I love me a good city. Some, like Chicago, make me feel at home. I love taking the South Shore train at one end in South Bend, Indiana and traveling along Lake Michigan for 3 hours, pulling you directly into downtown at Randolf Street Station. Coming up from the subway exit and onto the street, you are instantly in the center of all of the hustle, bustle and magic- it's exciting, yet, comforting because it's relaxed in a way as well. It's New York on a tranquilizer. Blues bars are impeccable there. One night in college, my Grandpa Jamie and I went to a blues bar together. My Grandma wanted to go to sleep so just the two of us jumped in a taxi and went to Kingston Mines, where now I go every single time I'm in town, and take everyone there. It's exactly how you would picture a blues bar.. wood walls, reddish lights and always the most soulful black men sitting in chairs singing their hearts out while playing instruments that make your heart skip beats. which means you pretty much die then, right? and go straight to heaven.
Other cities like Charleston, South Carolina (even though I've never been there) make my soul remember something familar too. If other lifetimes exist, I was a Southern woman who lived in Charleston and wore hats with feathers on them, and gloves of course. I drank sweet tea on porches and walked barefoot in pecan orchards.
Tokyo satisfies all of my fantasies of a Fantasy City. It's such a mindtrip, a delightfully safe mindtrip. It's like being in a wonderful movie where you jump on a train that comes every 2 mintues (exactly.) and travel to a different land, aka, other part of the city. You can go to funky Harajuku, where Gwen Stefani goes when she is there (she loves harajuku culture very much.) then onto a beautiful, traditional temple and then eat whale at a nice restaurant (oh the guilt of eating whale, and liking it.) or a cheap and quick "revolving" sushi restaurant.
 |
| fast food sushi, take it right off the belt that moves in front of you. Each plate is a set amount. You pay at the end by the waitress counting your plates. photo courtesy ofhttp://may162011littletokyotrip.blogspot.com/ |
You can exit a subway stop at Shinjuku and see this: a cross walk of like 6 streets:
and then take a break at one of the coolest Starbucks in the world, and get a birds eye view of all of the crossing.
 |
| view from the Starbucks in Shibuya, Tokyo. photo courtesy of http://www.igougo.com/journal-j42903-Tokyo-Two_Days_in_Tokyo.html |
Now that I have just gushed about my crush on Tokyo, Chicago and Charleston-- onto Denver.
This city is my home. It started out as an arranged marriage, Denver and I. At first we liked each other just fine. But, I kept my distance just a tad, because I wasn't sure if Denver was long term for me. As if I had a choice. Immediately, this "temporary" home began it's seductive pull, persuading me to give it my affections. Somewhere inside I could feel it's gentle persistence, "come on, love me" like a guy who asks a girl out every single day until finally, exasperated, she says yes... and then they date and marry. Denver has done it to me. I've tried to ignore her ways, but she won me over. The brick buildings of LoDo with huge wooden beams, the old mercantile buidling murals covering the walls still, reminding us all the while- that Denver was 'the' west at some point in history. Things happened here. And the center of it all was Union Station.
Everything centered around the trains, there were about 80 trains going in and out a day, according to an awesome radio story today on Colorado Public Radio. I've known that Union Station had big plans because construction started a year ago, but I had never seen any blueprints or plans. Last month, I trekked over a few blocks and went to the Transportation District's monthly meeting (there were like 18 people there) where they showed a slideshow of the future station. It's just what I've hoped for.
It's seems similar to Japan, in that the train station will be the center of the city's actions. People will come and go on bus, train, lightrail throughout the state and to the airport. There will also be a hotel as well as restaurants, shops, bars and entertainment. I can hardly wait!
And so you see, Denver's seduction keeps reeling me in. It has it all, the laid back feeling like Chicago, the old history like Charleston and now with the modern Union Station plans, I'll get my taste of Tokyo. Just as I dream of experiencing a new city in the country to live, I realize that for Denver, "the best is yet to come," and I just may want to be around for it.
Denver's Union Station in the Past.
These photos are on our floor in the building that we live in across from Union Station. These are photos of photos.
 |
| Union Station in 1894. |
 |
| View coming out of the station. The Welcome Arch was taken down and has been in storage for decades. It's coming back!! |
Denver's Union Station Today:
After hearing the radio show today, I walked over and shot some photos. It's a grand building. According to the interview with the CEO of Sage Hotels, all people will enter into the grand hall. It's huge historic windows will remain. People will beable to buy tickets for transportation, eat at restaurants, shop, grab a cocktail. It will be the city center, with lots of activity going on. Apparently, sound engineers are making it so the hotel rooms are quiet and peaceful, with views of the mountains.
 |
| There are still signs for Telegraph and Pullman on the walls. |
 | ||||
| such grandeur and glorious light. |
 |
| today's construction site. |
Denver's Union Station in the near future:
These are the renderings that were shown at the RTD monthly meeting. More info on the complete project can be found at http://www.denverunionstation.org/
 |
| keeping the old, adding the new. |
 |
| we live in the brick building on the right. we rent now, owning is a smart thought. |
 |
| according to the radio show today, the train to Denver International Airport will be on track 1. |
