Posts tagged downtown
5 Unique Tours of Downtown Boulder
Oct 19th
What better way to experience our vibrant city than all at once! Whether you’re outdoorsy, a foodie, family-oriented, or just like to drink beer, there’s a tour happening today that knows just how to tickle your fancy. Grab your Hawaiian print shirt, some binoculars and a camera; here are 5 of the best one-and-done ways to experience the greatest downtown in America in a couple of hours (or less)!
1. MyHandleBar
Why crawl from bar to bar if you can bike? If you haven’t seen this contraption wheeling its way around downtown then you’re missing quite a sight. MyHandleBar is a peddle powered portable bike bar, equipped for 16 passengers and comes with its own designated driver. Peddle with your buddies to move the portable watering hole from bar to bar. MyHandleBar offers a “Boulder Brewery Biking” tour stopping at locations such as The Walnut Brewery, The Lazy Dog, Bitter Bar, Conor O’Neills and Pearl Street Pub. Another tour is the “Boulder Bar Bash” stopping at destinations such as Shooters,Catacombs, The Walrus, The Attic and Tahona Tequilla Bistro. Talk about innovating the bar crawl! And hey, all that peddling will cancel out the calories you drink, right?
2. Boulder Walking Tours
If you’re not into drinking or crawling, follow an experienced local guide on a relaxing walk through downtown while you learn about the history, planning and people of Boulder. Some of the sites include the magical Dushanbe Teahouse and the cafes and shops of Pearl’s West and East Ends. The talk will also allow you to get an inside scoop on the public art found on the mall. (Why is that elk there anyway?)
3. Local Table Tours
Calling all foodies! Discover what bon appetit magazine called “America’s Foodiest Town” on a Downtown Dining Tour. LocalTableTours.com offers cocktail tours, coffee and pastry tours, market-to-table tours, and even tours of the Boulder County Farmers Market. These are not sampling tours…so get ready to eat! With over 100 restaurants in Downtown a table tour is a great way to get started on conquering them all. Their motto is “Eat.Drink.Walk.Repeat.” Sounds pretty fabulous to me. I’m especially interested in trying the cocktail tour. It’s supposed to be something like a private cocktail class…meet the bartenders and learn their unique mixology techniques. Tour prices range from $25-$70.
4. Banjo Billy Bus Tours
My friends and I have rented out the Banjo Billy Bus to truck us down to Brad Paisley concerts. Usually, it offers a 90-minute tour of Boulder from the comfort of an old sofa, recliner, or even a saddle. Find out about more of the eclectic side of Boulder through ghost stories and folk lore. This “traveling hillbilly shack” lets its passengers vote on the stories they want to hear. If you’re into country, or a little Jack D, Banjo Billy will show you a good time.
5. Boulder Area Bicycle Adventures
Need something a little more outdoorsy? Boulder Area Bicycle Adventures offers a Historic Downtown and Pearl Street Mall Tour on wheels! Enjoy Pearl as well as other nearby areas such as the Boulder Creek Path and Red Rocks Settler’s Park. This fast paced biking excursion is perfect for families. Do you know what trees are the oldest or what styles of architecture are used most? This tour is great for pointing out some of these less noticeable but still special aspects of Boulder.
Whether you’re a local or looking to visit Boulder for the first time, tours are great way to fit a lot into a busy schedule. So get out there before the snow comes! (I don’t think MyHandleBar will operate too well in slush).
Happy Bouldering!
-Lindsey from Downtown Boulder
Santa flips the switch #boulder
Nov 16th
Downtown Boulder Gets Ready to Switch on the Holidays with a Not-to-Be-Missed Entrance from Santa Himself. Santa flips the switch illuminating the County Courthouse, Pearl Street Mall & Star on Flagstaff Mountain this Saturday (Nov. 20)
Boulder, Colo. (November 16, 2010): On Saturday, November 20, Downtown Boulder will shine brighter than ever when Santa “switches” on the lights illuminating the Pearl Street Mall, Boulder County Courthouse and star on Flagstaff Mountain. This year, over 35,000 bulbs will light up Pearl Street alone! Along the pedestrian mall, 30 trees with be adorned with LED holiday lights (courtesy of the City of Boulder), as well as the shade structure on the 1300 block and skyline silhouettes on Pearl Street at the intersections of 10th and16th streets, not to mention 32 lighted snowflakes along the mall perimeter.
Before the lights are flipped, enjoy live performances by the Casey Middle and Boulder High School choirs. Santa’s promised a fantastic grand entrance this year, led as always, by the Fairview High School drum corps. Immediately following Switch on the Holidays, the Ice Rink at One Boulder Plaza will present Light up the Ice, a holiday ice show starring local skating stars – with a special appearance by Tweedles the Elf and the Rat King from the Nutcracker. After the show the rink will be open for all to enjoy free ice skating between 6:30-10 p.m.
Downtown Boulder’s Switch on the Holidays is a free event and open to the public. This annual event is produced by Downtown Boulder, Incorporated. This year’s presenting sponsor is One Boulder Plaza and supporting sponsors include: Colorado Capital Bank, the Camera, KBCO and the City of Boulder Parking Services.
About Downtown Boulder, Inc. (DBI)
Downtown Boulder, Incorporated (DBI) is a non-profit organization dedicated to continued preservation and enhancement of Downtown Boulder as the heart of the greater Boulder community. We work to maintain downtown as the center of commerce, government, culture, and leisure. DBI members support the overall vitality of downtown through public advocacy, political involvement, and community events that enhance the Boulder experience for residents and visitors. Membership in Downtown Boulder, Incorporated (DBI) is voluntary and open to any interested person or organization.
Boulders High Rent District
Aug 1st
It’s not Beverly Hills, Folks!
The Downtown Boulder Pearl Street Mall has become a desirable location for various retail and other businesses. But, as buildings change ownership, the rents change, too. Out-of-area landlords may expect higher rent from retailers which, in many recent cases, causes the retailers to close and move shop!
Recently there have been several Pearl Street Mall businesses closing and moving because the rents topped at 10% increases or more. Some have opted to move to 29th Street. Several are still in their current locations with “for rent” signs glaring in their windows.
As to the outcome, we’ll wait and see. The cute boutique Chelsea near 10th Street on Pearl Street is moving and so is the T-Bar, upscale lingerie which moved from its original location on 9th Street and is now located on Pearl near 15th Street ! Some stores with internet sales can survive. Others can’t.
While out of town visitors may spend more here, residents are struggling along just like others in other parts of the country.
Increasing prices won’t gain more customers. So, anything on Pearl Street had better be a big “seller” or they won’t be here long. Restaurants, too, come and go for the same reasons.
What is the downtown management doing about it? Stimulating the economy in a secret way that brings additional retailers and customers to town? When so many events take up the spaces on the Mall and nearby streets, people do not frequent the shops more. Instead, they come for the events and leave.
So, Boulder’s high rent district is just that. It doesn’t seem to want to go away!
