Are we having fun yet?

After seeing this illustration on West Alameda in Denver it almost made me rethink being a vegetarian.  Could cows really look this happy (and hungry?) while being butchered?  The mystery will remain for me since this quiet vegetarian did not step inside.  But you might want to ponder the illustration for yourself and stop by this butcher shop to buy what must be some very fresh (and happy?) meat.

Can you spot the Giant Pencil? What might be or certainly once was a functional smokestack is now an amazing GIANT PENCIL! Or at least it looks like one. A fun game to play downtown: Gee, I lost my pencil someplace, do you see it?

Got writer’s block? This place might help. Poet’s Row is a group of historic art deco style apartment buildings along the 1000 through 1200 blocks of Sherman Street.  The buildings are named for poets and other American writers.  Most of the buildings were designed by Charles Strong who was a really interesting guy too.  Walking on these blocks offers great photo ops and might even inspire you.  Nothing beats being a poet.

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.

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.

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 Ghost Building at 18th and Stout seems to live up to its name. It is a ghost of a building. Amazingly, it's facade-all 1,700 pieces of stone-was moved to this location in 1985. The original building (1891) is named after the real estate tycoon Allen M. Ghost. The architect was William Lang. If you look closely at the facade it show some mysterious faces. The building (in its current location) seems haunted or possibly cursed as a string of tenants have come and gone. None have lasted as long as the facade has.

In the shadow of the Wells Fargo building (one of Denver's tallest) is a small park serving as an urban oasis.  The Adirondack chairs come with footstools for serious relaxing. One of the things that makes this park unique is that due to the proximity to the skyscraper, it is always shady during the heat of a summer afternoon.  To top it all off, there is usually a food truck parked on the street.