The Orb Corporation

October - O

Colfax Avenue is a 50 mile main street running through the Denver Metropolitan area and considered the “longest continuous commercial street in the United States” according to Wikipedia and no further research on my part. It seemed like the most obvious long straight line in the area for me to walk, so I took the bus about 5 miles east to the Denver/Aurora border and walked back home straight down Colfax.

Colfax’s reputation in the Denver area (especially East Colfax in the direction of Aurora) is far from stellar. If you google “Colfax Reddit” you’ll see plenty of people concerned about safety around the street and people complaining about the seemingly never ending construction. In terms of safety I think that is the classic Redditor response to areas where homeless people and people using drugs tend to congregate, and in my walk I never felt anything I would describe as dangerous. The construction is a much more real concern for me, but it will in theory result in a rapid transit bus line which is exciting.

I started at the intersection of Clinton and Colfax headed west with a view of the mountains far off in the distance. For the first couple of miles mostly what I passed was motels. There are more motels along this stretch of road than I think I have ever seen in such a small area, Remnants of when this was the main auto route through the area. Some were open, a few were closed and boarded up, all of them had signs warning against drug dealing, prostitution, and any unregistered guests.

Along with motels this stretch of road featured a handful of Mexican restaurants, markets, and food trucks. Despite it approaching the end of October the sun was still beating down hard and I found myself hot and thirsty. I detoured (ever so slightly) from my straight line to a taco truck to quench my thirst with a fresh Pineapple aqua Fresca. The drink was basically pineapple juice, so nothing too exciting, but it was cold and refreshing and not too sweet. The truck also sold a regional taco variant called “tacos al vapor” which I’ll be back to try sometime soon. Tree cover or any noticeable shade continued to be dearly missed, but with my reapplied sunscreen and aqua fresca in hand I kept on down the road.

The next couple of miles were generally nondescript with a few places jumping out as being a bit more interesting. Lots of closed up buildings and a variety of auto shops. One strip stood for featuring a handful of Ethiopian restaurants. Another building advertised a fencing and modern pentathlon training center. I don’t think I knew modern pentathlon was a thing, and if I did I certainly wouldn’t have known fencing was one of its disciplines. Another restaurant that has jumped high in my “need to visit” list was a Moroccan place called “Couscous hice a break from rice” which featured a picture of Gordan Ramsay out front next a sign indicating that Moroccan food had been voted the best in the world in 2024.

I didn’t interact with many people along my walk. Folks tended to be hanging out on side streets where a bit of shad could be found. Halfway through my walk I did help a guy with a dead phone find the clinic where he was supposed to get his medical marijuana card was located. A bit later when I was about a mile out from my house I suddenly found myself surrounded by costumed children and chaperones participating in a Halloween block party. The hustle bustle of kids running from store to store getting candy heightened the already stark difference between the quiet and shuttered up East Colfax and the generally lively less-East Colfax. From here out I was in more familiar territory, passing by the shop I bought my new bike from, the book store I’ve been to a couple disappointing book clubs at, and the park that hosts my local farmers market.

Returning home I can’t say I had a perspective altering experience. I’ve always been fond of the restaurants and grocery stores that are often found in the ethnic neighborhoods on the outskirts of towns, and I’ve never found myself particularly worried about finding myself in what other people may describe as the “bad parts” of town (maybe I should be a bit more aware than I am). If I had the time I’d like to continue my walk further west and see how the street changes as it passes through downtown and ever closer to the mountains in the distance. Maybe a continuation for another day.