SubscribeCurrent Magazine Cover

On the Road (Again)

Take the 5280 Jack Kerouac tour.

Jack Kerouac, father of the beat Generation—and now, thanks to the 2012 flick starring Sam Riley and Kristen Stewart, likely the great-grandfather to a bunch of millennials—would have celebrated his 92nd birthday this month. Although Kerouac was originally from Massachusetts, he spent time in Denver in the late 1940s, which he chronicled in his classic novel On The Road. A precise account of Kerouac’s Denver tenure is about as easy to find as a concise sentence in his prose, but legend abounds. So in honor of the Memory Babe’s 92nd year, we’ve put together this guide to the lore: a map of spots rumored to have hosted the voice that changed a generation.

1. My Brother’s Bar

2376 15th St.

The Legend: Kerouac and his friend Neal Cassady (who was the model for the character Dean Moriarty in On The Road) visited this Denver joint when it was called Paul’s Place. A framed letter Cassady wrote to a friend that references an outstanding bar tab at the establishment still hangs on a back wall. The letter reads: “Dear Justin, at the corner of 15th and Platte streets there is a cafe called Paul’s Place, where my brother Jack used to be a bartender before he joined the army. Because of this, I frequented the place occasionally and consequently have a small bill run up. I believe I owe them about 3 or 4 dollars. If you happen to be in that vicinity, please drop in and pay it, will you?”

Today: My Brother’s Bar still sits on the corner of 15th and Platte streets and touts itself as the longest continuously operating bar in Denver. Check out a picture of Kerouac and Cassady in the back of the bar.

Believability Index: ? ? ? ? ?

2. Larimer Street

The Legend: Flip through any book that covers Kerouac’s time in Denver, and you’ll find references to Kerouac, Cassady, and others drinking at the pool halls on “Larimer Street.”

Today: Larimer Street is, of course, not the dive it once was. Nor are there many pool tables. One of the most popular pool halls sits a few blocks away, upstairs at the Wynkoop Brewing Company, and we can’t imagine Kerouac feeling comfortable among today’s slicked-up LoDo crowd.

Believability Index: ? ? ?

3. El Chapultepec

1962 Market St., thepeclodo.com

The Legend: A jazz dive on the edge of Five Points? Logically, this one makes sense. But the evidence is slim: El Chapultepec doesn’t appear in On The Road. A book about Denver’s best dive bars notes Kerouac washed up in the bar’s bathroom, and the late owner of the club, Jerry Krantz, said in an interview he remembered Kerouac and his friends drinking at the bar. But that seems to be all we’ve got.

Today: Although the scenery around this bar has drastically changed from Kerouac’s days—Coors Field is a few blocks away and the nearby streets are dotted with sports bars—the gritty club remains one of the best places to take in Denver’s jazz scene.

Believability Index: ? ?

4. The Casino Cabaret

2637 Welton St.

The Legend: Another popular Five Points jazz joint, the Casino Cabaret hosted such acts as Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald in its heyday. (Years later, the club continued to draw popular musicians including James Brown, B.B. King, and Ray Charles.) Although there’s no record of a specific Kerouac sighting here, with bebop billowing out of the doors, it seems possible the writer would have followed the music while wandering through the neighborhood.

Today: In 2003, the building reopened as Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom, a music venue that features popular jam band, funk, and hip-hop acts.

Believability Index: ?

5. The Rossonian Hotel

2650 Welton St.

The Legend: Back in the late ’40s, Denver’s Five Points neighborhood was the place to hear jazz stars like Charlie Parker and Billie Holiday rip through chord changes—particularly at the Rossonian Hotel’s club, reportedly a popular hangout of the jazz-loving Kerouac and Co. Kerouac even wrote this of the neighborhood in On The Road: “At lilac evening I walked with every muscle aching among the lights of 27th and Welton in the Denver colored section, wishing I were a Negro, feeling that the best the white world had offered was not enough ecstasy for me, not enough life, joy, kicks, darkness, music, not enough night.”

Today: You can still find the Rossonian near the corner of 27th and Welton streets. City developers have attempted to renovate the 1912 building, but no new plans exist at the moment.

Believability Index: ? ? ? ?

6. Charlie Brown’s Bar & Grill

980 Grant St., charliebrownsbarandgrill.com

The Legend: University of Denver student Carolyn Robinson, who later married Cassady, lived at the Colburn Hotel in 1948. In her 1990 autobiography, she talks about meeting “the guys” at the bar downstairs.

Today: Still open today, Charlie Brown’s Bar & Grill is perhaps best known as a piano lounge. Stop in Tuesday through Saturday from 6 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. and request your favorite jazz standard in honor of Kerouac.

Believability Index: ? ? ? ?


-Illustration by Jackie Besteman

Sign Up For Our Newsletters

All things Colorado delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign Up

On The Road Again

Check out the fall colors—and remain fueled in the process. 

The drive from Denver into the mountains on a sunny fall day is, in itself, spectacular. But leaving the city isn’t just a chance to escape into the gold and green wilderness, it’s an opportunity to discover dining locales that have yet to make it onto your GPS.

_____

Idaho Springs

Smokin’ Yards is an unexpected find in Idaho Springs. Using oak to flavor its meat, the Yards’ pulled pork and brisket have cultlike followings. Call ahead and find out the day’s offerings.

Order this: Brisket sandwich served with chipotle mashed sweet potatoes, spicy coleslaw, and fried dill pickles.

GET THERE

Exit 241, Smokin’ Yards BBQ

2736 Colorado Blvd., Idaho Springs, 303-567-9273

_____

Frisco

For those dedicated to sourcing local and organic products (or for those with specific dietary needs such as vegan or gluten-free), there’s Alpine Market & Deli. The organic food store doubles as a raw juice bar and deli that serves all-natural meats. Leaf peepers can dine on sandwiches and soups outside where the fall sun warms the patio throughout the day.

Order this: Brant’s super protein bar made with chocolate, peanut butter, sesame and sunflower seeds, and coconut. Add a Harvest Spice juice of apples, carrots, ginger, and a hint of lemon.

GET THERE

Exit 201, Alpine Market & Deli

301 W. Main St. Frisco, 970-668-5535, alpinemarketfrisco.com

_____

Edwards

Featuring gourmet panini and small plates to share, Eat! Drink! also serves 30 wines by the glass (all of which are under $10). For a portable midday treat, assemble a cheese basket from more than 200 artisanal selections.

Order This: Peppadew peppers stuffed with Valdeón blue cheese, wrapped in prosciutto, then warmed
in a panini press and finished with honey and Marcona almonds.

GET THERE

Exit 163, Eat! Drink!

56 Edwards Village Blvd., #104, Edwards, 970-926-1393, eatdrinkinc.com

_____

Glenwood Springs
The secret to Grind’s signature burger? The custom blend of locally raised, grass-fed beef that comes from Crystal River Meats, located just up-valley from the restaurant. Cuts of brisket, short rib, and chuck are ground into patties on the premises. This is a burger joint for the food obsessed, and it’s worth a trip in any season.

Order This: The Daily Grind, a changing chef-inspired creation, ground from beef, chicken, lamb, fish, pork, buffalo, or veggies.

GET THERE

Exit 116, Grind

208 Seventh St., Glenwood Springs, 970-230-9258, grindglenwood.com

Adventure

On the Road Again

Four Western excursions that remind us the journey can be just as much fun as the destination.

There’s something to be said for the sensation of leaning out an open car window, the aggravation of an impossible-to-refold map, the sound of empty cola cans rolling around under the passenger seat. Road trips have a vibe, soundtrack, and imagery that reverberate in the American psyche like no other type of travel. Yet we rarely take them anymore. Maybe it’s a sign that we work too much and use our precious downtime to relax at home. Or maybe we’ve gotten too used to the convenience of flight. But at 30,000 feet you miss the lay of the land, the quirkiness of small towns, and the rare, uninterrupted time to talk. Here in the Rocky Mountain region we’re surrounded by beautiful scenery and secret places you’d miss from seat 17D-artsy mountain towns, natural wonders, spiritual retreats, isolated wilderness. It’s not as quick as a flight, but if you let yourself slow down and plan several stops along the way-beautiful hikes, antique shopping, small-town restaurants, mountain bakeries, scenic outlooks-you’ll find yourself actually enjoying the drive.