Local Poll II #9 -- DENVER, COLORADO!

What's yer name/nickname yer going with here: beth y jesse

Where do you live?: denvah

What neighborhoods or areas around where you live you do you recommend exploring?
Uptown as opposed to LoDo. South Denver around Broadway and 1st. There are a lot of fun indi-stores popping up on Santa Fe around 6th avenue. 13th street around Pennsylvania and down to Lincoln is where the little hipsters shop, and has the only american veg restaurant in town.

Any good parks round you for sitting in or wandering through?
Lots of city parks in Denver, including Washington Park for people watching, City Park for hanging out, and many smaller ones. Hang out in all of em.

Any good festivals? When? Ladyfest out West is in June. Otherwise, go into the mountains for the bluegrass fests.

Best on-line/print source(s) for local entertainment info: Start with Denverevolution. Go mainstream with the Westword or the Onion. And Happy hours are displayed on two online sites , www.denverdrinks.com or www.milehighnights.com. Though milehigh is usually somewhat outdated.

Best place(s) to stop in to see inexpensive local rock music (particularly those that regularly book bands with females): Larimer Lounge, HighDive, Benders Tavern, Herman’s Hideaway

Best place(s) to stop in to dance: HighDive, Mercury (swing), La Rumba, Snake Pit (if you can stand the smoke)

Best place(s) to stop in to get a beer without pretention or hoo-haw: Larimer Lounge, Williams Tavern, the Lion’s Lair

Best place(s) to stop in to get a drink: Sputnik, Speakeasy, Mezcal

Best place(s) to stop in just to stop in while visiting: The Family Discount Center thrift stores in NW Denver (Kipling/38th and Wadsworth/66th)

Best secret deals : Family Discount Centers or DAV thrift stores. $1 Goodwill on Federal and 67th-ish (don't tell too many people!). $3 martini happy hour until 9pm weekdays at Mynt (Larimer/14th) - avoid the pretention and grab a seat on the patio. Late night happy hours weekdays at Whiskey Bar.

Best bets for lodging: West Colfax. We like the Big Bunny. Kitschy motels a-plenty, and a historic western (but busy) street.

Is public transport available? Do you recommend it? If so, how much is it? If not, how should a visitor get around?The light rail and 16th street shuttle are free downtown, and the buses are among the best in the country, though any type of weather slows them down. Bus and light rail are $1.25/ride. Ask for a transfer.
Taxis are cheap, if you're out late at night. Can get a ride to the outskirts of downtown for about $10.
We like bikes. There's tons of bike trails.

Local book store(s)/music shop(s) to check out (any feminist bookstores left out there?):Twist & Shout on Alameda/Logan-ish is the best music store in town. Still indie, one of the last. There's WaxTrax on 13th & Pennsylvania-ish.
The Tattered Cover (2 locations) is a local giant. Breakdown has some leftist, feminist stuff. There's a few used bookstores on South Broadway, and in Boulder. Friends have found coveted novels at our beloved thrift stores.

Locally-run cheap restaurant(s) you dig (yay to veg friendly and regional flair ones!):
Thai: Spicy Basil delivers, and is cheap. For the best, go out to the NW burbs for Thai House. The best Red and Massaman curry around. They also do sushi, strange enough.

Mexican: Mezcal for bar-like scenester with good food, veggie options; Tamayo for the best, but expensive, South American EVER. Plenty of really good mexi dives around, if you eat meat. Pork in everything.

Fish/seafood: $1/piece sushi at Fontana Sushi on Alameda, close to Pearl. Pearl St. also has the best Sushi in town at Sushi Den (1487 S Pearl).

Breakfast: Drive way, way out to the burbs for the Original House of Pancakes. We go to indian buffet.

Diner: We've heard it's the Breakfast King at Santa Fe and I-25. Never been.

Comfort food: Bang on 32nd (NW Denver) or country Japanese at Domo, one of the best Japanese places in the country. Indian buffet at India House (N Indian, mild) or Little India (S Indian, spicy), downtown.

Good salad / salad bar: Sunflower in Boulder. That's about it.

Vegan food?: Sunflower in Boulder is the best. A spinach-included salad bar is available, even during brunch. Otherwise, Watercourse Foods on 13th has vegan stuff. Try the Donna Lee.

Takeout: Min Min chinese on S Broadway (sesame anything), or Thai House in Arvada.

Pizza: Come over to our house. Pudge Bros. is second choice. Pizza like butta, with grease. Third choice is Carl's on 38th/Perry.

Coffee shop with character: Kaladi Bros near DU is independent and excellent, Paris on the Platte is chock0 angst, the Mercury Café is tres funky (tho beware the menu) . We just learned about Monkey Bean on Broadway on the outskirts of downtown, near the baseball stadium. Supposed to be very good, serving bubble tea and all, and open very late.

Regional fare: Chubby’s for local greasy Mexican: cheap!

Yer fav fancier place: Tamayo on Larimer/14th (fancy Latin)

Those to avoid cause they treat their workers poorly: DonkeyDen

Others to recommend: Gateaux bakery on 12th or 13th and Speer. Pastries, pastries, pastries! The Buntport is a great venue for different things. Check their schedule: http://www.buntport.com/

One road trip outta town you like: Mountains are great! Go feel the hot springs! Brainard Lake has many hiking and camping options(avoid on weekend), the Deckers area also is fun.

Best/worst time of year to come. Why: Rush hour - no. Winter isn't bad, stays in the 40-60 range, and not a lot of rain or snow. Feb-April are the best times to meet a snowstorm. Summer is hot hot hot, and the dry heat makes the sun that much more heavy. Good for desert-lovers.

Shoes you recommend bringing for a good visit: You'll fit in with the casual ones(sandals), and can do some hiking with hiking boots. People wear those things everywhere.

Quirks of yer town we should know about: People don't dress up much, unless it's hooch. The artistic community is quite disparate. Scene is young, college, for the most part. Watch out for soccer moms in huge SUVs.

A bit about who you are :
Beth. Age 29. Likes to avoid work. Also enjoys cooking, making music and dance, drinking fancy cocktails, travel, dressing up in inappropriate outfits, and organizing.

Jesse. 33 Being outside, seeing original music, hearing great food