Confluence Park

 Denver, CO

One of three footbridges we crossed over a water today

A Long Walk For Francis

Today was sort of a rest day.  Our visiting friends returned to Seattle and all of our other friends here are working so we had a "normal" day here in Denver.  We got up, made coffee, Donna read the newspaper (online, we aren't that old), I played Animal Crossing, and then we took Francis for a well deserved walk.  We headed over to The South Platt River and then followed it to Cherry Creek.  We then crossed Cherry Creek via a footbridge and then tried to walk up the South Platt River along the Kayak Park but we were blocked by construction vehicles working on the bridge above.  We changed our route to cross the South Platt again and then walk downstream to another footbridge and then complete a full circle.  It was a nice walk and Francis enjoyed it.

Where Cherry Creek meets The South Platt River.  The bridge you see is the one being "constructioned" upon.

This is where the Kayaking area ends and there are steps so you can get out and walk back up and do it all again.

No one was in the water this morning.

I guess they want to get the word out that Denver is a Topless Equality City.  DenverGoTopless lays it all out for you. 

Both cyclists and pedestrians use the walkways around the rivers.  Some sections are separated walking and biking and some sections are shared.

It's getting late in the season but there are still a few flowers holding on.

Maybe we will go to the Bazaar on Friday.

Along Cherry Creek under the RTD Tracks

The rest of the day was filled with grocery shopping, cooking, doing chores, and lounging.  It was a nice today to relax.  As of right now, we have plans to get together with friends on Wednesday and Thursday so a rest is good.

That's it for today.  If you missed The Denver Zoo, check it out.  We went to the Denver Zoo.  Oh sorry, should have said, "SPOILER ALERT".  Now the surprise is ruined. 

The Oldest Bar in Denver, For Lunch

 Denver, CO

The Platte River Convergence where Cherry Creek and The Platte River meet downtown

Reddit Learnings

Today we went to lunch at My Brother's Bar.  It is the oldest Bar in Denver and it has served food and libations since 1873.  Before I travel to a place I research it.  I use Google, Yelp, Trip Adviser, and other sites to try to understand what should be put on a list of things to do while we are there.  I have my normal checklist of things I want to do which includes; Museums, State Parks, Pinball, Tiki Bars, Capitol Buildings, Breweries, Birding Locations, and many other things, but doing research helps me find some of the hidden gems.  My Brothers Bar isn't a hidden Gem but it is a place that I wouldn't have known about if it wasn't for Reddit.  One other thing I do before going to a place is to join the subreddit, in this case it is r/Denver for the area and watch the chatter and discussions that happen in the months leading up to my trip. They talk about politics, crimes, festivals, sports, traffic, and all of the things that make a city a city.  One topic I happened to catch was "Dive bar with good food?"  I do love a good dive bar and I like food so I took notes and ended up with a list of about 8 places I wanted to go. My Brother's Bar was on that list.  

We met Brandon, Matt, and Gene there at Noon and it was everything I expected from the oldest bar in Denver.  The wood floors were worn into a cool pattern from people walking in tight paths around the tables, the bar was nicely stocked, there were patrons sitting at the bar drinking, and there was an old menu sign that had been updated over the years.  They are known for their Jalapeno Cream Cheese Burger but after my jalapeno induced heartburn last month I went with a normal burger and Mini Corn Dogs. The food was really great bar food.  The burgers came wrapped in paper on top of a plastic condiment carrier which had sliced onions, relish, ketchup, mustard, sliced pickles. and pepperoncini.  Brandon, Matt, and Gene also got onion rings and fries so I got to try them and they were really good too.  It was a great place and a unique experience and I owe it in part to people just talking on Reddit.

The Platte

The Platte Whitewater Park for tubing and kayaking

They were running this heritage trolley for $7 a trip.

The old Denver Tramway Power Company Building now occupied by REI and Starbucks

Some cool art to go with the seating areas and no this wasn't Anti-homeless Design, there were plenty of sections that didn't have these.

The entrance and Logo for My Brother's Bar

You have to sell shirts when you are the oldest bar in Denver

The promised Paper Burger Presentation.  This was my 2nd paper wrapped burger in Denver.

The condiments were nestled all snug in their Lucite Container

Here's the menu, what would you have ordered?

Here is a zoomed in version so you can see all of the history

If you want an easy way to catch up on our adventures check out yesterday's post here.