I spend most of my time in Denver exploring on foot, as my uncle lives in proximity to downtown and other neighborhoods I am eager to visit.

First, it will surprise no one that I seek out many coffee shops during my time here. This is Pablo’s, a favorite in the area:

And this is Thump Coffee, which is very popular with the laptop crowd. They do have a social area towards the back if you’re meeting up with friends.

This is Illegal Grounds Coffeehouse, located on the first floor of a lovely home.

I’ve got more coffee shop recommendations in other neighborhoods; more on them below!

Here’s 17th Avenue Grill. I think I have a photo of my sister and I taken here during our first visit to Denver in 1994.

Downtown Denver:

The 16th Street Mall is a popular spot. Conveniently, free shuttles runs the whole length of the mall every three minutes or so.

I would have taken more photos but some corners feel rather sketchy and I’m not comfortable keeping my camera out.

A parade of colorful buffalo:

The Tattered Cover bookstore has long been a favorite spot of mine when visiting this city. There are a few locations around Denver (including one in an old theater) but I think this one downtown is my favorite.

I camp out here for a few hours and speed-read When Breath Becomes Air , a meditation on life and death by Dr. Paul Kalanithi that was published shortly after he passed away from cancer.

I walk a little further to Union Station, which is now a hot-spot with restaurants and a hotel (in addition to actually being a train station).

The hotel is on the second and third floors overlooking the main terminal:

Here’s Terminal Bar. A more upscale restaurant can be found one floor up.

This breakfast and brunch spot, Snooze, looks like a lot of fun:

Tattered Cover has a tiny satellite location here!

I’m tempted to pick up a treat at this ice cream shoppe inside Union Station but exercise some will power. It’s right next to PigTrain Coffee which looks great too. So much espresso, so little time.

The next day I walk to The Source, an old warehouse turned into a bustling cluster of restaurants and artisan shops.

Here’s a look inside:

I grab lunch at Acorn and it’s delicious — crispy fried pickles as an app and salmon over sugar peas, kale, tomato, and bacon. I shared this photo in my friends & food wrap-up the other day, but it’s worth another mention now that you know The Source (pun intended).

From there I walk a bit to Five Points neighborhood, known as the Harlem of the West because its jazz clubs were a frequent stop for the likes of Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, and Miles Davis. I visit Purple Door Coffee, which employs people transitioning out of homelessness — the space is lovely and the soy vanilla latte I order is delicious. While we’re on the subject, Denver has a pretty noticeable homeless population, which is unsettling given how drastic the winters can be here — surely this is an especially tough city to live on the streets. It’s great that a place like Purple Door Coffee can support people who very much need a job to get back on their feet.

The RiNo neighborhood (short for River North) is a place I’m excited to check out on my uncle’s recommendation. It’s a newly gentrified area that feels trendy already (think boutiques and breweries) but the homeless population still has a major presence. It’s currently an interesting blend of both of those worlds. I’ll be curious to see how it continues to develop over the coming years.

Brunch at Sugarmill:

We pop into Night Bazaar across the street. It reminds me of The Source in that it’s an old warehouse with multiple new shops and businesses. (Turns out this place is seasonal and only operates in the winter… perhaps it morphs into another kind of business in the warmer months?)

Another coffee shop called Huckleberry Roasters right near Night Bazaar (I don’t get to try their coffee, just love their aesthetic):

Graffiti is a hallmark of RiNo — as you’ll see shortly, there are extensive and colorful tableaus and patterns on pretty much every street corner and alleyway.

The four of us pose for a little photo shoot here… these colors are practically calling for it!

More graffiti art as we continue to stroll through RiNo:

More coffee suggestions! Ink Coffee is great; it’s been a few years but we stopped at their Aspen location once. And today I grab a latte at Crema, a spot I found on Yelp and am really excited to try out. Bonus: they make their own syrup flavors. My latte is delicious.

Still more examples of graffiti…

And that’s a wrap on my Denver explorations! I just love this city and can’t wait to return. And I didn’t even get to see theater this time around — I found out too late that part one of Quiara Alegría Hudes’ trilogy about a soldier returning from Iraq is currently playing at Curious Theater Company. I’ve seen parts 2 & 3, so had I investigated this in time, I would have been ecstatic to see part 1. Next time I will do a better job scoping out theater opportunities.

I’ll be back next week with photos from the Rocky Mountains!