Ten Things I'm Excited About In Cole

I guess it's only fair to share some of the very cool things that are happening over here, to balance out my rather cynical bent as of late. So that the haters can't say I'm nothing but negative, here are ten things I'm excited about in Cole right now:

1. The CNA's recent energy--The CNA has been active for several years, but wow--The last 12 months seem to have brought a whole new vitality and energy to the organization. Kudos to Ashleigh Weatherill, current CNA president, Loralie Cole, the former president and (I think) current vice president, and all the folks that are participating.


2. The Dry Ice Factory and Casselman's Bar and Venue--Joining The Walnut Room and Blake Street Tavern as the latest beacons of hope for close-by shopping and services to Cole. Yeah, I know they're actually "Ballpark" neighborhood or something... but I'm so grateful to have them in North Denver. They are much-needed anchor businesses to tie our neighborhood to downtown's vitality.


3. The flip guru of Cole--Darryl whatever-his-name is, that fixed up the house next door to us, as well as three or four other homes in the area, and sold them to new, responsible Cole residents, is right now across the street fixing up his latest aquisition, an old brick duplex that has been vacant and a squatter-and-crackhead-haven for years. Darryl for president!!!


4. The fact that with this duplex renovated and being sold to first-time homeowners, that will make no fewer than 7 residences on our block that have been renovated significantly since we moved here three years ago. I know first-hand that there are many folks that would love to see that much progress on their blocks in that time.
   
5. The fact that no less than three people have emailed me through this blog in the past month (two in the past week), looking for homes here and seeking unvarnished information about the area. Hey, that's what I've always promised, and I'm glad to find that there are some folks out there that still appreciate a straight shooter. Oh, and of course, it's nice to hear the Cole neighborhood is such an attractor of new residents. (Unless you're part of the "Collective", which is a whole other topic.)


6. The exciting new plans for redevelopment of the barren, disjointed, largely industrial northwest corner of our neighborhood to make it more pedestrian friendly, improve traffic flow, and better connect it to the Platte trail.


7. The Denver Police Department for, well, you know for what.


8. Denver Partners Against Graffiti for, well, again, no explanation needed here.


9. That despite what must have been a hugely expensive failure with his Kiva Restaurant, the owner of the old Tosh's Hacienda building isn't giving up on this historic property yet, and is launching a new round of renovations. While I haven't agreed with all the choices he's made, I'm grateful to have his investment in the neighborhood, in Tracks, ExDo, and of course, whatever the Kiva/Tosh's building becomes.


10. And, finally, I'm very thankful for (some) of my neighbors. OK, most of them. Those that don't have a dog that barks all hours of the day and night (and even that family is good people otherwise); those that don't make 11AM Front Porch Happy Hour 7 days a week; and especially those that don't sell the rock or light cats on fire.
    
    While there are a good number of people here that I would have been perfectly happy never meeting (let alone dealing with them on a daily basis), overall we have some great people in Cole--Both new and old residents.
    
    There is no doubt that three years ago when we moved to the block, we were welcomed with open arms by the vast majority of the current residents of the block (those that don't sell the rock or light cats on fire), and that's a pretty special thing I think.
    
    And despite my cynicism, I truly hope that these neighbors are part of the future of the block, too.