ROCKIN’ A HARD PLACE
Fifty-four years ago The Beatles played one of America’s most iconic live music venues. LINDSAY SUTTON visits stunning Red Rocks
Denver has legalised use of cannabis... but there are natural Rocky Mountain ‘highs’ in abundance, without drugs
IT’S the perfect venue for a rock concert – a natural rock amphitheatre high up in America’s Rocky Mountains.
The Beatles were wowed when they played here on their historic tour that took the States by storm.
The date was August 26, 1964. At $26 admission, it was a bit too pricey for many young fans, and the 9,500-seater Red Rocks Amphitheatre – just 10 miles outside Denver, Colorado – failed to completely sell out.
Even so, the Fab Four, and the fans who made it, never forgot the sensational venue, the amazingly perfect acoustics, and the fabulous atmosphere in this red sandstone ‘natural wonder.’
Nor did Jimi Hendrix, Colorado’s very own John ‘Rocky Mountain High’ Denver, Sonny and Cher, Bruce Springsteen, Carole King, U2 and many more.
It’s a must-visit place, especially for a live concert at night.
What’s more, being just 16 miles from Denver, it’s easy to organise when you take a holiday in this happening city, one of the most comfortable and friendliest in America.
Over the past 30 years or so, Colorado’s capital has changed from “cowtown, in a boom-andbust state” to “a city with a culture of cool.”
Not my words, but those of Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, a straight-talking achiever with a name straight out of a Groucho Marx script. Some things have stayed the same, however. Colorado
remains a place of spectacular scenery, and a unique adventure playground.
The Rocky Mountains form a fabulous backcloth to the city and to its state-of-the-art airport, which comes complete with tepee-style roofline, and a fast light rail system straight into Downtown Denver for just $9 each way.
So ‘cool’ is the city that it has become much more than an entry hub for winter ski activity in the surrounding mountains.
More controversially, Denver has legalised the use of cannabis, bought from controlled outlets and used in private. Debate continues about the policy, but the city has got so much to
offer, there are natural Rocky Mountain ‘highs’ in abundance, without drugs.
With 300 days of blue skies and sunshine each year, who can go wrong? Try climbing Colorado’s State Capitol dome for a spectacular overview of the city, with the Rocky peaks on the horizon.
Or hire a ‘Bcycle,’ to ride on some of the 85 miles of criss-cross trails that connect the city’s 200 parks, and even the bed of the Cherry Creek River, where gold was first discovered in Denver’s. Or visit the Rocky Mountain National Park, just 90 minutes away.
TAKE A TUK TUK TOUR
IT’S not what you would expect – Asian-style Tuk Tuk three-wheelers in the heart of the USA.
What’s even more remarkable is that the ones on the streets of Denver are environmentally friendly – 100% electric – ETuks, no less.
They’re a highly versatile vehicle and, as the enterprising owners of Denver’s enterprising ‘etukride’
business tell you: “They run on fun.” Their tour guides and drivers are friendly and knowledgeable too.
The two and a half hour ‘Urban Denver Tour’ costs only $42.45, the perfect way to see the city. For $55, you can go on a combo tour of the city hot spots and a brewery.
No drink-drive problems here – they will pick you up from, and return you to, your hotel.
You take in the Downtown Denver scene; the Golden Triangle arts district; Denver’s old heartland of Larimer Square, with its bars and restaurants galore; and the city’s iconic Union Station, once threatened with demolition, but now the vibrant centre of the city’s light-rail system on the ground floor, with a hotel on the upper floors.
With restaurants, bars and retail outlets, it’s the city’s main hub in LoDo – Lower Downtown – and is known locally as ‘Denver’s Living Room.’ Leaving there, you sweep through the River North neighbourhood, known as ‘RiNo, and home of huge graffiti murals, ending up at the Central Market for a welcome ice cream.
Etukride really is a novel and wonderfully exciting experience, and is the brainchild of three Denver friends, who picked up the idea in Guatemala, and set up their ‘etukusa’ business back home. After talks at a Tuk Tuk factory in Amsterdam, they used their engineering and marketing skills to set up a manufacturing and distribution business in the USA.
Another Denver ‘first’ is the 16th Street Mall walking street, with a free, hop-on, hop-off electric bus loop service. It links Upper Downtown, home of the domed capital building and the Renzo Piano-designed Denver Art Museum, with ‘LoDo.’
For centrality, you can’t beat staying at the Sheraton Downtown, with all the facilities of a modern, city-centre hotel. However, for historic character, Brown’s Hotel, with its huge central atrium, is perfect for afternoon tea. The same goes for the Oxford Hotel, opened in 1891 and still going strong.
DIRECT FLIGHTS
A NEW direct flight has been unveiled from the UK to Colorado’s ‘Mile High City’ of Denver, America’s Gateway to the Rockies. And welcoming the British visitor is the architectural ‘jewel that is Denver Airport, designed to reflect the neighbouring Rocky Mountains. The airport’s roof is a clever series of Teflon-coated white ‘peaks’. It’s a great sight as you end your non-stop United flight from London Heathrow’s Terminal 2 on one of United’s state-of-the-art Boeing Dreamliner 787s. United has now unveiled its new, seasonal flight, which runs from spring until late October, leaving the UK at 11.25am, while arriving the same day at 2.15pm in United’s Denver hub. Forty minutes later, you’re in Downtown Denver, known as the ‘Mile High City’ because it stands at exactly 5,280 feet. Then there are the nearby resorts of Vail, Aspen and Breckenridge, with their year-round outdoor attractions. The whole package – flight, city and mountain resorts – is certainly an attractive holiday proposition.