Don’t Call 16th St. a Mall, Alameda’s “Road Diet,” and the Worst Satire Ever

After months of speculation, the open secret is now official: Denver’s 43-year experiment in calling our downtown pedestrian retail artery a “mall” is officially over. It’s just 16th Street now, according to Mayor Mike Johnston and the Downtown Denver Partnership. But will Denverites call it that? And will it help bring downtown back to life? Stand-up comedian and regular contributor Joshua Emerson joins host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi to get into Denver’s feelings about the name change. Plus, we’ve got some ideas for how to spend you long Memorial Day weekend and, of course, our wins and fails of the week.

What do you think about 16th St. dropping the word “mall”? We want to hear what you think! Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: 720-500-5418

Don’t forget! We’re off on Monday for Memorial Day. Don’t expect a new episode in your feed until Tuesday morning. 

After we recorded this episode, the Department of Excise and License finalized the city’s new rules governing open-consumption areas, including on 16th St. Paul talked about the “satirical” deadnaming website, a Rockies lawsuit, and this fantastic piece about how the 16th St. Mall came to be in the first place from Alan Prendergast in Westword. Bree mentioned about the end of El Noa Noa, her love for Chef Zorba’s and Alameda’s “road diet.” Joshua discussed tornados and Aurora’s new public art. 

For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.

Watch the Friday show on YouTube: youtube.com/@citycastdenver

Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenver

Chat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenver

Support City Cast Denver by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm/Denver

Learn more about the sponsors of this May 23rd episode:

• Denver Health
• City & County Denver Tech
• Central City Opera - use the code CITYCAST to get 20% off select dates
• Elizabeth Martinez with PorchLight Real Estate - Do you have a question about Denver real estate? Submit your questions for Elizabeth Martinez HERE, and she might answer in next week’s segment.

Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices