It’s official. Summer starts next week according to the calendar, but for me it started this week, according to my patio habits.

I’ve totally turned into a patio snob. If a bar or restaurant doesn’t have a patio, I’m really not that interested. Monday night I checked out The Oven – a great little wine bar and gourmet pizza joint in BelMar with a basic but serviceable patio. Last night, a group of women known as the Denver Divas met up over at Wahoo’s on 20th. Now, “divas” and “fish tacos” may not seem like they belong in the same sentence together, but Wahoo’s has a killer patio. Then we zipped down to the Golden Triangle to meet more friends over at the Bannock Street Garage, a newish bar at 10th & Bannock. It doesn’t have a patio, but the front and back walls of the narrow bar are – you guessed it – huge garage doors. They simply roll back the wall and let the breeze blow on through. I think that counts.

Tonight, the ASCENT Foundation is hosting Sipping into Summer, a wine tasting held on the rooftop patio of the Parkside Mansion overlooking City Park to benefit SafeHouse Denver. And Thursday, “The Magic Hour” is a fashion show and wine tasting held in Riverfront Park downtown, where models wearing Betsey Johnson’s latest looks will walk the catwalk along the Millenium Bridge.

I may never have to settle for indoor entertainment again. At least, not for the duration of summer.