Are we having fun yet?

In what hopefully be an ongoing festival/project, kids from the Five Points area of Denver have recorded poems and stories.  When you walk by a tree with a kite and streamers in it a motion activated recording is played.  Walk along the east side of 2600 Champa street to hear their authentic, imaginative work.

It sounds like the perfect alibi: "That couldn't have been me, I was at Grandma's house" or "You know nothing bad ever happens at Grandma's house".  Besides indulging in alibis and irony you can drink beer, play games and join with others in activities such as foul-mouthed cross stitching on Sundays all while surrounded by all the decorations you would find at your grandmothers.

Tourists and newcomers may be surprised when they walk on the west side of Curtis Street, between 15th and 16th Avenues in Denver.  At times it sounds like a subway is rumbling underneath your feet.  Here's a sample:

There are other sounds that play as well and if you haven't heard them, I won't spoil the surprise.  This audio art has actually been around for decades, created by artist Jim Green-who lives in Denver.  I'm impressed with it's whimsy and longevity.  Enjoy!

The folks at the Art Hotel in Denver have a wry sense of humor.  By commissioning a mural by Rob Reynolds depicting and titled Ocean View, they can now boast of offering "rooms with an ocean view".  And these are the only rooms with an "ocean view" anywhere in the United States outside of the coastal areas.  If you book a room at the Art Hotel for a visiting friend or relative, you'll find out if they enjoy wry humor or not. BTW, if you're on foot, you can view it at the corner of 12th and Broadway. It's above the Burger Fi restaurant.

This is a creative reuse of an old motel that had fallen into disrepair.  The new owners made the new anagram Metlo with the original signpost.  You won't find any cheap motel rooms anymore, but you will find some very creative businesses using the renovated spaces.  The building has also been noticed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and who doesn't love mid-mod architecture?

Years ago Steve Goodman wrote a song about Door Number 3, which was a reference to the tv game show "Let's Make a Deal".  The challenge of choosing a door has come to life in Wheat Ridge where you'll find this wall of doors.  None will literally open for you, but you can still ponder your choices in life.

The Equitable building in downtown Denver has a beautiful lobby and it's a great example of Renaissance architecture. That alone warrants a visit.  But if you look up, way up, to the top of the building you'll see what looks like vomiting (or spitting?) lions.  So, look up Denver, you never know what you'll see up there in the sky or on a building.

At Forest Room 5 you're surrounded by wood and trees.  Inside the tables and bar surround you with the warm vibe of wood.  You'll feel like you landed in Portland OR. Old films from the Criterion collection play behind the bar, and there's even a book vending machine.  Yes, a book vending machine.  Outside there are trees, a creek, a teepee , a watchful deer, and campfires to warm yourself by on a chilly evening. Hiking boots are optional.