A horrible realization is sinking in: The holidays are over. Like old, sparse tinsel that’s lost its luster, winter doesn’t seem quite so fun anymore. With only a few scattered days off between New Year’s and Memorial Day, the coming months can look bleak, indeed.
When the gloom sets in, there’s only one thing to do: Find a cozy place to cuddle, preferably with a beverage, and ignore the nastiness outside.
The Horseshoe Lounge (414 E. 20th Ave.) is a happily unpretentious place to nurse a drink while the snow flies.
It can be hard to haul yourself out of the soft, fluffy, grandmotherly couches in its main room, even more so if friends are around. With the its giant flat-screen TV on a nearby wall, Horseshoe makes chilling feel like hanging out in a pal’s basement — except with a huge stock of liquor.
Order a pizza if hunger strikes. The Horseshoe’s pies are better than they have any right to be.
Visit Wyman’s No. 5 (2033 E. 13th Ave.), too, another pizza-based hangout that cures winter blues.
Just inside the front door, high-backed, dark-wood booths beckon troubled souls. Invite some friends along and hole up under the dim lights.
Munch on sausage cannolis dipped in red sauce, relax for an hour, then make the transition to a Chicago deep-dish pizza.
Wyman’s pizza is true to the generous spirit of deep dish. It comes steaming out of the oven in a thick, metal pan, all gooey cheese and flaky crust. Leftovers are almost certain: Two pieces and the average stomach is very contentedly full.
There are board games, sports on TV and a pool room, too, making it easy to spend hours at Wyman’s, even more so when the weather’s bad.
It’s all in the name: Irish Snug (1201 E. Colfax Ave.). The convivial bar is a beacon of good cheer on a glum day. It’s almost always hopping at night, especially when there’s live music or a pub quiz.
Best of all, there really are snugs at Irish Snug. A snug is a small, enclosed room with a window onto the bar. When you’re ready for a drink, ring the bell and a bartender will soon see your expectant face peering through the window.
Get to Irish Snug early to claim one, and bring an appropriately-sized crew. You can fit only a few people in a snug, and they have to be OK with bumping knees with their snug-mates.
Hidden a brisk walk away from LoDo, the Meadowlark (2701 Larimer St.) is a great place to get cozy.
The bar can be hard to find — it’s below ground, with little in the way of marking on Larimer Street.
Go around the corner at 27th and Larimer, though, and there it is: Stone steps lead to a wooden door at the basement level.
Inside, the stuffed heads of game animals, including a wildebeest, watch over the warmly lit room. The interior is all iron, brick and wood, with big, communal tables for meeting new friends.
The Meadowlark hosts live music many nights of the week, but generous happy hour specials bring in patrons long before the music starts.
Whether there’s entertainment or not, the Meadowlark is a perfect place to while away the winter hours in subterranean seclusion. Going underground is a good strategy — at least until May.
Gigs to come.
It’s getting hard to keep Deadmau5 away from Colorado.
The popular DJ and producer visits Beta (1909 Blake St.) on Saturday, less than two months after a gig in Boulder. Catch him now before he changes his mind about our state. Tickets to Deadmau5’s Saturday show are $20 in advance at .
On Thursday, DJ Steve Smooth plays a set at Beta. He’s from Chicago so, naturally, he spins house. Presale tickets are $10 at .
