East meets west: Tour shows how the other half has fun
It was a cultural kidnapping.
We took a group of downtowners who don’t like to venture east of Wahsatch Avenue and spent an evening perusing the Powers corridor. At the same time, a group of east-siders who rarely travel downtown spent a night traipsing up and down Tejon.
Please note that none of the kidnapped were harmed. Maybe it was Stockholm syndrome, but they seemed to rather enjoy themselves.
Our goal was lofty: Crash through the invisible lines that divide this city, at least for a night. Driving across town isn’t exactly like a trip to Botswana, but to talk to some of these folks you would think it’s just as exotic.
Sure, Colorado Springs is divided between north and south based on socioeconomic factors that aren’t likely to change anytime soon. But the city is also divided between the east side and the west side for more slippery reasons.
Old versus new. Urban versus suburban. Chain stores versus mom-and-pops. Lack of fast east-west corridors. But taste and style and travel times are obstacles we can tackle.
So, each pack of explorers discovered how the other half lives, and against all odds survived to tell the tale.
A colorful trepidation sat plain upon the faces of the East-Side Ten as we gathered beneath the Chihuly chandelier in the lobby of the Fine Arts Center on the cloudless summer evening.
Only two in the group had ever set foot in the museum where they were about to see a world-class exhibition of fat people, many of them naked.
“Red Lobster is opening up,” said Harvey Richardson, a retiree who restores hot rods, when asked about the cultural amenities out east as we prepared to tour the galleries.
Many of the 10 cited the distance and unfamiliar cultural terrain as the primary reasons they seldom came downtown.
“It just seems so far away. And it’s unknown,” said Lauren Burnett, an east-sider who, along with her husband, Matt, enjoys walking around their neighborhood, restaurants, reading and playing with their kids.
“The only reason we’ve been downtown in the past year is to see lawyers or go to court,” added Richardson. “We really have no reason to come downtown. Everything we need is out east.”
Everything they need, perhaps, but all cautiously admitted looking forward to the discovery of something new.
It wasn’t long before eyes were popping at the gargantuan Botero figures in the galleries upstairs. Some were unpleasantly shocked by the content, but all felt they had genuinely seen something new and surprising as they took it all in over tapas and wine from Café 36 the west patio of afterward.
From there it was off to Smokebrush, where the gang peered into Scott Johnson’s grass-filled infinity cube. Weird? Most seemed to think so. Interesting? Maybe.
But no time for over-analyzing art as we headed back up to the Cornerstone Arts Center to watch scene IV from “La Boheme,” part of Colorado College’s Vocal Arts Symposium, which all in the gang adored.
Many, including Army Sgt. Michael Kershaw, were so impressed that they wanted to stay, but the back alleys of downtown called and it was off to the recently-opened Modbo Gallery just off Bijou Street between Cascade Avenue and Tejon Street for a quick look at the art then a peek into the smoke-filled darkness of 15C, one of the only bars in town you can still smoke a cigar indoors.
A few of the group seemed a bit overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of culture (if not the content) at this point, while others wondered why they hadn’t come downtown sooner.
Time for a drink at Blondie’s with Nate Windham, one of Colorado Springs’ most decorated bartenders who regularly wins the Best Of. While more than a few in the group abstained, others eagerly downed lemon-meringues and exotic rum drinks from long-forgotten recipes.
Most were starving by this point and filled their faces gleefully from the tapas plates at Nosh before jetting off to the roof of the public parking garage on the corner of Kiowa and Nevada to get a peek at the Gallery of Contemporary Art’s Art Without Limits (AWOL) film-screening with spectacular views of the city.
From there, feet aching by now, everyone slouched down into the back-patio chairs at Rico’s for a slurp of sipping chocolates and agreed that one thing or another they’d discovered throughout the evening would bring them back (albeit in more comfortable shoes). Curiously, the eastern tour didn’t have this feet-aching problem.
“If the goal is to make me want to come downtown more often, then it’s working,” Matt Burnett said.
They called the downtown tour educational, eye opening and exciting. Every person seemed to take home a different lesson.
“I discovered, much to my surprise, that I really dig art,” Michael Kershaw said.
East-sider Heidi Kelly said, “If I learned nothing else, it’s that I like that hummus stuff.”
They came, they saw, they conquered their stereotypes.
The six intrepid west-siders let loose with their impressions of eastern Colorado Springs as they rode east on Platte Avenue and north up the big-box jungle of Powers Boulevard: Boring. Generica. This is like Kansas out here. No history. Only chain stores.
“The positive part about this side of town is it’s not on our side of town,” groused Jeff Taylor.
But they held out hope.
“There must be culture out here someplace,” said the optimist, Liz Petropoulos of Manitou Springs.
They began their search at the concert at First & Main Town Center, with lawn chairs and blankets spread out on the grass in the middle of the shopping center, and The Jake Loggins Band playing blues.
The west-siders were mildly surprised to find a sense of neighborhood community on the east side, but they were still convinced that America the Beautiful Park or Soda Springs Park make better places for an outdoor concert than a shopping center.
“There’s something about being at a concert in the middle of a mall that is not appealing,” Jean Daniell said.
Next up was Sushi Ai, which Petropoulos quickly pointed out was on the west side before it was on the east side. But it was a short walk from the concert, and a rainbow roll soon made any dark clouds disappear. They toasted: “To the west-siders, to new friends, to new discoveries.”
After declaring the sushi scrumptious, dessert was at the German spot Schnitzel Fritz, another locally-owned restaurant. Impressed by hearing German spoken behind the counter, the group was even more impressed when the pastry hit their tongues. They moaned in pleasure.
Full and happy, the West-Side Six gamely donned 3-D glasses and stepped into the massive IMAX theater at Cinemark to watch “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.”
They were blown away.
“I was amazed,” said Dale Boswell. “And we’re definitely going to go back for ‘A Christmas Carol.’”
That was the first time a member of the crew said they’d definitely be coming back east. They were starting to crumble.
Over a round of beers at Rock Bottom Brewery, Petropoulos said, “I’m thinking maybe I don’t know what the east side is any more.”
With that in mind, they headed for an east-side institution, a Sky Sox game with Friday night fireworks. The long line at the ticket counter and lost will call tickets didn’t dampen their enthusiasm.
They sang “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” ate hot dogs and drank beer, ooed and aahed at the fireworks, and even did a little root, root, rooting for the home team.
The ball game worked its magic. As the kids in the stands laughed and goofy between-innings promotions carried on, Petropoulos whispered, “I love America.”
Not hearing her, Shirley Boswell came to a remarkably similar conclusion:
“With all the kids and the fireworks, I thought, ‘America is still OK.’”
They had given in to the power of the east side. But the spell didn’t last.
While they all agreed that the visit to “Kansas” was better than they expected, and they’re much more likely to head that way again soon, at the end of the night they all tapped their heels and agreed that there’s no place like home.
FROM THE EAST-SIDERS OUT WEST:
BOTERO EXHIBIT
“Of course, being a large woman, I love it!” — Mary Lou Richardson
“I feel like I’m in a different world because it’s nothing like the world I live in.” — Heidi Kelly
“I’m a little uncomfortable with the nudity, but I believe you have some great art, some beautiful art.” — Christine Glaeser
Rating: 9.2 (out of 10)
SMOKEBRUSH
“Interesting, but I’ve never seen things like this. I don’t know if I’ll be back again, but interesting to know it’s here.” — Harvey Richardson
“Very cool.” — Erich Vinson
Rating: 6.6
VOCAL ARTS SYMPOSIUM
“It was beautiful. Love it!” — Crystal Silber
“I love it. I’ve only seen (opera) on TV. I think it’s beautiful.” — Sgt. Michael Kershaw
“I don’t know that I can find words to describe that. Incredible!” — Erich Vinson.
Rating: 8.9
MODBO AND 15C
“I like to see old spaces turned into something like that.” — Steve Glaeser
“It’s like a little secret place — like a little treasure hunt. I didn’t go into the cigar place because the smoke burned my eyes.” — Christine Glaeser
“I love the little buildings in the alley. It’s so unexpected.” — Lauren Burnett
Rating: 6.9
BLONDIE’S
“A lot of fun. The bartender was extremely knowledgeable.” — Steve Burnett
“I don’t drink, but I did like the creativity and the way they designed it.” — Christine Glaeser
Rating: 6
NOSH
“Legendary. I’ve never had sweet potato fries. My life is complete now.” — Erich Vinson
“Excellent! I’m into food more than arts.” — Harvey Richardson
“I’d like it if it was quieter.” — Christine Glaeser
Rating: 9
AWOL Film Screening on Parking Garage Roof
“I dug it. If they did a better job promoting it, it’s something I’d go to for sure.” — Erich Vinson.
Rating: 5.4
RICO’S AT POOR RICHARDS
(No comments, they were too busy sipping their chocolate.)
Rating: 8.4
FROM THE WEST-SIDERS OUT EAST:
FIRST AND MAIN CONCERT SERIES
“I love the concept. I like when merchants make an effort like this to bring people in.” — Dale Boswell
Rating: 7.2
SUSHI AI
“I like sushi, and it was good sushi.” — Dale Boswell
“The food was delicious but the atmosphere was not great.” — Denise Cohen
Rating: 8.2
SCHNITZEL FRITZ
“It was such a surprise to see that culture on the Eastside and hear them speaking German behind the counter.” — Liz Petropoulos
Rating: 9.5
IMAX
“Awesome.” — Group comment
Rating: 10
ROCK BOTTOM
“It’s Rock Bottom brewery, they’re all alike.” — Shirley Boswell
Rating: 7.8
SKY SOX
“I’d forgotten what a pure joy and delight it is to be at the game.” — Dale Boswell
“My kid came out. I was having so much fun, and I didn’t think I would.” — Liz Petropoulos
Rating: 10
