It’s been hot hot hot! and I’m loving every second of it. Take advantage of the beautiful weather by enjoying some amazing grub surrounded by friends and family on our roundup of the best patio dining. 1. Cafe Terracotta At Cafe Terracotta in Littleton you’ll find the quintessential brunch experience, complete with homemade bread, out-of-this-world French toast, or their signature burgers, all of which can be accompanied with an alcoholic beverage of your choice. Most importantly, the views from the patio are to die for, as the restaurant is in a Victorian house and the patio... Read More

As June and the festivities of Pride end, it’s good to reflect on what the month of June means for LGBTQ people, and why this year’s festivals were so important. This year marked 50 years since the Stonewall riots, an event that is largely marked as the start of Pride and a stepping stone for the LGBTQ community gaining rights. The riots began at a gay bar in New York, the Stonewall Inn, in 1969, when gay people fought against police in frustration over being arrested. The events led to nationwide riots as people everywhere fought for equal rights in their communities. In Denver, there... Read More

I am often asked if I miss having a house. My gut response is rather defensive. I have a house. It just happens to be silver, sits on wheels, and can be transported to any desired location via my car. So, the simple answer is no, I do not miss having a house. I have one. If only life were as easy as the simple answers. The more complicated (and therefore, more realistic) answer is yes, I miss having a house. And I still don’t mean the thing with four walls and windows and a door. Don’t let me fool you—I am most definitely plotting my dream homes over here (yes, plural). One is a black A-frame... Read More

It’s nice to get away. We all need a good recharge, away from the complexities of modern life. We’re spending more time inside than any other period in history, and we almost continuously have our eyes glued to a screen. These are just a couple reasons some doctors are starting to prescribe nature to improve overall health. Unplugging from electronics and taking time outdoors is shown to have several health benefits. If you’re reading this column, chances are you already know a bit about the benefits of cannabis for fitness, so wouldn’t it make sense to combine nature with more nature?... Read More

Once again, spring has smiled upon our beautiful city. People are gardening, birds are chirping, and the few bees we haven’t poisoned are lazily making their rounds like every day is Monday morning. It’s a special time in Denver, and with the changing of the season comes a very Colorado holiday: 4/20. Personally, it just doesn’t hold the same significance it once did. I remember going to see Ken Gorman speak at the capital and feeling like a rebel for skipping school with my friends to protest for something so near and dear to all of our hearts. That’s all well and good,... Read More

This year’s sixth annual NOCO Hemp Expo hit record numbers of attendees at its sold-out event in Denver, Colorado. Last weekend I was among over 10,000 people in attendance at the conference. Just like the hemp industry is growing rapidly, NOCO has grown into the world’s largest gathering of hemp industry professionals in the world—in only six years! The event has highlighted the many uses of hemp, from CBD products, to hemp building materials, to the agendas printed on hemp paper. The event provided education and workshops across the board. There was a special keynote address from Colorado’s... Read More

Continuing his exploration of spiritual and mythical characters from cultures across the world, Ravi Zupa has released the third print in his Tattoo series featuring Buraq from the Islamic tradition and a buddhist version of Mahakala. At the top, we see Mahakala—a fierce, chaotic form of Shiva (husband of Kali) who plays a significant role in Tibetan Buddhism. Like his wife, he is a symbol of time and thus is bound by no rules or structures of morality comprehensible by the human mind. “Facing Mahakala is the most alarming and frightening event in the life of any consciousness,” Zupa says... Read More

Walker Fine Art is a spacious, loft-style gallery specializing in contemporary art. Their artist list includes regional and national artists at all stages of their careers. Their rotating exhibitions showcase the latest trends in Abstraction and Realism through Sculpture, Photography, Mixed Media, and Installation. Currently on display is a group exhibition titled Elements. This series features works from six artists and focuses on the elements of nature through various elements of photography. The selected works range from silver gelatin prints to a 3D augmented reality installation. These artists... Read More

The Art of the State is an expansive series covering as much of the Colorado art scene as possible. This isn’t a normal exhibition; it’s a full scale immersion. Open to all Colorado artists and every type of media, this is an incredibly diverse event that attracts hundreds of artists. It takes place at the spacious Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities. Home to three separate galleries and over 10,000 square feet of exhibition space, the Arvada Center is one of the few venues in the Denver area large enough for a collection of this magnitude. This event always draws some big names... Read More

By my current estimate*, roughly 29% of social media is devoted to decrying why social media is so terrible for us. They’re not wrong. We spend a shocking amount of time comparing other people’s carefully-curated presentations of their mundane lives to our own, known-to-be-dreary existences. People who I know are boring as dirt in real life look like rock stars online. I am not immune to this: my phone tells me that I spend upwards of two hours a day staring at it, which is far more than I have ever spent staring at any lover I have ever had. Make of that fact what you will. I bring this up... Read More