UNREAL CITY: DENVER PUBLIC LIBRARY

 

We have one of the most amazing libraries that I have ever set foot in. Floors upon floors house shelves upon shelves. It is like a maze of knowledge that envelops you and dares you to pull books off the shelves. I love to walk along the halls and think about the thoughts of all the authors of all the books in the rooms. It’s an overwhelming amount of knowledge and ideas right at our fingertips.

I am always skeptical of people who claim books are becoming obsolete. Yes, we have so many more ways to access texts and knowledges, which is amazing, but I think any book lover will tell you that it is not the same to read something online as it is to hold a book in your hand. More people will admit treasuring the experience of a book or a library than you think. While plenty of people may say they prefer the internet or hate reading books, people still treasure them. Sit in a classroom in any of the colleges here in Denver. How many people actually use ebooks? One or two, maybe? I know in my classes, there is always one person, and he or she is always complaining that he or she cannot follow along in class due to lack of page numbers. Go sit in a coffee shop. How many people are using an ereader? How many people are actually reading? Look on the train, in the park, on an airplane, or other public places. Books are everywhere, flying under the radar. In a world that is run by technology, we still hold onto our love of the archaic form of the book. I love holding a book in my hand, smelling the pages as I’m turning them, and thinking about the ideas and words contained in such a small artifact.

Denver is an incredibly literate city. Every destination neighborhood has a used bookstore, sometimes more. Baker has an absurd amount of bookstores, as does Capitol Hill. Plenty of people enjoy the Colorado sunshine by sitting outside reading. I think the majesticness of our library represents the quiet thunder of literary people within the city of Denver. We are unassuming, intellegent, yet ever present on the Denver scene. Just like our library.

UNREAL CITY: CONFLUENCE PARK DOG PARK

 

It is a rare  occurrence to see a dog park in Denver without dogs. Usually, this park is full of dogs of all sizes chasing each other around like madmen. Last week, when I took this picture, it was cold and windy. A perfect day for photography, but not so much for playing with dogs. We bundled Gatsby up tight in his parka but he stood there staring at us shivering. I like the serenity of this picture. Many of the dog parks seem fabricated, due to their plastic fixtures and kitchy bag stations. This park preserves the natural integrity and beauty of Denver while providing a safe space for our furry friends to frolic.

 

 

UNREAL CITY: JENGA AT 1UP

 

Something about the oversized Jenga tables at 1up seems to draw crowds. It may be the fact that it’s free, but I like to think it has an aire of appeal to it. There’s a certain pull of these oversized stacks of wood. People gather round to see if the players can really execute their intended maneuvers without tumbling all the other players hard work to the ground. It’s addicting. When the tower does fall, you hear a loud crash throughout the bar, followed by laughter and shouts of “JENGA!” from all corners of the room. It’s purely magical.

 

TUESDAY: UNREAL CITY

While I am sure that many of my future Unreal City posts will be of downtown Denver, I wanted to begin with an area of Denver that is close to my heart: Lone Tree. When I was younger, my mom used to take my brother and I up to Park Meadows for the day to go shopping, eat lunch, and go to Krispy Kreme Donuts. For me, Park Meadows was the ultimate in luxury: it looked like something out of a movie, not a mall.

When I grew older, I realized that Park Meadows is the ultimate in consumerism (designer resort shopping destination? Really?), but there is still a magical quality I find to it. As I left college, I would come to Lone Tree to visit two of my oldest and dearest friends: Rachele Somma and Kayla Wingard. I used to always tease them about being scared to cross Evans, but I secretly loved our adventures down in Lone Tree. Everything seemed more genuine: you didn’t have to care about what you wore or embarrassing yourself. We could just be ourselves.

I like this picture because it has a stillness and innocence to it. For me, Lone Tree represents a time when malls were still magical and Kayla and Rachele will still a hop across Evans. Though don’t lament too much, Kayla and Rachele are becoming the best lawyers in this country and I started today and my new job: Nordstroms Park Meadows! Next time you are down in Lone Tree, take a minute to pause at this water fixture in the Vistas. Sure, you may be surrounded by hokey advertising, but there does seem something special about it.