Denver's Temporary Train Station

Update: It is not longer possible to walk from Union Station to the temporary Amtrak station along Wewatta as this area is currently under construction. Currently, to get to the temp station you need to walk along Wynkoop to 22nd Street, walk to the top of the bridge to Wewatta and then walk down the hill to the station. You can still walk to the new light rail station.

Of Interest: Baseball and sports bars, skatepark, downtown Denver, RINO Arts District
Restrooms: Yes, and they are clean.
Tourist Information: None
Grocery Store: No. There are convenience stores within walking distance, but there is no easy way to tell you how to get there are back.
Computer Access: None. No wifi in station, and no wifi anywhere with directions that are easy to describe.
ATM: Yes
Seating: Lots indoors, none outdoors. You cannot wait on or near the train platform.
Accessible?: Sort of. Everything is wheelchair accessible, but there is a lot of back and forth which can be difficult if your mobility is limited. Also, there does not seem to be an accommodation for the blind.
Baggage Storage: Free for people taking the train. Available all day from 6am till early evening. Pick up forty-five minutes before the train leaves which is when they start to board. No lockers.
Hotels: Near the 16th Street Mall.

Other transit: The BV, BX, S, L and 120x buses drop off people here on their way into downtown Denver. They also stop here on their way north in the morning along with the 58x, the 72x, and the 55x. The 8 and 38 stop at the top of the bridge. The Union Station light rail stop is changing places soon, so it is hard to tell how far the walk there will be. I estimate twenty minutes until some of the construction clears out. Buses 6 and 52 would be five minutes away if the area were more walkable. As it is, you have to circle an apartment building. If you do not have a good sense of direction, bring a google map of the area.

You notice that I mention that directions are a problem in more than one place. That is because you are on the other side of the tracks from downtown and the other side of 20th Street from the sidewalk with no direct access to either. If you have some time waiting for the evening train, the bars around Coors Field are your best bet. Most of them serve food, some of it pretty good. On the big street in front of the station, cross the street, then head uphill. Pay attention and use the walk light because people drive pretty fast on this road. At the top of the bridge, turn right. You should be going downhill on 22nd Street. Coors Field, Denver's professional baseball field, should be visible the entire way. Once you get to Blake Street, you can turn right to head downtown or left to head towards RINO Art District. The closest restaurants that are likely to actually be restaurants are the Breckenridge Brewery - Denver, which is just left of 22nd Street on Blake, and Buenos Aires Pizzeria which is further along 22nd Street. Generally, if you are in the ballpark area, you are most likely to get decent food at a brew pub, somewhat likely at a sports bar, and least likely at a place that is just a bar.

If walk past Blake and turn left on Market, you eventually get to RINO art district. Notice that Market becomes Walnut. I still need to walk this to see how long it takes to get to a decent number of studios.

Do not walk over the highway on 22nd Street. Nothing is within comfortable walking distance.

I mentioned that you could get to the 6 and 52 in five minutes if the area was more walkable. The same is true of everything to the northwest of the temp station. To get to get to the area behind the station, you need to walk around The Metro, the apartment building behind the station. From the station walk down 21st Street, turn left on Delgany, turn left on 29the Avenue, then left on Division Street. You are now on 20th Street, less than two blocks from when you started.

You need to cross the street to get to a continuous sidewalk. If you walk under Wewatta, you end up next to the ballpark. This is a longer walk than if you walk to 22nd Street and then over to 20th, so don't bother. If you walk away from downtown you come to this:

Denver's downtown skatepark. There is also a concrete path along the river nearby.

Overall, I am happy with the new station, but I will be happier when Amtrak is back in Union Station in 2014.