“Esters is our way of using craft beer, great food, and atmosphere to build community” –Esters website
Originally from Buffalo, New York, Paul Sullivan moved to Colorado in 2002 to work first for a beer distributor and then for New Belgium Brewing, all the while planning to move back to New York. Fast forward to 2016 and guess who’s still here? In 2004, Paul bought a home in the nearby Krisana neighborhood yet always felt the neighborhood was lacking a gathering place. Recently, opportunity finally knocked when “Easy Pickens,” an old dive bar, came up for sale. Paul put together a business plan and found the right team to make the dream a reality. Paul’s wife, Emily, is currently a Commercial Flooring Account Manager and spent many years as a commercial Interior Designer. The architect who designed Esters is friend of the family, Adam Harding, who works for Roth Sheppard Architects. “Emily helped with a lot of details and had a lot of the original vision, but Adam came up with the design. They both are incredibly talented and they really made the idea come to life,” said Paul. Esters will celebrate their one-year anniversary in June 2016. All of the food at Esters is made from scratch and Paul says Esters tries to use and purchase local ingredients and support other local businesses. For example, Esters uses Bull & Bush (beer), Tender Belly (meat), Infinite Monkey Theorem (wine), and Bonnie Brae Flowers (flower arrangements). When asked what his goal is for Esters, Paul said, "I have always enjoyed being a part of this neighborhood and hope that Esters can help make it even a better place to live." According to neighbors who attended the community night on March 28, 2016, Paul and Esters have succeeded... Just had a wonderful meal at Esters. It is a cute place (bigger than it looks from the outside) located at Holly and Atlantic (just a couple blocks north of Evans.) Fantastic food. It's basically a pizza place, but the flavors are really interesting and wonderful. Great wine and beer list, good apps, salads and a fun Smores riff dessert. Definitely will go back. Highly recommend. Just moved into the neighborhood in December and was so happy to discover Esters. [It’s] perfect for everything from brunch to watching the Super Bowl to just having a drink with my lady or friends. For those of us with little ones it's a great place for families, and nothing better than sitting on the patio now that snow has turned to rain! Some of the best pizza I've had in a long time [Fee Pizza]. Great flavor and crust. I would come back for it. Favorite local spots: When the Sullivan family has a chance to sneak out outside of Esters they like to visit The Kitchen Next Door or Jax in the CitySet Center in Glendale. Paul also enjoys The Bull and Bush for a steak and one of their beers brewed on site. When the family has a couple of days together they try to go to either Frisco, Colorado, camping, or somewhere to play in the mountains. Fun Facts about Esters:
Things to Remember about Esters:
Contact: Paul Sullivan Address: 1950 South Holly St. Denver, Co 80222 Telephone: 303.955.4904 Website: www.estersdenver.com Hours: Open weekdays at 11am, 10am on weekends This article was written by Kristin Kleimann and will be appearing in the July 2016 issue of "Life in the Park" magazine.
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How fortunate are we to live in an urban community that has a world class historical telescope, housed in an architecturally beautiful and historic building, available to the public on a regular basis? Visit and answer for yourself… What’s the history? Construction on the Romanesque style Chamberlin Observatory, located at 2930 East Warren Avenue, in Observatory Park, Denver, began in 1890 after a generous donation by Humphrey Barker Chamberlin, a real estate businessman, in 1888. Chamberlin was one of Denver’s wealthiest citizens and believed in sharing his wealth and giving back to his community. Robert S. Roeschlaub designed the building itself and the astronomical functions were designed by Herbert Alonzo Howe, who was the very first professor of astronomy at the University of Denver and first director of the Observatory. The refracting telescope has a 20-inch aperture lens that was made by Alvan Clark and Sons of Massachusetts who were world renowned lens makers. The telescope is very large, at 28 feet long. The telescope became operational in 1894. The Observatory is currently owned and operated by the University of Denver and is considered priceless. Did you know these fun facts about Chamberlin Observatory?
Visiting Chamberlin Observatory On April 12, 2016, we visited the Chamberlin Observatory for one of the public nights. Even though the night started off cloudy and rainy, we were lucky enough to have the skies clear enough to be able to view Jupiter and its red spot. Here’s some more information about how you can visit. The Observatory, through the Denver Astronomical Society (DAS), offers both public nights and open house nights throughout the year. Events are appropriate for the cosmically-curious non-astronomer (or burgeoning astronomer) and are family-friendly. Public Nights: Each public night event begins with a 45-minute educational presentation by a DAS lecturer. Afterwards, and weather permitting, guests are invited to tour the Observatory and view the moon, stars, planets, galaxies, and other celestial wonders through the 28-foot long, 20-inch aperture Alvan Clark-Saegmuller refracting telescope. If the weather is not good for viewing guests can still tour the building itself. When: Each Tuesday and Thursday beginning at 8:30pm. How: Make reservations online in advance (nights do sell out) Costs: $4.00 for adults/ $3.00 for children (via PayPal online). http://www.denverastro.org/das/chamberlin-observatory/ Note: Children need to be at least 41” tall to be able to use the ladder to view. Open House Nights: Open House nights are for those who are interested in learning more about telescopes, cosmically curious children, parents, or teachers, or someone who is interested in learning something new. Denver Astronomical Society members are available to share information and views from personal telescopes on the Observatory ground, and to answer questions about astronomy or telescopes. Members can also help guests learn how to operate a personal telescope. When: Saturday of each month nearest the first quarter moon at dusk (varies by season- Winter, around 5:30 or 6pm, Spring and Fall, around 6:30 or 7:30pm, Summer, around 8 or 9pm) until 10pm. The remaining schedule for 2016 is as follows: June 11, July 9, August 13, September 10, October 8, November 5, and December 3. How: Make reservations online in advance (nights do sell out) Costs: $3.00 per person/ $5.00 per family (via PayPal online) to view through the Observatory telescope. There is no charge for only viewing through DAS member telescopes. http://www.denverastro.org/das/chamberlin-observatory/ Note: Children need to be at least 41” tall to be able to use the ladder to view. Contact Information: 2930 East Warren Avenue Denver, Colorado 80210 Information line: 303-871-5172 Website for information about public and open house nights and observation conditions: http://www.denverastro.org/das/chamberlin-observatory/ Thank you to the websites of the University Park Community Council, Denver Astronomical Society, University of Denver, and Rosemary Stoffel for information relating to this article. This article was written by Kristin Kleimann and will be appearing in the June 2016 issue of "Life in the Park" magazine. Looking for an Interior Designer? Meet Margarita Bravo: Owner and Founder of Margarita Bravo4/18/2016 “In the end, Interior Design is not about a budget or pieces of furniture filling up a space. To me, Interior Design is the reflection of your personality and how you want to portray it in your space." –Margarita Bravo (owner and founder of Margarita Bravo) Originally an industrial engineer by trade, Margarita Bravo, moved to Denver with her family 9 years ago from Venezuela. She founded her interior design company, Margarita Bravo, in 2015 after falling in love with the University Park neighborhood and playing a key role in building and designing her family’s current home in the neighborhood. This experience helped her realize her passion for the overall process and the details involved in planning, designing, and decorating a space to create “lovable living spaces.” Through her company, Margarita works projects that are both big and small, including working in new builds, remodels, and as an interior designer. She enjoys working with clients who have different styles and the challenge of creating spaces that integrate the needs and styles of all family members. Her aim is for everyone to see their personal styles reflected, therefore feeling comfortable and enjoying the space. Margarita is proficient at integrating key pieces that clients may already have along with new purchases. “When working for clients, I base my craft on one simple premise: listen, listen and listen.” –Margarita Bravo Margarita’s goal in working with clients is to have fun, be creative, and to listen to the needs of her clients so she can help clients visualize what is in their head and make the vision come alive. Interior design allows her to integrate many of her best skills including those as a trained industrial engineer, listening and advising, and as a mom, helping clients with children plan for the little details that help a home run smoothly. "Interior Design is my gateway into a place where I can let my imagination go wild and think of ways to create something out of nothing. My mind, pen, paper, and unexpected places where I can find inspiration are the ingredients I need in order to turn my creative energy into a tangible reality." -Margarita Bravo There are two main services that Margarita offers: design consultation and project based services. In a design consultation, Margarita meets with clients and gives ideas room by room. This tends to be more of a one-time meeting, with clients then completing the project on their own. Her project based services tend to be more intensive with Margarita partnering with clients to both plan and execute an overall plan for a large (whole home) or small (individual room) space. Margarita can do as little or as much of the execution as the client prefers. She can work within all budgets. In addition, Margarita has a cadre of professional connections to help clients with additional services: for example, contractors, painters, wallpaper and carpet installers, and to help with purchases: for example, countertops, appliances, furniture, and hardware. When asked what inspires her to work each day, Margarita perfectly summed, “I love what I do, and I truly enjoy helping people materialize their dream space.” To see more samples of her work, visit her website at: www.margaritabravo.com. Favorite local spot: The Jimenez-Bravo family loves Observatory Park and spends lots of time at the park playing soccer, football, having picnics, and meeting up with friends and making new friends in the neighborhood. Contact: Margarita Bravo Email: mb@margaritabravo.com Telephone: 720.735.7533 Website: http://www.margaritabravo.com This article was published in "Life in the Park" magazine in May 2016 and was written by Kristin Kleimann. Bucket lists are entertaining and dreamy. Bucket lists in your own city can be even more engaging because the experiences are easier to accomplish and check off. This list was originally a list of 29 essential Denver experiences from an article on Thrillist, published in 2015 by Rebecca Feder.
Since so many of the items on the list resonated with us and our love of Denver, adventure, history, and a challenge, we modified the original list to an attainable 20 experiences with a plan to complete each item and check it off the list. We’ll be posting our experiences over the next few months. If you are interested in joining us on our journey to check off these items, please follow us on Instagram at: www.instagram.com/homesimpledenver/ and post your own photos of these completed Denver bucket list items on Instagram with the hashtag: #yourdenverbucketlist We look forward to seeing your photos and hearing about your bucket list adventures! If you’d like a hard copy of the original list to help you keep track of the items, please send a private message and we will send you a copy. Finally, to see the original Thrillist list, visit: https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/denver/the-denver-bucket-list-red-rocks-my-brother-s-bar-mayan-theater Denver Realtors and Broker Associates, Kristin Kleimann and Marilynn Wanamaker, achieved Edelweiss Realty Company's highest honors three times in 2015: April, July, and December. "We are very pleased to receive these honors and we look forward to helping future clients meet their real estate dreams and goals," said Kristin Kleimann, Realtor and Broker Associate at Edelweiss Realty Company. Kristin Kleimann and Marilynn Wanamaker work together as a team to bring a high level of real estate services to clients. They believe that to make good decisions, you need to be an educated consumer and they strive to empower clients with information, education, and research to help them understand, compare, and make informed decisions. As a recent client said, "Marilynn and Kristin are the "Dream Team" of real estate brokers. They have helped us with four separate real estate transactions over the past three years and have been amazing to work with. They are knowledgeable about the market and provide excellent research and advice about pricing, timing and trends. They are timely and responsible and make the whole process enjoyable. We are so lucky to have had them on our team." Another recent client summed, "Kristin and Marilynn make a great team, because their combined knowledge and skill sets complement each other so well. Marilynn seems to know everything there is to know, real estate-wise, about Denver and the surrounding areas, having been in the business here for over 30 years, and with Kristin you get EnergyPlus – plus intelligence, insight, a great sense of humor, and a lot of hard work. Kristin and Marilynn did all the research and boring legwork without us ever having to prompt them, and their knowledge and sense of the markets here combined with their intelligent and instinctive approach to pricing, honesty, transparency and just plain old honor are top-notch. I would never hesitate to work with them again, or recommend them to friends and family." Cheers to 2016! About Kristin Kleimann and Marilynn Wanamaker of Edelweiss Realty Co. specialize in helping clients navigate the complex real estate buying and selling process by making it simple and transparent. They provide clients with the most current and accurate market information and guide them through the process step-by-step. Contact www.homesimpledenver.com www.marilynn-kristin.com It's the most wonderful time of the year, particularly if you love holiday lights! Blossoms of Light at the Denver Botanic Gardens is glowing again beautifully. We managed to visit when the weather was a balmy 56 degrees, at night! Instead of hot chocolate, we enjoyed lime popsicles and lemonade. Our favorites light displays were the different colored floating balls, and the blue fairy forest. Parking was a bit problematic as the lots filled up quickly but street parking was pretty plentiful. We'll be back again next year... Dates: Nov. 27-Jan. 2, including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Time: 5:30 p.m.-9 p.m., lights are on until 9:30 p.m. Where: The Denver Botanic Gardens, 1007 York St. Cost: Starting December 14th, costs are: $13 Adult $11 for Adult Members, Seniors (65+) and Military $10 Child (Ages 3-15) $8 Child Member Free for children 2 or younger Information and tickets: botanicgardens.org Yesterday we joined Ken Schroeppel, from the Urban and Regional Planning Program at the University of Colorado Denver, on a special tour of Downtown Denver’s oldest and newest districts—LoDo and Union Station.
We learned about the history of Denver's early beginnings as well as the historic preservation and restoration of Lower Downtown's warehouse and mercantile buildings into restaurants, shops, offices, hotels, and residential lofts. This preservation and restoration transformed LoDo into a thriving mixed-use downtown city neighborhood. In addition, we learned more about the development of the the baseball stadium, new transit infrastructures, new parks and plazas, the renovated Denver Union Station, and the $1 billion in new office, hotel, and residential projects that are being developed. This was a part of the Doors Open Denver event that happens next week on April 25 and 26 where Denver buildings open their doors to the public for "exclusive and rare viewing opportunities, exposing the inside of Denver’s unique urban fabric." For more information on the event and tours, visit: http://doorsopendenver.com/ Here are a few photos from our rainy, sunny, cloudy, windy, hot, cold, Colorado Spring day... |
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