LoDo

The historic lofts, charming townhomes, and elegant high rises of LoDo offer an idyllic Parisian lifestyle where the urbane and sophisticated dine en plein air at charming area bistros and relish the option to walk, bike, or ride the bus or Light Rail in lieu of driving.

 

In pedestrian friendly LoDo and the adjacent Platte Valley Greenway, adopting a car-free lifestyle is easy and likely to improve health, increase peace of mind, and help protect the environment. Enjoy the colorful pageantry that only LoDo can offer. You’ll never lack for stimulating things to do and see.

 

After a protracted period of decline that began with the Silver Crash of 1893 and lasted nearly a century, a revitalized LoDo offers a 21st century version of the glittering Silver Boom era, when bustling Larimer Street was justifiably called “the grandest thoroughfare between Chicago and San Francisco and favorably compared with New York’s Broadway for “enterprise, stability, and rush.”

 

In those heady days, one might well cross paths with the likes of Buffalo Bill Cody, Bat Masterson, Calamity Jane, Soapy Smith, and other frontier icons out and about on the dusty streets. Indeed, Larimer Street epitomized the classic “Old West” as portrayed by Hollywood: teeming with cattle barons, Indians, gunfighters, wagon trains, salon keepers, madams, miscreants, and gold miners.

 

Today, a different breed roams this robust heart of Denver, where the streets bustle night and day with shoppers, nightclub hoppers, sports fans, business people, and tourists. The landscaped paths along the South Platte and Cherry Creek provide walkers, joggers, and cyclists with safe, picturesque access to one of the most extensive urban trail systems in the nation.

 

Confluence Park, site of Denver’s first settlements, is rife with kayakers from dawn till dusk while skate boarders cavort in the sculpted bowls of the nearby Denver Skate Park. On summer evenings, eager locals gather on the grassy knoll above the river for free concerts and movies.

 

At 16th Street, where Commons Park rolls along the banks of the Platte, three pedestrian bridges link LoDo to Platte Street, Denver’s “Left Bank” and Highland, one of downtown’s newest trendy neighborhoods. The architecturally intriguing bridges include the landmark cable-stayed Millennium Bridge and a spectacular new span across I-25.

 

The magnificent, blocks-long facade of renovated, 19th-century brick warehouses lining Wynkoop Street opposite Italianate Union Station knows no rival anywhere in the country. Discover dozens of retail outlets, watering holes, upscale restaurants, salons and spas, offices, and lofts. Among them are the Wynkoop Brewery, Morton’s of Chicago, the Oxford Club, and nationally renowned Tattered Cover Bookstore, in the handsomely restored Morey Mercantile Building.

 

Larimer Square’s delightful historic buildings boast upscale boutiques, fine restaurants, nightclubs, and the ever-popular Market, a New York style deli touted as the “first espresso bar between New York and Los Angeles,” when it opened more than 20 years ago.

 

Shopping and dining likewise abound at adjacent Writer Square and the recently updated Tabor Center, which host ESPN Zone, Cheesecake Factory, the Palm at the Weston Hotel, an upscale food court, and a host of classy boutiques.

 

Professional sports cover the four seasons with the Denver Broncos, Colorado Rockies, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, and Colorado Rapids (soccer) playing to enthusiastic crowds in sparkling, state-of-the art facilities. If you can’t actually attend the game, join flocks of fans cheering on the home team at nearby sports bars.

 

The club scene jumps with jazz, dance, and comedy, while a dazzling array of restaurants offers fast food, sushi, gourmet delicacies, succulent steaks, and everything in between. Or mingle with art mavens and bohemians at LoDo’s diverse selection of galleries, artists studios, coffeehouses, and open-air markets.

 

Rail lines, buses, and the free 16th Street Mall Shuttle connect LoDo residents to downtown, DIA, the Denver Tech Center, and even the mountains via the Ski Train to Winter Park. Light Rail and commuter rail lines to DIA, Boulder, Golden, and Park Meadows Mall are in the works.

 

As time goes by, the lure of LoDo grows ever stronger and it continues to earn national plaudits as one the country’s premier urban communities.