Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2022 i 5280 Magazine

Of Two Minds Byrne read about researchers in Sweden who in 2011 used video headsets to connect people to artificial bodies either one foot or 13 feet tall. Subjects in the smaller forms consistently overestimated the size and distance of objects, while the giant avatars experienced the opposite effect. In other words, their brains were tricked into believing they’d truly changed size. This inspired Byrne’s “The Institute Presents: Neurosociety,” a 2016 show in which attendees took part in that experiment and three other illusions. Gray Matters After the success of the 2016 show, Byrne decided binding similar reality-altering experiences together with an immersive narrative would create a deeper connection to the science and began working on a larger theatrical project with the DCPA. Theater of the Mind, during which hosts…

Possible Solution More Appealing Office Spaces The COVID-19-induced rise of remote work was a welcome reprieve from commuting, corporate dress, and banal chitchat for many Denverites. More than two years later, they’re still staying home. The city’s return to in-person work is taking “longer than we thought,” says DDP’s Bob Pertierra. As such, building owners are trying every option in the landlord’s book of tricks to lure businesses back downtown. Incentives such as move-in-ready spaces, free or reduced rent for the first portion of a lease, and increased tenant improvement allowances (funds to help tenants design and spiff up their rental spaces) would have been unheard of pre-2020. Now, they’re commonplace. Block 162, a new, 606,000-square-foot skyscraper between California and Welton streets, was built with a slew of modern amenities.…

Homelessness is always a hot-button issue in Denver, where a camping ban was passed a decade ago, housing has grown increasingly unaffordable, and the pandemic worsened an already troubling situation. The conversation is most heated downtown, where most shelters and service providers are located and where the problem is most visible. So, what can the city do? More of what it knows works—like these two efforts to resolve critical quagmires. Key Issue According to the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative, first-time homelessness in metro Denver nearly doubled during the pandemic, from 1,273 people who had recently lost housing in 2020 to 2,530 in 2021. Possible Solution More Affordable Housing Earlier this summer, City Council passed a measure to motivate developers to set aside units in new housing complexes with 10 or…

Possible Solutions Large projects that have the potential (we think) to come to life in the next decade. Civic Center Park The chain-link fences that have encircled much of Civic Center Park since September 2021 aren’t exactly welcoming, but it’s been a rough few years for the park, which saw a big drop in daily users and $1 million in damage following the Black Lives Matter protests. Thankfully, a better future awaits what should be one of Denver’s most prized public spaces. The city and Denver Parks & Recreation used the controversial closure to revive the area—restoring grass, cleaning up trash, and cordoning off spots that beckoned lawbreakers. An updated master plan, released in February 2022, will further enliven the green space. “The Greek Theater and the Central Promenade are…

“SWEET SPANDEX, BRO.” As with any large group, there are cliques within the Denver cycling scene, all of which are easily identifiable by their accoutrements. Bros wear Lycra, signifying their commitment. Moms and dads come complete with trailers. Fixed-gears are sure signs of the hard-charging courier crowd. Mountain bikers ride—well, we’ll let you figure that one out. “WHAT THE HECK IS A SHARROW?” Have you ever seen the sign pictured above? It’s a lane-share marker and gives bicyclists the entire lane without actually providing any substantive protection from motorists. As recently reported by Denverite, most everyone calls the indicator a “sharrow,” and it’s indicative of the city’s, um, cost-conscious approach to bike infrastructure. “CARS SUCK.” You’ll soon find out that almost every Denver cyclist has a story about some “idiot”…

Corporate America is still very much a boys’ club, and the numbers prove it: Only 1.7 percent of women-owned businesses have revenues greater than $1 million; 92 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs are men; and according to a 2020 study by LinkedIn, women are 28 percent less likely than men to belong to strong professional networks. Local entrepreneur Kate Bailey believes that last statistic is a big reason why the first two exist, so on September 15 she will open Tarra, a 12,500-square-foot, women-focused business campus at the 9+CO development in Hale. “There’s power in community,” says Bailey, who previously owned a marketing firm. “Having a space where women can work and connect without judgment is the ultimate goal.” To accomplish that, Tarra will host regular events, such as September’s…

THE TEACHERS Lucina Eatery & Bar Park Hill After four years of teaching Denverites how to make the creamiest risottos and perfectly sear steaks at Create Cooking School, coowners Erasmo Casiano and Diego Coconati wanted to give diners a taste of their own culinary traditions. This past April, the duo expanded its offerings to include Lucina Eatery & Bar in Park Hill, where the menu is influenced by the flavors of Latin and South America, the Spanish coast, and the Caribbean islands. (Casiano’s parents are from Mexico and Bolivia, and Coconati’s are from Argentina and Puerto Rico.) The lineup—tangy ceviche scooped up with Tajín-dusted vegetarian chicharrones, braised-beef-stuffed pupusas, and saffron-kissed paella with mussels and shrimp—pairs well with cocktails such as the gin-forward What Would Lucina Drink? The refreshing sipper is a…

Service charges. Tip pooling. Cost-of-living fees. Dining out has grown more complicated as restaurants, nationally and locally, experiment with updates to the traditional tipping model. Crafted Concepts (Rioja, Ultreia, and others) added a three percent Denver minimum wage surcharge in 2019, while Amethyst Coffee Co. raised its prices and eliminated tipping altogether in 2020. “It’s very confusing for a consumer right now,” says Juan Padró, CEO of Culinary Creative Group, whose concepts include A5 Steakhouse and Tap & Burger. So what’s a principled but prudent diner to do? We consulted local industry and etiquette experts to help guide your decisions when the bill arrives. Are you going to a restaurant? FULL SERVICE The current industry standard is a minimum of 20 percent on the pretax total. Was there an issue…

I’M A WORRIER, SO WHEN I PULLED THE TESLA MODEL 3 I’D RENTED ONTO THE PEAK TO PEAK SCENIC BYWAY FOR A LITTLE ASPEN-FOCUSED FUN, MY MIND FILLED WITH “WHAT IFS.” Sure, the car’s integrated navigation system said I had enough juice to reach Estes Park, ogle the views, and get back to Denver without recharging the fully electric vehicle (EV), but the margin was slim, and I didn’t completely trust it. How would the change in elevation and the chilly temperature, which can sap the life out of batteries, affect the mileage? Would I have to skip going down that aspen-lined side road because my eco-whip wouldn’t make it back? How easy would it be to find a charging station if I needed one? What I was experiencing is…

Approximately 40,000 pedestrians walk along what should be Denver’s version of Boulder’s charming Pearl Street Mall each day. How many of those promenaders are locals? Our educated guess is not many. Denverites tend to leave the 17-block thoroughfare—with its tourist-trap souvenir shops and boring chain restaurants (ironically, the only businesses that can afford the sky-high rents)—to visitors who don’t know any better. Yes, the northwestern end of the mall got a face-lift and a much-needed energy infusion when the revamped Union Station opened eight years ago, but much of the 40-year-old strip is a wasted opportunity. The pandemic only further blighted the 16th Street Mall, with its underused expanse bearing the brunt of the city’s rise in both homelessness and crime. The DDP has talked about revitalizing the mall since…

Crime is bad for any city’s image. Illegal activities can push businesses to close and workers to feel unsafe. Public transportation becomes a nerve-wracking experience, and tourists begin taking their money elsewhere. Denver long had a reputation for being generally safe, but the pandemic seems to have destroyed that, too. Of course, the wave of crime isn’t just happening in Denver: Violent crime statewide jumped between 2019 and 2021, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. But as the largest city in the state, its statistics get the most attention—and rightfully so. As the city has grown—roughly 20 percent since the 2010 census—crime in the Central Business District and Union Station neighborhoods has also steadily increased. Between January and June of this year, Union Station and the CBD ranked first…

Possible Solution Intrepid Entrepreneurs Plucky businesspeople are launching new concepts, and in doing so, they are attracting people back to the city center. We asked four who started operations within the past year why they decided to set up shop downtown—and how it’s going. —ALLYSON REEDY PARKER CLAY OPENED: MARCH 1801 Blake St. Why Downtown: “What attracted us to the Free Market [where we sell our leather goods] is the opportunity to build a community with other like-minded brands that are looking for conscious consumers who want to do more than just spend their dollars—they want to vote for a better world with their purchases. That location brings that together in a unique way. It feels very much like a hub for the area where people are gathering.” —Ian Bentley,…

NORTH AMERICA, PATAGONIA & NEW ZEALAND Stitcher spent the first part of his career helping landowners build private trophy trout fisheries. He used that experience—plus samples and data from fish and game agencies and other researchers—to catalog the species and subspecies of insects that trout find tasty in North America, Patagonia, and New Zealand, three of the world’s most popular fly-fishing regions and the areas to which Stitcher tailors his flies. LITTLETON HQ Using that database, Stitcher can identify which of the 600,000 fly patterns Ascent stocks best match the bugs of any waterways in those regions. “I might not have samples from a particular tributary,” he says, “but based on the bugs that live at similar elevations in bigger streams nearby, I can extrapolate the bugs that’ll be there…

SecondActWomen For: Women older than 40 What: This organization hosts master classes, provides speaking opportunities, and teaches the art of crafting business proposals, all in the name of combating ageism. Up next: On September 29, SecondActWomen will host a breakfast social at the Clayton Members Club & Hotel. All ages and genders are welcome. Latinas First Foundation For: Women who identify as Latina, Hispanic, or Chicana What: Latinas First has been mentoring business owners for over a decade with events such as speed networking (25 experts dispense lightning-quick advice on everything from interview techniques to personal branding). Up next: On September 23, join the Latinas First Foundation at the Downtown Sheraton for its annual luncheon ($200) honoring Latina trailblazers and unsung heroes, while raising money for scholarships in the process.…

On a warm, windy day this past April, the sandstone buttes of the Bookcliff Mountains tower in the distance as farmer Kaibab Sauvage and winemaker Patric Matysiewski stand between rows of grapevines at Sauvage Spectrum, their two-and-a-half-year-old winery and vineyard. Nearby, patrons sip glasses of sparkling rosé in the tasting room. Under the warmth of the Western Slope sun, Sauvage points out plants that were damaged by an unexpected frost in fall 2020. “It really wiped everything out,” he says. Sauvage grows 17 acres of fruit trees and 70 acres of grapes for more than 25 wineries across Colorado—including Sauvage Spectrum, Carboy Winery, and Breckenridge’s Continental Divide Winery—via his 22-year-old company, Colorado Vineyard Specialists. But the Grand Valley’s recent weather, affected by the extreme temperature swings that are one hallmark…

IF you’ve spent time downtown recently, you may have noticed it feels different: quieter, emptier, less vibrant. COVID-19 decimated city centers across the nation as the outbreak spread in early 2020. Denver hasn’t been immune to the ravages. Fewer people meant fewer customers. Shuttered businesses left behind boarded-up storefronts. Streets abandoned by office workers became the domain of an underbelly many Denverites hadn’t seen and raised concerns about safety. It’s been two and a half years since the Mile High City—and the world—shut down, and while we wish like hell we could say that things are back to normal, they’re not. What we once thought was a temporary shift to remote work now feels more permanent; lingering variants won’t stop, well, lingering; and businesses can’t seem to find the talent…

COMPANY: MELIO Industry: Financial tech Address: 1755 Blake St. Square Footage Leased: 36,000 Why: “We’re a company that’s still building our brand and building our culture, and that’s really hard to do fully remotely. We’re very flexible with our employees, and obviously not everyone comes in every day, but we do enjoy spending time with the people we work with and feel it’s important for building knowledge, processes, and culture. This building is very convenient—it’s walking distance to the train and restaurants—and the management has been great. They give us a lot of flexibility: You can bring in dogs and bikes up to the office.” —Shai Fortuna, general manager of the Denver office COMPANY: DATADOG Industry: IT Address: 370 17th St. Square Footage Leased: 48,926 Why: “We feel like there’s…

Possible Solution Short-Term Shops Before joining the DDP, Sarah Wiebenson wasn’t a fan of retail pop-up programs: Although promising in theory, they didn’t provide enough support for tenants to gain a long-term foothold. But Popup Denver, a new DDP initiative, is different, Wiebenson says. DDP’s version is currently providing temporary space along the upper section of the 16th Street Mall—roughly from Curtis Street to Broadway—to five retailers as a way to activate unused spaces and entice visitors. The organization thinks it can keep the tenants in business, thanks to funding from the city—$20,000 to each shop to cover startup costs. DDP also connected winners with Tribe Development, which helped them navigate city approval processes and design their spaces. And instead of signing leases, the businesses inked three-month “licensing agreements”; in…

Want More Dining Options? Visit our online listings at 5280.com/restaurants. PRICE KEY (Average Entrée) $ UNDER $10 $$ $11 TO $15 $$$ $16 TO $25 $$$$ $26 AND HIGHER. SYMBOL KEY NEW Indicates a restaurant featured in 5280 for the first time (though not necessarily a restaurant that has just opened). A A5 $$$$ Downtown / Steak House The team behind Forget Me Not and Tap and Burger offer a refreshing chophouse experience with a stellar lineup of steaks in a hip, delightfully funky bar and dining room. Reservations accepted. 1600 15th St., 303-623-0534. Dinner Annette $$$ Aurora / American Caroline Glover brings a warm, intimate dining experience to Stanley Marketplace. Enjoy a family-style menu featuring seasonal salads, toasts, and wood-grilled fare. Reservations accepted. Stanley Marketplace, 2501 Dallas St., Ste.…