For outdoor trip I had to wake up early to take advantage of the daylight. Finally it was not required on the day. I stayed in bed for an extended period in the morning. It was supposed to be a day of relax today.
The first thing I did on the day was taking the hard-working Whity to an oil change at a local Walmart. I got some refreshments for myself at the same time. After that, I took it to a car wash to remove the dirt from the unpaved roads in the national parks. After a short maintenance session, both the man and the car were ready to move on.
Whity got an oil change at a Walmart...
and a wash... It was ready to go again.The City Tour
I did not have a complete plan for the day at Denver. The only must-see place for me on this day was the US mint. So I headed there first.
Denver US mint is one of the two mints in the country. In case you don't know, there is a small "D" or "P" on every coin in the US, indicating the birthplace of the particular coin: "D" is for Denver and "P" is for Philadelphia. I am always curious about how coins are made, and I thought this would be the day to find out the answer with a first-hand experience. Unfortunately, to my disappointment all the slots for the tours were taken when I arrived at the main entrance of the mint. I was kicking myself for under estimating its popularity and not making a reservation when I set up my trip plan. There was nothing much I could do, so I took a picture just to show that I was here, and turned to other tourist attractions in the area.
People leaving the US mint after a tour. I wished I could be one of them.
The US mint is close to many other government buildings, including the Colorado state capitol. I visited the place quickly and took several shots. It is an ancient, classy building.
Colorado State capitol featuring a golden dome.
The inside of the dome.
Portraits of the former US presidents are displayed around the circular wall underneath the dome.
Denver US mint is one of the two mints in the country. In case you don't know, there is a small "D" or "P" on every coin in the US, indicating the birthplace of the particular coin: "D" is for Denver and "P" is for Philadelphia. I am always curious about how coins are made, and I thought this would be the day to find out the answer with a first-hand experience. Unfortunately, to my disappointment all the slots for the tours were taken when I arrived at the main entrance of the mint. I was kicking myself for under estimating its popularity and not making a reservation when I set up my trip plan. There was nothing much I could do, so I took a picture just to show that I was here, and turned to other tourist attractions in the area.
People leaving the US mint after a tour. I wished I could be one of them.The US mint is close to many other government buildings, including the Colorado state capitol. I visited the place quickly and took several shots. It is an ancient, classy building.
Colorado State capitol featuring a golden dome.
The inside of the dome.
Portraits of the former US presidents are displayed around the circular wall underneath the dome.Next to the state capitol sits the beautiful Civic Center Park. A couple shots would describe it better than my words.
The civic center.
A nice looking fountain.
The civic center.
A nice looking fountain.Since missing the US mint tour opened an one-hour hole in my schedule, I needed to find something to fill it. I browsed the AAA tour book I had at hand, and found a close-by museum, Colorado History Museum, may be interesting. Although the history of the state is not that long (one hundred something years at most), the museum does a very good job in displaying every relevant aspects to the subject. It made me think about my hometown, Taipei City, which has about the similar length of history. I couldn't recall any similar efforts to preserve the history about Taipei City back home, and after visiting this museum I would definitely look at the issue more seriously. It is certainly worth the effort to have a showcase for people who are interested in knowing more about the past of the city.
Colorado History Museum.
One interesting display on the wall... From one side it shows the Denver City in the current day...
...and from the other angle it shows the city in the past.
A model for Denver in the 1860s.
Colorado History Museum.
One interesting display on the wall... From one side it shows the Denver City in the current day...
...and from the other angle it shows the city in the past.
A model for Denver in the 1860s.16th Street Mall
16th Street Mall is a famous attraction at downtown Denver. To me, the place is best described by calling it "3rd Street at Santa Monica, CA in a greater scale". The idea is very similar: A closed, pedestrian-only street with many interesting stores ranging from apparel to souvenirs on both sides. The real difference between the two places is their scales. The 16th Street Mall runs for about 15 blocks, and there was no way I could see it in every details. I casually walked down the street, hopping from one shop to another, checking out whatever appears interesting. A lot of people also joined me to enjoy their Friday afternoon on the street that provides a nice shopping experience with great diversity. In addition to the stores, the street itself is colorfully decorated, too.
People enjoy the afternoon sunshine on 16th Street Mall.
An interesting statue - a colorful cow.
Some more artifacts.
A building with a clock.
Free "MallRide" Shuttle bus.
The buses are well-maintained, much better than the general impression we have for the public transportation. Here is one of the reasons.... With such a strong warning posted, it would be wise not to do anything funny in the car.
The terminal stop, Union Station.
People enjoy the afternoon sunshine on 16th Street Mall.
An interesting statue - a colorful cow.
Some more artifacts.
A building with a clock.The street is so long that it was painful to finish the whole trip on foot during day time in summer. Just as I felt a loss of motivation to continue the walk, the help was right around the corner. They provide shuttle buses along the 16st Street. They buses come frequently, and there is one stop at almost every corner. It is a nicely designed public transportation system, running through the full length of the 16 Street Mall and extending to the train station for its terminal stop. Further, it is free. I used the shuttle to see most of the street and visit the Union Station within less than 20 minutes.
Free "MallRide" Shuttle bus.
The buses are well-maintained, much better than the general impression we have for the public transportation. Here is one of the reasons.... With such a strong warning posted, it would be wise not to do anything funny in the car.
The terminal stop, Union Station.There are plenty of interesting shops on the street. I visited the official shop for Colorado Rockies, the local major league baseball team, and got my ticket for tonight's baseball game. I walked about the shop to look for something from the pitcher, #71 Chin-hui Tsao, the first Taiwanese pitcher appeared in the major league. Nothing was available in the shop. I was not that surprised considering that he was inactive for almost two years due to injury. When I asked the cashier about this, he showed me a jersey with his name, which is a custom-made not yet picked up. He was nice to let me take a picture of it. Rumors said that Tsao chose to join Rockies because he liked their jersey. It is a nice looking jersey, but it is a pity that he no longer wears it (as this is writing, Tsao was non-tendered by the Rockies and signed with the Dodgers.) Another interesting photo was taken at the ESPN center on 16th Street, where they have a miniature of the Coors Field (the baseball stadium) made of Coors bear wrappings.
A custom-made Rockies jersey with Tsao #71, the first Taiwanese pitcher to play in the MLB.
A model of the Coors Field made of Coors bear wrappings.
A custom-made Rockies jersey with Tsao #71, the first Taiwanese pitcher to play in the MLB.
A model of the Coors Field made of Coors bear wrappings.I ended by tour at the 16th Street Mall and walked to the Coors Field for a baseball game (for details about the game, see here). After the game, I walked through the 16th Street for one more time to get to my car. Interestingly, it gave a very different feel during the night. All the crowds were gone, the lonely street sit silently under the lights with mystical orange glow. The shuttle buses running up and down the street swiftly disappeared, replaced by the horse wagons pacing slowly and gracefully. The footsteps of the horses echoed around the almost-empty street, adding interesting musical effects to the otherwise placid scene. It was a nice, quiet walk for the night, and I walked the full length of it to get to my car.
I highly recommend the 16th Street Mall if you visit Denver some day, and you should check it out for both the day and the night to appreciate different faces of it.
The building with the clock certainly looks different in the night
The wagons replace the shuttle buses on the 16th Street for the night.
The almost-empty street provides a sense of serenity under the orange glow from the lights.
I highly recommend the 16th Street Mall if you visit Denver some day, and you should check it out for both the day and the night to appreciate different faces of it.
The building with the clock certainly looks different in the night
The wagons replace the shuttle buses on the 16th Street for the night.
The almost-empty street provides a sense of serenity under the orange glow from the lights.
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