As the weather turns colder, elaborate nightlife excursions become less and less appealing. On some nights, it’s best to just stay close to home at a neighborhood joint — and if you live in a certain part of Capitol Hill, that joint is Streets of London Pub (1501 E. Colfax Ave.).
Streets, as the locals call it, isn’t your average, quiet, “Cheers”-y bar. Streets is practically a rock ‘n’ roll institution. The jukebox is loud. The crowd is drinking — heavily. Pool sharks patrol the tables. Even on a chilly night, the patios are crowded; people want to drink beer and smoke cigarettes, frost warnings be damned.
Heaven help you if you stop in after a show lets out at the Ogden Theatre, just down the street. The tiny bar, lodged helplessly on a corner, will be swamped with happy concertgoers. The bar staff does their best to keep up, but there’s not much they can do with only two arms per person. Relax, wait your turn, and the beer will come.
If all this sounds a little unpleasant, keep in mind some of Streets’ finer points. There’s a decent selection of beers on tap, including British Isles faves such as Boddington’s, Smithwick’s and Strongbow. The crowd is a fascinating blend of Capitol Hill’s finest, from mohawked punks and fashionable artistic types to jolly local drunks and general weirdos. The people-watching at Streets is without parallel.
More goodness: In warm weather, the Streets’ front patio is a wonderful place to watch the world go by with a relaxing beverage. There’s food available, including pizza by the slice from an in-house pizza baker. The Wednesday hump seems easier to deal with on $2 Tuesdays — yep, everything’s $2, except for top-shelf liquor.
Streets is not a cutesy, affected British pub. If anything, it’s a replica of an actual pub in England. Real people go to Streets, and they go there to drink and see friends, not to have some sort of Anglophilic “experience.”
Streets of London may not be for everyone. But Denver’s a more interesting place because of it, and Capitol Hill would be sad without it. That makes it a neighborhood hangout worth toasting this fall.
Skate city: Remember the grade-school skate parties of yore? The Kool-Aid, the popcorn, the limbo contest and the terrifying Snowball couples skate? Beauty Bar is helping bring back those golden memories with the Down and Derby Roller Disco tonight at EXDO Event Center (1399 35th St.).
Beauty Bar honcho Noah McMahan worked with his “extended crew” in cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas to bring Down and Derby to Denver. The idea is to get a huge amount of people together in goofy costumes, put them on wheels and set them loose on a groovy dance/skate floor.
Organizers will provide more than 600 pairs of skates to rent, and guests are welcome to bring their own, too. Think ’80s Halloween for costume ideas: “Thriller,” “Teen Wolf” and anything that looks Reagan-era radical. Buy advance tickets at — it’s $5 for skaters age 21 and up, $10 for 18- to 20-year-olds. Admission prices go up by $5 at the door. Skating starts at 9 tonight.
More fun things: Kevin Larson throws one of his signature events, the Victorian Fetish Ball, on Saturday. The 12th annual ball takes over the entire Diamond Cabaret (1222 Glenarm St.) for a full evening (and morning) of very adult fun.
Costumes are mandatory. Open minds are expected. Tickets are $39 for women, $69 for men; a 2 to 4 a.m. after-party is $15. Admission prices go up at the door, so visit for advance tickets.
Beta’s (1909 Blake St.) pre-Halloween weekend includes sets by dubstep pals Distance and Truth for Bassic Fridays, and Italian electro-house phenom Congorock. Tickets to both shows are $10 each at .
