Founded in 1993, 5280 is the largest local magazine in Colorado. The magazine's stories often make national headlines, and since 2005 5280 has been nominated for four National Magazine Awards. Get 5280 Magazine digital subscription today.
Each year, when 5280’s dining team sends me its list of the best 25 restaurants in Denver, I play a little game. Scanning the feature, I see how many of the eateries I’ve been to, hoping my percentage is higher than the previous year. In 2022, I congratulated myself for having been to 80 percent of the spots on the list. This year, I’ve only been to 56 percent of the dining rooms that food editor Patricia Kaowthumrong and assistant food editor Ethan Pan worked so diligently to select. Although I do hate to lose to myself, the prospect of planning culinary outings to 11 new-to-me restaurants is what makes reading this annual roundup so exciting. It’s also a reminder of how diffuse the local dining scene has become in…
Food editor and assistant food editor While most features that land in 5280 take weeks and weeks of work, our annual rundown of best restaurants is a year-round process. Patricia Kaowthumrong and Ethan Pan dine out month after month and also specifically dined at more than 70 restaurants across the metro area before narrowing down the list to a final 25. “We assembled this roster with close regard for culinary innovation, mission, price, and diversity, among other factors,” Kaowthumrong says. In 2023, the dining duo are eager to recommend eateries in Lakewood and Arvada for the first time, something Kaowthumrong says is “further proof that the best restaurants don’t have to be located in Denver proper.” Kaowthumrong and Pan are both thrilled that this year’s list further represents the cuisines…
For as long as I can remember, the Denver Nuggets have been an afterthought. In the NBA, teams like the Los Angeles Lakers hoarded all the attention—just because they were, you know, successful. Here in Denver, the Broncos reigned supreme. Heck, even in the Nuggets’ own arena, the Colorado Avalanche have hung more banners in the rafters. So, ever since the team won its first championship in June, I’ve found myself in a bizarro world: The Nuggets are the center of the NBA universe and Denver’s sports culture. As a fan since the ’90s—when Antonio McDyess’ turnaround jump shot was the only thing worth rooting for—I am thrilled by the reversal, but this (hopefully) new normal has also led me into an existential crisis—how will the success we’ve craved for…
1980 The first time Force raced at Bandimere, a snowstorm hit the Front Range. Being a young, broke driver from sunny California, he wasn’t prepared for the severe weather. “I was like, What am I gonna do? I’m going to starve to death!” Force says. He didn’t need to worry: The Bandimere family let Force and his crew crash in their basement. “That’s just the kind of people they are.” 1998 Force became the first driver to hit 300 mph at the track, an exceptional feat at elevation, where lower oxygen levels sap engine power. “To go up there and win that mountain, that’s a bitch,” Force says. “You gotta go in there with a whole different motor combination and everything.” 2023 On July 15, his daughter, Brittany Force, set…
1 Crowd Control Mesa Verde expects the celestial showcase to draw hundreds of additional visitors to the park, so ranger Eric Sainio suggests arriving at least an hour before the eclipse’s 10:30 a.m. peak. The event will begin around 9 a.m. and last until noon. The centrally located Mesa Verde Museum will likely be the busiest spot, but rangers have set up several viewing stations, including one specifically for latecomers at Morefield Campground near the park entrance. 2 Points Of Views Solar-filtering glasses typically skyrocket in price—or even sell out—in the weeks leading up to an eclipse. (Fakes can also lead to sun-damaged eyes; visit the American Astronomical Society’s website for a list of reputable vendors.) But parkgoers shouldn’t stress if they can’t snag a pair, Sainio says, because NASA…
As a preteen in the early 2000s, Katie Leigh Jackson painted her bedroom bright yellow and stenciled pink hibiscus flowers all over the walls. “I essentially made my first wallpaper—without the paper,” she says, noting that the DIY decor remained there through her college years at Colorado State University. Today, Jackson points to that childhood project as an early example of her enduring love for wall art. After losing her job as a marketing director in a pandemic-era layoff, she returned to her creative roots, painting nature-inspired scenes that she began to sell as prints via her online art business, Modern Magic. Designing wallpaper patterns seemed like a natural way to expand her offerings, so in spring 2022, she took an online surface-pattern design course. That fall, she launched her…
