Gourmet Food

In no particular order I will throw down a few of my favorite restaurants around Denver. I’m no food critic or a food snob. Well, maybe a food snob.

We all look for fun things to do with our wives , family and friends so why not support the economy and go out to eat. I remember 10 years ago when you wanted to go out to eat you better get an early start or have a reservation or forget about getting a seat. Restaurants were packed to the roof every night. Remember the boom time of the early 2000’s? I do.

• 1. Best Restaurant period end of story – Fruition. Yum, just typing the name made me hungry. Try it or miss out on one of life’s great pleasures. You will not get in this place (usually) without a reservation. Not a place for kids. Date night or bring one other couple with you. It’s excellent and a fun place to eat and talk.
  2. ChoLon – 1555 Blake Street #101  Denver, CO 80202 - Very addictive dumplings. Don’t try to share these with your wife unless you both want to go home mad. Whoever eats the last one leaves the other person pissed. I’ve never been here for dinner just lunch and it’s always crowded.
  3. Colt & Gray – 1553 Platte Street #120 Denver, CO 80202 – Cool place with cool people and excellent food. Good date night with the wife or girl friend.
  4. Mizuna – 225 East 7th Avenue  Denver, CO 80203 – I’ve been here twice and never disappointed. It’s just great food with awesome service. Both times we visited Mizuna we had a blast and left with a very happy belly.

We are going to be trying two other great restaurants in Denver soon. Our next outing will be

1. Linger 2030 W. 30th Ave which we have reservations for. This place must be great since we could not get a reservation for almost a month out. I can’t wait. I have friends that eat here regularly (probably why we couldn’t get a reservation) and they all say this is the place to be. We’ll see.
2. ll Posta – 2011 East 17th Avenue, Denver - This is another restaurant in Denver that has raving fans. We have a reservation here in a few weeks so I’m excited to see what they have to offer.

Anyway that’s my quick list with all the places that come to mind right now so they must be my favorites. If’ you were looking for fun things to do and wanted a list of good restaurants then here it is. Go try some and let me know what you think.

Finally! The day has come that Hess Road or “Stress Road” as Parker residents call it will open to traffic. After a few months delay yes it will really happen.

The planned opening is January 24th around 11AM. There will be a ceremony to mark the event with we have all been waiting for.

Hess Road in Parker, Colorado will now take you directly from Parker over to I-25 and connect up with the Castle Pines Exit off I-25. This will save many of us a lot of time going forward and should break up a lot of the morning and evening traffic on Lincoln Ave. We all can already tell a huge difference in traffic with the recent opening of Mainstreet to I-25. That alone has made a huge difference.

Business Meeting At PACE

Looking for a meeting spot in Parker, CO to have a business meeting or social function?

Bet you thought the new PACE Center or [Parker Arts, Culture & Events Center] was just for watching a play, outdoor concert, ballet or school recital?

No, No, No it’s so much more.

Parker has been in need of easy cost effective meeting rooms for years and now we have it right in the middle of town. This is a huge benefit to business in the Parker area. No more driving to the DTC for meetings. No more cramming everyone in your office conference room meant to hold only 15 people. No more standing for an hour listening to the meeting because there is no place to sit.

If you are looking for a meeting room or class room or a great place to host a business or even a social gathering then the Parker PACE Center should not be overlooked. I was over there last week with friends looking for a place to host and event for around 400 people and was shocked at how reasonable the place is and especially how reasonable the prices are.

My real estate office, RE/MAX Alliance Parker, regularly holds our office meetings there.  It’s super convenient and they allow food.

Parker Arts, Culture & Events Center

• Rooms that hold around 40-50 people.
• A 536 seat theater.
• Outdoor patio for parties.
• Large technology room.
• Outdoor 250 seat amphitheater.
• Full list of caterers to lavish your guests with food.
• Reasonable prices.
• Super easy access. Head East off I-25 and Ridgegate Parkway and you will run into The PACE Center in Parker. No turns.
• It helps support Parker, Colorado Arts.

Have you tried it? You should. Here is the address. I think a night at Fruition is super fun and relaxing.

Fruition Restaurant: 1313 East 6th Avenue Denver, CO 80218

Reservations: (303) 831-1992

I been there at least 5 times since September. We went last Friday and will be going back again this Friday with friends. This is a couples restaurant not a party hole. Go to enjoy great food and good conversation. I’m pretty sure they don’t even take reservations for groups over 4 people.

I didn’t even mention that prices are SUPER reasonable. They feed you great food and serve up a great time without breaking the bank. Trust me it is worth every penny you pay.

The food melts in your mouth. Their appetizers are to die for. We typically order one appetizer per person in our group. Main courses are superb and the taste will knock you off your socks.

If you want a reservation call or use OpenTable.com.

Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Snowshoeing Fun With the Family

Looking for fun things to do with your kids?

Try a Colorado style picnic.

In the winter when the snow is on the ground in town there isn’t a lot kids can do for fun. The roads are covered with ice and snow so biking and other normal activities are out of the question. Sure you can load them up and head to bowling, movies or other indoor activities but that gets expensive and it doesn’t qualify as “outdoor activity.” It will amaze you what you learn about yourself, your kids and family in general when you get into nature. Unplug and go have some fun. I guarantee you your kids will be tired and learn something new every time you go out in the forest in the wintertime. Summer is not the only time of year to get out and hike.

Here is what we do to have active fun and save money.

We pack sandwiches and snacks and head to the mountains. We pack our snow shoes and warm clothes and we are off.

Costs:

• Sandwiches for 4 people made at home = $5.00
• Snacks for 4 people + $5.00
• Bottled water from my tap = $0.00
• Gas up and back $20.00

What to bring:

• Snowshoes – Small investment but they last for years and can be sold later. Or you can rent them from REI. The last time we rented them it was about $4.00 for the day.
• Warm clothes – Typical snow day clothes. Mitten, boots, hats and thick socks. Goggles if it is snowing.
• Thermos with hot chocolate for after or during the walk.
• Poles only for bigger kids and adults.
• Blow up sled for smaller kids. Your day will last longer if you have a place for small kids to ride.
• Hand held GPS if you plan on going for hours.

We generally go snowshoeing when it nice and sunny but occasionally we’ll hit the trail in a snowstorm. I highly recommend a GPS or compass. I’ve seen tracks disappear in heavy snowfall in a matter of an hour. Be mindful of the time and your surroundings. Always know where you are and where you need to go. The vast majority of trails around here will have fresh traffic on them so finding your way out is generally not an issue.

About the blow up sled. I bought a $5.00 blow up sled (pictured top right my daughter sitting in it.) with an upright back on it for my 3 year old daughter wot ride in. I attached about 20 feet of rope to it and made one large loop. I put he her on the sled, take the large loop over my head and secure it around my waist. It is amazing how easy it is to pull her on this sled. She weighs around 35 pounds and I can barely feel her behind me.

Having fun snowshoeing.

Great places to snowshoe with kids.

1. Kenosha Pass. Take 285 which is Hampden Road South out of Denver to the top of Kenosha Pass. I believe the ride is about an hour depending on where in the Denver Metro you live.

We generally take a left off 285 into the parking area and drive back to the main parking area near the bathrooms and picnic tables. Easy parking and easy access to the trails from here plus the added bonus of bathrooms.

2. Ski Cooper. That is Cooper not Copper. Drive up to Ski Cooper and park across the street from the main entrance. There is a relatively flat hike that starts from the parking lot and winds down into a meadow around some beaver ponds and then back into and through the forest.

Kenosha has picnic tables and bathrooms so that is nice but we generally find a nice sunny warm location and plop down for a nice picnic and enjoy the day. As I said before. It is amazing what you can learn about yourself, your family and especially your children when you unplug and get back to the basics. Sitting down and watching the forest as the winds blow and observing small animals as they scurry around makes a great way to picnic.

Tips for snowshoeing with kids.

Picnic Colorado Style

• Keep them warm. I’ve snowshoed with my 3 year old daughter in negative 14 degree weather in Steamboat Springs and since she was dress properly she actually fell asleep in her little sled.
• Up at Kenosha Pass the forest service sometimes has piles of wood that is just laying around on the ground. My son and I have used these piles of wood many times to build small cabins or a lean to that he can play in. It is also an easy way to give a kid a lesson on back country survival and they won’t even know they are learning while playing. Isn’t that the easiest way to teach?
• If you are lucky enough to snowshoe during a blizzard take advantage of it. We will make our picnic under a large evergreen. Pick any spruce that has good cover and pine bowes that you can easily squeeze under. Sit and have lunch under the tree. This is also a good survival lesson but have them sit quietly and listen. It will baffle you to hear just how loud a snow storm really is. You can hear the flakes hitting the trees and ground.
• Try to let your kids figure out what type of animal left the tracks that they will see in the forest. “Name that track” is a fun game to play in the forest.

You might also enjoy this article about snowshoeing with kids.

So, just because it’s cold don’t think you have to do indoor activities. Get your kids and family out of the house and enjoy some snowshoeing. Call me if you need more details info or directions. I know many other great spots to go as well and I’m happy to share. Steven Beam 303-941-4663

“Steve, Why Should I live in Parker, Colorado?”

O'Brien Park in Parker

Here are what I think are the top 11 reasons to move to Parker, Colorado and buy real estate.

1. Location: Parker is located 20 miles form downtown Denver, Colorado. It takes 25 minutes to get there with no traffic. I make this drive all the time so I know it works.

2. Cherry Creek Bike Trail: The Cherry Creek bike path runs from just North of Castlewood Canyon State Park all the way into Downtown Denver, Colorado and beyond. I have friends that ride their bikes to work in Downtown Denver, Colorado from Parker on a regular basis in the Spring, Summer and Fall.

3. Fun things to do in Parker, Colorado: How about a daily farmers market right in the Town of Parker? How about weekly festivals and events in Parker such as art festivals, food festivals, wine festivals, Parades, horse drawn carriages, Easter Egg hunts and full on Parker Days Carnivals with rides that make your stomach spin? Believe me there is more but this is just a sampling.

4. P.A.C.E. Parker Arts, Cultural Events: This place is amazing. Just opened a few weeks ago in the Fall of 2011. 250 seat amphitheatre, full stage productions, rooms for rent of r seminars, business meetings and cocktail parties. I love the new Parker PACE. We just held an office meeting there last week. State of the art technology for presentations and super comfortable meeting rooms make this a real Parker asset.

5. Castlewood Canyon: Located 20 minutes South of the Town of Parker, Colorado this is a true amenity for our town. Some call it the miniature Grand Canyon. Hiking Castlewood Canyon is a family adventure. Trails range for less than 1 mile to well over 4 miles. Trail runners love it and so do leisure hikers. We take our kids down to bottom and let them dip their feet into Cherry Creek. Crayfish and rock scrambling make for big family fun.

6. Location to DTC or the Denver Tech Center: Parker is only about 15 to 20 minutes from the DTC. Commuting is a breeze if your office is located in the DTC.

7. Light Rail Transportation: 3 miles West of Jordan road in Parker is the Light Rail Station. Take the light rail to Downtown Denver, Colorado or the Broncos game. Soon you will be able to ride the train to DIA (Denver International Airport). Light Rail make life easy. We take it into town for dinner out, games or just to have a day off walking around Downtown Denver, CO.

8. Hospitals and Medical Care: Parker, CO has hospitals within 3 miles. Parker Adventist and Sky Ridge in Lone Tree, Colorado. Parker Adventist is great for families since it is a Children’s hospital. Both of my kids were born at Sky Ridge Medical Center in Lone Tree. We use and appreciate both hospitals but we have kids so the Children’s Hospital is seeing us on a regular basis.

9. Big Colorado Rocky Mountain Views. Many of the neighborhoods in Parker allow for big Colorado mountain views. If you are going to move to Colorado why now see the sunsets and mountain views daily.

10. People and Lifestyle for Parker, Colorado: If you live in Parker the best thing is that when you come home from work you don’t have to leave. We have it all. Restaurants, movies, active lifestyle opportunities and family fun. I know that the census data shows the average age of Parker Colorado is somewhere around 30 years old. Well. the real truth is that Parker has families. Lots of kids. When you have lots of kids it also means Grandparents. I’ve moved more Grandparents to Parker in the last 10 years than I can count. There is plenty to do and keep all ages happy and active.

11. Education and the Douglas County School System: Consistently ranked among the highest in the Country. Douglas County Schools are tops compared to any school system in the nation. Douglas County itself ranks over 2 times the national average for college grads and these parents all expect the best for their kids and are willing to pay for it. There are plenty of private, Montessori and public options available for your children.

Every year we head to the Air Force Academy for a football game.

Personally I like to go to the games where Air Force is playing either Navy or Army. It just seems more fun when two branches of the service are playing against each other. There is something about the military colleges and their traditions that make the games so much fun. I wasn’t alive in the 1950’s but these games make me think that I’m at a football game in the 50’s. It’s a great family atmosphere with all the military flair a kid or adult could ask for.

Costs:

• Parking = FREE
• Tickets = $25 to $50

A Broncos game will cost you around $70 for just one ticket and forget about free parking so this is a much less expensive fun day.

The students/cadets are dressed in their uniforms so our 6 year old thought that was super cool. Now he wants to go get camo shirts and pants to wear to the next game.

Being that this is the Air Force home field the fly over before the game is always a special treat. Last year they had a vintage flyover with older planes then the “big dog” latest and greatest planes flew over. The rumble in your chest is more than enough to make you feel super Patriotic and happy to be an American.

Oh and don’t forget the skydivers. Skydivers deliver the American Flag to the game. It’s super cool watching guys try to land in the center of the field.

Just before the game the band is down and a pit just below the concourse where you walk into your seats.  Spectators gather around and look down into the pit and listen to the band jam before the game.

Before the coin toss the cadets all line up in formation on the field. The formations alone are amazing. Then by some signal that I have not yet figured out they all take off running at the same time to the bleachers. It’s a comical sight to see hundreds of kids running for the stands. See the video of the cadets running below.

Recommendations:

• Tailgating is always fun and there is plenty of space to setup a full on tailgate spread.
• Arrive early. We arrived 2 hours before the game and the party was already in full swing.
• Expect a fully family friendly atmosphere.
• Get to your seats 20 minutes before the game to see all the cadets line up and the flyover.
• The stadium is much smaller than Mile High so the crowds are smaller and traffic is manageable.

It’s a great day of fun for kids and adults.

Over Labor Day weekend we took a little walk up Peak 8 to the 13,000 foot summit. It was a pretty easy hike as hikes go in in Colorado but it was fun and worth the effort. The views were amazing and we were very lucky there was no cloud cover and the skies were clear. It may not show on the video below but we could see forever.

So here’s how we did it.  My family and a few friends were staying at One Ski Hill Place in Breck. I highly recommend this as your base camp in Breck. We took the scenic lift up to about mid-mountain and took off up the ridge line to the warming hut or ski patrol house that you can easily see from down in town. The climb from the lift to the house was quite steep and the road/trail up there is mostly loose gravel and dirt so traction can be an issue. I found it to be more difficult coming down than going up.

Once you reach the mountain house there is a small trail leading up to the top of the Imperial chair lift. This is the last little stop until you reach the summit at ~ 13,000 feet. The trail from the top of the chair lift to the summit is rocky, loose and a little steep in spots. This was the most difficult section to descend once you have reached the summit.  You want to be careful not to twist and ankle.

Overall I would rate it very accessible and a great afternoon hike that will give you great views of the surrounding mountains.

PACE Parker Arts Culture & Events

PACE

or

Parker Arts, Culture & Events

This is a scan of the post card the Town of Parker handed me at the recent “State of the Town” meeting I attended.

To be honest learning about this new (soon to be finished) cultural center in the center of town was actually the most exciting part of the event. There were a few bad jokes and a lot less real information given that I had hoped for. Mostly a smooze event and “look at me I’m your representative” junk. I do like the Mayor. Enough about the meeting.

This new building which I will say is quite impressive for Parker is really going to bring our Town to life. From the artist renderings and models I saw I cannot wait to attend an event here.

This is what I was told.

• Located in the heart of Parker’s historic downtown.
• Will host a varsity of regional and national arts performances.
• Available for rental for community, social and business events.
• 300 seat theater with an orchestra pit and dressing rooms
• 250 seat outdoor amphitheater
• Event room for banquets and community events. Social wing-dings! Yahoo.
• Multipurpose classrooms, media and visual arts rooms and dance studio
• Catering and teaching kitchen
• Plaza with a kids playground
• Art gallery

To me this sounds really cool. We have needed this for years. If you have ever been to an event at the old Mainstreet Center you understand why.

Good job Parker planners and Mayor for helping get this built for the Town of Parker.

]]> http://realestateyak.com/2011/04/07/pace-parker-gets-a-new-arts-events-culture-center/feed/ 1 http://realestateyak.com/2011/04/07/stonegate-annual-neighborhood-garage-sale-2011/ http://realestateyak.com/2011/04/07/stonegate-annual-neighborhood-garage-sale-2011/#comments Thu, 07 Apr 2011 16:44:04 +0000 Steven Beam http://realestateyak.com/?p=3087

Stonegate Neighborhood Garage Sale 2011

The Annual Stonegate Neighborhood Garage Sale

Friday and Saturday June, 3rd and 4th.

From 8:00 AM to 2:00PM

Directions: Stonegate is 3 miles East of I-25 and Lincoln in Douglas County Colorado in the town of Parker. Stonegate is on the North and South sides of Lincoln at the intersection of Lincoln and Jordan Roads.

We all know that many people setup much earlier than 8AM and leave their stuff out later than 2:00PM.

It’s that time of year again. The Stonegate Neighborhood Garage Sale is always a huge draw for garage sale enthusiasts.   There will be minor traffic jams and loads of loot being hauled out of this neighborhood during the two day event. I’ve seen college kids fully deck out their soon to be dorm rooms with great items they picked up for cheap at this sale. It seriously is one of the largest neighborhood garage sales I’ve ever seen. Many neighborhoods try to copy this event with little success. I think the main reason is that so many homes participate. Good Luck.

Here’s a few tips.

• Prep early. Have your items priced and ready to display the night before.
• Get plenty of $1 and change from the bank the day before.
• Use masking tape to price your items. It’s easy to tear it off and reprice the item if you realize that $25 for that velvet picture of the dogs playing poker isn’t attracting attention.
• Start early. The real garage sale enthusiasts are out early. There will be people out shopping at 7:15 trust me.
• If you can have your items on tables inside the garage ready to be carried out to the driveway when you wake up it makes it a lot easier. It also helps if there is a wind or rain storm. you can easily pull the tables back into the garage.
• Price low. Remember that used items should really be price at least 50% of original value to even get people to look. Lower will usually get the buyer to act.
• Don’t freak out when someone asks you to take .50 cents for an item you have priced at .75 cents. No crap it really happened to me. She saved a quarter and I have this stupid story to tell you.
• Be prepared to help buyers load heavy items.
• Be prepared for large car loads of people that come up and distract you while the others are filling their pockets with your goods. It happened to my wife. True story.
• Be prepared to have people ask you to use your restroom. Small kids are welcome. Adults…you need to go before you come out. You should know better.
• Be prepared to take whatever you don’t sell to Goodwill for the tax deduction.
• Stonegate is full of kids. Watch your kids, your neighbor’s kids and any kid within eye shot. It’s a fun day for the kids so they usually like to participate. Did I say that? I mean get in the way. Anyway there will be lots of traffic. Kids are used to running around Stonegate knowing that they are relatively safe. We all know where the kids on our streets live so we are ready for them to come darting out at any moment.  There will be a lot of people from outside our neighborhood here and they may not be watching our kids they way we would so be careful.
• If you have little ones a great way to keep them happy and let them sell stuff too is get a group of kids in your area to setup a lemonade stand or their own little shop to sell their toys.
• Throw a pizza party or cook out with your neighbors after the days event to chill out, relax and compare crazy stories from the day.
• Most of all get out and ride around and meet some of your neighbors. It’s a great time to catch up and meet new friends in our great neighborhood of Stonegate.

Be a Voyeur in Your Neighborhood