The Cyber Sidewalk Sale works like this- businesses, restaurants, and stores have partnered with radio stations to offer gift certificates for full value but at half price! So you can buy a 50 dollar gift certificate for $25.00. There you have it- it is that simple.

If you are planning a trip to Denver on a budget, this is a great resource that you can take advantage of before you even leave for the airport. Click on over to the following links and stock up. Do not wait too long as some offers are only for a limited time.

KOSI & KEZW Cyber Sidewalk Sale

KIMN- Mix 100.3 has a similar sale they call Meals and Steals. Every Thursday morning at 9:00am they present a new restaurant that you can dine at for half the price of the gift certificate value.

Perhaps the best part of these deals is that you don’t have to think up a crazy stunt, keep your hand on a car for a week or be the 9th caller. All you have to do is cyber shop.

[photo-SXC]

Post from: The Denver Traveler

The 16th Street Mall

Spanning the expanse of Downtown, The 16th Street Mall is one of the most convenient and accessible places Denver has to offer. Pick an end of Denver, either Civic Center at Broadway and Colfax, or Market Street Station- the 16th and Market side or hop on one of the FREE 16th Street Mall Shuttles and ride the Mall from start to finish.

The Shuttle Buses run every few minutes and the Shuttle stops are on every block on both sides of the street. They are free, handicap accessible and you can bring your bike on with you. Many residents and tourists utilize the readily available shuttle buses to get to all points in Downtown Denver. This works fantastically as 16th Street is fairly central, so once you get to the block you need it is only a few blocks walk to where you are going!

One can truly use the 16th Street Mall as an epi-center and its Shuttle to navigate all of your Downtown Viewing or Business. Take it to Civic Center and you are across the street from the Capitol, The City and County Building, The Central Library, The Courthouses and the Basilica. Hop off at Arapahoe Street and you are two blocks away from The Denver Center for the Performing Arts, The California stop brings you within two blocks of The Convention Center. The possibilities are endless!

16th Street Mall has something to offer everyone with plenty of shopping, a plethora of restaurants for your every taste and craving, and Civic Parks for relaxing in the shade. There are many hotels either on the mall itself or within walking distance so that you may stay in the heart of the action, and businesses that cater to anything you could think you might need – including barbers, drugstores, knick knack shops and sundries. Don’t miss the Street Vendors, buskers, game tables, the public art installations, and so much more!! And don’t forget – transportation up and down the mall is free with the shuttle, but if you must drive, the parking meters are free on Sundays!

If people watching is your sport of choice- plan a visit around lunch time and the 16th Street Mall will delight your senses even more as the business folk mingle with the teens who are mingling with the performers who will no doubt mingle with you!

Post from: The Denver Traveler

The Colorado Renaissance Festival has opened for the season! Featuring artisans showcasing their hand made crafts (everything from swords and knives to clothing and jewelry) and plenty of great food, the Renaissance Festival is open every weekend from June 14th to August 3rd! Located just 30 minutes from Denver in Larkspur, Colorado, it’s a short day trip that is sure to be full of fun for the entire family! Check out their suggestions for a more “scenic route” from Denver if you’d like to avoid the sometimes heavy traffic on I-25. Colorado is beautiful, and if you have an adventurous spirit, the detour will be right up your alley. I know I love taking back roads and little used highways to get somewhere because sometimes you see the most interesting things off the beaten path.

The Festival features Theme Weekends, including an Ale Festival, Celtic Fling, Children’s Festival, and Wine Revelry. Each weekend the fair is open will feature a different Theme, so if you’re into something particular you might want to plan your trip down to Larkspur accordingly. The crafts and food offered won’t change, however, so if you’re just going for the atmosphere and to see a little jousting, have no fear, you can go any weekend you choose! The last weekend, August 2nd and 3rd, is a birthday party for King Henry (his 517th!) which is sure to be a rollicking good time for all attending.

Tickets are available online, or at the gate, or at King Sooper’s locations, and you can get discount coupons at local Wendy’s restaurants. Until July 11th, tickets are sold at a discount, so get them early, even if you don’t plan on going until later in the month!! If you’re thinking of tying the knot as a Knight and Lady, well, they can accommodate that too! There is plenty of Entertainment for the whole family, including roaming jesters and musicians as well as featured performers including a tribal circus, ventriloquists, and “washing wenches”. A map of the festival is available here (Adobe Acrobat required), and at the entrance gates to help you get around the festival proper.

Don’t let the Festival pass you by! Head on down to Larkspur and jump into the past! It’s a weekend you won’t soon forget!

[All Photos - SXC - Fairy, Jousting]

Post from: The Denver Traveler

There are six United States Mint facilities across this country, each of them devoted to a certain division of minting all of that glorious money. Physical tours are available in only two cities and Denver is one of them!

You have to make a reservation, but the process is simple and absolutely free. Go online or walk up to the Reservations Booth at The Mint itself which is located on the east side of the building on Cherokee Street between 14th Avenue and Colfax Avenue. There is a list of do’s and don’ts- as it is a federal building, but they spell it all out nicely and nothing is unmanageable. Unless, of course, you were just dying to take photos of money being made – cameras are not allowed inside the Mint.

The Denver Mint- located at 320 Colfax Avenue- really takes up a full city block. The outside of the building is stunning in its forbidden nature. The grey building is unassuming with its old world architecture peeking out from the secure rod iron bars that surround it. It is built a level up from the street- using the small flight of stairs one must walk up to enter as another opposing factor. All of this may have worked back when it was built in 1862 to keep people away, but today it sort of adds to its charm.

The Denver Mint is the largest producer coins in the world. This alone is a reason to stop by and say hi to the money before it becomes money. However, there are plenty of other reasons to visit The Mint and some of them have nothing to do with money. The interior of the lobby and walkways are gorgeous. Marble columns and brass plated entryways, an elevator in the middle of a spiral staircase with an old guard post above it (they have a “guard” in there on duty at all times – he’s a mannequin now, but there once was a human being in that small space!). There are displays of coins from the earliest form of trade and all around the world, as well as the old machinery that made these coins. Naturally, you will see the up to date technology used to make the coins of today and the future with all the workers in full view. Much of the original interior is intact from the first days of the Mint, save of course the updates to technology. It really has to be seen to be believed, and unfortunately we cannot show you photos so you’ll have to see it for yourself!Just outside of the Tours Information Booth is the U.S. Mint gift shop, where you can purchase coins that have never been in circulation (in “mint condition”, if you will), sheets of uncut dollar bills, and other items such as books and collectibles. If it has to do with U.S. Currency, the Gift Shop will have it! Even if you don’t buy anything, it is still worth a look around, as they have rare coins on display also.

Come on out to Denver and The Denver Mint to get down and dirty with money- we promise, you won’t have buyer’s remorse.

Post from: The Denver Traveler

Turns out, that’s exactly what it was.

Being someone who enjoys the macabre from time to time, I knew I had to get in there and see what was inside that skull arched doorway. Shawn Marie laughed at the time and said, “Oh that’s just Flossy McGrew’s. It’s a vintage costume shop.” Turns out it’s much, much more than that.

It’s a shop for the weirdo in all of us.

With skeletons hanging from the ceiling and a large selection of costumes both new and vintage, Flossy McGrew’s is one of a kind. You can buy or rent the costumes, which encompass just about anything you could ever have wanted to become for Halloween or just a fun night of going out. Not only will they be able to hook you up with that Victorian gown or sailor’s suit you have been dying for, but they have literally thousands of accessories to make your look as authentic as it can be. Practically every Local I’ve run into knows about Flossy McGrew’s, and has a story about taking a visitor to the city there and watching their eyes light up. Perhaps with fright, perhaps with awe, it’s all in the heart of the person as they step into this alternate universe on south Broadway. My Mom was excited to go to Flossy’s when she was here back in September. We didn’t end up with enough time to get Mom there, but I know it’s on her Must See list when she comes for a visit!

You’ll want to set aside a good amount of time for browsing through the multitude of items you’ll find inside. Everything from wigs to fake teeth to masks, Flossy’s is bound to have what you’re looking for. All of the costumes are on racks which are clearly marked with the era or style they belong to (40’s, 50’s, Cowboy, Medieval, etc) and there are several cases full of costume jewelry, which isn’t always for Halloween! They also carry group themed costumes, so if you were just itching to be a set of reindeer or a sextet of dwarves, you won’t be disappointed.

The staff is friendly and more than willing to help you find that awesome costume. Give them an idea of what you need, and they’ll be sure to help you put together something that will have everyone talking for years to come. No doubt while shopping you’ll run into Flossy herself, with her brightly colored hair and flamboyant attitude. Her name is Suelynn Gustafson, and she’s the proud owner of Flossy McGrew’s. The subject of a documentary called Grandma Goth, she’s one of the more colorful locals here in Denver.

Gustafson is the proprietor of Flossie McGrews, a used clothing and costume shop on Broadway in Denver, who has always been fascinated with morbid things. She purchased an old church on South Sherman Street to live in and house her collection of death-related items–coffins, Victorian tear catchers, photos of dead, tombstones, and an old hearse. The purple-haired Gustafson says that she laughs when she sees the young people who call themselves goths these days. “You know, I was grandma goth. I did this forty years ago, but I did it for a different reason.”

Goth or not, you have to check out Flossy McGrew’s if you find yourself in Denver. You won’t be sorry!

Flossy McGrew’s is located at 1824 South Broadway. They don’t have a website, but they can be reached by phone at 303-778-0853. They’re open Mon-Sat 11am-6pm, Sun 12pm-5pm.

Post from: The Denver Traveler

This isn’t such a bad thing- Denver International Airport has a lot to offer.

Public art was commissioned for the terminal and concourses. A fountain greets you as you embark off the escalator from the airport train and into the Main, Jeppesen, Terminal. There are many recognizable chain restaurants, a deli or two, coffee shops and even a few unique cantina’s to give you some local flavor. If you are in the mood for shopping, DIA will not let you down: Book Stores, Clothing Stores, Luggage Stores, Souvenir Shops, Newsstands, Duty Free Shops, The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and so many more.

Denver International Airport has banks, a post office, plenty of ATM’s and just about anything else you may need. Take a walk outside and look up at the airport itself, it is quite the sight! Wander through each terminal and concourse, why even while waiting in the screening line- look to your left or right and there is an aviation display that is museum worthy. The airport itself is built on a Native American burial ground. To honor that heritage, is a permanent display down Concourse A- it is walk-able and worth it. Listen close, and you can hear the sounds of our land ancestors.

If all of this exploring leaves you a little sore- A Massage Inc. is ready and waiting in the Main Terminal and down the B Concourse. A Massage is a full fledged massage spa right in the airport! No appointment necessary, only walk-ins are welcomed. One can indulge in a chair or table massage, no matter your time crunch or ailment.

If your layover is long enough to venture into the city proper- Go to level 5 and catch the Skyride. This RTD bus will take you all the way into the city (be prepared for at least a forty minute drive) and drops you off at Market Street Station. From there you can walk all around downtown or catch the free 16th Street Shuttle to travel from one end of town to the other. The return bus stop for the Skyride is at the exact same spot as the drop off. Easy as pie. Remember to pad your return trip in case there is traffic, which is inevitably the case on I-70, the highway the bus takes to and from the airport.

Denver, not such a bad place to touch down after all!

Post from: The Denver Traveler

A new mall has opened on the outskirts of town that may satisfy both of these needs.

The Orchard Town Center in Westminster opened a few months ago across the northwest corner of 144th and I/25. It has an AMC Movie Theater, a Super Target, restaurants: Happy Sumo, Which Wich, MiMi’s café, Woodlands Grill, Rock Bottom Brewery, Red Robin and Mexico Cantina along with many specialty shops and stores such as: Aero Postale, Claire’s, Christopher and Banks, Colorado Bear Factory, GNC LiveWell, Kay Jeweler’s, Macy’s, Origins, R.E.I., Select Comfort, Tilly’s, Zales and Zumiez to name just a few.

It reads as any mall might appear, but what makes The Orchard special is that it is an Outside Mall, not a Strip Mall, not a maze enclosed inside fluorescent lights, but a mall where the shoppers park along its streets or in a big lot at the end and walk outside, in the glorious sunshine, from shop to shop.

The centers hours are:
Monday through Saturday 10am to 9pm
Sunday 11am to 6pm

It is easy to get there, direct yourself on to I-25 going North from Denver, or South from Erie and exit onto 144th Avenue. Bring some change for the metered parking if you want to get close to a certain store. If you are cool with a nice walk through and around the Mall- the parking at the end of the Mall is free.

Happy Sunshine Shopping!

Post from: The Denver Traveler

When life seems to be bogging you down and it feels like you have been taking care of everyone else but yourself- head on over to Belmar and fall in love with yourself all over again.

From now through August 27th- every Wednesday is I Heart Me day at the Belmar shopping center located at Alameda and Wadsworth. Go ahead, pamper yourself with the best spa treatments in town. Indulge in fun happy hour treats. And, with over 30 participating stores and restaurants, the discounts are bound to make your heart skip a beat.

Don’t forget- from now on- Wednesdays are all bout you, I mean me, I mean you!

[photo-SXC]

Post from: The Denver Traveler

There are books displayed in the windows, in and around catchy themes, dioramas and designs. Weather permitting there is a bargain rack right outside on the sidewalk. When you open the door and step inside, you feel like you are in a book store- do you remember how that feels? There is no coffee café clattering, no teens loitering around a music department, not even a hustle and bustle to get beyond the magazine section before you reach a single book. At Capitol Hill Books- the walls and aisles come up to greet you with thousands upon thousands of titles, categories, genres- all with their spines smiling at you and inviting you to delve in.

It is a used book store- so the prices are right and you’re doing your part in recycling the printed matter by giving it a second chance to delight, inform and entertain your mind. There is also a vintage section that yearns to find a new home on your bookshelf. The décor is literate and fun- quite the task in today’s society. The few non bound materials they offer are unique and are certain to compliment any book you purchase for yourself or as a gift.

My favorite part of the bookstore is where they have displayed all of the things found in the donated/traded books. Everything from letters to photos to shopping lists and a receipt from the Denver Police Department. I spent almost a half hour just reading and marveling at the small glimpses of people’s lives they left behind.

Take yourself out to Capitol Hill Books and Take in all a pure bookstore has to offer.
300 East Colfax Avenue 303-837-0700 Mon- Sat 10 am to 6 pm Sun 11 am to 5 pm.

Post from: The Denver Traveler

I am a huge book lover, so when we moved to Denver I asked Shawn Marie where the best book stores in town was. She immediately told me about the Tattered Cover. The Tattered Cover is a landmark in Denver, and you’d be hard pressed to find a Denverite who doesn’t know about it. At least, a book loving Denverite.

The Tattered Cover is so popular, in fact, that USA Today named it one of Nine Destination Bookstores in the country. They have a few locations throughout Denver, including one on Colfax in the Lowenstein Theater building, and one in LoDo.

Post from: The Denver Traveler