Big changes on Photographer's Row (Denver Union Station redux)

For your next evening passeggiata in LoDo, walk from the Oxford Hotel on 17th St. & Wazee, towards Union Station.

Then go inside and take a look around. Then head over to the Sailboat Bridge (more officially called the Millennium Bridge, but hey it looks like a sailboat). Cross over and stroll through Commons Park. At any point during this tour, you're bound to see photographer after photographer clicking away pictures of their clients in a joyous embrace.

This is Photographer's Row. We like to graze around here.

And for good reason. These locales offer some pretty amazing backgrounds for weddings and e-sessions. Union Station hearkens back to the heyday of train travel, Commons Park is surrounded by brand-new bridges and high-rises, and the view of LoDo's skyline from anywhere on this route is unparalleled.

Back in 2008, when I was a little pup photographer with a fancy new Canon DSLR, I naturally gravitated towards Photographer's Row. Proof below, from my very first engagement session::



Notice the LightRail parking lot, the open access to the train platforms. That was then...


...this is now (courtesy of DUSPA)::


Not ideal for photo shoots, no sir! But hey gang, it's okay. The city is completely rebuilding this wide swath of land into a gargantuan transportation hub. This is a huge overhaul. Check out these compelling renderings of what-will-be, from Denver Union Station's website::

(Train Hall, with Union Station at right)


(looking south on 17th St, towards Union Station)


This looks super-exciting! Lightrail, buses and commuter will congregate here. The Train Hall's canopy is designed to preserve unobstructed views of Union Station and downtown. It also reminds me of DIA's trademark white canopy top (will Denver just be The City of White Canopies in the-not-too-distant future?).

Public spaces and gardens, elevated train tracks, wow. Union Station will morph into a 21st-century wonder of engineering and transport. Our future children will grow up with memories of its sleek, eclectic angles. And I'm gonna be the first kid on my block to shoot an engagement session here.

I just have to wait... until spring 2014.