Check out our YouTube videos for a great recap of the event and what you missed!

Row 14 Owner, Dave Schneider and Swirl Girl, Kendra Anderson

Just because it’s winter doesn’t mean one cannot enjoy white wine. (White shoes however, are an altogether different topic.)

SPIRE is pleased to host Winter Whites on Thursday, January 12 from 6-8 pm.

Join Westword’s @swirlgirldenver / sommelier and chef Kendra Anderson as she guides an interactive experience featuring five of the hottest white wine varieties, perfectly paired with five snacks from Row 14’s chef Jensen D. Cummings.

Perfect for the novice and aficionado alike, you’ll be amazed at how ideal white wines are for drinking even during snowy months.

This event takes place above the city lights on the 10th floor of the SPIRE residences. Please check in at Row 14.

$39 per person inclusive, space is limited.

RSVP HERE>Reserve your spot by going to facebook.com/row14denver and clicking on the Wine Events tab. More information at row14denver.com or on Twitter #winterwhites

We hope to see you there!

Voted one of the 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the US by Moviemaker Magazine, this years Festivus Film Festival is sure to bring some edge to Denver’s film culture. The films screened are made by true innovative independent filmmakers who also know how to throw a badass party.

Being that this is Festivus’s 5th year, they are pulling out the big guns to entice movie goers to stop by for some eye-candy. And as to be expected, January 12-15 should bring Denver’s film enthusiasts out in force. Many of the screenings are likely to sell out ridiculously fast, so made sure to buy your tickets as soon an possible.

Festivus a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization features narrative and documentary features and shorts, experimental films and animation.

For more information click here!

Qi Ryders, voted Best Health Club by 5280 Magazine in 2009, is partnering with SPIRE Denver this year to get you a personal training package for 2012.

“Like” us and Enter to win on Facebook for a chance to receive:

Grand Prize:

-8 Personal Training sessions to be used through January and Februart at Qi Ryders with Spinosa Training (Prize valued at $600).

4 Runner’s Up:

-Will receive 1 partner training package each for you and a friend you will InSPIRE.

Better Hurry! Contest ends December 27th @ midnight.

Join Westword’s @swirlgirldenver / sommelier and chef Kendra Anderson as she guides an interactive experience of 5 wines paired with 5 pork-infused snacks from Row 14 chef Jensen Cummings. Perfect for the novice and aficionado alike, this is a truly unique tasting affair.

This event takes place above the city lights on the 10th floor of the SPIRE residences. Please check in at Row 14.

$39 pp inclusive, space is limited

Reserve your spot by going to www.facebook.com/row14denver and clicking on the Wine Events tab. More information at row14denver.com or on Twitter #wineswine

See you there!

What at first appeared to be bad news for the Denver Pavilions — another vacant storefront reminding shoppers and pedestrians of yet another tenant — might instead be the light at the end of a very dark tunnel and change the retail landscape downtown for years to come, industry experts say.

There were many skeptics on April 7^th concerned when Pavilions signature Niketown store announced they were closing. Many were concerned with the health of the 347,000 –square foot retail and entertainment complex on the 16^th street mall. Considering the Pavilions has had vacancy already once occupied by the 15,000 square foot Virgin Mega Store, as well as a 10,000 – square foot, upper level space left empty by Wolfgang Puck Café.

However Pavilion’s owners, Denver based Gart Properties and ING Clarion Partners may have shed some hope on some disbelievers with the April 13^th announcement that the Sweden based, value fashion retailer H & M will move into Niketown’s 30,000 – square foot anchor spot between Glenarm and Welton Street.

The announcement “will certainly be a coup for Gart Properties,” said Robb Brown, principal with the Denver Retail Group, a retail strategy consultant.

Prime location with a growing residential population in and near, downtown, not to mention the easy access from the suburbs, with the light rail a hop and a skip away! There are 15 million people annually on the 16^th street mall, including professionals, families, students, tourists etc. H&M’s decision to locate at the Pavilions “in a lot of ways was a logical and astute way to enter into the Denver market,” Brown said.

The well-known international retailer has 2,200 stores in 40 countries, including 210 in the United States, but none in Colorado until now.

H & M’s opening promotes a huge vote of confidence in the market and huge for that location.

“There’s a lot of opportunity with the Denver Pavilions,” Phetteplace said. “They are in a position to take advantage of a national trend where a lot more retailers are looking at urban markets.”

Brown added that other national retailers are watching the situation closely.

“If H&M does well, that’s indicative to other fashion retailers that Denver is more fashion-forward, that a younger demographic is speaking with their respective dollars,” Brown said.

With H & M becoming a new tenement of the Pavilions we can look forward to moving fashion forward in Denver!

“A younger demographic is speaking with their respective dollars,” Brown said

With that being said, Tracy Huggins, executive director of the Denver Urban Renewal Authority, said officials there never lost faith in Denver Pavilions.

Dura invested a total of $30 million dollars in renovations for the Denver Pavilions which included the underground parking lot, and more user friendly elevators and escalators, right when Gart purchased the Pavilions.

Huggins believes that adding H&M will be a great addition to downtown.

Apparently H&M agrees, the trendy retailer is already planning to open a second store in the Cherry Creek Shopping Center, in next years late spring or early summer. Exact location still cannot be disclosed yet, because it will involve the movement of existing tenants that have not been informed yet.

Enjoy your shopping! Timing couldn’t really be better with Black Friday around the corner!

Boo At The Zoo 

October 29-30
Denver Zoo
www.denverzoo.org
The 27th annual Boo At The Zoo offers more than 25 trick-or-treat stations, creepy crawly animal demonstrations and exciting family-friendly entertainment under the canopy of the beautiful fall foliage of the Denver Zoo. Activities free with zoo admission.
There’s something new coming in THIS YEAR: You can join Denver Zoo’s nocturnal creatures during a special night time addition of Boo At The Zoo, Friday, Oct. 28, 6-9 p.m.

A Halloween BOO-lesque Show!
Oct. 28-29
http://lannies.com/?p=2089

Join the adorable Clocktower Clockettes as they pay a spooky burlesque tribute to all the thrills and chills of America’s spookiest holiday! You’ll see zombies, vampires, witches, black cats and even The Blob… scenes so frightening they’ll scare The Clockettes right out of their shirts! Aerial feats, jugglers, magicians, comedy and camp by your favorite “naughty” host, Lannie’s very own, Naughty Pierre.

While, you have to be 18+ to enjoy the show. You can COME IN COSTUME and WIN PRIZES!

Denver Botanic Gardens: Dia De Los Muertos Celebration
Oct. 29
Denver Botanic Gardens
www.botanicgardens.org
Denver Botanic Gardens celebrates Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a festival of “welcome” for the souls of the dead. This celebration will feature live entertainment, artists and dancers. Attendees will enjoy a “Sugar Skull” making area, an area where they can create “Papel Picado”, and more. Complimentary face painting stations and a complimentary photo booth will also be on hand.

Crave Dessert Bar & Lounge will open its doors this November, unleashing breakfast and java, tea and scones, wine, beer, cocktails and last but not least, dessert, or course. Most importantly, it will occupy the northeast corner of our Spire high rise.

Mornings at Crave will feature grab-and-go breakfasts and coffee, while the lunches will let you lift your pinky for a classy afternoon tea. Rather than serving traditional teas, Crave will focus on highlighting sweet teas, and teas with a kick to go along with their selection of flavored scones.

If you’re more of a night owl than an early bird, then get ready for some exciting nights to come! The Crave space will morph into a bona-fide dessert bar complete with plated sweets designed for pairings with beer, wine and cocktails. What’s more exciting, Crave plans to host cast parties and live music nights regularly. Stay tuned for more details on the opening date.

As the Spire neighborhood continues to grow, Spire is surrounded by anything  imaginable to accommodate your lifestyle. One of the first resident buildings in the Theater District’s, “Time Square of Denver,” Spire’s proximity to the Denver Center of Performing Arts (DCPA) adds an array of exciting productions to enjoy this Fall and Winter. You’ll also find long standing 5-star restaurants, newer bistros, cafes, wine bars, the Organic Pizza Company and Row 14 Bistro & Wine Bar; something for every pocket book and pallet.  Come live, experience and grow with the neighborhood!

It’s simple to participate. Next time you’re taking a dip at our pool, use your mobile device to check-in to the “SPIRE Pool“ on Foursquare and you’ll be entered to win. We will announce 14 winners per day through June 30 to receive a complimentary Wine of the Week from Row 14.

While you’re collecting your complementary wine, don’t forget to sample some of the fare! Row 14 Bistro & Wine Bar was recently mentioned by Esquire food critic John Mariani in his “Best Deserts of 2011 (so far)” blog. Mariani highlighted Row 14′s delectable Poached Pear in Vanilla & Saffron Broth with Gorgonzola Dolce Latte desert in a list which featured over a dozen deserts from restaurants all over the country, and Row 14 was the only Denver restaurant on the list!

If you haven’t seen our Get InSPIREd contest yet, we are offering a $100 gift-certificate in addition to a night’s stay at SPIRE plus tickets to see Jay Leno live in Denver on September 10, 2011. Enter to win here, and have a fabulous start to your summer!

“Cities of Splendor” showcases artwork from 15^th and 16^th century Italy in the heart of the Italian Renaissance. Museum Curator Angelica Daneo explained on the exhibits website, “We want to transport our visitors to Renaissance Italy, where cities such as Florence, Venice, and Milan played a major role in the development of this innovative, artistic style”. With a broad array of artwork meandering through numerous cities and the Italian Alps, this exhibition does just that. The work is as diverse as it was innovative. “Cities of Splendor” contains over 50 pieces of artwork include paintings, textiles, and decorative arts. Artistic styles vary greatly from the Florentine love for rational perspective and drawing, to the Mantuan passion for classical antiquity, and the Venetian taste for color and tonalities. It’s a beautiful exhibit not to be missed.

“Cities of Splendor” runs from Apr 10 – Jul 31 and costs from $10-$13. Tickets can be reserved online or purchased at the Denver Art Museum.  For more information, visit the museum site at http://www.denverartmuseum.org/.