Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2020 i 5280 Magazine

The July edition of 5280 is always one of our readers’ favorites: The “Top Of The Town” feature takes up a massive amount of real estate in the issue and spotlights the things to do, places to go, and uniquely Denver experiences we’re excited about. We are not publishing that feature this year. ¶ Months ago, we decided it would be impossible to do that package right; because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we didn’t know which establishments would be open in July, let alone how we could accurately evaluate them. ¶ All of that seems so long ago. As we remade “Top Of The Town” into “Reasons To Love Denver” (page 56), an appreciation of how our residents faced the pandemic, a white Minneapolis police officer killed a black man…

Joshua Pollack’s maternal grandmother, Sherry Rosenberg, was a hugger. She was also a sassy woman who loved pistachio ice cream almost as much as she loved her family. “She came from the post–World War II generation that valued hard work and saving money,” Pollack says, “but she also appreciated the finer things and spoiled me rotten.” Now, Pollack is indulging Denverites with an ode to his “nanny”: Sherry’s Soda Shoppe, located next door to Rosenberg’s Bagels & Delicatessen in Five Points. The 1950s-style soda fountain spent six days slinging phosphate sodas, malts, and scoops before it was forced to close due to the pandemic, but the love didn’t stop then and there. Sherry’s continued to (and still does) offer pints of its ice cream at Rosenberg’s and Lou’s Italian Specialties…

Blasts of heat and the stench of burnt ozone and timber assailed David Schmidt as soon as he stepped out of the fire buggy. The blaze wasn’t far away. Around him, wildland firefighters in yellow shirts and green pants prepped their gear: They checked chainsaws and reviewed the contents of heavy packs. Schmidt pulled his radio out of its holster to ensure it was operational then tugged on his red helmet, conveying his status as a leader. At six-foot-four, Schmidt towered over most of the men, but his affable nature endeared him to them. “Circle up,” crew boss Todd Snyder said. Twenty men lined up, and all talk ceased. Snyder outlined the details: The Beaver Creek fire, which would become Colorado’s largest blaze of 2016, was ripping through huge stands…

“HoExotic in Quarantine,” former Denver mayoral candidate Kalyn Heffernan’s YouTube Tiger King spoof, showcased the innate comedic talents of her cats—“they say the black panthers is dangerous, but Huey Newton’s just cross-eyed”—and turtle. Since Janae Burris couldn’t fulfill her duties as a guide for the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver’s Shit Talk Tours, she filmed herself roasting the decor in her house: “‘House Plant That’s Dying.’ This one’s by my roommate, who waters it on occasion. This plant is desperately trying to leave the world.” Whether about a quest for toilet paper (and finding love along with it) or facing mortality on the frontlines of the pandemic, the winners of Denverite’s flash-fiction short-story contest gave us all the feels. Not only did the Denver Zoo let animal lovers watch baby…

150,000 Ready-to-eat meals Colorado Restaurant Response had prepared as of May 26 for laid-off hospitality staff, food-insecure families, and frontline workers. (A network of local businesses, donors, and foundations established the nonprofit on March 30.) In addition, the endeavor kept an average of 10 employees working at each of its six partner restaurants, which include Rioja, Mercantile Dining & Provision, Morin, Kachina Cantina, and Stanley Beer Hall. 7,700 Pounds of corn donated by Loveland’s Root Shoot Malting to 10 Colorado distilleries for making hand sanitizer. The Block Distilling Co., Ballmer Peak Distillery, and Golden Moon Distillery were among the spirits makers who turned their stills to the production of antimicrobials and gave them to first responders, health care providers, assisted living facilities, and other essential businesses. 525 Families in Globeville…

When I first saw the video of George Floyd’s killing, I didn’t believe that it would spark this level of protest. When folks see someone murdered on social media, that person is often reduced to a hashtag and forgotten about within a week. It’s infuriating and it’s dehumanizing, and it makes me really sad for our young people, who are growing up in a society that doesn’t think they’re worth justice. I thought Floyd’s murder would be another instance of police brutality that went unchecked. So I was proud when the demonstrations exploded—I was just so proud to see my city turn out in the way we did. It was a really tough few days for a lot of us, and I was really saddened by the vandalism, but the…

INTOXICATING It’s nearing midnight on a Saturday when a thirtysomething in a baseball cap bellies up to the bar at Washington Park West’s bustling Kentucky Inn. He catches the attention of the barkeep, who promptly lines up three shots of brown liquor in front of him. In less than 30 seconds, he downs the trio and walks out into the night. When asked how often she sees something like that, the bartender stops pulling a Juicy Banger IPA just long enough to say, “Every night.” Every night is not a physician-recommended pattern of behavior when it comes to ingesting booze. But Dr. Bill Burman, director of Denver Public Health, sees just as much of a problem with the bottomless mimosas, burger-and-a-beer lunch combos, and all-day “happy hours” that restaurants and…

We’ve all said it, even though we know the phrase I only had a couple is a pathetically weak defense against what is likely unflattering evidence to the contrary. The truth is that although we may have consumed the liquid from only two containers, the hooch held therein may have constituted more than two drinks. Everyone from the CDC to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism agrees that a so-called standard drink contains 0.6 ounces of pure booze. “The problem is, people don’t think in ‘standard drinks,’” says Dr. Josh Blum, an addiction medicine physician at Denver Health. Instead, we look at that Big Tex margarita on the menu at Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant and trick ourselves into thinking that tall glass of cocktail-y goodness—which has three ounces…

“Doughnuts,” Dr. James Burton says. “I want you to think about doughnuts and then think about beer.” As the medical director of liver transplantation at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital, Burton sees some of the worst outcomes when it comes to abuse of alcohol. But his point is well-taken: Rarely has anyone ever said you can never have another doughnut because doughnuts are bad for you. Says Burton: “It’s about moderation, right?” For many physicians and counselors who toil in the realm of alcohol use and abuse, being pragmatic about consumption is imperative. “We lose credibility when we don’t acknowledge why someone might want to drink, why someone might enjoy drinking,” says Denver Health’s Dr. Josh Blum. “Instead of finger wagging less-than-ideal behavior, we should try to help with harm…

For decades we’ve seen messages about why we shouldn’t smoke and why we should exercise, which makes sense considering deaths related to cigarette use and obesity are the top two causes of preventable death in America. Strangely, though, you probably can’t remember seeing a social marketing campaign that told you to reduce your Chardonnay intake. “Alcohol is a big underlying cause of health problems,” says Denver Public Health’s Dr. Bill Burman, “yet there are almost no alcohol awareness campaigns to speak of.” The reasons for this include factors like the Big Alcohol lobby; the failure of Prohibition; and the fact that alcohol plays an important role in society. There’s also the pesky problem that the effectiveness of PSAs—for illegal drugs, for smoking—has been mixed. “Education does not usually help people…

Lieutenant Aaron Rebeterano works what he calls the “out crowd” in LoDo on weekend nights. When the bars close down, he, along with 15 other Denver Police Department officers, monitors the tipsy masses and diffuses tension among the drunken hordes. “One drunk guy bumps another drunk guy in the food truck line,” Rebeterano says, “and a fight can break out real quick.” When that happens, police officers often have to intercede and decide who (if anyone) is going to jail and who is going to Denver CARES. For the past 50 years, Denver CARES (Community Addictions Rehabilitation and Evaluation Services) has been the drunk tank of choice for officers who don’t want to toss someone in jail for being intoxicated—but who can’t be left out in public either. The 91-bed…

KEY Fear Factor Believability POLITICAL INTRIGUE From the declassified documents of Project Blue Book, a federal investigation of UFOs from 1947 to 1969, emerged a 1955 report of a green-blue object shaped like a barrel in La Veta. The man blessed with the sighting? Former state Senator Sam T. Taylor, who said the ship looked “jellylike” and flew silently. We don’t want to call Taylor a crackpot—then again, he did lobby the state to build a hydrogen bomb factory. HOLY SMOKES “Ain’t no kind of aircraft, I’ll tell you that,” Tim Edwards says in the 1995 video he captured of a cigarlike object above his home in Salida. It darted around the sky quicker than any human plane, and a speck of light bounced off its surface like a ball…

For the past few years, Golden native Lindsey Horan has lived with her bags constantly packed, regularly crisscrossing the globe to play as a member of the Portland Thorns and the U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT). With the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) season originally scheduled to begin in April and the Tokyo Olympics slated for this month, 2020 promised more of the same. That is, until play was suspended on account of the novel coronavirus. While Horan has been holing up here in the Centennial State, 5280 chatted with the 26-year-old about the perks of being home, the disappointment of missing the biggest events on her calendar, and her two newest loves. 5280: Were you in Colorado when everything got postponed? Lindsey Horan: I was actually in Portland. I…

Tommy Caldwell (pictured) has been kidnapped, divorced, and once sawed off his own finger. Still, says the Estes Park–based climber, “I never let myself go to those dark places.” The idea that you have to compartmentalize to climb well isn’t unheard of, according to Madaleine Sorkin, founder of the Climbing Grief Fund (CGF). But unaddressed pain rarely encourages a happier life. The CGF, started in 2018 as part of Golden’s American Alpine Club, sets climbers on a better route with an online directory of mental health professionals who understand the sport. Climbers, alpinists, and ski mountaineers facing trauma can apply for a $600 grant for mental health services (all 15 have been claimed this year; the CGF will offer more in 2021). To attract donations, the CGF will unveil a…

HANK’S TEXAS BARBECUE Est. February 2019 Hale Pit boss Christopher Nicki’s loaded smoked potatoes have turned us into Hank’s regulars. A native of Spring, Texas, he oils and salts the biggest russets he can get before wrapping each in foil for its journey into a post-oak-fueled smoker. Once they’re “squishy,” Nicki tops each spud with butter, extra-sharp cheddar, and your choice of meat; his favorites are chopped fatty brisket and the Sunday-only smoked prime rib. A drizzle of house barbecue sauce (the not-so-secret ingredient is Dr. Pepper), a dollop of sour cream, and a sprinkle of scallions finish the masterpiece. AJ’S PIT BAR-B-Q Est. January 2019 Overland For his extraordinary pastrami, Chicago native and owner Jared Leonard, who trained in the Lone Star State, brines wagyu brisket, sourced from Idaho’s…

YOU ARE CONSIDERED… A moderate drinker A binge drinker A heavy drinker Alcohol dependent* IF YOU HAVE… Up to one drink a day for women or up to two drinks a day for men Four or more drinks in about two hours for women or five or more drinks in about two hours for men Eight or more per week for women or 15 or more per week for men Lost control over your alcohol intake, use alcohol compulsively, and experience a negative emotional state when not using alcohol *Possibly with a diagnosis of Alcohol Use Disorder; see “Hard Questions,” page 77…

Brian Elam was what you might call a social drinker. He and his wife, Leigh, rarely drank at home, but for roughly three years Brian had gotten in the habit of knocking back five or more beers after work with his colleagues almost every day. He’d get a buzz on, but he wasn’t coming home sloshed. “I never considered myself an alcohol abuser,” Elam says. “I mean, I just drank beer. Never hard liquor.” The then 43-year-old knew he was drinking more than was healthy, though, so when he scheduled a routine physical in June 2016, he decided to take a few days off from the Bud Light ahead of the visit. It was too little too late. “The doctor called me just hours after I left her office to…

IN THE PAST YEAR, HAVE YOU… 1. Drank more or for longer than you intended? 2. Wanted to cut down or stop drinking, but just couldn’t? 3. Experienced lots of hangovers? 4. Had a strong urge to drink? 5. Found that drinking—or being sick from drinking—interfered with your family responsibilities or caused problems at work? 6. Continued to drink even though it was causing trouble with friends or family? 7. Given up or cut back on activities that were important to you or gave you pleasure to drink? 8. Gotten into a situation while intoxicated that increased your chances of getting hurt (like driving or having unsafe sex)? 9. Continued to drink even though it was making you feel depressed or exacerbating another health problem? 10. Had to drink more…

A CROWN FOR THORNS Horan scored the only goal during the 2017 NWSL Championship, a screamer off her right foot that brought the Portland Thorns their second title. BEST FOOTY FORWARD During the 2018 NWSL season, Horan recorded 14 goals and three assists, earning the Colorado native an MVP award and putting her in the conversation for best player alive. GOING STREAKING At the 2018 Tournament of Nations, Australia was on the brink of ending the USWNT’s 17-game unbeaten streak—until Horan’s dramatic goal in the 90th minute preserved a run that would continue until early 2019.…

A BIT OF A STRETCH The jet has a 211-foot wingspan—about the length of five RTD buses. That’s 56 feet longer than the next largest tanker, a DC-10 passenger plane converted and operated by the U.S. Forest Service. DROP IT LIKE IT’S HOT During a single mission, the massive plane, which has been designated as a Very Large Airtanker by the U.S. Forest Service, can release 19,200 gallons of water and a lot of fire retardant. It would take a jet with the next largest classification, Large Airtanker, seven trips to deliver the same amount. PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE It took Cliff Hale 16 years to turn the retired 747-400 into a firefighting machine. He bought the plane in 2000 while chief pilot at Evergreen International Aviation. Financial woes stymied…

I spent most of the first three months of the novel coronavirus lockdown astonished to find myself glad to have an excuse not to go anywhere. With trips to Sicily and Japan canceled, I felt relief more than disappointment. I wondered if the travel bug that had relentlessly buzzed in my head in recent years was finally dormant. It seemed so—until I read Friuli Food and Wine: Frasca Cooking from Northern Italy’s Mountains, Vineyards, and Seaside (Ten Speed Press). Friuli is a cookbook, out this month, by chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson and sommelier Bobby Stuckey, the Boulder-based duo behind Frasca Food and Wine, Colorado’s most celebrated restaurant. Friuli Venezia Giulia, meanwhile, for which the book is named, is the obscure alpine region of northeastern Italy upon whose cuisine and wines Mackinnon-Patterson…

If it were to end today, the story of Denver Mayor Michael Hancock’s career as an elected official would begin with police officers killing a black man, and it would end that way, too. In July 2003, the same month Hancock joined the Denver City Council, officers fatally shot Paul Childs, a developmentally disabled 15-year-old in Northeast Park Hill. Nearly two decades later, cops in Minneapolis killed George Floyd. The prologue to this tale would include Hancock’s own profiling by police when, as a teenager, he was pulled over while driving his 1982 Pontiac Firebird in Cherry Creek. The officer told him he’d been stopped, Hancock told 5280 in 2015, for “driving in this neighborhood. In this car. And you’re black.” Before being a mayor, Hancock says, he is an…

PARENTAL NEGLECT “I ask my patients about how alcohol impacts their relationships, and they tell me their kids get upset when they drink, mostly because they are less present and don’t pay attention —Dr. Susan Calcaterra, addiction medicine physician, UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital DIVORCE “I hear it all the time. ‘Arguments with my spouse were way worse when I was on alcohol.’” —Dr. Josh Blum, addiction medicine physician, Denver Health SUICIDE “Depression and substance abuse go hand in hand. If someone tells me they have bouts of depression, I do a deeper dive on their substance abuse, because alcohol can be disinhibiting enough to lead to self-harm.” —Dr. Ken Cohen, internal medicine physician, New West Physicians…

Aurora Mental Health Center, aumhc.org Denver Area Central Committee of Alcoholics Anonymous, daccaa.org Denver CARES, denverhealth.org Denver Women’s Recovery, womensrecovery.com Behavioral Health Services, Substance Use Intensive Outpatient Program, centura.org Center for Dependency Addiction and Rehabilitation, cedarcolorado.org Harmony Foundation, harmonyfoundationinc.com Mental Health Center of Denver, mhcd.org Sandstone Care, sandstonecare.com West Pines Behavioral Health, sclhealth.org…