City planners want to know: What is your favorite place in Denver?
And, more importantly, why?
Denver Community Planning and Development launched a social media campaign this week to get city residents talking about their community and what makes Denver special, all with the hashtag #favoriteplacedenver.
The answers so far, posted on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, run the gamut — the hustle and bustle of the 16th Street Mall, the twinkly lights of Larimer Square at night, the sights and sounds of Red Rocks Amphitheatre, the lush, green oasis of Denver Botanic Gardens.
For others, it’s Coors Field, Washington Park, Union Station, Brown Palace Hotel, Lawson Field, Tattered Cover Bookstore, South Pearl Street, Sloan’s Lake, East Colfax Avenue and more.
The goal of My Favorite Place in Denver, according to the city website, is “to kick-start a wide-open Denver love fest” — yes, love fest — “to foster civic pride and learn from each other how we can make our beloved city even better.”
“One of the most important questions is the why,” said Andrea Burns, a spokeswoman for Denver Community Planning and Development. “It’s not just what place is your favorite, but why is it your favorite. The ‘why’ really tells the story of what Denverites love about their city.”
The campaign, the brainchild of Brad Buchanan, the city’s new head planner, will continue through September.
There won’t be any rankings or final votes, Burns said — although a few lucky participants will win tickets to a concert at Red Rocks, courtesy of Denver Arts & Venues. Trends and overall results will be shared at the end of the campaign.
Mark Eskanos, a third-generation Denverite and real estate agent, takes many of his new-to-town clients to his favorite place as part of a “nickel tour” of the city.
The small monument in the parking lot of Key Bank, 2776 Speer Blvd., may not be much to look at initially, but it memorializes an important piece of Denver history, Colorado’s first drive-in restaurant, the Humpty Dumpty.
Its owner, Louis Ballast, so the monument notes, registered for the trademark for “cheeseburger” in 1935, Eskanos said.
“That’s where they say the cheeseburger was created,” Eskanos said. “It’s a heck of a good story.”
“One of the things I tell people is Denver isn’t a throwaway city,” he said. “We’re very interested in preserving our history.”
Confluence Park, where Cherry Creek and the South Platte meet on the northwestern edge of downtown, has been a favorite place of Mike McDaniel since he moved to Denver in 1990.
The juxtaposition of the natural — the water — and the urban — the bridges, buildings, walkways, railings — is what keeps bringing him back, he said.
“It’s a neat intersection of the river, architecture and cool views,” McDaniel said. “It’s not an ugly urban waterway.”
Emilie Rusch: 303-954-2457, erusch@denverpost.com or twitter.com/emilierusch
My favorite place in Denver
Share your favorite place, now through the end of September, in one of three ways:
– Tweet with the hashtag #favoriteplacedenver
– Instagram with the hashtag #favoriteplacedenver
– Post on Facebook at facebook.com/favoriteplacedenver
