Colorado Springs Real Estate Facts & Fun

Colorado Springs Philharmonic

Ring in the new year with the best music found in town! The Colorado Springs Philharmonic performs at the Pikes Peak Center for the Performing Arts. The show starts at 8pm on December 31st, with tickets at $19 or $12 if you are a student. Classic and Broadway hits will get you in a party spirit. Make a date of it and hit up a great restaurant nearby. Try Shuga’s, the Melting Pot, Phantom Canyon, or the Blue Star (make reservations as soon as possible!)

New Years At the Broadmoor

Every year the Broadmoor goes all out for a New Year’s Eve celebration not to be missed. An entire package is available starting at $263 per person based on double-occupancy (no getting behind the wheel at the end of the night!) The package includes: Accommodations for one night, incidental service fee, Gala dinner and entertainment tickets for each person on the package (Ken Miller and the dazzling 25-piece BRO^ADMOOR Pops Orchestra, along with special guests and surprises galore) and 30% discount off of published Suite rates.

Colorado living, like many places, is great for outdoor recreation and having a dog.  With trails, National Forest, BLM, city & state parks there is a plethora of options for taking your dog along. But what do you do to get yourself and your dog ready for being the best dog and dog owner possible?

For me, Hope at Waggin Tails Doggy Day Camp and the obedience classes she teaches continue to be invaluable.  I learned just how much I did not know about being a good dog owner and the responsibility I had for my dog in her training, lifestyle, social interactions and perhaps most importantly her safety.

Waggin Talis offers day care for dogs and starting Nyah as a puppy was perfect.  Most of her buddies who were with her in puppy kindergarden continue to be with her every day in day care.  My Texas customers laugh on a regular basis about Nyah being in day care.  Yet most of them have been with me in either dropping her off of picking her up and have met Hope.  

After two years and consistent classwork Nyah has graduated from kindergarden, Canine Good Citizen and Therapy Dog International.  We have started hospital visits and will expand in 2012 to nursing homes, schools and hospice.  The gift of love from a dog goes a long way for patients, families and staff.

Ahh, the fall weather is starting to come in, so what better time than to load up the kayak and hit the water?  If you don’t have a kayak, there are several outfits along the Front Range which rent the boats by the day. 

Eleven Mile is off of Hwy 24, west of Woodland Park. A short drive away from the bustle of Colorado Springs, and you find yourself not only staring at mountain views, but water too. Eleven Mile allows boats, but there are plenty of areas to paddle without much wake. This time of year is especially great as most boaters are done for the season and the tourists have left for now until the Aspens completely turn their golden colors and lose their leaves.

In working on this blog post I was searching for a good photo and came across Brent Daniel's photo (see above) and immediately fell in love with the photo and what it seemed to communicate about the day with the colors captured, kayaking in Colorado and especially with the dog.  For more details and incredible photography Brent's website is:  www.wbrentdaniel.com

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The International Dance Club provides free beginner’s dance lessons for its members. Non-members can attend, but they will be asked to consider joining after trying out the program for three classes OR support the club by attending some of the Sat. night dances.  Locaated at 2422 Busch Avenue, Colorado Springs, CO 80904, the International Dance Club opened in 1997 and has been teaching Colorado Springs residents how to cha-cha, swing, polka, and move-and-groove ever since. Live bands come to play at the Saturday night club dances, and other times throughout the month.

“The polka is a dance of bohemian or polish origin, the name being derived from the Bohemian polka, which is the half-step characterization of the dance.  The invention of the step is credited to Anna Slazak, a farm servant at Elbsteinitz, near Prague in about 1830.  It was popularly introduced in Prague in about 1835, and in 1839 was brought to Vienna by the musical band of the Prague Sharpshooters, a military unit.  There both the music and the dance met with extraordinary acceptance.  In 1840 it was received with tremendous applause at the Odeon Theater in Paris and was soon the favorite dance at all the public and private balls.  It spread rapidly into every other country in Europe and is now popular all over the world.” – History of Polka, Encyclopedia Britanica.

If you’ve ever been to an Oktoberfest, this is the music. For more information about how to join in on this lively dancing fun, Call the Nelsons at 593-2011 or visit the website:International Dance Club, Colorado Springs

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It’s not too late to hit up the Farmer’s Market, in fact in Colorado this is thee time to hit the farmer’s market! Abundant, vine ripened tomatoes, summer squash and zucchini, onions, carrots and more await your culanary expertise at this growing market located in Acacia Park on the corner of Tejon and Bijou Streets.

The farm-to-table movement is really picking up steam, and Colorado schools are even leading the trend of cooking from scratch in the cafeterias. What better way to show your children how to eat healthy than to meet the person who grew the food. The Palisade peaches are amazing, and cherries should still be around. Apples will be coming soon, so even if you don’t have a lot of money to spend at the market, one morning and one piece of fruit can change childrens’ perceptions of where food really comes from.

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The Arts and Crafts or Craftsman style homes were an answer back to the Victorian style homes, exemplifying the old ways of building a house by fabricating it by hand.

Many homes are marked by beams with softly rounded ends, rafter tails that extend beneath the roof,  wide covered front porches and columns (sometimes square) supported by stone pedestals, that flare from top to bottom. 

Craftsman style homes are quite popular in Colorado Springs, particularly in the downtown, westside, Old Colorado City, and Manitou Springs areas.

They are often coveted homes, and new buyers are seeing the value of good bones to work with and restoration projects are common on these houses after years of neglect.

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There is a theater in town (115 E. Pikes Peak Ave) which features first-run movies and the very best of current independent and foreign films. Not only are the movies at Kimball’s Twin Peak Theater great, the atmosphere is a nice change from the average mega-plex theaters popping up at the out skirts of town. What’s more, they offer beverages the other theaters could only dream of serving. Delicious espresso drinks, beer, liquor and wine. Don’t worry, they also have a concession stand where you can load up on your popcorn and favorite sweet treats.

The theater recently changed its policy to no debit or credit cards, they are a cash-only business which allows them to keep their ticket costs low, making it more appealing to visit this theater than the mega-plexes. Kimball’s has online ticket sales available, as well as an ATM in the lobby should you forget to bring cash along.

For showtimes and prices, please visit: Kimballs Twin Peak Theater

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PPLD stands for the Pikes Peak Library District. Free for residents to join, you just need to bring proof of address and a photo id, the stacks of books can be the perfect place to lose yourself for a day or a lifetime. With school right around the corner, the library system is a great tool for their success. Often times several children need the same books the school library has to offer. The PPLD system may have the same book, and several others on the topic.

You wll also find great support for book clubs and a place to check out book clubs accepting new members.  It is a great way to meet people and also discover some new authors you may not have normally picked up to read.

The library system is a network of 12 libraries in which you can save a library as your favorite, and put books on hold which will be delievered to the library of your choice. No more driving all over town for that one book! What’s more, the library has e-books, perfect for your Android, Nook, Kindle or other e-reader! Simply select the book from the Cyber Shelf, and download to your reader. When it’s due, the book will inactivate saving you on late fees.

Many libraries host read-a-longs, storytimes, and activities for children of all ages. Can’t find a book club that works with your schedule? There might be one that fits you at the library!

To learn more about the library system and classes offered, visit: Pikes Peak Library District Website

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There is a yellow house with a cow standing out front along Colorado Ave in Old Colorado City that serves the best ice cream around. Made fresh in Colorado Springs, this creamy, decadent, wonderful ice cream of 20+ flavors is heaven on a hot day. Sunday evenings take a stroll along Colorado Ave and you will find this gem along with Rolf who jams on his electric keyboard. He accepts song requests, should you have a personal favorite in his repertoire.

Back to the ice cream. They serve many of the stand bys of vanilla, chocolate, butter pecan (best ever), along with some unique flavors like bubble gum, Pikes Peak nougout, and blue moon (a speciality most commonly found in Michigan and Wisconsin). I can’t imagine there is a bad flavor in the house, and there is surely a flavor for everyone. Prices are based on weight, but are reasonable no matter if you splurge for the extra half scoop or not.

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You probably won’t see any pros swingin’ a bat here, but it doesn’t mean you won’t catch some good baseball or softball games at Memorial Park. Almost every night of the week there are club games going on, and some pretty good chances of catching a foul ball (don’t park as close as you can to the bleachers here).

Take the family out, stop by a store for some peanuts or Cracker Jacks, your favorite non-alcoholic beverage and head down to watch friends, family members or co-workers take a swing at the ball (or three). Even better yet, sign up to play. Memorial Park organizes teams and leauges for a multitude of different sports, age levels and abilities!

Another fun venue for "old time baseball" is at Rock Ledge Ranch on Labor Day where you will find the Colorado Vintage Baseball Association (circa 1864).  If you enjoy the sport & love to laugh it is a great place to check out for intrigue & laughter.

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