Pearl Street Mall

Yikes! Not for kids. Aggressive panhandlers, tons of smoking on the street and boozy street performers. And this was a regular Thursday afternoon. Shops were what you'd expect in a college town. Reminded me of State Street in Madison except dirty, uncomfortable and not awesome.

First time i had a terrible experience...a homeless 25yo hippie with dreadlocks asked me for my leftover half eaten sandwich. Sorta gross, but I figured it was better than asking for money. So, I gave into him. However, the worst part was yet to come....he thanked me by saying namaste. Seriously? How lame and tacky! Was i suddenly transported to Jaipur india? I wanted to grab my dam sandwich back!

The stores along pearl street are filled with hippieish junk. For instance...tye dye, fake Buddha heads, ugly satchels with Indian elephants on them, hobo sandals, free Tibet stores and of course, incense. Any normal person would find it difficult to browse here let alone shop here.

On my most recent trip here...I was walking my dogs through the mall area and a police officer ran over to me and told me dogs weren't allowed on the mall. Seriously? My two well mannered pomeranians weren't allowed on a public outdoor street but some dirty homeless 25yo hippie is? My pups were cleaner than him and I can almost guarantee smelled better too... and they don't even use toilet paper!

The officer wrote down my identification information and let me off with a warning. I would have ultimately ended up in jail if he actually wrote me a ticket! I thanked the douche for his kindness and took my dogs back to the car and promptly left Boulder. Waste of my time. I'm also upset I put $1.25 of my hard earned cash in a city meter. I demand a refund!

Really vibrant, and so pretty in the Spring with all the hybrid tulips blooming in the planter boxes.

I enjoy the artist collectives along with the many clothing stores along the Mall.  in keeping with the Boulder mentality and name, the children's area is stacked with large stones for scrambling on instead of rude pre-fab play equiment.  Stores are dog friendly with leash tie-ups and water bowls.  City Hall sits right in the middle so locals are coming and going during everyday business along with more languishing tourists.  Buskers sing for coins.  Students post flyers for political or late night club gatherings.