Lakewood-Wadsworth Station to Lamar Station

This hike was, in all honesty, a shopping trip, but it held some interest and a little nostalgia...and there was a lot of rambling.

My first time in Denver was to visit a friend who was attending the gunsmithing school in the Colorado School of Trades. It, and his apartment were just off Colfax Avenue so, while he was in classes, I rambled around.

My first time using public transportation was an adventure. I boarded the bus on the wrong side of the road and ended up in Golden, then I couldn't figure out where to get off on the turn around and ended up in Aurora. I finally managed to get a taxi back into town and spent the rest of the day walking around Denver seeing the sights.

That was the early eighties and the city government was trying to control the long tradition of "cruising Colfax." To break the interminable traffic jam, a curfew had been instituted.

Colfax has seen better days but it's still the major east-west thoroughfare through Denver.

I forewent the trip to the Jeffco Center terminal this time because I would be stopping in at Walmart and Walmart always has bathrooms, right?

Although the W Line is two blocks from Colfax, the displays on the parking garage are about the history of Colfax Avenue.

Some of the train and bus terminals (I think of Lakewood-Wadsworth and Evans stations) have displays telling the history of the location. You can read some local history while you wait for a bus or train.

Colfax has always been the place to find whatever you want...counterculture, art, shopping, tattoo parlors, nightclubs, pretentious restaurants...

I had a few things I needed to pick up, so I stopped in at the Walmart first. They were out of what I wanted and, instead of a restroom, they had construction (I bet you can guess what comes later). I did find cookies, so I bought those, stuffed them in my backpack, and headed east toward the next train station. A Dollar Tree was along my route and I needed some flatware.

Speaking of pretentious restaurants, the Casa Bonita is famous in Denver. Currently, it's closed while it changes hands to the folks that bring you South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone. I read that nothing is changing there (still the waterfall with high divers and the gorilla) and everything is improving. Although a South Park episode was devoted to it, the new Casa Bonita (I read) won't be South Park themed.

It's still going to be pink.

The headquarters of 40 West Arts, a nonprofit organization for the support of art in the Lakewood area, is in the same shopping mall as the Casa Bonita.

They have a small plaza with an informative display and a "crossing light" that gives you personal affirmations when you press the button. There is also sidewalk art.

This one, 3D Pond is by Shay Davis. It's not chalk, so you don't have to worry about scuffing it up.

After a little shopping, I got back on the road (Pierce Street, to be exact) and walked to my destination, Lamar Station. As usual, there was art.

There are a lot of mobiles and stabiles (moving and fixed modernistic artistic constructions) in Denver. These five mobiles in the 40 West Arts District constitute the Lakewood Legacy Trees by Lonnie Hanzon. They display various elements of the location's history.

Well, I didn't find a public restroom in the area so, when the train arrived, I went west to Golden, which gave me the opportunity to snap some photos of another part of the Jeffco Government Center, the Courage Garden, a solemn memorial to local loved ones lost to violent crime.

The Jeffco Government Center Station is the end of the W Line so, when I make a turn around there, I have to wait for the next train out, which is usually the train I took in. The RTD staff picks up garbage left by passengers and the driver takes a break.

Since I didn't find everything I needed on Colfax, I had one more stop to make before continuing home. Luckily, there is a Safeway grocery store near Alameda Station. Close by, I noticed this construction that I had not seen before.

I couldn't find any information on this installation but it looked nice and modernistically Stonehengey, so I shot it.