September 2025. After Oscar came to London in June 2024 and I joined him there for a day, I’m now going to his hometown of Denver in Colorado. My second trip to the United States in 2025, after visiting my uncle and aunt in Wilmington, North Carolina. No, Denver is is not on foreign tourists’ mind when travelling to the US. But that doesn’t bother me. Quite the contrary.
After checking in at the Catbird Hotel on Walnut Street, Oscar picked me up to do some first exploring.
He brought me to Arkins Promenade in RiNo Art District or River North; we then proceeded to the Denver Central Market, where there was thrift market going on.
Via Coors Field, a baseball stadium, we walked to Denver Union Station where Danny and I stopped while riding Amtrak‘s California Zephyr back in 2016!
After a burger at Hopdoddy, we walked back to RiNo, passing by gay club Tracks. We met with Oscar’s bestie Stephanie at her apartment building, where there was a pool party with free drinks and hot bro dudes showing off their pecs. We ended with a Denver skyline view at Sorry Gorgeous.
Arkins Promenade
About 30 feet above the ground, the gangway at Arkins Promenade provides views over Denver. To the south is the downtown skyline, to the west the Rocky Mountains, and to the east construction cranes in the River North Art District (RiNo). To the north, traffic moves across the 38th Street bridge toward Interstate 70.
Directly below the promenade, the South Platte River runs wide and shallow, with waterfowl and occasional cyclists or walkers on the adjacent trail. The elevated walkway sits next to Arkins Park, also known as RiNo ArtPark, and forms part of a broader effort to redevelop the east bank of the river.
Historically, this part of the South Platte was heavily industrialised. In recent decades, however, sections of the river corridor have undergone deindustrialisation and restoration, with an emphasis on public access and natural landscapes rather than industrial use. The promenade is an example of this shift, transforming a neglected stretch of Arkins Court into pedestrian-oriented space.
The project was funded through the Elevate Denver bond programme. According to Denver Parks and Recreation, the site was formerly a poorly maintained roadway, originally used as a utility corridor and shortcut for buses, lacking curbs, gutters, and sidewalks. Its redevelopment has been described as an adaptive reuse of underutilised infrastructure.
R(h)iNo
The River North Art District, commonly known as RiNo, is located just north of downtown Denver. It covers about one square mile, with boundaries generally marked by Interstate 70 to the north, Interstate 25 to the west, Park Avenue West to the south, and Arapahoe Street to the east. It overlaps with parts of several historic neighborhoods, including Five Points, Globeville, Elyria-Swansea, and Cole.
For much of its history, the area was heavily industrial, dominated by warehouses, factories, and repair shops. In 2003, Denver’s River North Plan laid out a vision for revitalising the corridor with improved transit, infrastructure, housing, and economic opportunities.
The art district itself was founded in 2005 by artists Tracy Weil and Jill Hadley-Hooper, who introduced the distinctive rhinoceros logo and the slogan ‘Where Art Is Made‘.
It was formally recognised as a state Creative District in 2014. Since then, nonprofit and improvement district structures have been created to support programming, infrastructure, and artist advocacy.
The area’s transformation has reflected broader economic shifts. Once defined by inexpensive industrial space that attracted artists and creative businesses, it has since experienced rising rents and property values, prompting concerns about gentrification and the displacement of the very communities that established it.
Today, RiNo is known for its concentration of art, culture, and hospitality. Industrial buildings have been converted into galleries, studios, breweries, coffee roasters, and shops.
Murals and street art are among its most recognisable features, especially around 25th to 29th Streets, with many works created during the annual CRUSH WALLS festival. Walking tours provide interpretation of the area’s graffiti and murals.
Cultural and recreational amenities include the RiNo ArtPark on the South Platte River, which provides public art, green space, and community facilities. Food and drink are a major draw, with destinations such as The Source and Denver Central Market offering a variety of restaurants, bars, and shops. The district is also home to high-profile dining, including Michelin-starred restaurants, alongside more casual venues.
RiNo has increasingly become a site for entertainment and new development. Music venues, arcade attractions, and office towers have opened in recent years, while riverfront projects have added parks, playgrounds, and public walkways.
In less than two decades, the River North Art District has evolved from a neglected industrial zone into a prominent cultural and commercial hub. It continues to grow rapidly, balancing its role as a centre for art and innovation with ongoing debates about development and community identity.
Its symbol or logo is a rhinoceros.
Denver Central Market
Denver Central Market is a gourmet food hall and market located at 2669 Larimer Street in RiNo. It occupies a restored building from the 1920s that originally housed the H.H. Tammen Curio Company. Over the decades, the structure was repurposed for various uses, including industrial processing, a cabinet workshop, an antiques store, and a used car showroom.
The market opened in 2016 as a project led by developer Ken Wolf and chef Jeff Osaka. Their concept was to create a communal food marketplace serving both local residents and visitors in the rapidly developing RiNo district. The market brought together more than a dozen independent food purveyors under one roof.
Architecturally, Denver Central Market blends its industrial heritage with a contemporary interior design. Exposed brick, high ceilings, and large windows provide an open, light-filled setting, while murals and other details connect the space to the street art culture of the surrounding neighbourhood.
Communal wooden tables encourage social interaction, making it both a dining space and a gathering place.
The market offers a wide range of food and drink, from artisan bread, pastries, and coffee to seafood, meats, salads, and pizza. Vendors provide options for both dining on-site and take-home purchases. A full bar, called Curio, serves cocktails and local beers, adding to the market’s role as a social hub.
Hours of operation generally run from early morning through the evening, with extended hours on weekends. The market’s central location in RiNo makes it accessible by public transport as well as by car, with street parking and nearby paid lots available.
Coors Field
Coors Field is a Major League Baseball stadium situated at 2001 Blake Street in Denver’s Lower Downtown (LoDo) neighborhood, just two blocks from Union Station. It serves as the home of the Colorado Rockies, who began playing there when the stadium opened on 26 April 26 1995, after spending their first two seasons at Mile High Stadium.
Construction began in October 1992, and the project cost approximately $300 million. Designed by HOK Sport (now Populous), the ballpark exemplifies a modern interpretation of a nostalgic ‘old-time’ ballpark, featuring hand-laid brick facades and a classic clock tower.
Originally envisioned to seat about 43,800, the plan was altered mid-construction to accommodate the team’s popularity—fans had turned out in record numbers at Mile High Stadium—resulting in a final capacity of around 50,000 seats.
The stadium includes 63 luxury suites and over 4,500 club seats. A notable architectural feature is ‘The Rockpile‘, a high-center-field bleacher section inspired by a similar location from the Rockies’ early home days. The field sits approximately 21 feet below street level, seamlessly blending into the downtown area while offering fans expansive skyline views.
Coors Field quickly earned a reputation as one of Major League Baseball’s most hitter-friendly parks. At an elevation exceeding one mile above sea level, the thin, dry air allows batted balls to travel farther. To mitigate this effect, the outfield fences were placed farther back than in most ballparks, and a humidor was installed to store baseballs at controlled humidity levels, helping reduce the number of home runs.
Nonetheless, the park set records for offensive production, most notably with 303 combined home runs in the 1999 season. Over time, rule changes and the humidor have brought offensive numbers closer to league norms, though the stadium remains a hitter’s park.
Among the stadium’s softer features are the row of purple seats in the upper deck marking precisely one mile above sea level, the microbrewery Blue Moon Brewery at The Sandlot behind right field, and a Rocky Mountain–inspired center-field décor with fountains and pine trees that animate after home wins.
The venue boasts large LED scoreboard displays and ribbon boards that deliver enhanced game information and graphics. In 2014, the right field upper deck was renovated into an outdoor party deck known as ‘The Rooftop‘, further diversifying fan experiences.
Coors Field has hosted major events, including the MLB All-Star Games in 1998 and 2021, as well as outdoor hockey during the 2016 NHL Stadium Series, and various concerts.
In 1995, dinosaurs fossils were discovered during construction, sparking early speculation that the venue would be named ‘Jurassic Park‘, Although that name was never adopted, it inspired the Rockies’ mascot, Dinger, a triceratops.
Highly accessible, Coors Field is adjacent to Union Station’s transit hub and near Interstate 25, ensuring easy arrival by public transportation or car. Over the years, it has remained a consistent attendance leader in MLB, underscoring its appeal regardless of the performance of the home team.
Denver Union Station
Denver Union Station, located at the intersection of 17th and Wynkoop Streets in the LoDo district, serves as the city’s principal rail terminal and central transit hub. The facility comprises the historic station house, a modern open-air train shed, an underground bus station with 22 gates, and a light rail terminal—all integrated to support a seamless transportation network.
The site first hosted Denver’s Union Depot, which opened in May 1881 following the consolidation of several earlier train stations. After a devastating fire in 1894, the station was rebuilt with a larger and more ornate structure. The ornate Beaux-Arts–style central section that stands today was completed in 1914, reflecting early 20th-century architectural refinement and accommodating growing passenger demand.
By the 1920s and 1930s, the station had become a major arrival point for dignitaries and travelers. However, post–World War II shifts in travel preferences led to a sharp decline in rail activity. Air and automobile travel surpassed rail, and Union Station’s prominence waned throughout the latter half of the 20th century.
In the early 21st century, a comprehensive revitalization effort transformed Union Station into a modern, transit-oriented mixed-use development. The historic station house reopened in the summer of 2014, reimagined as a lively hub featuring restaurants, retail spaces, and the 112-room luxury Crawford Hotel.
This redevelopment beneath one roof seamlessly combines transportation access with commercial, cultural, and hospitality functions—creating a vibrant urban anchor.
In 2024, the station underwent another significant refresh. With a substantial investment aimed at honoring its heritage, improvements were made to the Great Hall—preserving its original terrazzo floor and high ceilings—along with updates to the Cooper Lounge and guest rooms in the Crawford Hotel. These enhancements reaffirmed the station’s ongoing role as both Denver’s functional transit gateway and the symbolic ‘living room’ of the city.
