Denver Technology News High-Speed Wireless Internet

According to an article over at technology insider publication Ars Technica, a new open wholesale wireless Internet network platform is planning on using Denver as one of its trial markets early next year.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed!

What else is happening in downtown Denver…

Marcyzks Fine Food Grocery Store

Marcyzk Fine Foods is a secret of Denver locals and long-time residents. It is located just east of downtown Denver on 17th Street. Known to locals as Marcyzks (pronounced mar-ziks), this neighborhood grocery store offers high end groceries and meats and a top-tier deli that will make your mouth water.

Make no mistake, this is not a locally owned version of Safeway or other major grocery chain. You won’t find Fruity Pebbles on the shelves here. Basically, if you would find it in those middle aisles at the typical grocery store, you won’t find it here. If you would find it along the edges of a standard grocery in the meat, deli, bakery, or specialty foods section, then you’ll find a top of the line, mouth watering version somewhere inside of Marcyzks.

Buy Picnic Food or Treats for Hotel Room Dining

Seasoned travelers, especially those who travel for work, know that eating in the hotel restaurant night after night can get old. Even the variety provided by the accessibility of Denver’s downtown area via the free 16th Street Shuttle bus can run out of charm for the business person on the third night of their fourth straight week in a downtown Denver hotel.

For families traveling with children, or for sightseeing travelers looking for a little extra charm and intimacy, a picnic in one of Denver’s many city parks, or along one of the city’s small rivers can be a welcome break from meals on the road. For people headed up into the mountains for a day trip from Denver, or even out to Rocky Mountain National Park, a bag full of snacks and goodies from Marcyzks can make the drive as nice as the view from the mountains.

Grab some deli meats. There are plenty of choices that don’t require refrigeration. Then, choose some fine cheeses, delicious fresh baked bread in wide variety of flavors and loaf styles. Don’t forget to take along a knife and fork. If you are looking for a break from the usual soda brands like Coke and Pepsi, you’ll find plenty of alternative drink choices at Marcyzks including hand-crafted root beers.

Of course, wine goes great with cheese and local Denver liquor store Argonaunt is just a few blocks away on Colfax Avenue.

Your hotel concierge can set you up with a ride to Marcyzks, or if you are in one of the hotels on the eastern side of the city, it can be a pleasant walk, as long as you don’t buy too many groceries to carry!

Denver Public Art Free Artwork Around City

The City of Denver has an ambitious public art program. Initiated more than a decade ago, the City and County of Denver public arts program requires that all construction and infrastructure projects over a certain dollar amount set aside one percent of the overall budget in order to purchase and erect public art around the city. An unforeseen consequence of the 1% to public art rule has been the creation of some enormous public works of art as developers sought to fulfill the city mandate with a single piece of sculpture or other outdoor art. The result is a city full of large public sculptures that may be viewed for free around the city.

Free Art for Families, Visitors, and Tourists

The City of Denver offers a Guide to Public Art to help families find and see free artworks to help inspire children and adults alike while also providing fun free stuff to do in Denver. Visitors and tourists will be equally impressed by the wide variety of free sites to see in Denver. Seeing all of the public works of art in Denver could be a whole day itinerary for travelers to Denver looking for some fun, free, sightseeing in the city.

Free Sites To See In Denver – Art

The best known public art sculpture in Denver has become the city’s unofficial mascot. The giant blue bear looking through the windows into the Denver Convention Center appears to be leaning on the glass wall of windows trying to get a peak inside at the events happening in the Convention Center.

The official name of the big blue bear at the Convention Center sculpture is I See What You Mean, a title just as playful as the enormous bear sculpture.  The street the blue bear sculpture is on is 14th Street outside of the main entrance of the Denver Convention Center. Of course, the bear can be viewed from the outside of the Convention Center by passers by walking down 14th St. or even by those in cars driving by. (Open your sunroof or moon roof for an even better view as you drive by. Just pay attention to the road and don’t get into any accidents.)

Other well known public sculptures in Downtown Denver are the giant dancers outside of the Denver Performing Arts Complex along Speer Boulevard, and the horse on the giant red chair outside of the Denver Public Library downtown branch and easily seen from the north entrance of the Denver Art Museum. These Denver landmarks are titled Dancers, and The Yearling, respectively.

For more information on Denver’s public art get a copy of the Downtown Guide to Denver Artwork.

New Denver Public Library Location Selected

Although it will be a couple of years before Denver area residents and visitors can enjoy the newest edition to the Denver Public Library system, the new library location has been selected. The Denver Library Commission voted unanimously to build the new library on West Colfax Avenue at Irving Street. The new library should be a welcome addition to the list of fun places for kids in Denver.

(For those of you non-Denverites familiar with Colfax Avenue’s seedy reputation, keep in mind that, that is in reference to a very specific (and short) stretch of East Colfax Avenue, and that reputation is significantly overblown. This location is west of downtown Denver. )

The new library location was selected to help fill in the sizable gap between the Woodbury Library and Barnum Library branches on the western side of Denver. The library’s funding comes from the 2007 Better Denver Bond Program which Denver voters approved to help fund a whole slew of capital construction projects. The bonds were designated both for the construction of new libraries and the remodeling and retrofitting of existing libraries, some of which where aging dangerously past current building safety and code standards.

Although Denver Library hours have been cut drastically due to budget cuts, the commission felt that the service need for the new facility outweighed the drag of additional costs.

Free Events For Kids Denver Area

The Denver Library system doesn’t have as many free activities for kids as it used to, but still offers plenty of fun summer programs for children in Denver. The Summer of Reading Program is underway, which is a great incentive to get kids to read over the summer vacation holiday.

In addition, story time and story hour is still on at most library branches. Story time at the downtown library comes in multiple flavors that are age-based story readings for kids at the library. There is Book Babies for infants, Tales for Twos for that in between age, and Tot Tales for older children.

There are also fun upcoming events for adults in Denver as well, including a Bike Mechanic course seminar held at the Central Library branch downtown. Sundays, June 27 and July 25, 1-3 p.m.

See the Denver Library website for more details.