Denver, USA | A Day of City Walking – Part 1 🚶‍♀️🌆

This past July, we continued our journey through the American West. On our second day in Denver, we set out on a City Walk — a perfect way to truly read and feel the city. We started the morning at IHOP — the classic American breakfast chain. Our daughter insisted we try it, remembering how much she enjoyed it back in Pittsburgh. Known for their fluffy pancakes 🥞, the food was tasty, but the portions were huge! We were so full, we practically skipped lunch. Since we were exploring downtown Denver, we left our car behind. After finding affordable parking (kudos to my husband 🚗💨), we began our walk. It turned out to be Dana Crawford Day — a tribute to Denver’s celebrated historic preservationist. The streets were being decorated, and stalls were being set up. We could only imagine how lively it would become once the neon lights lit up the evening. We stopped at Union Station — Denver’s central transit hub opened in 1881. After weathering years of change, it was beautifully restored and reopened in 2014. ☺️☺️The station radiates academic-style elegance, with 22 underground platforms and 8 tracks. It also houses a hotel, restaurants, gift shops, and a bookstore — all feeling upscale and grand. Downtown, we admired the Daniels & Fisher Tower, soaring into the sky. Built in 1911, it was once the tallest building west of the Mississippi. Its design echoes Venice’s St. Mark’s Campanile — no wonder it looked familiar! On the plaza, we encountered colorful cow sculptures 🐄 — part of the Cow Parade, a public art exhibit that ends with an auction for charity. One blue cow featured a cowboy’s portrait; another was covered in stamps and postmarks. Our daughter’s favorite spot was posing in front of “Gateway to Adventure,” a sketched tribute to Denver. Denver’s commercial streets blend historic and modern architecture, painted in bold colors and dotted with sculptures. Under the bright sun, the city felt vibrant, warm, and full of artistic energy.🚗 I was especially drawn to the Trinity United Methodist Church — a Gothic-style beauty with a stone spire and stunning stained-glass windows. 👍Across the street stands the Republic Plaza, Denver’s tallest building at 280 meters (though it’s no match for Shanghai’s skyscrapers!). What really caught my eye was a curved red-brick building nearby — its style so similar to Shanghai’s Wukang Building! I had to snap a photo 📸. It reminded me of a similar structure in Pittsburgh, but this one felt even closer to home. #DenverCityWalk #UrbanExploring #TravelUSA #HiddenGems #ArchitectureLovers #DenverDiaries #CityVibes #FamilyTravel #ArtAndTheCity 🌟