Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2024 i 5280 Magazine

I used to have a three-by-five note card pinned above my computer at the office (these were prepandemic days). It had two words scrawled on it: Be kind. You wouldn’t think anyone would need to be reminded of a life lesson that one’s parents should’ve imparted to their children in toddlerhood, but as those who know me will likely confirm, I can be quick to judge and impatient with what I view as incompetence. Not exactly virtuous character traits. Hence the note card, which I used as a daily nudge to be a better person. In this month’s “How To Be A Good Citizen” (page 50), features editor Spencer Campbell has penned a 10-page-long note card equivalent that will hit newsstands roughly a week before Americans head to the polls…

If you didn’t catch the Northern Lights dancing their way across Colorado skies for the first time in two decades this past May, don’t fret. The inaugural Aurora Borealis Festival (November 1 to 3 at Aurora’s Winged Melody Park) provides a chance to relive the atmospheric phenomenon. Complete with stellar light exhibits and interactive art, the free, family-friendly event (and, dare we say, brilliant marketing scheme) will celebrate the city’s diversity, creativity, and collaboration, says Randi Morritt, chief operating officer at Visit Aurora, which is producing the affair. Here are just some of the megawatt offerings attendees can expect. 1 Aurora Borealis Effect It wouldn’t be the Aurora Borealis Festival without a re-creation of its namesake light display. Venture to the borealis viewing area at sunset each evening to see green,…

Usually, the word “luchador” conjures the boldly masked athletes who participate in a Mexican style of pro wrestling. In Denver, though, the term has taken on a much more delicious connotation. Ever since chef Zuri Resendiz, who came up in local fine-dining restaurants like Cattivella, launched the Luchador Food Truck by Chef Z in 2022, he has dazzled Front Rangers with his casual yet expertly executed dishes that draw on his native Mexico’s street cuisine. In August, Resendiz parked his wheels at Luchador Taco & More, a cozy brick-and-mortar location in Whittier where diners can enjoy his colorful, flavor-packed fare under the gaze of a luchador mural. As the name suggests, the tacos are title-worthy: The pulpo (octopus) al pastor is even better than the porky predecessor, especially when joined…

PRICE KEY Average Entrée $ under $15 $$ $16 to $20 $$$ $21 to $30 $$$$ $31 and higher SYMBOL KEY Indicates a restaurant featured in 5280 for the first time (though not necessarily a restaurant that has just opened). Indicates inclusion in 5280’s 2024 list of Denver’s best restaurants. These selections are at the discretion of 5280 editors and are subject to change. ACE EAT SERVE $$$ Uptown/Asian This Uptown restaurant and pingpong hall features Asian-inspired cuisine and 10 ping-pong tables. Try the Sichuan shrimp wontons. Reservations accepted. 501 E. 17th Ave., 303-800-7705. Dinner, Brunch ALMA FONDA FINA $$$$ LoHi/Mexican This contemporary Mexican restaurant wows with its creative, shareable plates, which often feature homemade masa and flavor-packed salsas. The camote asado (roasted sweet potato) is an excellent way to start off your meal. Reservations accepted. 2556 15th…

A stay at the Urban Cowboy hotel, which opened in Capitol Hill last month, is like taking a trip in a Denver DeLorean. Set inside an 1886 Queen Anne–style mansion—designed by prominent local architect F.E. Edbrooke for hatmaker turned real estate mogul George Schleier—every inch of the boutique inn and on-site bar is outfitted with period details, from gargoyles carved into the staircase balusters to ornate tile surrounding the fireplaces to hammered-copper soaking tubs in all 16 of the guest suites. Husband-and-wife owners Lyon Porter and Jersey Banks’ design goal? For the building’s recent additions to be indistinguishable from its original features. “We want people to walk in and go, Was this here all along?” Porter says, noting that Denver was the perfect fit for Urban Cowboy’s fourth location—they started…

Despite being a competitive skier for most of her adolescence, Anna Tedstrom is a big proponent of not taking oneself too seriously on the slopes. Hence, Hoohah, her Littleton-based outdoor apparel brand. Tedstrom began embellishing thrifted ski suits with colorful fringe, flower-shaped patches, and shimmering rhinestones in 2020 to boost her girlfriends’ fun and confidence on their skis and boards. (The name means exactly what you think it means; it’s Tedstrom’s way of reclaiming the word.) Today, Hoohah creates ski gear in bold colors and playful patterns that are sure to strike up chairlift conversations. “Other brands in the outdoor space are focused on speed, endurance, hucking cliffs, and backcountry skiing. Those are all great things, but not everyone relates to it,” Tedstrom says. “I want to make gear that…

If the definition of a gift is something you wouldn’t normally grant yourself, then the time, effort, and more-is-more mentality underlying French food is the ultimate extravagance. Jacques, the more traditionally French, quasi-sister restaurant to the Cole neighborhood’s rowdier Brasserie Brixton, has been spoiling us in all the right ways for the past year, marrying disciplined techniques with indulgent ingredients and a menu that changes with the season. In my home kitchen, I would never spend four hours cooking down sweet yellow and red onions until they melt into glassy, caramelly shadows of their former pungent selves to produce something like Jacques’ French onion soup. (I also wouldn’t be so freewheeling with the wine, which is deliciously noticeable in the broth.) Covered with a gooey blanket of Gruyère, Emmentaler, and…

5280: You not only became the development director of the CDP in 2023, but you also became one of its first fulltime employees. How did it exist for nearly 10 years without a staff? Holly Ballard: CDP started in 2015 as a small group of concerned citizens, and it was an all-volunteer operation for a long time. The organization offered both birth and abortion doulas in the beginning. But the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade, was the breaking point. We had to grow to meet demand, including hiring three full-time staffers and switching our focus to abortion care. Where did that demand come from? In 2021, we worked with roughly 100 clients. This year, our 100 volunteers will likely serve about 1,200 people. In the…

JR Payne got her first coaching gig when she was in fifth grade. This was the late 1980s, an era in which kids played sports for fun and camaraderie and to learn a thing or two—like, in this case, how to properly shoot a jump shot or set a screen. Parents would cheer for both teams. The problem was that the coach of this particular team, at Payne’s elementary school in North Vancouver, British Columbia, had little experience with basketball, even though she was the physical education instructor. Fortunately, she had Payne, who at the time was all of 11 years old. “She asked me if I could help coach the team,” Payne says. “It was like, ‘Can you tell me some drills we can do?’ And I said, ‘I…