Get ready to embark on an exciting new journey as KinersKorner.com takes you on a tour of Major League cities across the country. In this new feature, we explore the hidden gems and must-see attractions that go beyond the ballpark, while also diving deep into stadium reviews and the fan experience.
Today, I am proud to take you to Denver to explore the ins and outs of the baseball culture and other aspects of the city so that you can plan your baseball trip accordingly. I was there in early August to help celebrate a milestone for a friend as he hit all 30 ballparks. (This was number 29 for him, and I'll review number 30 in the coming days.) I saw two Mets victories there, which is always a treat when you're traveling long miles to see your favorite ballclub.
Denver might seem daunting if you're traveling from New York, but there are early non-stop flights out there from JFK. Now I'm going to prep you for your initial foray into Denver: First, when you land, do not expect glorious mountain vistas when peeking out the window. Quite the opposite: It'll look like you're landing in a giant farm, which threw me off. The airport is a good ways away from downtown, and that leads me into my second prep for you: DO NOT take a rideshare into the city, especially if you're traveling alone. There's an LIRR style train right outside the main terminal, and $10 will get you right into Union Station which is in the heart of downtown, blocks from the hotels and Coors Field. Way better than dropping $90 on a rideshare.
We chose a Marriott on 16th and Curtis, which puts you near just about everything. But keep in mind that currently, there's a huge construction project up and down 16th St. Mall, which will mildly to significantly inconvenience you whether you're walking or driving. So hopefully your trip will be after this project is over.
The one place you must hit up in Denver if you're a baseball fan, whether it be before or after a Rockies game is the National Ballpark Museum. It's on Blake Street across the street and down one block from Coors Field. It doesn't get a lot of pub and it's very easy to miss as it's part of a larger building with bars and restaurants. But it's a must visit for the hardcore baseball fan.
It's a small place, maybe six rooms, that are filled with memorabilia from 14 old ballparks including Tiger Stadium, Crosley Field, Forbes Field, Old Comiskey, along with Fenway Park and Wrigley Field. They also have an exhibit celebrating the history of baseball in Denver, plus a reading room where you can sit and read classic baseball books (that room frequently turns into a room where all the visitors swap stories.) They ask for a $20 donation to keep the place running. I paid it one day then took my friends the next day, fully expecting to double up on the admission fee, but they said "hey we recognize you from yesterday, you can come back for free." The staff couldn't have been nicer if they tried.
Then we come to the ballpark. It's amazing when you realize that Coors Field is the third oldest ballpark in the National League behind Wrigley and Dodger Stadium, and it was only active since 1995. But they keep the ballpark up well so you would never be able to tell that this place was "old".
Perhaps the best feature of the park is that they open two gates two hours before the game while the the rest of the park opens 90 minutes prior. During the extra half hour you can hang out at the Rooftop Bar where they sell $3 beers and lower price cocktails until first pitch. (The beers are small ... you're not getting big souvenir cups for $3, but you can double fist all you want.) It's a great place to overlook the park and enjoy the view while downing cheap beers. What's better than that?
Plus, everyone is really friendly. The folks slingin' the beer recognized me on the second day and gave me fist bumps. Between them and the Ballpark Museum folks, I felt like the Mayor of Denver for two days. (Shoutout to Mike Johnston, the actual Mayor of Denver.)
In terms of food at the ballpark, they have a variety of items, but I had what I felt was the signature: The Helton Burger. I have to say as a burger connoisseur, I really liked it. Now keep in mind that they use a Thousand Island dressing type accoutrement as their "secret sauce". So if you're not into that, you might not be into this. I like that stuff, so I was all over it. But my favorite part of it was the simple aspect of it being cooked all the way through. Some ballpark burgers get stored under heat lamps for a while (that was the death knell for the Polar Bear Burger from year one to year two). But the Helton Burger was made fresh and cooked through, which was the best thing I could ask for.
For food in and around Denver that doesn't involve a ballgame, you should know that cream cheese is a thing. They offer it on burgers and hot dogs throughout the city. If cream cheese is your thing, then you'll be in heaven. The first place I'll recommend to you is The Cherry Cricket, a burger and beer place that's across the street from Coors Field, and it's a big post game spot. Their burgers are very good as well as their fries, and yes ... they do offer cream cheese if you ask.
Also, a great breakfast spot is a place called The Delectable Egg. There are two locations and I went to the one closest to our hotel on Market St. I had the Fiesta Skillet and it was outrageous. If you want any more proof of the validity of this place, know that the person I heard about it from was none other than Howie Rose!
If you're looking for something a little higher end, there's Elway's Steakhouse which is on Curtis St. inside the Ritz Carlton (like I said ... higher end.) I can tell you anecdotally that not every restaurant that a former NFL quarterback puts his name to is good. But Elway's hits the mark. If you didn't know who John Elway was, you'd never guess that an NFL QB was associated with this. There were no pictures of Elway anywhere in the place (unless it was your birthday and you got a signed card from him, like my friend did.) It's just a really good steakhouse that gets their meat from Wisconsin, great sides, and do yourself a favor and get the Key Lime Pie. Absolutely top notch.
One final thing, if you're looking for something quirky to do on Blake St. make sure you hit up a place called "1 Up". It's an arcade with every old game your heart desires. Frogger. Centipede. Pac Man on a big screen. Skee Ball. The original NBA Jam. The original NFL Blitz. An entire row of pinball machines. A haven for the teenager in you, or the teenager with you. You wouldn't believe it, but this place seems to attract the college crowd (they're strict about checking IDs, even when you're 53 like me because it's also a bar and light snack place.) But there's a definite old time vibe to this place and if you frequented arcades in the 80's and 90's, you'll love this place.
I hope that this will help you in your quest to choose a city for your next baseball adventure. I have to say that our trip to this city was a success, as was the second city that we traveled to immediately after this. Where to? We'll cover that next week on Diamond Destinations.
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