When the IGTD Team was growing up in Denver, LoDo wasn’t “LoDo.” To put it bluntly, lower downtown was dark and dingy with dilapidated viaducts and crumbling buildings, unloved and forgotten. But then visionaries like Dana Crawford and John Hickenlooper and others saw a better future for the district, paying homage to Denver’s old west history, raising the area to a vibrant example of preservation and redevelopment. Oh, how we’ve seen LoDo change over the years – and for the better. The neighborhood is a thriving blend of historic and new, where dining, shopping, and things to do are abundant. Here’s our guide to a #LoDoLove Denver Staycation In Good Taste.
Where to stay for your #LoDoLove Staycation
The Rally Hotel is part of the McGregor Square complex. Located right across the street from Coors Field, with great views in every direction, the hotel has lots of memorabilia and clever nods to the sport of baseball. Take note of the front desk which looks like a giant piece of wood from which baseball bats are emerging. Guestrooms have circles (harkening to baseballs) built into designs and lighting fixtures. Big pads that remind us of baseball mitt leather form the headboard and back of a bench of seating.
Personally, I’m not particularly a sports fan but I appreciated the sleek, slightly cheeky décor and the comfort of The Rally. The rooftop pool area is expansive with glass “walls” that come to an exciting, precarious-feeling point that gives an extra thrill to taking in the views. Even the fitness room one floor below lets you cycle with amazing scenery. Request a room facing McGregor Square’s center court and you can literally lounge in bed while watching games, movies (during the summer), and high-res nature scenes during other times. It’s also fun to see the activity below which included a corn hole tourney when we were there, plenty of outdoor seating, and, come winter, an ice-skating rink!
Other perks to staying at The Rally include easy access to The Original for breakfast and lunch, to Call Me Pearl for drinks and nibbles and The Rally Store for sports garb all right there on-property. In the morning, there’s free coffee set up for guests and in the late afternoon, get a free ice cream sundae and top it the way you want in the lobby.
In addition to The Rally Hotel, other hotels in LoDo include The Maven in The Dairy Block, The Oxford Hotel and The Crawford in Denver Union Station. Between those four alone, you can select places to call home-away-from-home that are modern and some that are in historic buildings with modern conveniences.
LoDoLove the shopping scene:
The LoDo neighborhood is the perfect place to shop, and therefore support, local businesses. I already mentioned The Rally Store above, within the Hotel, that has clothing, a few toys, and other fun items for sports-lovers – and not just Colorado teams. This is the place to shop to get yourself dressed to cheer on your favorite team.
Beyond the hotel though, and just across the street at The Dairy Block, you can shop in one of the coolest atmospheres. When we were there, the first After Dark Evening Bazaar was going on in the Alley with booths set up with independent businesses selling jewelry, art, household goods and more. But even when events like that aren’t going on, there are numerous boutiques open including Blue Ruby Boutique that has a small outpost adjacent to the Maven lobby and a much larger space with an entrance on Blake Street.
If the name Blue Ruby Boutique sounds familiar, it’s because it held court in Larimer Square for years. And the smaller location was in Dairy Block before the Milk Market was even built out. Shop for clothing, jewelry, accessories, some shoes and other goodies like stickers, pins and, at the smaller space, assemble-your-own friendship bracelets (bead-lovers like me will be like a kid in a candy store with this setup!).
Also inside Blue Ruby is their new The Bar at Blue Ruby which offers fresh juice, smoothies, Acai Bowls, coffee and more. Owner Julie Watson loved coffee shops she used to see in boutiques in L.A. and wanted to bring that same vibe for her place. But wait, there’s more – Blue Ruby also has a kick-ass event space in it called The Cat Club with jewel-toned velvet couches, an actual fashion runway, space for a band and, get this, dress-up closet full of clothes, shoes, and a wall of fluffy tutus. The so-much-fun space is available to rent out.
We had a great conversation with Julie who told us she wanted to open her business because she loves talking to people, helping them look great, and providing unique things for them to shop for. Mission accomplished!
Within the Dairy Block, you can also shop at Free Market marketplace, Switch Wood, Sarah O. Jewelry and others and indulge at LoDough Bakery, Blanchard Family Wines, Deviation Distilling, Bruto, the Milk Market and many more.
Drinking and dining on your #LoDoLove Staycation
The problem with LoDo’s dining scene is that there are so many choices, it’s hard to decide where to go. Some of our favorites over the years have included Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant, Wynkoop Brewing Co., Thirsty Lion Gastropub, HopDoddy and Ultreia. On our recent #LoDoLove Staycation, we revisited a few more we’ve become fans of.
For a quick bite, Milepost Zero Food Hall in McGregor Square is a food hall with multiple options for a bite including burgers, poke bowls, tacos, bbq and pizza. There’s also a long pay-as-you-go tap wall. We satisfied our pizza hankerings at Anthony’s Pizza & Pasta. Get whole pies or just slices hot out of the oven and eat them inside the food hall or outside in the plaza. We’d forgotten how good Anthony’s crispy, light crust is, holding its own to toppings on a New York-style slice served extending over the boundaries of the requisite paper plate.
Pre-dinner, we headed to the Cruise Room just beside the cool tones of the gorgeous Oxford Hotel Lobby. The you’re-in-for-something-special shock of ruby-red lighting of the long and narrow Cruise Room makes you stop in your tracks for a moment before you look around for seating in a banquet or at the bar, which we recommend for watching the masterful bartenders who churn out one creative cocktail after another. Seriously tempted by classics such as the French 75 and Negroni, we opted for something different with a not-too-sweet Sangria de Sancho ($16) and the Alpine Slopes ($17) with Aquavit, Braulio Amaro, sugar, lemon, mint and Angostura Bitters. It’s one of the best cocktails I’ve had in a while, made all the better by savoring it while studying the whimsical, original, decorative panels depicting different ways to say “cheers” around the world. This is not a new bar made to look old. It’s the real deal, an authentic 1930’s art deco cocktail lounge that has been an important part of Denver’s sipping history.
While we could have ordered some light bites at the Cruise Room like their crispy fries and charcuterie board, we wanted to save room for dinner at Kachina Cantina where we’ve been before and knew we’d be in for plentiful portions. We got to sit within view of their stunning and colorful wall mural and the open kitchen where hearty and creative items emerge.
Dinner started with chips, Guacamole ($10) and the trio of choice of Salsas ($11). We got the bright Mango Habanero, too-salty salsa verde and addictively-delicious, creamy Morita with chipotle peppers. It’s extremely hard to not fill up on these apps so maybe just don’t even try. They are too good to miss out on. Next, we had something light and refreshing, the Hamachi Aguachile ($22) with Hamachi crudo, cilantro, fresno, chili and lime aguachile sauce. Speaking of light and refreshing, every meal at Kachina should be accompanied by one of their creative cocktails or mocktails. We ordered the Pomegranate Ginger Margarita ($14) and Smokey Spice cocktail ($15). We sipped them throughout our meal and they went well with everything.
Our entrees were the Chicken Enchiladas ($22) with pasilla and salsa verde, cheddar cheese, dry jack cheese, roasted corn, refried beans and arroz rojo and the Chili Braised Short Rib ($29) with extremely tender and flavorful meat atop polenta that was somehow lackluster despite being prepared with pickled shallots, cilantro and roasted jalapeno. The blend of savory and sweet spices, and umami of the meat, enabled me to more than forgive the base. Dessert was a dense, moist Tres Leches Cake ($10) with a thick-but-light citrus mascarpone frosting and strawberries, blackberries and a sprig of bright green mint, adorned with a sweet, dehydrated orange slice. So pretty!
After a really good night’s sleep (thank you, Rally Hotel for being so quiet), we checked out and brunched at The Original right there at The Rally. We love its 1950’s diner vibe but opted to take advantage of eating on their wrap-around patio to enjoy a summer morning – more to #LoDoLove!
Tempted by Sugar Dusted Churro Bites and Breakfast Sausage Corn Dogs on the Shareables Menu, we ordered the Billionaire Bacon ($14), described as Thick-Cut Pork Belly, Bourbon-Maple Glaze. We were picturing a thick-cut candied bacon kind of thing but it was actually (true to the description), not strips of bacon but more oval-ish slices of thick meat requiring a fork and knife. Be sure to swipe your bites through the sauce!
We passed up other brunch items including Crème de la Crème Toast and Breakfast Tacos in favor of the Mushroom Frittata ($17) described as mushroom, arugula, tomato, onion, garlic, Swiss and kale salad with green goddess dressing and Santa Fe Toast ($18) with pulled pork, avocado, tomatillo, sriracha aioli, two eggs sunny, kale and sourdough. You’d better like kale if you order either of these entrees. And we do but both dishes come with a kale salad piled on top. Although it went well with both dishes, I felt like I kept eating and eating kale but it just kept multiplying! If you’re not a major kale fan, ask for it to be placed on the side so you can more easily break the sunnyside up eggs so that yolks mix with the delicious pork, smear of avocado and sourdough toast.
Go on a #LoDoLove stroll:
As you make your way around the lower downtown neighborhood, take note of the variety of architecture. Gleaming skyscrapers share blocks with ornate historical buildings, a wonderful juxtaposition of new and old. Augment your walk with the Denver Architecture Foundation’s audio tour: Downtown Denver: A Game of City and Empire Builders.
Getting to your #LoDoLove Denver Staycation:
One of those buildings, Denver Union Station just unveiled its new renovation, 10 years after it was initially redeveloped. Several RTD Light Rail lines converge there, making it so easy (and green) to get to LoDo. While there, check out the new décor and visit some of the various restaurants there and cute shops like 5 Green Boxes and Tattered Cover Bookstore. Before the initial redevelopment, the place was dark and depressing. Now, like the rest of LoDo, it’s invigorated, exciting and has a lot to offer.
Discover/re-discover lower downtown Denver. With so much to offer, all within walking distance, whether it’s just a day trip, evening out or staycation, you’ll find a lot to #LoDoLove. When you make your own plan, we’d love it if you’d tag us on Facebook, X and Instagram to show us what you find to be In Good Taste.
-Story and photos by Courtney Drake-McDonough and Jimmy McDonough, InGoodTasteDenver.com
Please note: As is common practice in our industry we were hosted for the majority of our weekend to help facilitate writing this article. However, as is always our policy, our opinions are our own, honest and true, for the informational benefit of our readers.
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