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CELEBRATE 2000

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THE E-TIME CAPSULE
1981 to 1990

Name: Byron
Age:

What is your fondest memory of Denver between 1981 and 1990?

I remember moving to Denver and trying to figure out which way the streets in Downtown Denver ran so that I would feel comfortable getting around. It was my goal and just as soon as I had it down pat, all the directions were changed! Thank goodness for the 16th Street Mall Shuttle. What a wonderful Downtown we have to enjoy in the next century!


Name: Leisa Schievelbein
Age: 34

What is your fondest memory of Denver between 1981 and 1990?

I graduated from Pomona High School in Arvada in 1984.

Colorado and Denver seemed to have a small town feeling back then. I used to love to go to Paris on the Platte coffee house and hang out with my friends.

Starting my freshman year at CU Boulder was the most wonderous and exciting time of my life. I am lucky to have those memories.

What do you think Denver will be like in the year 2010?

I predict that light rail and commuter trains will dominate our commuting in the Denver Metro Area reducing our brown cloud. Computers will enable everyone to work from home and Denver will become even more of a telecommunications hub. The telco industry will dominate the area.

Interlocken will grow to rival all major high tech areas. Frys will finally open up a store in Colorado. :)


Name: Chad McKenzie
Age: 23

What is your fondest memory of Denver between 1981 and 1990?

The oil barons. I remember sitting down at a nice restaurant in Lakewood and someone' helicopter landing in the parking lot. They come to eat. This typifies what was going in denver in the 1980's. A lot of people getting rich quick.

What do you think Denver will be like in the year 2010?

Quieter. I think that the internet will take over. A lot of the things that people have to go out and drive for they can do from home.


Name: JT
Age: 50

What is your fondest memory of Denver between 1981 and 1990?

I worked downtown in the late '70s and '80s and I watched the downtown skyline change from the tall buildings like PSCO to what exsits now (40+ stories). It ranks as one of the better sights in the country. The 16th Street mall, LODO, and saving the architecture are the great ideas and sights.

What do you think Denver will be like in the year 2010?

I hope that the pollution problem can be remedied. And the rapid people- growth can be controlled intelligently. Rapid transit is a must!


Name: Jennifer Pixler
Age: 25

What is your fondest memory of Denver between 1981 and 1990?

I have many fond memories of Denver, ice skating at the rink by May D&F downtown, parking at the Federal Reserve (where my mom worked) to go down and watch the Christmas parade, going down to the City and County building to see the lights, the small-town feeling of Denver then and, of course, being so close to such a wonderful place to spend summer weekends hiking, 4-wheeling and camping. As a Denver native, I think I will miss that small-town feeling most of all. You ran into someone you knew almost anywhere in the city you went.

What do you think Denver will be like in the year 2010?


Name: Janet
Age: 31

What is your fondest memory of Denver between 1981 and 1990?

I was a teenager in the '80s in Denver. I remember covering the opening of the Tabor Center for my school newspaper because it was the first attempt to revitilize downtown Denver after a long, stagnant period without growth. The Tabor Center wasn't a great success initially, even with its modern glass-and-steel structure, but it paved the way for the revitalization of Denver's downtown area and was a marvel to see.

What do you think Denver will be like in the year 2010?

I see a lot more mass transit carting the growing population from Denver to Boulder, DIA to mountain towns for skiing. I also see a town still trying to shed its cowboy roots when it really should be embracing them.


Name: Frances Frain
Age: 62

What is your fondest memory of Denver between 1981 and 1990?

My fondest memory during this decade was that of discovering one of the best kept secrets in the Denver Metropolitan area. I discovered that square dancing was alive and well in Denver. I had the opportunity to learn this American dance as a kid growing up in Chicago. Square dancing is a family affair where there is a smoke and alcohol-free environment. Square dancers are among the friendliest people I've met in Denver. I've also learned that it has become an international dance form. This activity has been a source of the greatest enjoyment in my life. I've also learned to round dance which is a form of stylized ballroom dance.

What do you think Denver will be like in the year 2010?

In the year 2010, I would hope that those who want to spend their evenings doing something other than passive entertainment will have reached a critical mass and more people of all ages will begin to choose activities such as square and round dancing so that we will see a revival of this wonderful family activity!


Name: David McNulty
Age: 33

What is your fondest memory of Denver between 1981 and 1990?

Living two blocks south of the capitol building on Sherman Street. Denver, even in a depressed time, is the most beautiful city. I used to climb to observation level in the capitol once a week to look out over the beauty of Colorado.

What do you think Denver will be like in the year 2010?

Like L.A. if the growth rate continues on its present course.


Name: Anthony
Age: 16

What is your fondest memory of Denver between 1981 and 1990?

I remember Denver as a quiet city and nice people! I also liked Denver because it is unique in its own way!

What do you think Denver will be like in the year 2010?

Denver will change a lot in the next 10 years! I've seen and heard of all the new buildings and attractions going into Denver and when all of those attractions are finally complete, Denver will stand out more than it does today. And if we keep growing with the right people, Denver will be the best city in the world, in my opinion! I will never give up Denver or Colorado for anything!


Name: Carol
Age: 48

What is your fondest memory of Denver between 1981 and 1990?

These are amongst my fondest memories of Denver -- the sea of lights that lay out in front of me when driving into Denver on I-25 at night; evenings spent watching the sunset from the east side of City Park Pond; how our great city rallied around my neighbor's grandson when he was shot during the "Summer of Violence"; heading into the mountains with my daughter in treacherous snow storms -- not always sure when or if we'd make it back!  How can there be just one memory?  What a wonderful place to live and raise my child....

What do you think Denver will be like in the year 2010?

I don't see much changing between now and then. I think that Denverites will make good choices for our people and our city.


Name: Dennis
Age: 54

What is your fondest memory of Denver between 1981 and 1990?

My fondest memory is moving back to the Denver area after almost 20 years of living in other states. We came back to find a city that was now a major player on the national and international stages. We began a love affair with our old hometown as we discovered new culture, cuisine, and sports experiences, and we found that we had missed the old girl. It's a good place to visit, but it's a better place to live.

What do you think Denver will be like in the year 2010?

Unfortunately, the city will continue to become more and more congested and will experience more growth than can be handled with existing infrastructure and services. While some people will move back to the city center and establish a truly urban lifestyle, many others will flee to the surrounding counties, in search of elusive solitude and the absence of congestion. The latter group will grow so large that its purposes will be defeated; new slurbs will grow up in an ever-widening circle around the Denver area.


Name: Michael Ditto
Age: 48

What is your fondest memory of Denver between 1981 and 1990?

My fondest memory is of the Christmas party of the Denver Astronomical Society at the Armadillo downtown. We listened to a wonderful talk by J. McKim Malville about anthropological astronomy. Afterwards, over the city lights downtown, we witnessed the aurora borealis over the skyline. We drove east to Ft. Morgan to photograph them, and the photos hang in Chamberlin Observatory to this day.

What do you think Denver will be like in the year 2010?

I predict that the citizens of Denver will give up worshipping the professional sports business, and will realize that they do have an identity beyond the Church of the Living Bronco.


Name: Robert Garrett
Age: 42

What is your fondest memory of Denver between 1981 and 1990?

The art of I-70 through Glenwood Canyon.

What do you think Denver will be like in the year 2010?


Name: Jan Martin
Age: 45

What is your fondest memory of Denver between 1981 and 1990?

One of the best memories of that decade is the blizzard of '82. I lived in Capitol Hill at the time, in a beautiful, old Denver Square at the corner of 10th and Marion. The city was buried under 3 feet of snow and was absolutely silent. I cross country skiied for miles through the city. I also remember the cool, still mornings I spent in Washington Park.

What do you think Denver will be like in the year 2010?

I think it will be very crowded! I love living in the city but am worried about the congestion - it seems worse each year!


Name: Elizabeth
Age: 33

What is your fondest memory of Denver between 1981 and 1990?

I graduated from both high school and college during this decade. In the 80's, Denver was my hang-out. A plethora of 32-clubs like Thirsty's, After-The-Fox, Norman's and Mardi Gras gave teens like myself somewhere to dance and meet others. I remember watching my friends skateboard on the 16th Street Mall, and daring each other to drive through the desolate LoDo warehouse district in our beat-up, hand-me-down cars (walking around there was inconceivable.) I remember socializing at Paris on the Platte, and later, Muddy's, or heading to White Spot in the late hours. Maybe we'd catch a movie at the Century 21, or play skee-ball at Celebrity. Sometimes, we'd head to the Chrysler Restaurant atop the Neusteter's store in Cherry Creek for strawberries, whipped cream, coffee and a house baguette. When really broke, we'd watch travellers at Stapleton and ponder our own promising futures and where we might one day land. Life in Denver, in my opinion, was just perfect.

What do you think Denver will be like in the year 2010?

I have watched the landscape of this city change in ways I never would have expected. Great, vast fields home to prairie dogs, raptors, foxes and other animals, birds and insects have been bulldozed and gored to build malls, plywood houses and parking lots. Yet, Denver has done some great things - the redevelopment of LoDo, Lowry and Stapleton are amazing. But, in 2010 - I just see more people, more $250,000+ houses, more SUVs, more buildings and less places for kids to just hang out and be kids. We might have some improved mass transit like Light Rail, but, likely, not enough to offset the growth. All the development throughout the Denver Metro region comes with a price - the potential of losing what is left of natural, untouched areas, and losing the ability to drive for a half-an-hour (or, currently, an hour and a half) and be away from everyone and just watch the clouds pass in the blue sky and listen to the beautiful quiet that nature offers.


Name: Lori P.
Age: 24

What is your fondest memory of Denver between 1981 and 1990?

My fondest memory I think would be that of attending the very first Denver Broncos game that John Elway played. I was 5 years old, and they were playing the Seattle Seahawks at Mile High, and it was raining, hard. I remember sitting in the east stands with a tarp over my head, cheering them on.

Name: Lori P.
Age: 24

What is your fondest memory of Denver between 1981 and 1990?

My fondest memory I think would be that of attending the very first Denver Broncos game that John Elway played. I was 5 years old, and they were playing the Seattle Seahawks at Mile High, and it was raining, hard. I remember sitting in the east stands with a tarp over my head, cheering them on.

What do you think Denver will be like in the year 2010?

I think it will be more populated, especially with people from California and Texas. More pollution, less open space. More congested highways.


Name: Jose Serrano
Age: 35

What is your fondest memory of Denver between 1981 and 1990?

Denver is the most beautiful city i have ever seen. I lived in Denver from 1987 to 1990. My fondest memory is how good and nice the people are, and how good the weather is. This city also has something that keeps you thinking about it all the time. Since i left Denver, I have been wondering when would i be able to go back.

What do you think Denver will be like in the year 2010?

I think, or better i hope denver will be as nice as it is now.


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