East Colfax Avenue -- PHOTO TOUR (Denver, Boulder: live in, restaurants, dangerous)

[McGowdog]

Nice pics again Vegas! Do you remember seeing Mataam Fez in that stretch or maybe it's further east. What happened to The White Spot and Sushi Heights?

I'm a little erked that the Tattered Cover had to go and "franchise"... but, it's probably a good thing in some ways.

The mother of a member of the band Roots Redemption ran one of those restaurants down there. I think it was near the Ethiopian place, but it was Jamaican. Jerk chicken I think. And goat! Yum... Irie! Bloodclot! My brother hung out with them. They lived in Kingston for a time.

[ramanboy33]

Yum. Cafe Star. Hands down the best brunch in Denver.

[Murmur]

Originally Posted by steveindenver

Not true, Colfax has been gentrified to at least Monaco for years.

It is not unsafe anywhere in my opinion. Past Yosemite it does get "Hispanic" until you hit Fitzsimmons, but that does not translate to dangerous.

There are pockets from 20th to 13th that can be sketchy at night east of Yosemite; generally around the high density buildings but Colfax itself is well trafficked, well lit and policed heavily.

Ding ding, Agreed on all counts here. I've walked sections of Colfax on both east and west of Monaco, and there's nothing to be worried about. It may look a little worse because of the Motels, but I haven't felt unsafe at any time. Additionally, the people in the businesses that I've been to in that area have been some of the friendliest I've met here so far.

I'll take going around that stretch of Colfax over the Cherry Creek area any time...well, if they had more places to go to, at least.

[katmoney]

Originally Posted by ramanboy33

Yum. Cafe Star. Hands down the best brunch in Denver.

I've been wondering about that. I also heard they recently started doing $5 bottomless mimosa's on Sundays!!

I'll have to check it out soon, it's in my hood.

[ramanboy33]

Originally Posted by katmoney

I've been wondering about that. I also heard they recently started doing $5 bottomless mimosa's on Sundays!!

I'll have to check it out soon, it's in my hood.

Their version of eggs benedict is great. The shrimp and grits is delicious. My favorite though is the smoked trout hash.

[ramanboy33]

Originally Posted by McGowdog

I'm a little erked that the Tattered Cover had to go and "franchise"... but, it's probably a good thing in some ways.

What do you mean by this?

[DenverAztec]

Originally Posted by tolife

Actually, I'll take issue with that. I bought in the Ruby Hill neighborhood and Ruby Hill proper has a lower crime density than the areas surrounding the Mississippi and Federal corridors. I researched the crime density maps from DPD before buying. I do have an alarm system, but I have not been a victim of crime in my first 6 months here. It's actually a quiet neighborhood and I still have great proximity to some of the more posh neighborhoods (Pearl Englewood and Wash Park).

You are correct, Ruby Hill is not as bad as the surrounding areas and it is improving significantly from what it used to be. But the surrounding areas still have the highest crime rate and lowest property values in the city. Are you on the east side or west side of the neighborhood? You can't move out some of the government projects from the west side of Federal in Westwood but both areas are still filled with primarily older residents who were the first to live in these post war era homes. However, the traffic that collects on Federal Blvd. is not one I would recommend to anyone, just like I would not recommend living close to Colfax in Capitol Hill. Going there for food and entertainment is much different then living near by, mostly for piece of mind. My dad used to own a few apartment complexes in both Ruby Hill and Westwood and we always had issues with the renters, this was about 30 years ago though. I found an older article, but still applicable.

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_8016269?source=rss

We really don't have any ghettos or slums in Denver when you compare us to cities our size or larger. But for crime stats:

http://www.denvergov.org/2007CrimeSt...8/Default.aspx

Originally Posted by McGowdog

Nice pics again Vegas! Do you remember seeing Mataam Fez in that stretch or maybe it's further east. What happened to The White Spot and Sushi Heights?
Matam Fez is still there - WWW.MATAAMFEZ-DENVER.COM , Sushi Heights is under new management and has a different name, the White Spot that was on Speer and Colfax is now the Denver Diner
I'm a little erked that the Tattered Cover had to go and "franchise"... but, it's probably a good thing in some ways.

The mother of a member of the band Roots Redemption ran one of those restaurants down there. I think it was near the Ethiopian place, but it was Jamaican. Jerk chicken I think. And goat! Yum... Irie! Bloodclot! My brother hung out with them. They lived in Kingston for a time.

The Etheopian place at Colfax and Humbolt is now the Streets of London but there are still some on Colfax. I like the one just a few blocks east of Colorado.

Originally Posted by ramanboy33

Yum. Cafe Star. Hands down the best brunch in Denver.

Yes, love Cafe Star for brunch or dinner. Not fond of Mezcal though. Food didn't have enough spice for me but the atmosphere was cool.

[katmoney]

Mezcal blows. Not a big fan at all.

Tried the Ethiopian joint down the street last month. I was weary about trying it at first but was glad I gave it a chance. What a unique and amazing dining experience!

I usually hang out at Atomic or Goosetown Tavern.

[XAFLOC]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

What I think would be really cool would be to photograph the next stretch to the east-- getting into the grittier parts of east Denver and downtown Aurora. That's where it really hasn't changed much in years, other than the ethnic composition of the demographics. Only thing is I don't feel safe walking too much farther east on that road-- especially in the Aurora section-- especially with a camera in hand.

Colfax, from Colorado east to Monaco has changed a lot, although there is definitely room for improvement. This stretch of Colfax is surrounded by some nice neighborhoods including Park Hill and Mayfair (the 17th Ave Parkway which boasts some impressive historic mansions runs just 2 blocks north of Colfax along this stretch).

Some of the highlights of this stretch are The Elm bar and grill (great bar--especially for Red Sox fans), Geez Louise coffee shop, The Cork House (they have a great outdoor patio for Sunday brunches when the weather is nice), Solera Restaurant (critically acclaimed but I've never been there because it seems a bit upscale), The Phoenician Kabob (mediterranean food), Mod Livin (if you're in the market for funky furniture), Thick as Thieves (one of the better tattoo shops along this stretch of Colfax), and Senor Rita's (Mexican food and margaritas). There are also some newer buildings near Krameria, but nothing really worth taking a picture of (although Hubcap Annies seems like an interesting place).

East of Monaco, there isn't really a whole lot of new development until you hit the Aurora Arts District just east of the Denver/Aurora border. This area is also home to La Cueva (one of the best Mexican restaurants in the city). Someone mentioned earlier that they liked the funky atmosphere of Mezcal but not the food. La Cueva as both a cool atmosphere and great food (and fewer hipsters).

[tfox]

Originally Posted by katmoney

Tried the Ethiopian joint down the street last month. I was weary about trying it at first but was glad I gave it a chance. What a unique and amazing dining experience!

Which one did you try? there's so many on East Colfax. I tried this place called "Axum" just east of Colorado that I really liked; actually much better IMO than Arada (the place that used to be on East Colfax but then moved to Santa Fe). But there's got to be at least a dozen others on East Colfax I haven't tried yet.

By the way, this is a great thread -- about time that Colfax gets the respect it deserves on city-data.