Just moved to Denver...

[Mathematics]

Yes there are already threads on moving to Denver.

Staying in Littleton for now, will relocate in 3-4 months depending on what hospital the gf ends up working at and how much of a commute she wants to deal with. I'm hoping mountains or closer to downtown...the in-between suburbia doesn't do much for either of us.

Things I'm looking for suggestions on for the SW Denver area:

-good food places (any stellar eggs benny spots?)
-watering holes with tasty beer
-live music spots
-good homebrew store
-where to find good rentals...the sheer volume on CL seems kind of sketchy
-good gyms

Also, any good camping spots within 1-2 hrs of Denver? Or places off the beaten path where no ones going to care if we setup camp? Not a fan of the 50-site camping areas that pop up online.

Willing to trade homebrew for any pointers...thanks

[smmokan]

For good camping, check out the Lost Creek Wilderness that's southwest of Denver off of 285. It's a great "hidden gem" of an area that has some great camping and amazing scenery.

As for all your other questions, wish I could help but I'm on the far north side of the Denver metro so I don't know much about your area. Send a PM to Powtron (seriously) since he lives down in your neck of the woods.

[Jay P]

For burgers/hot dogs

http://craverealburgers.com/

also Colorado Dog at Smashburger is really good.

if you are willing to go up north, the Dark Horse in Boulder has killer burgers and wings. The Jiffy is my favorite. Also the best BBQ in the entire state is in Louisville - http://www.lulus-bbq.com/

[Cruiser]

Beer at Home on South Broadway will take care of your homebrew needs. Steve is right about Lost Creek. It's a great place to set up shop for the weekend. Another option is Rampart Range Road. Just be sure to head south towards the Garden of the Gods to get away from most of the bikers. Toast on Santa Fe and Littleton Blvd has very good breakfasts and the sushi place next door, Sushi Basho, is surprisingly good and fairly affordable. Vergillio's on Kipling just north of C470 has some of the best pizza in the metro area. I haven't been yet, but I've heard good things about the craft beer selection at Parry's Pizza in Highlands Ranch.

I'm no help with rentals, gyms, or live music though.

[dcphinney]

Just moved to Wyoming from Littleton, if you like dive bars and good mexican food try The Columbine Lounge, other than that I was never really impressed with the food or drinking establishments in the area.

[nopainnojane]

I have been staying away from Beer at Home lately, not the same since Matt opened Downslope Distillry. There is a new place on Wadsworth and Missisippi that has a good selection, gives 10% discount for AHA or Homebrew club membership. I do find myself going all the way out to The Brew Hut in Aurora most of the time, it is a great excuse to hit up the Dry Dock for a beer or two. There is also Stomp them Grapes up off I70 and Pecos or there abouts. I have not been there much.

Been living in SW Littleton for 8 years, tought to find good beer joint in this part of town. I know more of where to stay away from. Ironworks and The Old Mill are not worth the trip based upon any recent visits.

[nobueno]

not much help for sw denver but downtown.

breakfast - snooze downtown (23rd and larimer) is outstanding but get there early or plan to wait for 1 - 1 1/2hrs. upstream benny is my favorite and check out the pancake flights. tell em you're new they may give ya one to try. they also have the worlds best hangover cure. it's called a cosmonaut. yea it sounds faggy but it's just a white russian w/ espresso vodka. not on their menu anymore so some of the bartenders will look at you like you're crazy but one of them will know.

lucille's on alameda and logan is pretty solid as well.

booze - cheeky monk on colfax and grant(ish) has a pretty cool selection of belgian and other brews. a little on the pricey side but awesome for a change of pace. one of my favorite breweries in left hand but its up in longmont. in denver you can walk from wynkoop to great divide to breckenridge downtown. vine st pub has some great southern sun brews without going to boulder but they're cash only.

live music depends what you're into. larimer lounge can have some good stuff. and some stuff that'll make your ears bleed. el chapultepec has some awesome jazz (is also cash only). don't go when the rockies are at home though. in general i just avoid that whole area when there's a game.

already responded to the homebrew thread but didn't know you were in SW so the advice may not be terribly helpful.

instead of the gym join one of the red rocks workout clubs.

[NorthernSpotted...]

Just for good measure, I will third Lost Creek. Might as well second Lucile's too.

If you like tacos and ice cream hit up Soccoro then Sweet Action in the South Broadway area.

Not exactly southwest Denver, but it's southwest of downtown, Renegade brewing is real nice.

edit: To clarify, Renegade is a brewpub, not a home brew store.

[guroo270]

I'll impart a few of the things I've found around Denver. Apologize in advance if they are not in your area, I'm kinda new around here, too.
Cheesesteaks - Denver Ted's on 13th and pearl. Hole in the wall but truly authentic.
Breakfast - I second Snooze
Beer - Second Cheeky Monk and there's a great liquor store right down the road called argonaut. Denver just got a new Lucky Pie, which is a cool spot in Louisville.
Linger is supposedly a pretty hot new restaurant in LoDo, and I enjoyed Cucina Colore in Cherry Creek. Had their dry aged NY Strip, and they have a legendary bread pudding. Don't share it.

[summit]

The Snooze is the shit. There's a reason people wait in line there.

Applejacks is much better priced that Tipsy's

Math - what does your g/f do?

[Name Redacted]

For a good beer bar and awesome food, check out the Rack House at Stranahan's. Take the tour of the distillery. Their menu is awesome and different. Their beer selection is equally as awesome.

Snooze is trendy but good. Don't go on Sunday morning. If you want good Diner style b-fast, downtown, go to Sam's on 15th and Stout, (or is it Curtis?).

For homebrew stuffs, check out the Brew Hut, and while you are there, go to Dry Dock brewery. Yeah, it's in Aurora, but it's worth the trip.

Applejack's is a great place to stock the liquor cabinet and they have a pretty good beer selection as well. Great prices. It's right off I70.

There are two Yard houses in town, one in CO mills Mall, and another on 16th street. Although they are corporate, the food is excelent, the beer selection is hudge, and the happy hour is great.

Falling Rock tap house is also a great beer bar to visit because of their tap selection. Don't go on a friday night because it'll be overrun by the typical lodo crowd.

If I were going to rent and live in Denver again, I'd check into the Highlands or near there. It's between federal and I-25 ish. Close to Downtown, easy access to I70 to get to the hills asap. I'd also consider Golden. Especially since they are getting a light rail. Whatever you do, try to stay west of I25 and West of downtown.

[DasBlunt]

west of 25, west of downtown.. the mantra of denver for some.

Golden is a great town have lived there for most of my 10 years in the Denver area. Anywhere in the west 6th ave corridor is great FYI. Before I even knew Denver, I knew looking at the map to stay west of I25, towards golden.

2nd the Falling Rock tap house, they have some of the best food anywhere in the USA, and beer.

Morrison might work for you guys.

[guroo270]

Need a 32" Sony Trinitron non hd tv and tv stand? Free?

[Mathematics]

Thanks for all the suggestions! Grew up visiting family in Denver but never really got to know the area that well. Cheeky Monk has been on my list for awhile, am stoked to check that place out. Hoping they'll have some westvetleren now that they've released a batch to the states (nowhere to be found in AK).

Math - what does your g/f do?

Shes a nurse...looking for someplace she can work and go after her practitioner's deal at the same time. I still work in AK on a slope schedule, so wherever she works is going to dictate 80% of the conversation on where we end up. And me giving myself 20% of that conversation is probably optimistic.

I know Denver is supposed to be dog friendly, what about all the park & rec areas though? Just have em on leash? I remember RMNP not allowing dogs past the trailheads.

[Mathematics]

Need a 32" Sony Trinitron non hd tv and tv stand? Free?

We're good but thanks for the offer!

[summit]

Shes a nurse...looking for someplace she can work and go after her practitioner's deal at the same time. I still work in AK on a slope schedule, so wherever she works is going to dictate 80% of the conversation on where we end up. And me giving myself 20% of that conversation is probably optimistic.

I hope she has a lot of experience and some connections because the job market for nurses sucks ass in CO, particularly in Denver.

If she doesn't, you might be waiting much much MUCH longer than 3-4 months to figure out what hospital she is working.

Sent from my DROID4

[NorthernSpotted...]

I know Denver is supposed to be dog friendly, what about all the park & rec areas though? Just have em on leash? I remember RMNP not allowing dogs past the trailheads.

Technically, I think dogs are supposed to be leashed pretty much everywhere (definitely not allowed at all in RMNP). However, unless I'm in a very popular area on a weekend, I almost never see dogs leashed up on the trails.

[Bobby Stainless]

I had a sandwich at Udi's that was really good.

[madmike]

Cafe Jordano for killer Italian dinner at Kipling and Jewell. Small place that always has a wait on Fri/Sat, even during the week in the winter/crappy weather.

[irul&ublo]

Search out Rontele....Denver's No. 117 rated barista.

[Danno]

I know Denver is supposed to be dog friendly, what about all the park & rec areas though? Just have em on leash? I remember RMNP not allowing dogs past the trailheads.

RMNP is like most/all national parks in that respect, and unlike most of the rest of the state. I know Boulder lots better than Denver, but there are dog parks all over for in-city off-leash recreation. City of Boulder open space has lots of off-leash trails, but west of Denver, in JeffCo, my understanding is that leashes are required. That said, most national forest land is off-leash (wilderness areas are sometimes an exception, at least they are in Indian Peaks Wilderness).

[nobueno]

denver is much less dog friendly in general compared to boulder.

st mary's glacier and evergreen are good summer spots if you've got a dog who can't tolerate heat too well. and they're not too far from where you're at. westminster dog park is part of colorado hills open space. huge park w/ trails and a pond they can swim in. might dry up the way this year is going though. boulder reservoir is a great place for the dogs to take a dip too.

[MJbumper1121]

I live in littleton, my suggestions are going to be based on locations in the littleton area

-good food places (any stellar eggs benny spots?) The Old Mill (Brewery restaurant), total dive but tasty cheap food and good beers at a great price ($1 beers after 9pm every night, $2.00 pints happy hr).
-watering holes with tasty beer, -The Old Mill, McKinners Pizza bar, The Old Town Tavern, The Toad Tavern
-live music spots- Toad Tavern, Mckinners (sat nights)
-where to find good rentals...the sheer volume on CL seems kind of sketchy, depends on what your price range is
-good gyms (24 hr fitness on belleview and santa fe is my favorite)

[Cruiser]

Cheeky Monk at lunch is where it's at. Half price drafts and $5.99 entrees. A goblet of Bockor Cuvee des Jocobins is like $3.50. Add a croque monsieur with fries and you're all set. FWIW, I haven't seen the supposed stateside Westy. I suspect that it hasn't made it's way onto a Shelton Bros truck bound for CO just yet.

[pinto]

I live in littleton, my suggestions are going to be based on locations in the littleton area

-good food places (any stellar eggs benny spots?) The Old Mill (Brewery restaurant), total dive but tasty cheap food and good beers at a great price ($1 beers after 9pm every night, $2.00 pints happy hr).
-watering holes with tasty beer, -The Old Mill, McKinners Pizza bar, The Old Town Tavern, The Toad Tavern
-live music spots- Toad Tavern, Mckinners (sat nights)
-where to find good rentals...the sheer volume on CL seems kind of sketchy, depends on what your price range is
-good gyms (24 hr fitness on belleview and santa fe is my favorite)

This is good info ... although I haven't been to Old Mill in years, so can't say. McKinners is a favorite, good neighborhood bar vibe; Platte River Bar and Grill is a classic, a decent no-frills local joint with a large west-facing patio for mountain and sunset views, also a great stop off bike trail in day (although I haven't been there either in a couple of years); Ned Kelly's at the end of downtown Littleton can also be, um, interesting.

The few blocks of downtown Littleton are worth exploring, by the way. Some pretty decent restaurants, mostly independent as opposed to chain. Toast and Lucile's are good for breakfast, someone mentioned Sushi Basho, which is surprisingly good. Opus is a superb (but expensive) restaurant ... go to the bar and order drinks and apps, cheaper but still great food and service; JaJa Bistro is casual French in a cozy old house; somewhat similar (except not French) is Terracotta. Anyway, it gets you out of the strip mall hell and into a (moderately) historic district. (Speaking of which, Littleton does have two very good Thai restaurants in nondescript locations: Thai Bistro, and Wild Ginger; Damascus Grill is excellent middle Eastern, hummus is to die for, but doesn't serve alcohol.)

Lost Creek is a good call for camping, and we've had good luck also off 285: pass Grant, turn right on 60 and head toward Montezuma. There is a small campground up there that's nice (Hall Valley, I think) and also lots of other decent spots to camp. Haven't been there lately, I assume it's still nice; we have another place that I'm not sharing, sorry, but the one off 285 is fairly close to your part of town, all things considered.