Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2022 i 5280 Magazine

HYDRO Opens: November 2022 Focus: Water The 122,000-square-foot Hydro building will house water research and education efforts, including helping K–12 students understand how humans might better conserve the precious liquid. In one exhibit, kids will turn dials to hypothetically direct H2 O to different operations, such as a farm, factory, or home; the exercise illustrates the difficult decisions people must make when distributing the vital resource. Plus, the water quality lab run by Denver Water, which does thousands of tests each year to ensure the city’s water is safe, will move from southwest Denver to Hydro. Lab experts will explain the testing processes to visitors and allow them to run simple experiments to determine if samples are clean or not. VIDA Opens: January 2022 Focus: Animal and human health Whether…

Maria’s 14-year-old daughter, Anabel, started having nightmares in the fall of 2020. She had spent the previous summer living with her father who, Maria says, emotionally and physically abused the teenager. As Anabel’s sleep patterns deteriorated further that winter, Maria pleaded with her child to visit a mental health professional to discuss the abuse. Anabel refused. Maria, who asked that her family’s real names be withheld to protect her daughter’s privacy, called psychologists anyway, but none would see Anabel—not without obtaining the minor’s permission first. In 2019, the Colorado Legislature passed a law aimed at expanding adolescent access to mental health care. Many mental health professionals, however, interpret a portion of that statute to say children must consent before they can be treated, even if their parents believe care is…

THE EXPERT “Gio Ponti designed everything from spoons to skyscrapers—and all the things in between. I’m always thinking, I’d love to have that in my home or I’d love to have that flatware. Ponti was always someone of his time and, simultaneously, timeless. Looking at many of the objects on view, they look like they could have been done yesterday, or, you know, 10 years or even 20 years ago. There’s a current quality that’s very of-the-moment in my mind.” —Darrin Alfred THE EXPERT “For the first time, we created this mix of art from the ancient Americas but also [included] contemporary works. We make big statements, too, like including a work called “Afro Charlie” by an Afro-Dominican artist named Jorge Pineda that relates to the African influence in the…

ELEVATION 6,460 Colorado Springs’ Red Leg Brewing Company anchors an $8 million,14,000-square-foot facility that opened in July 2021 and boasts views of Pikes Peak from its second-story rooftop bar. The taproom is currently pouring 20 offerings, but the Stanley-Marketplace-esque hall (which will eventually be known as the Garrison) plans to add more tenants—including Nekter Juice, Criterium Bicycles, Sasquatch Cookies, Oliver’s Deli, and Taco Q—later this year. redlegbrewing.com 6,070 A former flour mill and feed store, the Golden Mill food hall opened this past April and, along with tasty bites, gave downtown Golden its first rooftop bar. Tucked along the western edge of the metro area, the foothills loom larger, the sky is somehow bluer, and the sound of nearby Clear Creek reminds you you’re not in Denver anymore. Ditto for…

PRICE KEY (Average Entrée) $ UNDER $ 10 ▪ $$ $ 11 TO $ 15 ▪ $$$ $ 16 TO $ 25 ▪ $$$$ $ 26 AND HIGHER Want More Dining Options? Visit our online listings at 5280.com/restaurants. SYMBOL KEY NEW Indicates a restaurant featured in 5280 for the first time (though not necessarily a restaurant that has just opened). 25 BEST Indicates inclusion in 5280’s 2019 list of Denver’s best restaurants; we did not release a 2020 or 2021 list due to COVID-19 disruptions and closures. These selections are at the discretion of 5280 editors and are subject to change. A 25 BEST Annette $$$ Aurora / American Caroline Glover brings a warm dining experience to Stanley Marketplace. Enjoy a family-style menu featuring seasonal salads, toasts, and wood-grilled fare.…

Many of us still picture the business of marijuana getting done in dime bags. But cannabis is a $1.9 billion industry in Colorado—and the pot teens are illegally consuming today is way stronger than the schwag you once bought under the bleachers. This past legislative session, the Colorado General Assembly passed a number of cannabis-related measures. The most prominent, House Bill 1317, enacts stricter regulations on retail and medical marijuana concentrates, the high-THC products that research suggests could harm young people’s developing brains. With HB 1317 going into effect on January 1, we examine how the law changes buying, prescribing, and selling. FOLLOWING THE WEED LIMIT Previously, medical marijuana customers could purchase up to 40 grams of cannabis concentrates, which can contain more than 90 percent THC, a day. Starting…

MOUNTAIN MAKEOVER A $40 million investment from Atlanta-based High Street Real Estate Partners and Zurich-based Acron Group transformed the old Westin Snowmass Resort and Wild-wood Snowmass hotel into two new luxury properties: Viewline Resort Snowmass and Wildwood Snowmass opened in December. Both resorts, perched midmountain, offer upscale digs inspired by midcentury design and history. But Viewline’s ski-in, ski-out experience feels more Aspen-like with its private ski and bike concierge. Its other amenities, like Lupine Spa’s ayurvedic facial and massage treatments, fine dining at Stark’s Alpine Grill, and a kids club ($25 per hour per child) to entertain your offspring feel similarly high-rent. Wildwood’s 151-room, neon-hued lodging isn’t lowbrow by any stretch, but its groovy ’60s feel, more affordable pricing (starting at $229 per night versus $711 at Viewline), and double-over-queen…

TOOTSIE March 29 to April 10, the Buell Theatre Denverites love a good ’80s melodrama. (Thanks, Dynasty.) This story about out-of-work actor Michael Dorsey reinventing himself as Dorothy Michaels to snag a role in a musical (how meta) will have us all asking: Where can I find a red sequined dress in my size? Dress the Part: Scout Dry Goods and Trade is the perfect place to snag in-expensive, secondhand, shimmery ’80s frocks. For that wavy ginger bob you’ve been dying to rock, head to Coco Coquette Denver’s wall of wigs. ilovescout.com; coco-coquette-denver.myshopify.com PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL August 2 to 14, the Buell Theatre Get lost again in the enchanted land of broken dreams—i.e., the 1990s—as sex worker Vivian charms titan of business Edward. The original score, written in part…

RiNo ArtPark has risen from its industrial past to become a green gathering spot for a diverse set of cultural endeavors. The park, which opened in September 2021, employs recycled materials from the old concrete plant that sat north of the South Platte River to create large-scale sculptural features that blur the line between art and playground. This oasis of vegetation is the new front lawn to the latest branch of the Denver Public Library as well as the Red-Line Contemporary Art Center’s satellite operation, which has open-to-the-public artist studios. Greenwood Village’s Marjorie Park reopened last June after a three-year closure for renovations that included the reopening of the beloved Victorian Diorama, a 30-year-old exhibition space for local artists making modern and contemporary art. Jodi Stuart, a 2021 artist-in-residence at the…

SENATE BILL 56 Although concentrates may be dangerous to young people’s mental health, the state Legislature also recognizes that there are school-age children who rely on that form of cannabis to treat a range of maladies, including seizures. The Colorado Department of Education has said that students can take non-smokable forms of marijuana as medicine at school—as long as they come with a doctor’s note—but the specifics on what is and isn’t legally OK have been a bit hazy. SB 56 aims to bring clarity to the issue, requiring school boards to put policies in place that allow for storage, possession, and administration of medical cannabis by school employees. It even protects nurses and school staff who administer cannabis from being prosecuted or sued. HOUSE BILL 1301 Colorado was among…

REIMAGINED MUSEUM CUISINE The Ponti, Golden Triangle Since 2004, the restaurants in chef Jennifer Jasinski’s Crafted Concepts family—Rioja, Stoic & Genuine, Bistro Vendôme, Ultreia, and now-closed Euclid Hall—have satiated Denverites’ appetites for everything from imaginative Mediterranean plates to oyster house specialties. As of this past November, visitors to the Denver Art Museum (DAM) can also taste Jasinski’s culinary influence at the Ponti, a fine-dining restaurant inside the freshly renovated Martin Building. With the help of chef de cuisine Ben Love, Jasinski oversees a menu of light, fresh lunch dishes prepared with ingredients such as seasonal vegetables, ancient grains, and sustainably sourced proteins that won’t weigh patrons down as they stroll among the DAM’s exhibits. For a gallery-hopping intermission, feast on juicy king salmon nestled on a bed of Thai black…

BY THE NUMBERS 600 Feet of elevation gained on the Cloud Ladder, Estes Park’s newest via ferrata, which debuted in August 2021. Fixed by Kent Mountain Adventure Center into the Deville rock formation on the northern part of the Twin Sisters peaks, the Cloud Ladder is billed as the steepest via ferrata in North America. You’ll be hard-pressed to dispel that claim (or maybe just scared speechless) after your guide leads you up a 90-degree initial ascent, across two sky bridges, and eventually to a 30-foot, 110-degree overhang. The adventure center recommends visitors have some climbing or via ferrata experience, so it might be worth a trip to your local climbing gym before clipping into the Cloud. $174 per person for a group of four or more; kentmountain.com 250 New…

ESCAPE TO: THE ’50s STAY: Opening this month, the Thompson Denver in LoDo combines mid-century modern aesthetics with a distinctly Colorado feel (think: clean lines but plenty of saddle leather, too). Its most desirable amenities, however, are the unobstructed views of downtown and the foothills from the rooms’ floor-to-ceiling windows. Rooms starting at $299 per night; hyatt.com EAT: Doo-wop your way into the Original, a new 1950s-inspired diner in nearby McGregor Square that serves plates of hearty Americana like the Reuben’s Cousin Rachel, a pastrami and Swiss cheese sandwich bolstered by caraway sauerkraut. Don’t leave without sharing one of the boozy milkshakes—like the Salty Jim, with bourbon, salted caramel, vanilla ice cream, and two straws—with your steady. theogdenver.com PLAY: Indulge your fantasy for midcentury digs at the Kirkland Museum’s Returning…

Last year’s first-of-its-kind alliance between Black Pride Colorado and the Juneteenth Music Festival resulted in a summer weekend of both reverie and reflection. If you hadn’t gotten vaxxed in time to enjoy local funk band Grand Alliance or strut your stuff at the Black Pride Gala, put that immunity to good use this year by planning to attend these celebrations of Black heritage and Black queer culture. blackpridedenver.com; juneteenthmusicfestival.com JUNE 16 The inaugural combo celebration this past June opened with a drag show at Tracks nightclub. And—yas, queen—this year will follow suit. (Time and location are still TBD.) Last year, you needed $20 at the door, so have a few bills handy. JUNE 17 In the afternoon, tune in to the State of Black Colorado community discussion that ends with food…