Lincoln Park

This is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Denver, settled when prospectors struck gold. Every first Friday night of the month, there’s a rush of a different sort nowadays: Lincoln Park receives a whopping influx of locals from all over the city who come in to check out the Art Walk on Santa Fe Drive. In high summer, the sidewalks are shoulder-to-shoulder packed, weaving in and out of the galleries carrying plastic cups of cheap or donation-based wine the galleries offer to lubricate all the art talk. This event provides some great people-watching: observe the tilt of the head, the knowing squint, and eavesdrop on a hipster couple on a date trying to impress each other with their vast art knowledge and aesthetic insight. There is, of course, the art itself, so much of it and in so many different styles that all but the pickiest connoisseur will be able to find SOMEthing they deem at least halfway pleasing to look at.

When the crowds leave, however, the residents are left to go about life as usual. Artists and some young urbanites love the area, and with good reason, but unfortunately, high crime and poverty rates make that life less than ideal for many residents and make a painful contrast with the thousand-dollar abstract paintings hanging in the galleries. Some of the homes are cute, historic, and well-maintained, even if that’s done with more love than money. Others look careworn, and the kids play listlessly in trampled yards. As with many sections of Denver, it’s block-by-block if you are looking for a place to buy or rent. The public housing projects tucked back into the neighborhood look somewhat sad and in need of attention. With grassroots investment and neighborhood effort, this area might soon take on a similar vibe to Baker: culturally and artistically vibrant, safe, and diverse.

In addition to the Art District on Santa Fe, in-town and out-of-town visitors are drawn to the Buckhorn Exchange on Osage, which bills itself as Denver’s oldest restaurants. Stuffed heads of wild beasts stare at diners from the walls. On offer: rattlesnake, quail, elk, bison, and Rocky Mountain Oysters, which aren’t oysters at all.