Ro Troia

Pearl Street Mall – A People Watching Experience

 

 

There’s nothing more fun to do than to go to the Pearl Street Mall when you’re in Boulder Colorado.  It doesn’t matter what time of the year it is either.  The parade of quirky buskers (street performers) and Boulderites,  the beautiful flowers (or holiday lights), the enormous variety of shops and restaurants make for a delightful open air stroll,  in one of the nations most successful outdoor walking malls.   I imagine every small town has it’s own,  but Boulder’s claim to fame is that their Pearl Street Mall has sustained itself since it’s dedication August 6, 1977 and was best summed up by the then City Manager Bob Westdyke “it is the coalescence of community pride”.  Built as a pedestrian mall, between 11th and 15th Street on Pearl,  with full four blocks of paved brick sidewalks,  Pearl Street Mall is lined with fantastic and interesting shops of all kinds,  an eclectic array of restaurants and cafes,  many brew pubs, coffee shops  and art galleries.  The concept began to take shape in 1966 when a group of citizens that either owned real estate or worked in downtown Boulder Colorado began to look for ways to keep the City of Boulder, and the historic center of the town, attractive and economically sound.  As with most things in Boulder, the citizens were asked to participate in all aspects of the planning process along with the planning committee.  It won national acclaim after it opened in 1977 and remains a vibrant heart of the city.

You can’t help but love the laid-back atmosphere and the harmonious people you’ll meet.  The friendly, clean and gorgeous environment is a tribute to the surreal towering Flatirons overlooking the mall.  Most of the shops on these four blocks are architecturally beautiful as well, with most of them reminiscent of the original storefronts from the mid 1890’s.  Along with several historic buildings, one being the Hotel Boulderado (dating back to 1909) and the Boulder Theater (which used to be called the Curran Theatre dating back to 1906)) the mall has several brew pubs – Walnut Brewery, BJ Pub and Brewery,  Mountain Sun and the Redfish.  Treat yourself to a fresh glass of microbrewed beer such as The Kind, Angry Munk, Old Elk and Hazed and Infused.  Beer pairings are very popular in the Boulder restaurants.   Lookout wine lovers!  There is also a great wine tasting place called Bookcliff Wine Tasting room in the 1400 block of Pearl Street, where you can taste great Colorado wines paired with chocolates and cheeses.

Boulderites love live entertainment and music.  Outside every Wednesday evening between mid June to mid August (7-9) on the Pearl Street Mall,  Bands on the Bricks presents concerts featuring some of the best dance bands in the Front Range. You don’t want to miss it.   Between the hours of noon – 1:30 you can catch Noon Tunes featuring great local musicians of all genre—bluegrass, folk, rock, classical.  The concerts are held in the 1300 block of Pearl on the bricks in front of the Boulder County Courthouse. Every fall on the mall in Mid September Boulder holds it’s Boulder Fall Festival in a family style German Oktoberfest tradition.  Along with a showcase of colorado music talent they have other entertainment and children s activities and over 50 artisans showcasing their work.

For me,  I just love sitting in one of the outdoor cafes drinking a bottle of good red wine and watching the people.   Try it, I think you’ll like it.

Tags: Tags: arts, boulder colorado, downtown boulder colorado, music, pearl street mall, real estate

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 13th, 2008 at 4:39 pm and is filed under Colorado Round Up, Focus on Boulder, Relocating. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

1. Mr. D.J. Won’t You Tweet Me a Carnival … | Sadie's Take on Delaware Ohio said at August 25th, 2008 at 6:07 am

   [...] Troia presents Pearl Street Mall – A People Watching Experience > posted at Blog the Rockies, saying, “the history of pearl street and the happenings in [...]

2. Viola Mcgaugh said at December 24th, 2009 at 12:09 pm

   Great post mate! Where

3. Gregory Despain said at December 25th, 2009 at 1:09 am

   I’ve been reading a few posts and really and enjoy your writing. I’m just starting up my own blog and only hope that I can write as well and give the reader so much insight.

4. Link Stifle said at March 1st, 2010 at 11:44 pm

   I’ve been to Boulder many times (I live in Colorado) and I have found it to be my favorite city in the state. Calm, cool, relaxed. Think of it as the small, sleepy Colorado version of San Fransisco.

5. Darlena Duewall said at August 21st, 2010 at 11:47 pm

   Thanks for this interesting information.

6. Richard Reed said at October 11th, 2010 at 11:46 pm

   I recently visited Pearl Street with my family for the first time – I’m from California. My favorite stop was Peppercorn Gourmet Goods. I could sit all day thumbing through their exquisite collection of cook books. I also noticed the abundance bike friendly paths. Can’t wait to visit again to see more of what Pearls Street has to offer. I tried it and I want more. It’s a town to be proud of. Side note: While window-shopping on Pearl Street, I photographed a wonderous street artist on a scooter and haven’t been able to locate him. If you had any information about him please forward it along. Thanks! Here’s the link to the photos:
   http://gallery.me.com/r3studio/100135

7. Marjorie Lockhart said at October 6th, 2011 at 6:51 am

   I wonder if the bronze lady on the swing is still there? I worked for Mike Scalfani @The Bagel Bakery years ago. Just loved Boulder!

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