The 16th St. Mall Needs Revitalizing (Again). Could the Olympics Be the Answer?

Even with Omicron slowly waning, Denverites are still not going downtown at a rate anywhere close to pre-pandemic levels. The lack of hustle and bustle has led the City of Denver and the Downtown Denver Partnership to propose yet another plan to “reactivate” the 16th St. Mall: rent-free pop-up shops to fill all the empty storefronts. Host Bree Davies and Producer Paul Karolyi speculate on the future of downtown with Westword editor Patty Calhoun. Then, Colorado’s own skiing sensation Mikaela Shiffrin shocked the world this week at the Beijing Olympics, prompting another round of the age-old debate: Should Denver make a bid to host the Winter Games? 

For more on Denver’s unique relationship with the Olympics, check out our two-parter from last summer:

• The Case For A Denver Olympics (with Downtown Denver Partnership board chair Robert Cohen)
• The Case Against A Denver Olympics (with former Colorado governor Dick Lamm) 

Paul mentioned that even elephants are getting into yoga in Denver now. Here’s a gallery of photos courtesy of The Denver Gazette: https://denvergazette.com/multimedia/elephant-yoga-at-the-denver-zoo/collection_52340c18-888e-11ec-9d91-874d09fbd4e4.html

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What do you think about Denver hosting the Olympics? Let us know on Twitter @citycastdenver.