Comments on: Reflections on the DNC

By: I Can't Keep Up

I Can't Keep Up — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 16:44:00 +0000

Great points Ken. I would add that most of my guests loved Denver's vibrant spaces and commented on our "boom" meaning all the construction. Denver's revitalized buildings and spaces, along with the new construction left the impression that this is one happenin' town. That's something we already know. The journalists, bloggers and other guests I met with had this pre-conceived notion that Denver would be a dressed up cow town. Well, they were pleased to learn otherwise.

I am glad you pointed out where Denver can make some improvements. Always good to look at what needs work next.

By: Price of Silence

Price of Silence — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 21:41:00 +0000

There are a lot of good comments here. I thought the convention went well, but I found the police presence oppressive, and I'm sure the demonstrators found it provocative at times. Would it have been so terrible if some corporate lobbyist couldn't get to his party on time because there were demonstrators in the way?

Scooter Thompson is right on in saying that we need more affordable housing downtown–by that I mean below $300,000.

And Alice and Saint were right about the mall ride. It was really crowded and hot. However, it was also a great opportunity to chat with people and see what they were doing in Denver.

There is some dumpiness on the 16th Street Mall, but I for one don't want everything getting too prettied up a la Boulder. I want Denver to look like a city, not a boutique.

Beth
http://bethpartin.com

By: Alice H

Alice H — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 16:27:00 +0000

I like saint's idea in the long run. The mall ride was crazy slow many days. I can't imagine that we would have that kind of traffic in the short term. I'm not sure where the shuttles would run if they were moved to 15th and 17th, though, unless the parking was completely removed and the parking lanes were turned into shuttle lanes.

I was hoping for snow, but unfortunately, it's never snowed in August in Denver. Factor that in with the additional hot air from all the politicians, there's no way we would have seen a snowflake.

By: Saint

Saint — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 15:59:00 +0000

It did show that when our population grows, something has to be done with the shuttles. I tried to use the shuttle a few times during the week, and they were nightmarishly slow due to people and mounted police. Just turning them to streetcars will obviously be ill suited. Either it will have to go underground or one way will have to be on 17th and the other on 15th, which will do a lot to pull spread out some pedestrian traffic.

By: pizzuti

pizzuti — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 16:02:00 +0000

The DNC turned out great not only for how well it went, but for the fact that 30, 60 or even 100 years from now, we're still going to see footage replayed on the History channel. No one could have predicted how big of a deal this would be. If Barack Obama wins the election than his speeches become the historical equivalent of King's "I have a dream" speech. Denver is definitely on the map now with this one.

By: A test blog

A test blog — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 15:57:00 +0000

I have to disagree somewhat.

The traffic on the lower streets (14th/15th) down in Lodo was pretty imrpessive.Larimer square was busting at the seams as people where spilling out into the street. I saw similiar traffic along Market and Blake and of course the corridors leading to the Pepsi center like Wynkoop.

That said, I think it only proves your overall point. Each of those Lodo blocks has real pedestrian attraction. Restuarants, Bars, and the occasional gallery. On the other side of Larimer...not so much. I hope that the Four Seasons and Spire go a long ways towards remedying that. As the hotels get built-out along 14th, and hopefully we see a few projects get out of the ground along 15th things will very much change for the better.

By: chucolo

chucolo — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 15:09:00 +0000

Was an amazing week, that's for sure. Couple of other observations: First, I was impressed by the number of delegates/visitors, etc., taking advantage of the free bikes. I was also struck (almost literally) by how most of the bicyclists had to ride on the sidewalk because 15th Street was so jammed with traffic. Would have been great if city could have earmarked a dedicated bike lane upon which delegates could have pedaled their way around downtown. Second, it's fortunate the weather (and the mood) was so good on Thursday. It appears that RTD couldn't handle the huge amount of people leaving Mile High (I won't call it the other name) after Obama's speech. There also seemed to be a complete lack of coordination and signage, etc., directing attendees to buses, etc., that would have carried them away from the stadium. Granted, shuttling 80,000 people after an event is a challenge any time it occurs, but I think Denver was luck to avoid a black eye from people who might have been extremely frustrated with what they had to do to attend the event. But, as Ken said, activity downtown that week was exciting and energizing. It was really entertaining just to walk up and down the mall to capture the buzz. I'm sure the mall shuttle drivers don't miss the DNC, but otherwise I thought Denver really acquitted itself extremely well. Was almost like pope's visit plus Summit of the Eight plus Bronco Super Bowl victory parade. All at the same time….