5280 Magazine May 2023

In an era when we’re constantly consuming the highly curated, out-of-context, spit-shined online lives of everyone we know (and even more people we don’t), it’s refreshing and inspiring when someone has the courage to present an unvarnished reality laced with personal vulnerability. When writers suggest doing just that in the form of personal essays, I often encourage them to give it a go. But before sending them off to toil at their keyboards, I always offer the same advice: The best essays deliver emotional rawness and uncomfortable honesty, and if you can’t do that, then don’t do it at all. In this month’s “A Different Me” (page 36), 5280 food editor Patricia Kaowthumrong not only brings candor and sincerity to an essay about how the rise in anti-Asian racism made her…

Walker first heard the story of an Aurora man who was kidnapped while transporting goods to Guatemala five years ago, which ultimately led him to write “Ransom Road” (page 76). EN ESPAÑOL “I did much of the reporting in Spanish, which I picked up when I studied abroad in Argentina.” ONE DETAIL THAT DIDN’T FIT “There was a Winter Park sting operation where Homeland Security tried to nab the alleged bad guys. But you’ll have to wait for filmmaker Elvis León’s movie to find out about that.” ON HARMFUL STEREOTYPES “Transmigrantes are not criminals, despite some people’s knee-jerk reactions.” ON 5280.COM BEST SUMMER EVER Not sure how to make the most of the long days and warm weather? We’ve got you covered. Our comprehensive summer guide includes the best pools, golf courses, rooftop happy hours, outdoor concerts, and more,…

Denver Botanic Gardens (DBG) will unpack its bonsais from winter storage this month, which means Larry Jackel will soon resume his accidental espionage. As a bonsai specialist at DBG, Jackel spends much of his days meticulously pruning the tiny trees he’s harvested in the Rocky Mountains, and he can’t resist eavesdropping as patrons admire his work. He’s never happier than when guests liken his diminutive arbors to the full-size versions they’ve seen elsewhere, whether that’s a gnarly ponderosa pine near a trailhead or a giant ficus on a beach. “For me, that means I’ve succeeded,” Jackel says. This summer, DBG will host the American Bonsai Society’s annual learning convention from June 8 to 11 (from $125). Classes include a seminar led by Jackel on how to appreciate bonsais. It’s more…

About 240 years ago, as white settlers started making their way west, the federal government began divvying up vast swaths of territory into 640-acre squares, some of which it gave to the newly formed states to fund schools and, later, to the railroads to spur industrialization. Others it sold to private owners. Millions of acres never found buyers, however, and agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management stepped in to administer the terrain. Today, much of it is open for hunting, fishing, and exploration, but there are thousands of public parcels that recreationists have no way to access. That’s because they’re corner-locked, meaning they’re surrounded by a checkerboard of private property (think: farms and ranches) and only touch other squares of government land at their corners. Until recently, finding the…

TYPICAL RANGE $: Less than $50 $$: $50 to $100 $$$: $100 or more BEST FOR PLANTING YOUR FEET Red Rocks Amphitheatre: The flower boxes Yeah, yeah, there are no bad seats at Red Rocks—but that doesn’t mean some aren’t better than others. In fact, Brian Kitts, Red Rocks’ spokesperson, recommends spots that aren’t seats at all: the planter boxes on the sides of the venue. They’re first-come, first-stand, and while they might be a little dusty, “there’s not going to be some random tall guy blocking your view,” Kitts says. This month: Relive those angsty high school years on May 23 with emo/altrock band All Time Low. Price: $$ SKIPPING TO THE LOO Mission Ballroom: GA floor, west side Most visitors gravitate to the lobby bar, says local concert photographer and blogger Aimee Giese. Instead, find some space on either side…

When the iPhone debuted in 2007, Carol Golemboski began to worry. With high-powered digital cameras suddenly filling everyone’s pockets, the professor of photography at the University of Colorado Denver noticed fewer students signing up for darkroom classes—her specialty—and she feared for film’s future. But surprisingly, there’s been a resurgence of student interest in the ultimate “latergram” in recent years, as film-focused shutterbugs look to stand out from the digital hordes. “The darkroom is starting to become cool again,” Golemboski says. “Part of it is that there’s still a kind of wonder and element of chance when you’re working with film.” Perhaps it isn’t a surprise, then, that Denver’s premier destination for analog photography is about to start a second life of its own. This month, the Colorado Photographic Arts Center (CPAC)…