ACRL NATIONAL CONFERENCE

Denver diversions

Tours and activities at the 2001 ACRL National Conference city

by Ellen Metter

Going to a conference offers a fine view of from the ro­ without enjoying the lo­ tunda (get a virtual glimpse at http:// cal sights and cultural op­ denvergov.org/panoramas/Rotunda.asp). portunities is like going Step back in time when you visit the for a Middle Eastern din­ Gothic Victorian home of Molly Brown, re­ ner and saying, “Hold the nowned for her unsinkable ways and her life spices.” The ACRL Local as a one of the nouveau riche in early Den­ Arrange­ ver society. Participants on ments Committee invites you to this tour will also visit the fa­ enjoy the remarkably varied of­ mous Brown Palace Hotel. ferings of Denver, the Mile High Triangularly shaped and clad City, while you are in town for in red sandstone, the hotel the March 15-18, 2001, ACRL features a nine-story atrium National Conference. and beautiful Victorian and Art Deco accents everywhere you Tours for many tastes look. High tea will be served Tours have been created for featuring finger sandwiches, those who want to meander scones, petit fours, and, of in the mountains, as well as course, special tea. The last for those who like to rustle stop on the tour is the U.S. among the retail. Price and M int, one of only four mints time details will appear in the in the . conference program and on the Web site at www.ala.org/ The dome of the Colorado Springs scenic tour State Capitol Is covered with acrl/denver.html). Scenic is an understatement nearly 200 ounces of gold. when describing one of the D en v er h isto rica l tour destinations of this tour: the Though Denver, founded in 1859, is a rela­ Garden of the Gods. Superlatives like “ma­ tively young city, it’s managed to pile up a jestic” and “stunning” come to mind when mountain of historic destinations. This tour describing this park’s towering red rock for­ begins at the , mod­ mations. This tour also offers another gift of eled after the U.S. Capitol building. Topped nature, the Cave of the Winds, born 200 by a 24-carat- gold-plated dome, the Capitol million years ago—enough time to form a

About th e author

Ellen M etter is professional studies bibliographer and reference librarian a t Auraria Library, University of Colorado at Denver, e-mail: [email protected]

C&RL News ■ October 2000 / 799 dramatic network of rooms encrusted with mall, in North Cherry Creek. Walk from stalactites and stalagmites. This trip also stops boutique to gallery in this delightful area, at Colorado’s most visited man-made attrac- with plenty of chances to warm up with cof- tion, the U.S. Air Force Academy. Wind up fee or lunch. with a reception hosted by the library at the The influential Book Store University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. is also in North Cherry Creek. Check their homepage (http://www.tatteredcover.com/) to Denver museum tour see which writers will be speaking the week This tour features three of Denver’s best- of the conference—authors appear nearly ev- known and -loved museums. The Colorado ery day at either the Cherry Creek or LoDo History Museum presents exhibits on the störe. areas earliest inhabitants, the Native Ameri- This tour will also bring you to the Park cans, as well as the state’s earliest settlers. Meadows Retail Resort, home to During the convention you’ll see an exhibit Nordstrom’s, Dillard’s, and a high-quality spotlighting Bill Cody titled Buffalo Bill’s food court. Wild West. The first stop on the Boulder shopping The Denver Museum of Nature and Sci­ day will be Crossing, the newest ence delves into the discoveries of man and mall in the Denver area. Travelers will then the intricacies of the natural world. During enjoy the breathtaking view rewarded to those your visit, the museum will be featuring the who travel into Boulder—the Flatiron Moun­ exhibit Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga, tains. Boulder’s Pearl Street Mall is a collec- a special exhibition developed by the tion of locally owned boutiques, nationally Smithsonian. The , no- known stores, galleries, and nearly 100 eat- ticed by passersby for its fortress-like appear- eries on an outdoor mall closed to traffic. It’s ance, houses a wide variety of art genres and nestled in the lovely Colorado foothills, mak- will be featuring a special exhibit of works ing a stroll down the mall a relaxing and pic- by Winslow Homer during the ACRL Na­ turesque experience. Do visit one of the tional Conference. town’s most popular independent bookstores on the mall, the Boulder Bookstore. Shop ’til you drop tours Two arranged shopping tours will be avail­ Library tour able: one around and about Denver and one See how the marriage of a public library and in the foothills of Boulder. Upscale shop­ a College library in one building can be a ping is the offering at Denver’s Cherry beautiful thing—the College Hill Library at Creek Mall, with such anchor stores as Saks Community College in Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. Shops Westminster. Visitors will then travel to Boul­ unique to Colorado are a block north of the der to see the Earth Science Library on the beautiful campus of the University of Colo­ rado, Boulder. The trip to Boulder also in- cludes a lunch at NetLibrary followed by a tour of this innovative Company. Taxi services (Taxis ionLocaltransportatmust be called; they are not easily flagged down from the LoDo (Lower Downtown) tour Street.) • American Cab: (303) 321-5555 The ACRL National Conference is located in • Metro Tax: (303) 333-3333 Denver’s Lower Downtown (LoDo), an area • Yellow Cab: (303) 777-7777 that used to be avoided by anyone who • Zone Cab: (303) 444-8888 wanted to feel safe. No more. Now this area All cabs offer 24-hour Service. brims with businesses, lofts, restaurants, Bus schedules and light rail information nightlife, and shopping. For this tour, partici­ Regional Transportation District (RTD), pants ride a motorcoach through LoDo, hear- (303) 299-6000; outside (303) area code: ing tales of the graciously appointed Oxford (800) 366-7433; hom epage: http:// Hotel, the oldest in Denver, and the historic, www.rtd-denver.com/. high-ceilinged Union Station, home of the ski train and a store featuring train collectibles.

800 / C&RL News ■ October 2000 This trip also features Credit: Denver Metro Convention Center & Visitors Bureau the sidebars for taxi an in-depth tour of and bus information , where and for local attraction the Rockies’ faithful hours and contact in­ gather and the ball formation.) goes amazing dis- tances in D enver’s Denver March Pow- mile-high atmosphere. wow Lunch will be at the ACRL members are popular W ynkoop fortunate to be visit- Brewing Company, ing Denver while the Denver's first brew- With more than 300 days of sunshine a year in acclaim ed D en ver pub, featuring such Denver, and more than 80 brew pubs, March Powwow is pub fare as shepherd's restaurants, and sports bars, LoDo is a great being held, March pie and beer-braised place to pass some time. 16-18, 2001, from Fri- pot roast—not to men- day through Sunday. tion about a dozen beers brewed on the pre- Many make a point of traveling to Denver just mises. The LoDo Tattered Cover Bookstore, for the Powwow! Native Americans dance, sing, sister to the original in Cherry Creek, is the and drum in colorful full regalia at this event. last stop on the tour, offering a coffee bar The Powwow also features a market offering and plenty of warm, comfortable places to Native American arts, crafts, and jewelry. linger and book browse. Western history Taste of the Rockies In addition to the marvelous destinations in- This tour offers tasty tidbits for your eyes and cluded in the Denver Historical Tour de- mind. It begins with a visit to the gorgeous scribed above, there are more options for Red Rocks Amphitheater, an outdoor con- those curious about the history of the West. cert area built among soaring red sandstone Did all cowboys look like John Wayne? Not formations. Then learn of that renowned fig- quite. Nearly a third of the cowboys of the ure of the West, Buffalo Bill Cody, when early West were black. Visit the Black Ameri­ you see his gravesite and museum atop Look­ can West Museum & Heritage Center to out Mountain. This tour builds a thirst, so it learn more about black cowboys, homestead- ends with a walking tour through Coors ers, ranchers, and frontier Professionals. Brewery in Golden, Colorado—with samples In years gone by, more than 2,000 miles most definitely available. of narrow gauge railroad tracks were actively traveled in the Colorado mountains. Take a Mountain getaway 12-mile trip west of Denver to the Colorado The mountains are clearly seen from Denver, Railroad Museum to view historic records, but to truly experience their wonder, you need mementos, artifacts, and photographs of to be surrounded by them. The Local Arrange­ Colorado’s railroads. ments Committee is working to arrange pas- sage for ACRL members to local peaks; stay For the kids tuned for more announcements on this op- If the offspring are along, consider visiting portunity. the Children’s Museum of Denver. The mu­ seum focuses on children aged newborn Touring on your own through eight and offers interactive exhibits Interesting destinations abound in Denver and and plenty of hands-on learning experiences. its surrounding towns. When relying on mass transit, be aware that Denver’s taxi Service is more cowtown than big city; you need to call taxis, they’re not roaming around. Plan Watch the ACRL Cot informatiFnortheolatesnference Web site ahead. Since the conference is on St. Patrick’s for more information and registration forms Day weekend, there may be more than a few at www.ala.org/acrl/denver.html sensible people choosing taxi service. (See

C&RL News ■ October 2000 / 801 Both children and adults will also enjoy built in 1910 and is illuminated by thousands the impressive new aquarium Colorado’s of lights that trace the details of the building’s Oceanjourney, featuring 15,000 marine crea- exterior decorations. tures and a few Sumatran tigers to boot. For a leisurely stroll with the city out of sight and the sound of rushing water at hand, Traipsing about: Shopping, sightseeing, pop down to the Cherry Creek Path, a fa- and wandering vorite of bicyclists, joggers, roller bladers, and You need only your feet to peruse most of pedestrians, winding along the banks of downtown Denver. If you’re in the mood for Cherry Creek. The path has a downtown some crane-your-neck architecture, stroll down entryway on Larimer Street between I4th 17th Street—it’s chock full of skyscrapers and Street and Speer Boulevard. is known as the “Wall Street of the West.” Just three blocks from the Convention A beautiful architectural sight in the Center is Larimer Square (Larimer Street evening is Denver’s Gas and Electric Build­ between 14th and 15th Streets), a charming ing (at 15th and Champa Streets), which was LoDo area featuring restored turn-of-the-cen-

Attraction hours and contact information

Black American West Museum & Heri­ Coors Field—Home of Colorado tage Center, 3091 California Street, Den­ Rockies Baseball, (303) 312-2108, http:// ver, (303) 292-2566, http://www.coax.net/ www.rockies.com/. In March there are at people/lwf/bawmus.htm. Open Wednes- least four tours a day, but times may vary. day-Friday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; Saturday and Cal) for exact times. Sunday, 12-5 p.m.; and closed Monday and Denver Art Museum, 100 W. 14th Av­ Tuesday. enue Parkway, Denver, (303) 640-4433, Cherry Creek Shopping Area, by car, http://www.denverartmuseum.org/. Open take Speer Boulevard South. The mall is Tuesday and Thursday-Saturday, 10 a.m.- just past University Boulevard on Speer. By 5 p.m.; Weclnesdays, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; and bus: Take the #2 from the stop across from Sundays, 12-5 p.m. the Market Street Station. Check the RTD Denver Museum of Nature and Sci­ homepage at http://www.rtd-denver.com/ ence, 2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver, (800) for details. 925-2250 or (303) 322-7009, http:// Children’s Museum of Denver, 21.21 www.dmnh.org/. Open daily from 9 a.m - Children’s Museum Drive, 1-25 and 23rd Av­ 5 p.m. enue (Exit #211), (303) 433-7444, http:// Denver Powwow, Denver Coliseum, (303) www.cmdenver.org. Open Tuesday-Sun- 934-8045, http://www.denvermarchpowwow. day, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. org/. By car: I-25 to I-70, take the Brighton Colorado History Museum, 1300 Blvd. Exit. By bus: Take the #48 from 16th Broadway, Denver, (303) 866-3682, http:// and Curtis Streets. Check the RTD homepage www.coloradohistory.org/colorado_ for more details. March 16-18, 2001. history_museum/. Open Monday-Saturday, Museum, 1340 10 a.m.-4 :30 p.m.; and Sunday, 12-4:30 p.m. Pennsylvania St., Denver, (303) 832-4092. Colorado Railroad Museum, 17155 W. Open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.—4 p.m.; 44th Street, Golden, Colorado. By car take I- Sundays, 12-4 p.m. 70 west to exit 256 and follow the signs, Colorado’s Oceanjourney, U.S. West (303) 279-4591 or (800) 365-6263, Park, 700 Water Street, Denver, (303) 561- http://www.crrm.org/. Open every day, 9 4450 or (888) 561-4450, http://www. a.m.-5 p.m. oceanjourney.org. Open daily 10 a.m.-6 Colorado State Capitol, Broadway and p.m. Colfax, Denver, (303) 866-2604. Tours are U.S. Mint, West Colfax at Cherokee St., Monday-Friday, every 45 minutes, starting (303) 844-3582. Open Monday-Friday, 8 at 9 a.m., the last tour is at 2:30 p.m. a.m.-3 p.m. ■

802 / C&RL News ■ October 2000 tury buildings, dining, stores unique to Colo­ dium at Wynkoop and 19th Street. You’ll pass rado (like Earthworks, featuring items great eateries (the Denver Chophouse and crafted by Coloradans), as well as populär Brewery, Sing Sing, and Fadö’s Irish Pub) retail stores. Just beyond Larimer Square, and see, laid in the shape of a ballfield and Writer’s Square is a pretty retail and gal- surrounded by the lyrics of “Take Me Out to lery area on Larimer Street between 15th and the Ball Game,” hundreds of bricks donated 16th. and inscribed by ballpark supporters. Nearby, Theater and movie aficionados will want take a close look at the hilarious arched sculp- to visit Scene to Screen, “Denver’s Largest ture titled “Evolution of the Ball” (Lonnie Theatrical Book Store.” Located on 14th Street, Hanzon, 1995) featuring sculpted and en- between Curtis and Arapahoe, Scene to Screen hanced renditions of all sorts of balls, includ- sells books, scripts, posters, sheet music, and ing a skee ball, eye ball, red rubber ball, goof other stage- and film-related gewgaws. ball, and, but of course, Lucille Ball. Shopping opportunities continue down­ town on the , a 12-block Check the temp pedestrian mall, free from cars but offering March weather in Denver is, in a word, un- continuously running no-cost buses shuttling predictable, so check the forecast before ar- visitors from one end to the other from Mar­ riving. Though March temperatures are typi- ket Street to Broadway, with stops at every cally in the 50s with lots of Colorado sunshine, cross Street. There is one enclosed mall on we’ve been known to produce a surprise heat l oth Street, the Tabor Center, between wave or snowfall. Larimer and Arapahoe, and one semi-cov- So, what about nightlife in the Queen ered mall, the Denver Pavillons, featuring City of the Plains? There’s plenty—great such stores as Barnes and Noble and Vir­ eating, dancing, music, comedy, sports, gin Megastore. and theater. Look for details on Denver If you can’t make a Coors Field tour, you nighttime fun in the January issue of C&RL can still enjoy the plaza to the west of the News, and descriptions of eateries in the Stadium. Take the pathway leading to the S ta­ February issue. ■

C&RL News ■ October 2000 / 803 804 / C&RL News ■ October 2000