Changes

There has been all sorts of action in the neighborhood as of late and the word on the street is good for the most part. I noticed the other day that the Asian Imports store on Pearl across from Sushi Den was having a going out of business sale. That didn't take long at all. The good news is that the owners of Sushi Den bought the building and plan on opening a Japanese Deli/Fish Market. I've always thought they should have a fish market since they have access to the best seafood in town.

Mulberries, the cake shop on Pearl St. is moving on . . . not a biggie since I tend not to buy fancy cakes and their regular stuff, cookies and the like were not very good. I am partial to Gateaux anyways. They have always been extremely friendly and their pastries are ridiculous.

Further down the street, they are actually fixing the street! Iowa is designated as one of the Denver bicycle routes, but the road damage has gotten beyond shameful. Hopefully they will fix everything from pearl to Santa Fe. I see a lot of riders bouncing along, riding in the middle of the lane, trying to avoid the craters and/or string together the few patches of decent pavement left.

In other bicycle news stupidity, the county commissioners of Jefferson County, home to some of the best riding and training routes, are seeking legislative power to prohibit bicycle use on certain county roads. That's some good, forward thinking right there. There are laws in place statewide concerning bicycle/vehicle safety. In short they read something like, "Bikes, you stay to the right. Cars, don't hit them and pass with care." I understand that it is hard to hit the gas pedal after you have slowed down to pass a bicycle. As a cyclist, I'll be the first to admit that there are a significant number of asstards in our midst who certainly don't help the cause, but the residents complaining about bicycle use on their routes home should put the same effort into banning the cars that also get in their way on the road. Just the other day, there were like, 800 cars in the way on I-25 on the way home.

It is getting harder to mention stupidity of any form without thinking immediately about the guard shack next door which is coming closer to completion. The "trellis" feature has been added in the form of heavy beams, at about head height, over the sidewalk.


Just like the other "architectural features" the beams are out of scale and everything about the thing looks heavy handed and awkward. Even at the original height, it would look goofy, especially with the gate that looks like an after thought. I'll be curious to see the completed project, but I'm guessing it won't look much different than the above shot.