Public Places -- Do It In Public, by Nicholas

I like doing it in public. I’ve always liked doing it in public. There’s something about being out there that adds an extra pleasure.

I get tired of staying home and when I get antsy, I love to go out into the city. I like city spaces. I like being with people even if it’s a lot of people I don’t really want to be with. I’m talking about that superficial, but still meaningful, social contact that city streets and spaces provide. Cities like New York and San Francisco are full of such spots from crowded subway trains to busy streets to popular parks with great views. People like being around other people even if there is nothing close to relationship material present. Look at any Starbucks or any coffeeshop. No sooner does one open than every seat is taken with people chatting, working online, and just reading The New Yorker. That would be me reading The New Yorker.

Coming from Eastern cities and San Francisco, Denver and Denverites have never struck me as very socially inclined. Coloradans are much more taken up with maintaining their own personal space and they think they need lots of it. One person on an eight-foot long park bench is considered crowded here. I have unintentionally jumped many ques when I didn’t realize that the guy standing 15 feet back from a counter was actually next in line.

To my delight, Denver is coming to have some urban spaces, places where you can wander and dawdle and people-watch among the crowds on a sunny day.

First among them, of course, is Union Station which is not just a building but an entire complex of buildings and streets and pedestrian passageways. The station itself is impressive as an urban interior. It amazes me how it is always busy with folks eating and drinking, lingering and passing through to catch their buses and trains.

Our concept of space seems to be changing. Suddenly, Denverites want to be around each other. The plaza in front of Union Station is always streaming with pedestrians. Some eating ice cream. Some kids playing in the open fountain. Some on their way to or from work. Some disappear around corners and down alleyways to the train platforms behind the station or to the new condos just built on what used to be empty, rusting railyards. One day I found a place that makes Saigon coffee (now called Vietnamese coffee) tucked away in a passage on the side of the station.

To the west of Union Station is a series of bridges and parks that provide views of the city. Cross the first bridge and you come to Commons Park with walkways along the Platte River. Nestled at the south end of the park is the refurbished AIDS Grove, a peaceful spot tucked away amidst the busy city. The next bridge takes you over the river to Platte Street with its interesting shops like the Savory Spice Shoppe (my favorite) and the English Tea Room. A third bridge crosses Interstate 25 and leads to what may be Denver’s most charming neighborhood, Highlands, which is hilly and down right quaint and lined with great eateries with great views. If you lived there, you could walk to work in downtown and lots of people do.

Other spaces intrigue me as well. Like the plaza around the main library and the art museum. Another pedestrian entrance into downtown from the south through Civic Center, which, when it isn’t packed with crowds for special events (like Pride Fest coming up), is generally empty. Except when the lunchtime food trucks pull up and lunchers pour out of nearby offices.

Of course, I have to mention Denver’s first public space, the 16^th Street Mall, sometimes called the city’s front porch. It’s way too urban to be anybody’s front porch. By that I mean there is plenty to dislike there from loud teenagers to haranguing preachers. That’s what makes it urban—this is no small town square where everybody knows everybody else. It’s a raw mix and you never can control what’s in the mix that day or evening. But it’s still a pleasure to stroll down the always busy mall.

So, there you have a brief tour of public places I like. It seems that Denver is getting to be more like a city every day. And I’m glad. More people should do it in public.

© 3 Jun 2016 

About the Author 

Nicholas grew up in Cleveland, then grew up in San Francisco, and is now growing up in Denver. He retired from work with non-profits in 2009 and now bicycles, gardens, cooks, does yoga, writes stories, and loves to go out for coffee.