PERSONAL BEST: TIM JACKSON Where’s the best place to take visitors to Denver? Confl uence Park on the REI side, where I cycle favorite bike lanes (not on the side of Denver’s busiest streets), have an energy drink at Starbucks and catch some of Den- ver’s fi nest rays. What’s your favorite place in Denver? The view of Denver’s gorgeous skyline from the intersection of West 23rd Avenue and the I-25 exit. It’s especially poignant at night, when you can get the best perspec- tive on the diversity of the city and lots of mobility energy. Denver? What’s the best special-occasion spot in The Ellie Caulkins Opera House at the Denver Performing Arts Complex, which connects arts, people, culture, fashion and talent. It gives a reason to get dressed up with somewhere to go. What’s your go-to restaurant in Denver? Culinary Dropout, at 4141 East Ninth Avenue. While this is a new arrival to Denver, its Phoenix base has been a go- to spot for me when traveling there. This newbie hotspot is already busy, so arrive early or make reservations so you can catch Denver’s hottest vibe, see its larg- est wall-mounted tennis shoe collection, play cornhole on the patio, and both see and be seen. Where’s the best spot to shop in Denver? Mile High Marketplace, the best fl ea market in the Rocky Mountains. I love the produce stands with nopales, jicamas, cas- savas and other veggies you’ll never fi nd at Safeway and seldom at Sprouts. It’s the best place to stock up for next year’s ga- rage sales. If you have a few spare hours, what’s your favorite thing to do in Denver? Cycle Cherry Creek bicycle trail, Denver REI to Cherry Creek State Park and on to the E-470 trail, to the C-470 trail, west to Chatfield State Park, and then north on the Platte River Trail back to REI, with requisite breaks at Krispy Kreme (Quebec and C-470) and Nixon’s Coffee House at Hudson Gardens, when you are more than ready for a strawberry banana smoothie, poured down sans straw! How about a free day? Meow Wolf Convergence Station, Den- ver’s newest and wackiest immersive art experience. Love the Denver-centric ex- hibit that turns a Ford F-150 tailgate from the ’60s into modern art today. If/when you go, be ready to expect the totally un- expected. Denver? What’s the best thing about living in Climate, sports, restaurants, entertain- ment, Red Rocks, Capitol Hill, Sloan’s Lake, Washington Park, Cherry Creek State Park, El Dorado State Park and City Park. Our weather is such that it is not surprising to get to cycle around town on a sunny and warm January day. Tim Jackson is a car guy and a bicycle guy. He stopped in Denver in 1997, when his bike saw the Rocky Mountains as overly formi- dable, and stayed. For the past eighteen years, he’s served as CEO of the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association. He logs 3,000 to 4,000 miles a year on his bicycle, has completed Ride the Rockies fi fteen times, and adds 15,000 miles a year on the odom- eter of his new car (now a fully electric Ford Mustang Mach E) as he crisscrosses the state working for a better Colorado. TICKETS ON SALE NOW! Saturday, June 4 4-7 p.m. Civic Center Park UNLIMITED TACO SAMPLES FROM DENVER’S BEST TAQUERIAS + DRINK SAMPLES! General Admission Restaurants 3 MARGARITAS CABRÓN CARBÓN CASA CORTÉS CHILE CON QUESADILLA LA DIABLA DEE TACKO LAS DELICIAS NECIO QUE BUENO SUERTE! STREET SIDE EATS TACO BLOCK TACOS TEQUILA WHISKEY TEOCALLI COCINA WORK & CLASS MOYA’S TACOS MAS KAOS CILANTRO FLAVOR OF TABASCO DOS ABUELAS EL REPARO MEXICAN GRILL TACO SABE E HIJOLE TACOS THE TACO PLUG LA UNICA BIRRIA DE RES EL COCO PIRATA LA MACHACA DIEGO’S TACOS Y BIRRIAS AND MANY MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED! VIP restaurants NOMAD TAQUERIA MIGRANT CONCEPT BELLOTA OFFICIAL BEER OF TACOLANDIA WESTWORDTACOLANDIA.COM SCAN HERE FOR TICKETS 91 westword.com | CONTENTS | SHOPPING & SERVICES | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | FOOD & DRINK | MUSIC & VENUES | BACKBEAT | WESTWORD APRIL 7-13, 2022 TIM JACKSON
