Best Place to Get Paddled 2009 | Confluence Kayaks | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best Place to Get Paddled

Confluence Kayaks

Whitewater kayaking is not just about having the right gear, though Confluence Kayaks sells it. It's not just about scoring the right price, though you'll find that here, too. And it's definitely not about a staff that simply regurgitates a sales brochure. What the folks at Confluence Kayaks give you is the confidence that comes with having poked the Grim Reaper with a stick and quickly run away. Not only has owner John Kahn been the man to see when it comes to buying boats in Denver for nearly fifteen years, but he and his staff have been there: staring into the bottom of the s-turn hole on the Arkansas, dropping Skull Rapid on the Westwater stretch of the Colorado, braving the rude waters of Gore Canyon every spring. Translation: Kahn and company know how to float your boat because they're half fish, and they've got the gills and the guts to take you along for the ride.

Best Place to Jump Around

Jump-Street

Wouldn't the world be oh-so-much sweeter if we all lived in one big bouncy castle? While such a paradise only exists in our dreams, we're one step closer to it thanks to Jump-Street, a gigantic family fun center where a trampoline covers almost every surface. Somersault across the floor, pinball off the walls — anything's possible (as YouTube clips of Jump-Street regulars attest). There's even trampoline dodgeball — quite possibly the greatest concept since the ham sandwich.Best Year-Round

Best Place to People-Watch

Denver Nuggets home games

At NBA games, the best seats in the house are on the floor, which means the rich and the gaudy are front and center rather than tucked away in skyboxes. Check out the enormous bodybuilder guys in silk shirts and the buxom babes squeezed into zany zebra stripes. Take a gander at the old guys with rings on every finger, ponytails and berets, or chance a guess at which synthetically boobed and tanned women are wives, which are trophy wives and which are mistresses. You'll see playas, big shots, CEOs, homies and hotties all dressed to the nines. The Nuggets are exciting, but some of the best action is definitely off the court.

Best Place to Take a Hike

The Flatirons

Whether your closet looks like a Patagonia outlet store or you view hiking as a prelude to a coma-inducing brunch, Boulder's Flatirons should satisfy your hiking needs. The rocky Boulder foothills are easily accessible from busy Chautauqua Park, and a variety of trails offer challenges for experts and beginners alike, but each features access to the same winding terrain and sweeping vistas of Boulder. One of our favorites? The 3.5-mile Royal Arch trail, a moderately strenuous but totally doable climb that peaks at an impressive rock arch, from which you can see practically to Kansas. No matter which trail you choose, though, the area's opening salvo alone — a slow, steep climb out of the open park and into the denser hiking areas — will burn enough calories to make it through that brunch guilt-free.

Best Public Golf Course

Fossil Trace

The opening hole of Fossil Trace Golf Course sums things up: Rising from the middle of the fairway, about halfway through the beastly par-five, a strange rock formation juts from the earth. It looks like a middle finger, and it's a warning of what's to come: a unique, sometimes harrowing but always rewarding test of golf. The test continues for 6,800 yards (from the back tees), through the equally challenging par-five 18th, which hugs a lake all the way to the clubhouse. But while the course may take a big chunk of your confidence, it won't take too much from your wallet: Weekend, peak-season greens fees are less than $80 with a cart. And with the Great Depression Part Deux upon us, expect to find some discounts this season.

Best Public Swimming Pool

Stapleton pools

Stapleton may not have too many shade trees, but it has three public pools (the Aviator, the Puddle Jumper and the F-15) where overheated new-urbanists can cool off during the summer. Although all three can get crowded on the weekends, there are usually plenty of chairs and sufficient space to stretch out. The pools themselves are new and clean, and the areas around them feature grassy areas, barbecues and picnic tables. While Stapletonians get in free with a neighborhood resident card, the rest of city can enjoy the pools, too, at $3 for kids and $7 for adults. Oh, and you can bring in canned beer (no bottles, please), and they kick the kids out of the water every 45 minutes for adult swim time.

Best Rapid

Conor Casey

Like Chauncey Billups, Conor Casey is a local hero who's getting a chance to prove that you can go home again. He excelled for South High School before heading off to get his kicks beyond state lines, first at the University of Portland and then for a number of European squads, including Germany's Borussia Dortmund. By the time he was picked up by the Rapids in 2007, he seemed to be rounding into a journeyman — and a subsequent ACL injury didn't bode well. But despite missing part of the 2008 season, he led the team in scoring. Looks like Colorado agrees with him.

Best Rebound

Chris "Birdman" Andersen Denver Nuggets

When wild-dunking, shot-blocking forward Chris Andersen disappeared from the NBA in 2006 because he tested positive for banned substances, NBA fans surely believed they'd seen the last of the man they called "Birdman." But after two years of banishment, Andersen returned to the league, and last off-season, he wound up back in Denver. Heavily tattooed, overly gelled and apparently substance-free, he's won back the hearts of Nuggets fan with his steady if sometimes spastic play, logging an average of six rebounds, six points and two blocks per game, and filling in a Nuggets puzzle that's close to complete.

Best Resource for Weekend Warriors

http://denver.playcoed.com

Okay, seriously, it's time to get off your ass. But the gym is annoying, running is boring, and drinking heavily does not, sadly, qualify as exercise under today's far-too-stringent norms. So embrace your inner fifth-grader and log on to denver.playcoed.com, where you'll find scores of leagues in sports ranging from the more serious flag football and softball to the free-spirited kickball and dodgeball. And if your friends are too lazy to form a team, you can sign up as a free agent, and a team with similarly lazy friends will add you to its roster. The leagues range in cost but are generally affordable; flag football, for example, costs $300 per team and $35 per individual — plus the cost of all the booze you'll buy after your games. Happy recreating!

Best Rockie

Garrett Atkins

At first blush, the Rockies' decision to give Garrett Atkins the equivalent of a $3 million raise for the 2009 season seems screwy, given that his RBI production and batting average are down from their levels during the previous two campaigns. But his digits remain solid — he drove in 99 runs and hit .286 in 2008 — and he's capable of spraying the ball all over the field (and often beyond the wall). Just as important, he's a defensive stalwart and a steady presence in a lineup in which stability is key. With Matt Holliday gone and a pitching staff with far more question marks than exclamation points, the team needs Atkins now more than ever.

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