Old and new

I was in Westminster (a suburb on Denver's northwest edge) yesterday for a photo shoot, and afterward I stopped in downtown Denver to pick up something at the Patagonia shop. This part of Denver is a lot like downtown Colorado Springs. The majority of the buildings are at least a century old, with a few newer ones thrown into the mix.

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The corner of 19th and Wynkoop in Denver's LoDo, captured at twilight.

City Stacks

The Denver photo shoot that I mentioned in yesterday's post took us briefly to City Stacks, a cool bookstore/espresso bar on Wazee Street. We were only in there long enough for my clients to use the restroom, then we moved on to another location. But this is the kind of place where you could spend hours just reading, sipping coffee and shopping. I love stores like this!

Denver's Union Station

A view of historic Union Station in downtown Denver (or to be more precise, the LoDo), which has recently undergone a huge interior renovation project and is now bustling with restaurants, bars, shops, and a posh hotel on the upper level. It's still a train station, though, so if you want to travel by train from Denver, this is your starting point! I was there on Monday for a photo shoot. My clients wanted to have their engagement portraits done in and around the train station, because they were instrumental players in its renaissance. It was not the first time I've been called upon to do portraits there, but generally I just use the outside of the building as a backdrop. I haven't actually been inside the building since before the renovation. I was amazed at all the changes inside! So many people and so much to do! Of course I'll have to go back there when I'm not working, just to have a drink and explore the newness of it all.

The Union Station's landmark sign is even better by night, but alas our photo shoot took us farther away from the building as darkness fell, so I didn't get a nighttime shot of it for you. I'll get one next time!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! It's the first of the month, which means it's Theme Day for City Daily Photo bloggers, and it's the first of the year, which means the theme is Photo of the Year! Last year, that is. And, like every year, I can never narrow it down to just one image, so here are 13 of my favorites from 2014. Not all of these were taken in Colorado Springs or even in Colorado (like my absolute favorite, at the top of this post -- it was taken in San Clemente, California), but I don't think that's any kind of criteria to judge by, so please enjoy these photos that were taken all over in the last 12 months.

You can find many other fascinating Photo of the Year posts from City Daily Photo bloggers all over the world by clicking right HERE. I hope you had a wonderful New Years celebration! Wishing you all the best in 2015! Tamera

Skywatch Friday

The old Benjamin Moore Paints building in lower downtown Denver at 25th and Walnut, now converted into lofts. I'm glad they left the striking orange sign on the building. It contrasts so nicely with the blue sky.

For more Skywatch Friday pictures from bloggers everywhere, click HERE. Have a great weekend!

Coors Field

I was in downtown Denver yesterday for a photo shoot, and while I was there I took a few pictures when I had a few minutes to spare. Here's Coors Field, the stadium in the LoDo where the Colorado Rockies play their home games. I've been to a few games here and it's a very nice facility. I've never been to any other professional baseball stadiums so I have no point of reference, but I think Coors Field is probably better than most. In fact, it's gorgeous. I've heard it described as the jewel of downtown Denver, and I think that's accurate. If you're ever in Denver during baseball season, you should take in a game at Coors Field. You won't be disappointed.

Window washing daredevil

This man was on a VERY tall ladder, cleaning the third floor windows (that's the second floor to you Europeans) of a building in Denver's LoDo district when we were there the other day. No helper, no one to hold the ladder steady, and no safety gear. As they say, there's a fine line between bravery and stupidity!

Downtown Denver

This is a footbridge over the Platte River where it runs through downtown Denver. My friends Brian and Allison recently moved into a loft just a stone's throw from where this photo was taken.

I like this part of Denver, it's really abuzz with activity and things to do. It's affectionately known as the LoDo, short for "lower downtown". The LoDo is dear to my heart, not only because it's a former personal stomping ground (in my crazy, go-go nightclubbing days), but because it is also the former stomping ground of Beat poet Jack Kerouac and his mates (Ginsberg, Cassady, Burroughs, et al). It's chock full of character and history. If you are a fan of Kerouac, you really should visit the LoDo sometime and see where he got a lot of his inspiration.