Barnum House Tour No. 2

 

Once upon a time on Knox Ct., there was a church, that became a Masonic lodge, that transformed into a Mexican restaurant, and then morphed into a burrito factory, and then grew up to be someone's house. Barnum is so weird. But, here's another awesome house tour I stumbled upon recently on the ol' intertubes. 

On a side note, if all Barnum properties were sold with skeeball included, our vacancy rates would plummet.

Meat and Murals, Part 2

Ridiculous. But awesome in its way. I feel like Benny Hill music ought to be piped out on loop around this mural. Yes, if you weren't quite sure -- it is indeed a mustachioed gentleman in a sombrero chasing a chicken with an ax while being chased in turn by a goat. I'm not sure if the cow is leaping, levitating, or flying. Carniceria la Guadalajara is on the West end, at 1st and Sheridan. The parking lot is a wreck waiting to happen though, so drive safely if you drive there!

A Winter Mansion

I've heard this beautiful building at 4th and King called "The 1910 House," "The Castle," and "The Red Mansion." It's home to Savio House, a family assistance organization. What a lovely building for such a lovely cause.

Merry Christmas to you all!

Meat and Murals, Part 1

I love the murals in this neighborhood -- so much lovelier than lighted-plastic-things. This one is on the South East corner of 1st and Knox. Mmm, delicious cow.

Colorado Cider Company

I'm a fan of booze. I'm a fan of apples. I'm a fan of local craft endeavors. And, I just discovered, after hearing it mentioned in a review of Wit's End, that the Colorado Cider Company Tasting Room exists right here on the West Side. Local craft apple booze. Just my kind of place. It's located on 2nd, just a couple blocks on the other side of Federal. It's technically in Valverde, but since it's only a 15-40 minutes walk from nearly anywhere in Barnum and Barnum West, I'm calling dibs and claiming it as a Barnum feature. Check out their website and pay them a friendly visit!

Wit's End Brewing Company

Did you know we have a microbrewery within walking distance? Cause we do. And it's actually insanely good.

Wit's End is hiding right at 2nd and Bryant -- which is probably well under a half an hour walk from your doorstep, unless you live way out in the Western corners. But, when I say hiding, I mean it. You really have to put some effort into figuring out where the hell it's at.

I tried a stout (or was it a brown? I don't know -- it was quite dark) they called, "Ugly Sweater." It was brilliant. The bartender was super friendly and was happy to give us a tour and a bit of history. Also, the bartender had a very admirable beard. So, the moral of the story is that Wit's End has good beer, good beards, and it's hard to spot unless you're cool enough to already know it's there. You are now cool enough. Go give it a try and spread the word. One word of warning: they have funky hours. So, check their website before you go. Here's their website.

Welcome to You

This is a website about Barnum and its cleverly named western appendage, Barnum West.

Why? Because sometimes this neighborhood is need of a little "commenting-upon." And, perhaps occasionally, a website might even be somewhat useful. (I wouldn't count on it though. Seriously. How much could you possibly expect from a blog that opens with an Instagram photo?)

Isn't there already a neighborhood newsletter? You know, I don't know. I don't think so. I've never seen one. I suppose I've never really looked that hard. Am I building your confidence in my journalistic research skills yet?
 
But, isn't there a Barnum Community Group to discuss what's happening in Barnum? Well, yes, but I am far too lazy to attend a real meeting at a predetermined time and place, especially when that time is during dinner time.

So, anyway, this is the website! There may or may not be more contributing authors to this endeavor. And, I welcome comments below. If you're interested in contributing, please email: