Dog-Friendly Denver

Image courtesy Pixabay

As you may recall, or maybe you noticed from all of the dog pictures on your Facebook NewsFeed, yesterday was National Dog Day! If you are a newer resident of The Amaranth, or are new to Denver in general, you may not realize what a dog-friendly area we live in, both within The Amaranth's walls and beyond!

At The Amaranth
We love to see the dogs of The Amaranth in and around the property. In fact, we consider pets members of the family, and our amenities reflect this. If you love to explore the outdoors with your pet, you can pamper and bathe them in our on-site dog washing station. There is also plenty of green areas for your dog to play. While we do have certain breed and age restrictions, we do allow up to 2 pets per home. If you have additional questions regarding our pet policy, just give our offices a call!

In case you missed it, we are running a photo contest on our Facebook page in celebration of National Dog Day! Simply upload a photo of your dog to Facebook, using the hashtag #DogsOfTheAmaranth. The photo with the most "likes" by noon on Wednesday, September 2 (CMT) will receive a $100 VISA gift card to take your award-winning pup on a shopping spree!

Local Dog Parks
Before the weather turns cold, take your dog on a field trip to one our area's many dog parks for some socializing! Parks close to The Amaranth include Stapleton Off Leash Dog Park, Lowry Dog Park and Railyard Dog Park. If you've never taken your dog to a park before, make sure to bring supplies to clean up waste and be sure that your dog is properly immunized.

Dog-Friendly Patios
When you think of Denver, you likely think of beer, and many Denver bars and restaurants will allow your dog to accompany you on their outdoor patios. While the weather is still warm, take the dogs along with you on your social outings! Jakes Food & Spirits, Black Pearl Restaurant, LoHi Steakbar, and The Watering Bowl all allow pets in their outdoor seating areas, according to Visit Denver.

Aside from the places we have listed above, The Amaranth's walkable neighborhood with tree-lined streets and close proximity to Cheesman Park offer beautiful spaces for a scenic walk with your dog. You and your pet will feel right at home at The Amaranth and throughout our neighborhood!

Laugh Out Loud at High Plains Comedy Festival

Image courtesy Pixabay

"LOL" is an acronym you likely use in everyday life, whether it's through text or via email, and often times we aren't actually "laughing out loud" when we type it. If you need a really good, genuine laugh, you will not want to miss this weekend's High Plains Comedy Festival, which kicks off today and lasts through Saturday, August 22!

Now in its third year, the festival aims to highlight both national and local comics. Who can you look forward to seeing at this year's festival? The big headliner for this year is comedian Anthony Jeselnik, who you may have seen on Comedy Central roasts or on his show "The Jeselnik Offensive." Other performers include Nikki Glaser, Dan St. Germain, Rory Scovel and nearly 70 others. While the festival's events will be held at venues along South Broadway, the festival's headliner will be performing at Paramount Theater in Downtown Denver. Please note, most of the festival's other venues are 21+ since they are mostly bar environments. The festival is meant to be walkable, so venues are all fairly close to one another. Take advantage of their close proximity and enjoy as many shows as you can possibly cram into 72 hours!

Tickets and passes for the festival may be purchased on the official website. Guests may purchase tickets for individual shows or passes for the entire weekend. Ticket prices for individual shows range from $10-$39.50, while festival passes cost $125. Guests who purchase festival passes will also eligible to attend the headlining show and will receive a limited edition T-shirt! According to 5280 Magazine, if you haven't attended the festival in year's past, "you've been missing out."

Enjoy Denver's stand-up comedy friendly environment and watch new and emerging comedic talent! You just may end up seeing some of these performers on "Last Comic Standing," which headliner Anthony Jeselnik hosts!

The events of the High Plains Comedy Festival are easily accessible from your home at The Amaranth. The Paramount Theater is a quick 10-minute drive away, as are most of the festival's additional venues.

Have you attended the High Plains Comedy Festival in years past, or do you plan to attend this year's event? Share which performances you'll be seeing on The Amaranth's Facebook and Twitter pages!

Additional sources consulted:
Denver.org

USA Pro Cycling Challenge Prep

Image courtesy Pixabay

The greater Denver area is certainly no stranger to the annual USA Pro Cycling Challenge. While the 2015 race kicks off on Monday, August 17, the race will not make its way through Denver until the final day of the race, Sunday, August 23. As the race winds its way up Lookout Mountain, through Golden, and into the streets of Denver, you will need to know not only the best places to be to view the race, but also which areas of Denver will be affected by road closures. 

Stage 7 of the race, the Golden to Denver route, will affect quite a few major highways from approximately 1:10 p.m. until 4 p.m. on August 23. These include: SH 93, U.S. 40, SH 121, SH 95 and U.S 40-287. You can receive daily road closure information by dialing 511 or by visiting the CDOT website. The estimated finish time of the race is at 3:45 p.m.

If you would like to watch the competition for yourself, the race route will run four laps around Civic Center Park, City Park and 17th Street. According to a 2014 article from 5280 Magazine, the closer you get to Colfax Street, the more crowded it gets. The magazine also recommends that if you want the best view possible, to arrive close to the finish line early! While the finish line is reserved for VIPs, if you get there early enough, you should be able to stake out a good spot! A more unconventional viewing location is Speer Boulevard.

To celebrate the Denver leg of the race, the "Stage 7 Finish Festival" will commence at Civic Center Park at 11 a.m. on race day, and will last through 5 p.m. The festival will feature vendors, food trucks, drinks, awards ceremony and more! 

If you are interested in doing more than watching the race, volunteers are needed! Interested parties can fill out a volunteer form on the USA Pro Challenge site. Opportunities are available in hospitality, check-in, set-up/tear-down and more!

 

Start doing your Pro Cycling Challenge planning now! Civic Center Park is less than 2 miles away from your home at The Amaranth! 

Additional sources consulted:

Denver.org

FOX 31 Denver

What's that Smell? A Rare Opportunity Awaits at Denver Botanic Gardens

Photo courtesy Denver Botanic Garden Facebook

If you are currently a resident at The Amaranth, you know just how easy it is to make a trip across the street to visit the Denver Botanic Gardens. However, in the next couple of weeks, a truly rare, possibly even a once in a lifetime, opportunity awaits. While this opportunity may not smell all that enticing, you have to experience it to believe it. Intrigued yet? This rare sight and experience is none other than the Corpse Flower.

The Corpse Flower, otherwise known as the Titum Arum, is named for the foul smell it emits in order to attract pollinators. The flower is predicted to bloom within the next couple of weeks, with a current predicted date of August 16. Once it begins to bloom, the flower will only continue to do so for approximately 48 hours. This will mark the very first time the Corpse Flower at Denver Botanic Gardens has blossomed, and this is the only Corpse Flower to be found in the Rocky Mountain Region!

While the rotting flesh-like smell emitted by the plant may deter you from wanting to visit it in-person, with all odors aside, the flower is a beautiful sight when it blossoms. Upon blooming, the flower displays gorgeous purple and yellow petals. It can take up to 20 years after it is planted for the flower to bloom, and there may be up to a 10 year gap between blossoms. The flower at the Gardens is from Sumatra and is 15 years old.

Are you interested in seeing (and smelling) this unique flower for yourself? Be sure to follow Denver Botanic Gardens on social media (here are links to their Facebook and Twitter pages) for up-to-date news, or search using the hashtag #StinkyDBG! Last month in Berkeley, California, the Corpse Flower at UC Berkeley drew approximately 2,000 visitors when it bloomed! The Botanic Gardens does plan to extend its hours while the flower blooms to accommodate more visitors. Good thing we live right across the street, because in the next couple of weeks, all eyes will be on the Denver Botanic Garden's Corpse Flower!

Additional sources consulted:
ABC News 7 Denver
9 News