Denver’s Cheesman Park Neighborhood and the Audi A4

Denver’s Cheesman Park Neighborhood: Home of the Dead and the Beautiful

Located in the heart of east Denver’s residential area, the Cheesman Park neighborhood lies between Colfax and 8th Avenue on the north and south. It’s west and east boundaries are Downing and York Streets.

In 1859, Denver’s founding father, General William Larimer, platted an Arapahoe burial ground immediately east of Capitol Hill. Named Mount Prospect Cemetery, Larimer described the land as a “crowded, confused bone yard overrun with weeds and livestock.” In 1872, Larimer granted the land to the city of Denver for use as a cemetery. Twenty-one years later, though, the city transformed the land into a park.

The transition from cemetery to park (designed by Reinhard Schuetze) has resulted in a plethora of ghosts stories and curious anecdotes. These tales have garnered so much traction that The New York Times recently published an exposé on Cheesman Park and the unearthing of “two rows of coffins.”

Nowadays, Cheesman Park serves the de facto social center for much of east Denver. As The Thrillist humorously quips, its the perfect spot for “laying out [and] drinking liberally with friends…while you use Tinder and/or Grindr.”

In addition to imbibing and swiping right (or left lol), though, the park overflows during spring and summer with impromptu picnics, runners, dog-walkers, roller bladers, and make-shift volleyball courts. It also acts as the terminus for Denver’s PrideFest parade.

While the center-piece of the neighborhood is the park itself, Denver’s Botanical Gardens (located immediately adjacent to Cheesman Park) helps make the neighborhood a cultural destination for the city’s residents. According to the Botanical Gardens’ website, the organization “strives to entertain and delight while spreading the collective wisdom of the Gardens though outreach, collaboration, and education.” Additionally, employees help in conservation efforts by “saving species and protecting natural habitats.”

Cheesman Park and the Botanical Gardens contain a bounty of natural wonders, but the surrounding neighborhood boasts a bevy of architectural and residential pleasures.

Developers first built housing in the Cheesman area during 1868; the “neighborhood was almost totally developed by 1919 and was characterized by large homes.” Though some of those homes were razed and replaced with high-rise condominiums during a mid-twentieth century rezoning, many of those large, historic homes remain. Particularly, the Humboldt Street Historic District contains several blocks of turn-of-the-century mansions that inspire awe from pedestrians and passersby.

The quaint, tree-lined streets that populate the Cheesman Park neighborhood and its proximity to the downtown, commercial district provide residents with an urban oasis that allows them to experience both the bustle of urban life and relaxing, domestic tranquilities.

As such, the neighborhood appeals to a large, eclectic, but rather discerning cross-section of people. Not surprisingly, then, the community contains a diverse population of home-owners and renters, spanning many demographics.

In fact, the “neighborhood has a population density of more than 12,000 people per square mile, far exceeding Denver’s average density.” This statistic, no doubt, points to the popularity of the community.

The neighborhood also contains several, small commercial districts that offer residents local options for their food, drink, and shopping needs.

The Audi A4: A Car for Everyone, a Car Full of Technology

With a population that consists of a wide array of people comprising a variety of demographics, it might be difficult to match a particular Audi model with the Cheesman Park neighborhood. Surprisingly, though, this is not the case.

The pairing that makes most sense with this community is the Audi A4. With “12 million units worldwide over nine generations,” this mid-sized, luxury sedan sports characteristics that appeal to the broadest swath of the car-buying public. Given the eclectic nature of Chessman Park residents, the A4’s populist sensibilities appear to hit the mark, so to speak.

So why does this Audi model trend toward ubiquity? Well, to begin with, the vehicle’s exterior features offer a “clean, sculpted, and attractive appearance,” according to MotorTrend. Kelley Blue Book agrees, praising the car’s “beautiful but purposeful design.”

Indeed, the Audi A4 exudes elegance without ostentation: a “handsome stance,” Edmunds claims, without calling too much attention to itself. For a discerning urbanite that understands the importance of a classic styling, Audi’s mid-sized sedan looks the part.

If you’ve watched any of the television spots for the recently released 2017 Audi A4, you already know that the German automaker has dropped considerable coin promoting the vehicle’s technological innovations. Moreover, with the tag line “Intelligence is the New Rock and Roll,” the marketers at Ingolstadt have yoked the interior advances in the A4 with the brash attitude and youthful energy of rock music.

Regardless of how you feel about associating the untoward exuberance of Rock and/or Rollers with the practical elegance of the Audi brand, the “intelligence” and technology found within the 2017 Audi A4 is rather astounding.

For starters, Audi’s new Virtual Cockpit provides an intuitive, digital interface located behind the steering column. With a 12.3-inch LCD screen displaying customized gauges, vehicle diagnostics, trip information, and navigation assistance, CNet argues that Audi’s reconfigurable cockpit is “wholly and convincingly” the most “groundbreaking” dash-cluster on the market.

Whether you’re a member of the technocratic class who’s recently settled in Denver for a job in the tech field, a millennial geeked out on the latest trends, or a seasoned luxury car buyer who can appreciate the indulgences provided by advancements in the automotive industry, you’ll, no doubt, be impressed with what the 2017 Audi A4 has to offer.

Of course, the proverbial bells and whistles don’t stop with the Virtual Cockpit. Tech-savvy drivers will love the bevy of assistance programs in the new model. They include, but are not limited to, adaptive cruise control, automatic pre-collision braking, self-parking, traffic jam assist, Audi side assist, and Audi active lane assist. Many of these features fall under the broader moniker of Audi pre sense city. Kelley Blue Book says that these assist features are “truly impressive,” insofar as they allow your car, literally, to “drive itself in some situations.”

In addition to these assistance programs, Audi connect provides cutting-edge technology like Google Earth with 3D satellite imagery, a WiFi hotspot with 4G LTE connectivity for up to eight passenger devices, Twitter integration, local traffic, and news.

Moreover, Audi smartphone interface enables Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, allowing you access to your compatible phone’s features, such as maps, telephone, voice-to-text functionality, music, and certain third-party apps. All these can be controlled through your MMI interface. And if that’s not enough, the new A4 offers a heads-up display that projects a read out of the car’s diagnostics and assistance programs onto the driver’s side portion of the windshield.

Prestige Imports: The local Audi dealer for Cheesman Park neighborhood residents

If you’re interested in finding out more information about the the Audi A4 you can call one of Prestige Imports’ Audi Brand Specialists at (833) 825-5423. Likewise, if you want to test drive, purchase, or lease one of our new or certified pre-owned A4s, stop by the dealership. Prestige Imports is located just west of downtown Denver at 9201 West Colfax Avenue between Wadsworth and Kipling.

You can also check out our inventory online. I might also suggest reading some of the previous articles I’ve written regarding the A4: the 2016 vs. 2017 model comparison, a review round-up of the 2017 model, and Iggy Pop meets the A4.

Once you’ve purchase or leased an Audi A4, drive your new ride to one of these local, Cheesman Park establishments for friendly delights and merriment:

Bars: Wyman’s No. 5, Lion’s Lair, Squire Lounge, Blush & Blu, Marion Street Tavern
Restaurants: Liks Ice Cream, Nicolo’s Pizza, Voodoo Doughnut, Torta Grille, Pete’s Kitchen,
Boutique Shops: Videotique, 303 Boards, Bound By Design, Act II Consignment, Fox & Crow Salon
Coffee Shops: Dazbog, Thump Coffee, Gypsy House Cafe