Guide Line Review


Cherry Creek Shopping Center


PAT LEE PROMOTES DENVER  & CHERRY CREEK SHOPPING CENTER, Brings Us Up-to-Date!

Brio Tuscan Grille, Cherry Creek Shopping Center (CCSC), was the location for RMGA's April, 2012, meeting. Complementary appetizers by Brio were accompanied by wine or soft drinks, complements of Cherry Creek Shopping Center (Contact information for the presenters is given in the appropriate paragraphs).

RMGA member Larry Ralston introduced hostess Pat Lee, Tourism Marketing Specialist, CCSC, and owner of Pat Lee & Associates, 3100 Cherry Creek South Drive, #608, Denver, CO  80209; ph:  303-693-0550, or, patlee13@aol.com.

Pat, in turn, introduced Nick LeMasters, CCSC General Manager, 3000 E. 1st Ave.. ph:  303-388-2522)  LeMasters told us  30% of CCSC sales are to tourists.  Twenty-five percent of the CCSC outlets (40) are exclusive to the six-state mountain region, including Coach, Burberry, Louis Vuitton, and H&M, which is to have a 20,000 sq. ft. store.  The Center sees more international travelers/tourists in winter; shopping is the #1 activity for tourists.  The United Kingdom, Germany and Mexico are the top three markets.

Pat Lee noted Germans tend to buy sports items; United Kingdom visitors, clothes.  CCSC is a member of Shop America which provides shopping/dinner/hotel packages online.  A shopping/spa package has been proposed as well.  The marketing office at CCSC can do anything a hotel concierge can do at the Information/Customer Service Center in the middle of the Mall, such as making dinner reservations, obtaining theatre tickets, and more.  Sixty stores offer discounts thru the CCSC Passport to Shopping.  Macy's provides a 10% discount card valid for everything in their store except cosmetics.  All the information Pat Lee presented is available on the CCSC website.

Motor coaches can drop-off and pick-up passengers at the Valet entrance near the Neiman Marcus store and can park at the west end of the CCSC parking lot.  Gray Line starts all their local tours at CCSC.  Passengers are picked up by van at their hotel and then transported to the motor-coach at CCSC.

Pat then introduced Cindy Sewell-Hohman, Denver Art Museum (100 West 14th Ave. Parkway, ph:  720-913-2766; email:  CSewell@denverartmuseum.org) who told us about upcoming and current collections on view.  Yves Saint Laurent:  a Retrospective is on display at DAM, the only U.S. location for this exhibit.  Tickets are sold for a specific date/time to limit the number of people at the exhibit at any one time.  Viewing of this entire exhibit takes about 90 minutes.  Christophe Heinrich, DAM Director, saw the exhibit in Paris, France, and was fortunate to engage it for the DAM.  

Madeline Albright's 200-piece Pin Collection is on display until June 17th.  General admission is included in the ticket price to these events.  DAM also has hotel partners and offers exhibit ticket/hotel packages. 

David Rubin, Denver Botanic Gardens (DBG, 909 York St., ph: 720-865-3545; email:  David.rubin@ botanicgardens.org).  Dave gave general information about DBG and a special events brochure.  The summer concert lineup was announced on April 9th.  The special Japanese cultural event this year includes bamboo sculptures.  DBG, open every day, pro-vides parking, cycle station out front, motorcoach drop-off and waiting area.  The Mordecai Children's Garden on top of the parking garage is new and a hands-on place for kids to dig and play.  Everything planted there is from the Rocky Mountain region and accessed through the parking garage.  Group rates are available. 

Courtney Ellefson, Brio Tuscan Grille Banquet Manager, gave us a brief background of the restaurant which originally began as a family-owned business in Columbus, Ohio, in 1992.  Courtney explained general pricing of daily specials for lunch and dinner.  Happy Hour specials are $3.95 for any appetizer on the Happy Hour menu.  Appetizers served our group were delicious!  Special rooms are available with no charge although there is a 20% gratuity required.  Brio Manager Wade Bombenger, can be reached at 2500 E. 1st Ave., ph:  303-329-0222, email:  ccrk.office@bbrg.com.

Charlotte Hurley (Charlotte.hurley@dmns.org) spoke for the Denver Museum/Nature & Science (DMNS).  She spoke of the current lizard and snake exhibition of over 60 live species included in the Museum admission cost.  "A Day in Pompeii" will open this Fall (exhibit surcharge).   IMAX Theater is  currently  showing "Weather" about Tornado Alley!  They have launch-ed "To the Arctic" about polar bears and a photo exhibit on the Arctic.  The current Planetarium exhibit is on the Solar System.  Motor coaches can park in the IMAX area at this time due to construction.  (DMNS: 2001 Colorado Blvd.; ph: 303-322-7009). 

Lou Adducci, Denver Center/Performing Arts (DCPA) spoke of the many events vailable.  There are three sections to the DCPA--Denver Center Theater Company, Denver Center Attractions, and Denver Center Academy.  The DCTC presents regional theater, such as Heartbreak House by G.B. Shaw, and Ring of Fire (life of Johnny Cash).  The Attractions portion presents Broadway shows such as Jersey Boys and Book of Mormon.  DCPA offers group rates and tickets available on line.  The Academy presents acting instruction, workshops and back-stage tours.  No tours are offered currently at DCPA until August, 2012, due to construction.  The DCPA Complex is located at Arapaho St. & Speer Blvd.  (Lou Adducci's office:  1101-13th St., ph:  303-893-6083; email:  Ladducci@dcpa.org)

Ben Turner, Denver B-Cycle, 2737 Larimer St., Ste. A, displayed a bicycle complete with basket, bell and lock, to show us as well as explaining how the "bike share" system works.  There are 52 locations around town with over 500 bikes available to rent.  Access passes good for 24 hours can be obtained at a station on a credit card for $8.00 for unlimited 30-minute trips during that 24-hour period.  Bikes are programmed so that when you remove the bike from the rack, the timer starts; when returned, the timer stops.  Ben plans to have a couple of FAM rides so people can learn how the system operates.  Last year there were 20,000 system-users and 40,000 walk-up users.  This bike-share system is very popular in other places, such as Paris, France.  (Turner can be reached at 720-259-0149; email:  Ben.turner@diverbikesharing.org).

Chuck Murphy, Colorado Gray Line Tours, addressed 1/2 day city tours which begin at CCSC.  Gray Line operates daily except for Christmas, Easter, Mother's Day and Thanksgiving, beginning at 8:30 am and 2:00 pm.  Optional tours are available for Red Rocks Park, Buffalo Bill's Grave, and seasonal tours to Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado Springs, Pikes Peak, Echo Lake and Georgetown Loop.  Tours end at CCSC; downtown passengers can take the 83L bus to return to their hotels.  Chuck reminded us their van drivers must pass a drug test.  He's available at 719-633-1181 or huck@coloradograyline.com.

Jayne Buck, Vice-President of Tourism, Visit Denver, told us about the new Toyota  Elephant Passage which opens June 1st at the Denver Zoo.  This new exhibit will have timed entrances once you enter the Denver Zoo (RMGA will have a FAM tour there June 1st).  Two for-1 tickets are available on the website with a new deal every week.  Visit Denver offices are at 1555 California St., Ste. 300; ph:  303-892-1112; email:  jbuck@visitdenver.com

Jeannie Wert, Visit Denver Cultural Tourism, told to us about the new direct flights from Iceland to DIA, be-ginning May 10.  Leisure travel is increasing to Denver because it is a Great Destination.  Look for more information on Denver365.  This website currently has a "Truth or Dare" game online in 137 dares listed by category.  (Jeannie can be reached at Visit Denver, ph: 303-892-1112).

Dan Melfi, Executive Office/Marketing & Customer Services/Tourism, Denver International Airport, ad-dressed at length the changes and improvements at DIA.  Surveys of passenger travel have determined 1/3 of business travel ends up being leisure travel.  DIA is a $23 billion industry which gives Denver's General Fund approximately $50,000,000 yearly.

Dan also explained there will be construction on West Terminal access roads and bridges which will take 20 months to complete; another 20 months will complete the same reconstruction on the East side.  Bridges will be re-placed in connection with construction of the South Terminal commuter rail from downtown to DIA.  This planned construction caused problems with the supports for Levels 4, 5, and 6 bridges and with the foundation for the "tent", so new entry/exit bridges will be constructed and the tent foundation replaced.  Construction is expected to begin May 19th when bridges on the West side will be closed, and interim access routes tested, with construction beginning about June 1st.  Level 5 Ground Transportation will drop passengers at the islands instead of curbside.  Parking garages will be open on both East and West levels.  Currently the 42,000 parking spaces at DIA bring an estimated $125,000 each year.  East side terminal and approach will function as usual during reconstruction on the West side.  Signage will help make the transition easier though Dan says only 20/% of the people read signs.  The DIA website will be updated daily:  flydenver.com.  For updates, other sites are:  "Tips Line", 303-342-2200; and media.  A permanent info line phone number should be ready byJune!  Melfi is at the Airport Office Bldg., 8500 Pena Blvd., ph:  303-342-2254; email:  Dan.melfi@flydenver.com.

---Nancy Brueggeman 

Early Cherry Creek area.  Did you know Edwin & Louise Harman platted their 320-acre farm on the north bank of Cherry Creek, between today's University Blvd. and Colorado Blvd. as a town site in March, 1882, and named it Harman.  Citizens voted for incorporation approval in October, 1882.  However, the Certification of Incorporation was not filed with the Colorado Secretary of State until 1886.  Following the Silver Crash of 1893, Harman was annexed to Denver in February, 1895, but really did not grow until after World War II   Some of the acreage was purchased by architect Temple Buell who first allowed it to become a dumping facility for Denver.  Part of the area was developed in the 1950s into the original Cherry Creek Shopping Center by Buell, and later refurbished and developed by him into what we know today as The Cherry Creek Shopping Center.  (Sources:  Edited version of Jerome Smiley's 1901 History of Denver; edition  reproduced in 1971 under the State Historical Society sponsorship;  Denver, Mining Camp to Metropolis, 1990, by Leonard & Noel, University Press of Colorado, Niwot, CO).​

 

CHERRY CREEK SHOPPING CENTER 

​​WHAT:  RMGA  MEETING

WHEN:  Monday April 9, 2012    Networking at 6:30pm.  Program at 7pm.  Brief announcements will follow the program.

WHERE:  Brio Tuscan Grille, 2500 East First Avenue, west of Nordstrom and east of Elway’s next to the Cherry Creek Shopping Center. The Shopping Center is one of Denver’s premier tourist attractions.

PROGRAM:  Pat Lee, whose enthusiasm for promoting Denver tourism is contagious, will be our hostess for the evening. In addition to providing us with the latest and greatest developments at the Cherry Creek Shopping Center, Pat has arranged for representatives of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Botanic Gardens, Art Museum, City and County of Denver, Visit Denver, and Denver International Airport to provide brief highlights of upcoming events and activities.

SPONSOR:  Cherry Creek Shopping Center, Pat Lee, Marketing Representative.