A Day in Denver

Yesterday Nate and I spent some time downtown, and we hadn't been down there in a while so it was a nice treat. Not to mention, it was a perfect day to sit outside in the sun. One of my favorite places downtown is Commons Park, so we ended up sitting there and spent some time people and dog watching. From the park you see the skyline to the east, Elitch Gardens (Denver's amusement park) on the south, and the Platte river creates a border to the west. There is so much "eye candy" at Commons Park, but it's definitely not overwhelming. It's a perfect retreat from the busy urban surroundings. If you love to people watch, Commons Park is a fantastic spot for that! We also had some of our engagement pictures taken there... it's great for photography too. :)




Commons Park has a hill, located to the side of of an open area, which gives a great vantage point for all of the above mentioned things. I almost forgot to mention the entertainment that dogs interacting provides. There is an endless supply of dogs and their owners enjoying the open space. We watched at least five chihuahua sized dogs on leashes get tangled together, while their owners attempted to untangle the hyperactive mess. We were pretty sure that all of the dogs were happy and excited that they found dogs the same size as them. Every once in a while though you see a very unfair advantage when a giant sized dog and tiny dog meet. It's even funnier when the little dog attempts to be the alpha dog over the larger dog. Makes me think of "short man syndrome" every time. Quite entertaining, those darn dogs!

One thing there is no shortage of in Denver is bicycles. You see countless numbers of people riding through Commons Park on their bikes, and that adds another fun activity to watch while lounging on the hillside. We watched one guy ride the entire length of the park with no hands on his handlebars, and of course that made us think of the Flobots song "Handlebars". If you see anyone riding their bike with no hands, I highly suggest singing "Handlebars" (at least in your head), because it makes the whole experience funnier.

Denver has a bunch of "bicycle libraries" popping up all over town, and we found one just on the fringe of the park. I thought all of the red cruisers in a row made for a perfect, colorful snapshot. You can rent the bikes and return them to any of the stands located across Denver. Pretty darn cool if you ask me.

If you have some free time and there's nice weather for sitting outside, check out Commons Park in Denver. You just might enjoy it. :)