Our Smartest Advice for Downtown Denver Next Week…Go to Boulder!
About once a year, you’ll read those words at Denver by the Slice. Sure, we know that Monday is Opening Day for your Rockies. But, unless you are one of the 50,000 who already have a ticket, you’re not going. And, you might as well leave town because Opening Day is beginning to look a lot like the mess that St. Patrick’s Day has become. Besides, you’ll have about 80 more chances to see the Rockies this year if you want.
It’s happening again in Boulder, a full five days of discussions, presentations, panels and performances. All with very smart people. On an incredible array of topics. You can view the entire program of the 64th Annual Conference on World Affairs, here, at their website.
When the Colorado government, about 150 years ago, designated Boulder as the site of the University of Colorado, they must have known that some great things could happen there. The CWA is one of those.
The Keynote this year, at 11:30 Monday in Macky Auditorium, will be given by Alice M. Rivlin. The title strikes home for the times: “Can the Center Hold: Democracy and Governance in a Polarized America.”
Alice Rivlin is a visiting professor of public policy at Georgetown University and a senior fellow in the economic studies program at the Brookings Institution. Rivlin served as director of the Office of Management and Budget in the first Clinton Administration and as vice chair of the Federal Reserve Board. Rivlin was the founding director of the Congressional Budget Office and previously served as an assistant secretary in the former U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. In 2010, President Obama appointed Rivlin to the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.
Adds to Traffic Congestion
See, this is smart stuff. Five days. Thousands of people attend. Brilliant contributors. And, it’s free.
On the way to and from the CWA (frequent RTD service, because we all know that traffic congestion in Boulder is hidious), ponder your own thoughts about this city. Denver by the Slice has its own opinions of Boulder, itself, that have nothing to do with the fine CWA. And, like Boulder, those opinions are somewhat of a mish-mash.
The very first band that played in the very first week of the very first year of college in Kansas was a famous Boulder band, the Astronauts. Great memories. And, Boulder still looks spectacular when you go over that last hill on what was, and may become again, the Denver-Boulder Turnpike. But, as Chief Niwot told settlers in the late 1850′s, “People seeing the beauty of this valley will want to stay, and their staying will be the undoing of the beauty.” And, yes, Boulder really does have a sister city in Tibet. Surprised?
Now, Boulder is exporting restaurants to Downtown Denver. The Kitchen recently opened its “Community” approach restaurant in LoDo. Will the neighbors respond to the level of the Boulder location’s success? Early reviews are mixed. But, their lease is long. Another notable Boulder chef may be coming to Denver soon as well. Will it be in the about-to-be-leased Samba Room space in Larimer Square?
Go away…to Boulder next week. You’ll be challenged, but smarter. The Rockies will play anyway, but you’ll have a lot more answers than they will.
Comments are currently closed.