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ACRL NATIONAL CONFERENCE: Letting your hair down in Denver: What to do at the end of the conference day

by Ellen Metier

So, pardner, you’re moseying in to Denver for the ACRL confer- ence, March 15-18, 2001? Glad to let you know that the former cow town now has more to offer than cow pies.

Check the October 2000 C&RL News ar- ticle, “Denver Diversions,” to learn of daytime events in the Mile High City, and stay tuned for the February 2001 issue, which will give you the low down on eateries. But keep reading if you’d like to know about places where you can kick your heels up, perhaps enjoy a spirit or two, and just unwind from all that learning and net- working you’ll be doing at the conference.

Denver at night

Photo credit: Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau

Cowboy hospitality

It’s true. Denver does have more than the usual share of cowboy-related attractions— and much of it’s downright fun. On Saturday night, March 17, from 7 to 11:30 p.m., join other conference-goers on an arranged trip to the Grizzly Rose. At the Grizzly, you’ll see more cowboy hats and cowboy boots in a few hours than most people see in a life- time. The atmosphere is high-charged and friendly, and the music is pure danceable country. You’ll learn to line dance in no time with a country western lesson and then have a live band to try it out to. Visit the Grizzly Rose gift shop to bring home the family their very own country dancing outfits, boots, hats, or shot glasses.

You can also find cowboy duds in down- town Denver by shop- ping at Overland Fine Sheepskin & Leather— but do notice the word “Fine” in their name and be sure to bring a credit card with a generous limit! (1512 Larimer Street, http://www.overland.com; open weekdays until 9, Saturday until 10, and Sundays until 6.) For cowboy gear that’s a bit kitschier, visit the Crybaby Ranch (1422 Larimer Square, http://www.crybaby ranch, com/; open Friday and Saturday until 7, Sunday until 6.) They’ve got Buffalo Bill Boxer shorts, cowgirl clothes, western fur- nishings, and lots of other items featuring dangling leather, fringe, spurs, and John Wayne.

About the auther

Ellen Metter is professional studies bibliographer in the Auraria Library at the University of Colorado, Denver, e-mail: Qmetter@carbon.cudenver.edu

Dancing Denver

If one night of cowboy dancing doesn’t still your tapping toes, then just keep them tapping.

Dancing of just about every style—swing, tango, Irish, contra, and everything in be- tween—can be found on most weekends in Denver. Web sites that will alert you to dances being held the conference week- end include Colorado Friends of Old Time Music and Dance, http://www. cfootmad.com; the Mercury Café, http:// www.mercury cafe.com/dance.html; Swing Colorado, http://www.swingcolorado.com; Argentine Tango in Colorado, http://www. ragtime.org/dance/; and the Celtic Connection Dance Page, http://www.celticconnection. com/dance/.

Just a nip of green beer?

If St. Patrick’s Day is practically a religious holiday to you, don’t worry. Denver residents definitely observe the occasion. If you peek your nose out between conference sessions on March 17th you may catch a wee bit of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, beginning around 9 a.m., winding its way through downtown and ending up at the State Capital.

For exceptional food, an atmosphere that conjures the mists of Ireland, and live Irish music, Fadó’s Irish Pub is high on the list of recommended Irish pub/restaurants. Fadó will be sure to have live music the Friday and Saturday of the confer- ence. Irish music “ses- sions” are also held ev- ery Sunday and Mon- day nights, where mu- sicians gather in a jagged circle to learn new tunes and, without quite meaning to, enter- tain the pub-goers around them.

Denver Center for the Performing Arts

Photo credit: Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau

For an authentic Irish pub atmosphere where, as one review says, there’s “always sure to be an Irishman around,” visit local favorite Nallen’s Irish Pub, where the Guinness and music will be flowing on St. Pat’s. New to the Denver area is the Celtic Tavern where, on March 17th, they plan to block off the street around the tavern and truly indulge in the holiday. See the sidebar on the next page for more information on these pubs.

Drinks, conversation, and laughs

Restaurants open for evening conversation abound in Denver. For dim lights and spirits, some downtown bars and pubs that come recommended include the second floor of the Wynkoop Brewery (1634 18th Street, at Wynkoop, (303) 297-2700) for unique brews and pool playing; The Cruise Room, at the Oxford Hotel (1600 17th Street, Denver, (303) 628-5400), featuring art deco 40s décor and lighting conducive to relaxing and romanc- ing (1600 17th Street, (303) 825-1107); and Marlowe’s, an “upper crust hang-out” that pours a “mean martini” (511 16th Street Mall, (303) 595-3700).

Gay and lesbian bars of note include C’s, a country western bar for women (7900 E. Colfax, at Trenton, (303) 322-4436); Charlie’s, “The Best Country Western Bar in Denver,” (900 East Colfax, at Emerson, (303) 839-8890, http://www. charliesonline.com/ Denver/DenverHome. html); and The Grand, an upscale piano lounge (538 E. 17th Avenue, at Pearl, (303) 839-5390, http://www.thegrand. citysearch.com/). Find many more gay and les- bian nightlife recom- mendations at Café Vivid, http://www.cafe vivid.com.

Bars that regularly feature live music include Brendan’s Pub, a cozy, basement estab- lishment featuring blues and jazz (1624 Market Street, at 16th Street, (303) 595-0609) and El Chapultepec a bit of a hole-in-the-wall but re- nowned in Denver for high-quality jazz (1962 Market Street, at 19th; (303) 295-9126).

Taxi!

Be aware that taxis are not on the prowl for business in Denver—you must give them a call, and preferably more than a few minutes in advance. Taxi’s in Denver:

• American Cab: (303) 321-5555

• Metro Taxi: (303) 333-3333

• Yellow Cab: (303) 777-7777

• Zone Cab: (303) 444-8888

For light rail and bus information, contact the Regional Transportation District (RTD): (303) 299-6000 or (800) 366-7433, http://www.rtd-denver.com.

To sing as you sip, visit Sing Sing (1735 19th Street, at Wynkoop, (303) 291-0880), where you can harmonize with piano play- ers known for their musical abilities and wit. Looking for something a tad unusual? Check out Genki, Denver’s first oxygen bar (1632 Market Street, (303) 892-1600). In the mile high altitude of Denver, Genki may be just the ticket for visiting “low-landers.” A full- tank of oxygen will keep you breathing easy for 20 minutes.

Not afraid of becoming a bit short of breath—with laughter? Visit Comedy Works, where national acts and high quality local comedians perform (1226 15th Street, at Larimer Square, (303) 595-3637 http://www. comedyworks. com/).

Evening cultural events

Just a few blocks from the ACRL conference, theater aficionados will find not one, not two, not three, but eight theaters of varying capacity at the Denver Center for Performing Arts, a.k.a. The Plex (http://www. denvercenter.org).

The Pepsi Center

Photo credit: Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau

The 1999 Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Wit,” which tells the story of an English po- etry professor diag- nosed with ovarian can- cer, will be showing at the Space Theatre at the Plex beginning March 15; tickets at (800) 641-1222 or (303) 893-4100. Also at the Plex, “Swan Lake” will be performed by the Colo- rado Ballet March 15 through 18 at the Audi- torium Theater; tickets at http://www. coloradoballet.org/ or (303) 830-TIXS.

Check Theatre.com at http://www.theatre. com/Denver/ for theater events at the many small theaters in the Denver metropolitan area.

Mile high sports

The ACRL National Conference should be energizing, so you can shout out some of that energy by cheering for Colorado athletes. Ice hockey fans can watch the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center—a fairly easy walk from the conference convention center. The Avs have games on March 17th (playing Detroit) and the 18th (playing Minnesota). Also catch basketball at the Pepsi Center with the Denver Nuggets playing March 16th against the Boston Celtics and March 18th against the New Jersey Nets (yes, there is both an Avalanche and a Nuggets game at the Pepsi Center on the 18th!). Call (303) 405-1111 for ticket information or Ticketmaster at (303) 830-8497 to order tickets for either the Avalanche or the Nuggets.

Not quite Las Vegas

You won’t find Wayne Newton or Cirque du Soleil in Colorado’s gambling towns, but you'll get a nice mountain view, low stakes gambling, and, for the frugal gambler: nickel slot machines! In downtown Denver, The Ace Express bus leaves from 15th Street and Glenarm Place at the Denver Pavilions to Central City and Black Hawk, adjacent towns offering slot machines and black jack playing are about 35 miles from Denver.

Though the bus cost is $15, it’s easy to recoup the cost of the ride through ongoing offers at different casinos in the two towns. (It’s not as easy to recoup what you lose in the casinos so the best advice is: don’t bring a credit card with you!) Call Ace Express at (303) 421-2780 for their schedule and more information about casino rebates.

Upcoming events and even more options

There are bound to be events going on the weekend of the conference that we just don’t know about yet. National musical, theater, dance, comedy, and lecture events often take a leisurely stop in Denver, and small clubs with great acoustics abound. Check for the latest Denver happenings in Westword, a weekly paper that’s Denver’s answer to Manhattan’s Village Voice. Check out their ’’Best of Denver” recommendations at http://www.westword.com.

Events of all types are listed in Westword—and we do mean all types. Also see the two daily papers, the Denver Post, online at http://denverpost.com, and the Rocky Mountain News, on the Web at http://rocky mountainnews.com. The Friday print editions of the dailies list events for the weekend. Other sites that describe nighttime destinations in the Denver area include Switchboard at http://www.switchboard, com; Digital City Denver at http://home. digitalcity.com/denver/; and LodoGuide at http://www.lodoguide.com.

Irish pubs in Denver and Boulder

Celtic Tavern, 1801 Blake Street at 18th, Denver, (303) 308-1795

Conor O’Neills, 1922 13th Street, Boulder, at Walnut (303) 449-1922, http:// www.conoroneills.com/

Fadó Irish Pub, 1735 19th Street, Denver, at Wynkoop, next to Sing Sing. (303) 297-0066, http://www.fadoirishpub.com/ denver.html.

Nallen’s Irish Pub, 1429 Market Street, Denver, at 15th. (303) 572-0667.

Celtic Connection, Check for more information on St. Paddy’s Day events in Denver as March 17 draws closer: http://www. celticconnection.com.