Discovering Denver's Eclectic Uptown

Of the main attractions visitors to Denver are briefed on upon arrival in the city, there are the classic downtown destinations: 16^th Street Mall, LoDo, and the 17^th Street financial district. What many visitors, and even natives to the area tend to overlook is the vibrant Uptown with eclectic offerings of dining, shopping, and people-watching. It is a four-season gem-green and tree-lined in the spring and summer, and glistening with holiday lights during the fall and winter months.

The best day in Uptown begins on 17^th Avenue, which is also a direct link to the sprawling CityPark, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and the unforgettable Denver Zoo. The best place to parch your thirst while admiring the Queen Anne style mansions along the way will be St. Mark's Coffee House at 17^th and Race. Perhaps one of the most famous coffee house's in Denver, it includes intimate underground acoustic performance space known as the Ubisububi Room meant to accommodate no more than 35 people. The coffee house itself converts to an open-air café in the summers and has authentic church pews for seating. The cookies are big enough for two people and the panini's can't be missed.

If you're venturing down 17^th in the evening, or simply have more formal dining in mind there are restaurants for almost every taste and budget. A stand-out in the crowd of Hamburger Mary's, Chan's Asian Bistro, and the Wok Uptown is Limón at 17^th and Franklin, which offers inspired and inspiring eats with a distinctly Peruvian lilt. Their appetizers start at $7, and their entrees range between $12 - $17. The menu is deliciously cohesive-fried plantains, Inca Cola, a restaurant space with low ceilings and smooth acoustics, and a lamb stew that will haunt your dreams.

No day in Uptown can be complete without a trip to CityPark-even on winter nights, it offers its own set of surprises. Looking toward downtown from the east shore of FerrillLake, the city lights glisten on the water and provide the best possible view of Denver. Luckily, there are plenty of benches on the water to enjoy this view. Uptown is best enjoyed by foot, but if this is not a reasonable option the main bus route from Downtown is the RTD 20. It's eastbound route travels 17^th every half hour. The westbound return route follows 18^th Avenue, available for boarding on the southern reaches of CityPark.