This year, whether you have just moved here or are returning, is a good year to get to know the city of Denver. Becoming familiar with a new place is an exciting part of going to college, and this place is an especially interesting and entertaining one. Here are some reasons for getting to know Denver while you’re at DU.
On the culture front, Denver is brimming with art, music, museums and theater. Tours of top-quality Broadway shows cycle through the Denver Center for the Performing Arts constantly—we get renowned musicals like “Dear Evan Hansen” and “Cats” as well as dramatic and comedic plays—and most people should be able to find something that suits their taste in the range between Roald Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and Jim Steinman’s “Bat Out of Hell The Musical,” each of which is coming to the Buell Theater this year.
The music venues are also excellent and memorable. There are the namesake geological wonders at Red Rocks Amphitheater, hanging chandeliers at the Fillmore and old-school class at the Paramount. Similarly to the variety in the theater district, you can take your pick whether to see a pop megastar at the Pepsi Center or a U2 tribute band at the Soiled Dove. If you don’t gain new cultural knowledge and experience during your time at DU, it is not because it is lacking.
We also have an art museum, a Colorado history museum (though it’s called the History Colorado Center now, since word reversal freshens things up), a nature and science museum, a museum of contemporary art, a zoo and a sprawling botanic garden. Each can be visited repeatedly for rotating exhibits and special events, and they are good about offering free days and student prices. What is always free is Denver’s public art, of which there is a lot. We have giant dancing people and a larger-than-life dustpan and brush, we have a statue of a pile of what could be kidney beans or actual kidneys, a towering sculpture of what is maybe French fries or possibly Jenga blocks and intricate murals on sides of buildings. We have a giant blue bear that inspires curiosity and wonder and a giant blue horse that might be the devil incarnate. The city of Denver is too interesting and weird not to explore while you are here.
If you like riding public transportation, you can get most places on the light rail or the bus. Taking transit helps the environment, supports the continuation of these services and makes you a more interesting person. It is also is a good way to see more of the city, something you hopefully feel encouraged to do at this point.
On a more serious note, Denver is where you will be working, finding internships, networking and doing service work during your years of college. As a DU student, you are a part of the community, and engaging with it for your own career goals and in the service of other community members is one of the most important things you will do while you are here. Staying isolated on campus and in classes will only give you a part of the opportunities you have here. We are at college to learn the skills that will help make our cities and communities better, more vibrant places, and to be a contributing part of a community is powerful.
You have chosen a wonderful city, and it has a lot to offer you, just as you do it. Getting to know Denver this year will be time well spent.
