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May 23, 2025

Don’t Call 16th St. a Mall, Alameda’s “Road Diet,” and the Worst Satire Ever

City Cast Denver

Don’t Call 16th St. a Mall, Alameda’s “Road Diet,” and the Worst Satire Ever

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After months of speculation, the open secret is now official: Denver’s 43-year experiment in calling our downtown pedestrian retail artery a “mall” is officially over. It’s just 16th Street now, according to Mayor Mike Johnston and the Downtown Denver Partnership. But will Denverites call it that? And will it help bring downtown back to life? Stand-up comedian and regular contributor Joshua Emerson joins host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi to get into Denver’s feelings about the name change. Plus, we’ve got some ideas for how to spend you long Memorial Day weekend and, of course, our wins and fails of the week.

What do you think about 16th St. dropping the word “mall”? We want to hear what you think! Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418

Don’t forget! We’re off on Monday for Memorial Day. Don’t expect a new episode in your feed until Tuesday morning. 

After we recorded this episode, the Department of Excise and License finalized the city’s new rules governing open-consumption areas, including on 16th St. Paul talked about the “satirical” deadnaming website, a Rockies lawsuit, and this fantastic piece about how the 16th St. Mall came to be in the first place from Alan Prendergast in Westword. Bree mentioned about the end of El Noa Noa, her love for Chef Zorba’s and Alameda’s “road diet.” Joshua discussed tornados and Aurora’s new public art. 

For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.

Watch the Friday show on YouTube: youtube.com/@citycastdenver

Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver

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