 719/634-6666 or visit www.gardenofgods.com for more information.
The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum celebrates the region's history as it was directly linked to the "Pikes Peak or Bust" gold rush with the temporary "Going for the Gold" exhibit. Displays showcase various artifacts, documents, photos, and stories relating to the era. Running through September 2009, this exhibit stems from the 150th anniversary of the "Pikes Peak or Bust" gold rush of 1859. For additional information, call tel. 719/385-5990 or visit www.cspm.org.
In Memorial Park, the brand new Memorial Park Skate Park opened in December 2008. The 40,000-square-foot park provides great recreational opportunities for skateboarders as well as aggressive inline skaters and freestyle bicyclists. Call tel. 719/385-6550 or visit www.springsgov.com for more information.
Talk with fellow Frommer's travelers in our Colorado Forum today.