13th Ave was once considered a hotbed for the underground punk community. With the recent addition of events such as Lipgloss on Friday nights and Mile High Soul Club every first Saturday of the month at Beauty Bar, however, 13th is increasingly becoming frequent stop for those who love to cut a rug. And after working up a sufficient appetite getting down to top 40 and old school soul, Cap Hill patrons often find themselves crammed into the hole-in-the-wall gem that is Benny Blanco's Bronx style pizza. A bohemian flair also precedes Cap Hill, the Colburn Hotel once hosted such names as Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsburg. While this clientele has since faded, there are areas that still reflect these roots. Sports bars like Stoney's and Pub on Penn share street space with late-nite grubberies such as City 'o City and Sub Culture. All of which make up a lively nightlife scene each and every night of the week.
The crowning gem of Capitol Hill is the central location to seemingly everything that makes Denver great. Want to go for a day hike in the foothills of the infamous Colorado Rocky Mountains? Just jump on southern boundary 6th/8th Ave to be in nature within minutes. Maybe a midday stroll or bikeride during one of Denver's 300 days of gorgeous sunshine is more your pace? With a walkability score of 86 and a bikeability score of 96, Cap Hill is the fourth best place in all of Denver to access amenities on foot or pedal, behind only the Central Business District (CBD), Civic Center, and North Capitol Hill. All three of which border the Cap Hill Neighborhood in some fashion. Eastern boundary Downing St. provides easy access to even the furthermost northern and southern extremes of Denver County proper. As the most densely populated neighborhood in Denver, Cap Hill experiences large numbers of vehicle traffic and parking spaces are limited, as many residences were built before the emergence of the automobile. However, much of the '2 hour' parking as well as the metered parking end at 6pm every day, so 9-5ers don't typically have too much issue with citations. This also makes Cap Hill residents more aware, and therefore more appreciative, of federal holidays since there are no parking restrictions on those days! (Cesar Chavez Day, for instance, typically comes as a welcome surprise.) A short walk across stunning Civic Center Park to the north and you can jump on the free mallride to access 16th street mall and LoDo with ease. Due to the close proximity to the Capitol, Cap Hill residents also regularly rub elbows with Colorado State politicians at one of the many local coffee shops in the neighborhood. Governor’s park in the southernmost extreme of the neighborhood, and Civic Center park in the northwest corner provide shady spots to just sit back and enjoy the nearby hustle and bustle of the heart of Denver.
Along with many restaurants in the neighborhood boasting nearly every type of food imaginable, there are also supermarkets aplenty. For the health-conscious consumer, the Whole Foods on 11th and Pearl provides organic wares at reasonable cost. Health food giant Trader Joe’s will open their doors to the public on 8th and Grant by Summer 2015. King Soopers in the center of Capitol Hill on 9th and Pearl has been provides a more customary supermarket experience to Capitol Hill residents.
Finally, Capitol Hill also has many points of historical interest. The most well-known of these is the Molly Brown House Museum on 13th and Pennsylvania. The now museum was once the actual residence for the famous philanthropist and socialite.
Jumping forward in recorded history slightly, Cap Hill also houses the first Quizno's location founded in 1981, as well as Wax Trax Records, the inspiration for the now famous Chicago Wax Trax, founded in 1978. Nothing can be truly alive without a beating heart. While Capitol Hill was not the place for the rich and famous as it once was, (large mansions now subdivided into condos point to this) it is still the heartbeat of Denver; an ever-growing, pumping, vibrant neighborhood responsible for giving life to the city at the base of the Rockies.