CITY LIFE [Corrected 06/01/06]

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), May 19, 2006

BEST DAY TRIP

READERS' CHOICE:

Cripple Creek

It's grown from a sleepy mining town to a bustling Old West gambling theme park. Disney schmisney.

GO! CHOICE: Skyline Drive, Caon City

The dizzying drive on the narrow spine above Caon City is a perfect -- not to mention free -- way to cap a lazy weekend.

Two miles east of Caon City on U.S. Highway 50

BEST PLACE TO TAKE OUT-OF-TOWNERS

READERS' CHOICE: Garden of the Gods

Spectacular rock formations sure to garner "wows" from your guests. A perfect picnic setting... yada, yada, yada. You live here. You know you have to take every out-of-town guest here.

Visitor and Nature Center,

1805 N. 30th St., 634-6666

gardenofgods.com

GO! CHOICE: Garden of the Gods

BEST NATURAL LANDMARK

READERS' CHOICE: Garden of the Gods

God, gods, whatever. These rocks are so awe-inspiring, you'd have to have rocks in your head not be affected.

GO! CHOICE: Garden of the Gods

BEST UNNATURAL LANDMARK

READERS' CHOICE: Air Force Academy Chapel

The Air Force Academy is one of the finest examples in the world of 1950s architectural modernism -- and its crowning glory is Walter Netsch's elegant, graceful chapel.

GO! CHOICE: Air Force Academy Chapel

BEST PARADE

READERS' CHOICE: Festival of Lights

This annual Christmas event lights up Tejon Street with illuminated floats, marching bands and, of course, the jolly fat man himself.

GO! CHOICE: Carnivale

Dogs wearing Mardi Gras beads. Brass bands playing "When the Saints Come Marching In." New Orleans transplants stirring up gumbo. This parade perfectly blends creativity, taste and debauchery every February when it marches down Manitou Avenue.

BEST ZOO ANIMAL

READERS' CHOICE: The giraffe

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has become world-famous for its reticulated giraffe captive-breeding program and the size of the giraffe population. And for kids, there are few zoo activities more fun than getting a cracker licked out of their hands by those long purple tongues.

GO! CHOICE: The wallaby

Wallabies are visiting Cheyenne Mountain Zoo just for the summer as part of the zoo's Wallaby Walkabout exhibit. The sight of them racing along like mice on pogo sticks is sure to make you smile. Watch closely and you may see a joey -- a wallaby baby -- stick its head out of Mom's pouch.

4250 Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Road (up the mountain from The Broadmoor) 633- 9925

cmzoo.org

BEST PUBLIC SCHOOL

READERS' CHOICE: Gold Camp Elementary School

It's in a breathtaking natural setting high above the city in Skyway. But more than that, says principal Joe Thiac, "everybody's happy here." There are "high academic standards, a tremendous supportive parent base, a supportive teaching staff that works with each other and makes it fun for the kids to be here. When new parents tour they feel welcome when they walk in the door; the kids say hello." No wonder this Cheyenne Mountain School District 12 school got all those votes!

1805 Preserve Drive, 327-2820

cmsd.k12.co.us/Schools/gce/gce.html

GO! CHOICE: The Classical Academy

It's not the facilities that are important on these three campuses, it's the education. The Academy School District 20 K-12 charter school emphasizes "classical subjects including logic and rhetoric"; Latin is taught in grades five and up and all students learn Spanish. Add to that strong parental involvement. Now you know why little ones are put on a waiting list the minute they're born.

8650 Scarborough Drive, 1655 Springcrest Road, 975 Stout Road, 265-9766

tcad20.org/

BEST PRIVATE SCHOOL

READERS' CHOICE: Colorado Springs School

On one of the prettiest campuses anywhere, centered around a main building that's a mini-version of the Grand Trianon at Versailles, students follow a rigorous curriculum that gets 100 percent of them into colleges. The arts are big, the school's focus international. Classwork comes out of the textbooks to use in real-life situations. And life is good when you know dreaded school lunches are being prepared by someone called Chef Jeff.

21 Broadmoor Ave., 475-9747

css.org

GO! CHOICE: Fountain Valley School

Since 1930, students at this secluded prep school -- with spectacular Southwestern architecture -- have searched for "the best in yourself" and many have found it in the arts. No surprise for a school with its own international student film festival. Alums include Samuel Goldwyn Jr. of movie and philanthropic fame, lyricist/ activist John Perry Barlow, the late actress Dominique Dunne, actor/ director Tony Goldwyn and musician Bob Weir.

6155 Fountain Valley School Road,

390-7035

www.fvs.edu

BEST RADIO PERSONALITY

READERS' CHOICE: Captain Dan, KKLI (106.3 FM)

With more than 20 years on the local radio dial, KKLI's Captain Dan is like a comfortable pair of jeans, ready to ease you into your day. The Captain and co-host Paul Richards run a morning show that might sometimes be frivolous, but never tasteless. Captain Dan, you deserve a promotion.

kkli.com

GO! CHOICE: Vicky Gregor, KRCC (91.5 FM)

It's humbling to contemplate how much better our friend and neighbor Vicky's taste in music is than our own. Really, she should have a second career as an iPod consultant. Barring that business development, the best we can do is turn over our radios to her Morning Freeform show at 9 a.m. weekdays.