Aspen: Out with the old, in with the New.

Idling dozers on call. Just in case we need another hole.It's off season.  The Ferrari drivers are back home in Houston or Miami or Dallas or NYC or LA or where ever they go.  It's been snowing (see previous post below). Town is quiet. Mornings are cold which makes Wagner Park an excellent place to be... just as the sun peeks over Smuggler Mountain.

I love the smell of POW POW in the morning.

This morning, one of my other senses was ignited.  I hate the sound of construction in the morning.  Early mornings, just as Aspen wakes from her sleep, are a beautiful & quiet time.  Today the sound of BIG MACHINERY pierced the air.  It wasn't the garden variety dump trucks and pick ups.  These were the industrial sized bull dozers and cranes and dumpers you see in a major city.  But Aspen is not a major city, it's small resort town at the end of the road.  Why some people insist on bringing their big city problems to Aspen I'll never know.   

Oh yeah, I do know.  It's the triple headed hydra of GREED, EGO and POWER. 

I get it.  Some people want to make as much money as possible. They keep score in dollars.  Some people want to build monuments to themselves. Some people will do almost anything to win.  Some people don't understand history, or the concept of negative space or the phrase "less is more". Understated or low key as discriptors are not relevant to them.  Old money is quiet, new money is loud.  "Do you know who I am???"  "Really?  do you know who I am???"

Dump dat sh*t over here. No over there.Aspen as a ski town has always been a glamorous place.  We have a long history of rich guys who have come and gone...trying to make their mark in Fat City. The current generation of "build it and they will come" developers hail mostly from the financial world. Trader types, money men, flippers.  Based on my observations, it seems like they want to dig the biggest MF-ing hole they can, push floor area ratios to the max,.and shhhhhhh even go over a few feet if they can sneak it by the inspectors.  They want to build out every square inch of the town.  They're already rich...but they want to get richer.

I wanted to see what all the noise was about so Carmelo and I strolled past  the construction site of the new Aspen Art Museum.  Two streets were closed, barricades were everywhere.  7 or 8 huge trucks sat idling in the (closed) street.  We kept on stepping, we passed the "road closed" signs and humongous hole in the ground on the next corner, at least it's completely fenced in.    In the middle of the next block we came upon a very sad sight.  LITTLE ANNIE'S EATING HOUSE was shuttered. Seized by the State of Colorado for unpaid taxes.  Little Annie's owes $44.5K and must pay before Oct 29 or their assets will be auctioned off.   Apparently they have no lease going forward, so it looks like it might be curtains for Little Annie's.

That bums me out.  A fleet of bulldozers bums me out.

Does our non-collecting Art Museum really require 30,000 square feet.  Maybe they need a building that large just to have a home for all the names to be engraved on the wall.  Does anyone in Aspen need another luxury penthouse?   Based on recent history it will either sit empty for a long time or maybe it'll get purchased by non-thinking gapers who will sue, sue , sue.   Noise violations,  blocking public access, parking problems, overflowing trash bins, the bears, barking dogs.  You name it  The potential for lawsuits is only limited by one's imagination.

Toxic fumes... no thank you.So that's it.  Out with the old, in with the new.  Can't wait for the new roof-top restaurant...waaaay better than The Gap.  Hellz yeah...it's another store selling $7500 coats from Italy, buy me one daddy...pleeeease.  So sweeeeet,  Van Cleef and Arpels is doing a pop-up....yeSSSSS!!!.  That's how we roll in Aspen now. Pop ups and empty penthouses.   Oh, and the city has a few projects going too.  There's the $3 million bathroom in Rio Grande Park right next to the "non-permanent" Theatre Aspen structure.  The $5 million bus stop at Ruby Park is on tap, soon  And the debate about a proposed parking structure under Wagner Park is just getting started.

Some call it progress, some call it an improvement, some say a World class resort should have World class buildings. I'm not going to argue about that.   But I still see plenty of empty commercial spaces and a revolving door of pop-up shops and empty penthouses.  It's not messy vitality...its just messy...and sad.   There is a bright side of all this next-gen development.  You'll never see any of these new people up on the hill, because none of them ski.   Maybe its because there is no conveneint place to park their Ferrari's.  

The Aspen Art Museum (in progress) A non-collecting institution.Tearing up the street in the name of art. Or is it Greed, Ego and Power. The New Aspen.Little Annie's Eating House. Goodbye old friend. The last shot & beer place in Aspen is likely gone for good.

Freestyle in Aspen

Dennis Basso Freestyle: A benefit for the Aspen Art Museum  12/28/11

Aspen, Colorado is a great place to visit during the holidays. The natural beauty and the winter sports are the most obvious draw, but the people watching is WORLD CLASS.  There is an extremely wide spectrum of tastes and styles being displayed on and off the slopes in Aspen.  From fine furs to gore-tex, from the bling of exquisite jewelry to the utility of duct tape.

Click 4 sick pix;  FreeStyle in Aspen.

The Dennis Basso Freestyle is always a highlight event on the Aspen holiday social calendar.  The guest-list reads like a who's who in the art world. Many freestylers are also the chief benefactors of the soon-to-be built Aspen Art Museum.  Like peacocks displaying their plumes, the upscale freestyle crowd waited patiently for the photogs at the step and repeat.  Glamour pix. The narcissism was palpable.

This year's event had a special glow.  The newly remolded St Regis played host to glamorous array of guests.   The hors d'oeuvre were succulent, the champagne was plentiful and the auction items were priceless.  Models, hot chicks and rich guys were everywhere.  Security was upgraded to red. AspenSpin got into the mix. We went FREESTYLE in ASPEN. We didn't bid on the $144,000 necklace but A. Party worked that room like a hard-packed  bump run.  Very carefully, at top speed and always moving forward.  We got some sick pix, we hope you agree.

Click  FREESTYLE in ASPEN

Lance was FREESTYLIN'It got FlyGarza Family FreeStyle.Dennis Basso FreeStyle.Lisa,/ Kenny / Greer

The Roaring Fork Open

Roaring Fork Open. Click 4 pix.The Aspen Art Museum (AAM) hosted a gala opening for The Roaring Fork Open (RFO), a biennial celebration of Local Artists and their work.  The first RFO took place in 1980.  Last night the exhibit kicked off at AAM with 125 Local Artists displaying their Art to a packed house at the Museum.  The RFO's theme in 2011 was a collaboration with the exhibit America: Now and Here.  Artists were encouraged to create pieces that would inspire a dynamic dialogue about present day America.  The multidisciplinary selections were fabricated by a wide range of artists, some showing their work in public for the first time.

AAM strives to provide a vibrant and community-wide appreciation for the Arts. Along with their policy of FREE ADMISSION (Thanks to John and Amy Phelan), The RFO is probably the best example of AAM's efforts to make art accessible to everyone in the valley.  The artists, their families, friends and art lovers from all over the Roaring Fork Valley showed up in force to celebrate art and to enjoy localism at it's finest.

Click 4 pix:  RFO 2011

United States of Goldman Sachs.AAM's current building is beautifully situated along the Rio Grande Trail on The Roaring Fork River in one of the most sublime spots in all of Aspen.  AAM is in the process of developing a new, highly controversial headquarters building directly in the center of Aspen's Core.  While AspenSpin is looking forward to the new AAM building designed by notable Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, we can't help but wonder why they would give up the sweet spot along the river. The AAM has no permanent collection, and while AAM is busting out of the seams in their current space we still believe their was a more collaborative solution than force-feeding the new $28 Million project on the community  We've heard the rhetoric, (see our story from 1 year ago, click Aspen Art Conundrum )  we've checked out the model and rendering and we are hopeful that the new AAM will become the "world class museum" that was described during the deceptive and fractious, but apparently legal approval process. The City Council,  the developers and AAM all got what they wanted.  It's still unclear if the citizenry of Aspen will truly benefit.  Let's hope its not just another monument to ego and greed in the center of our historic town.  While there are plenty of ruffled feathers about the new project, Aspen Spin is optimistic that the vision for the new AAM will live up to it's billing.  We'll see in about 30 months.

Last night, The Aspen Art Community came together down by the river at AAM and it was all about the good times for The RFO opening.  While appreciation of art is a personal matter, it's was hard not to enjoy the wide variety of American themed works created by friends, neighbors and fellow Roaring Fork locals.  Some of the designs were fantastic and others did not really resonate with our tastes, but the show is powerful by any measure.  We recommend that you take the time to visit RFO 2011 (the exhibit runs through Nov 20.2011).  The 125 works of art are as unique and individual as each of the artists. 

A-Spin's photos are presented on FaceBook so you can tag 'em, like 'em and share 'em

Click 4 pix:  RFO 2011

John Cohorst and his work Each One / Teach One. Click for more photos.Eric Wood and his family stand before New / Old America. Click 4 pix.Mike Jahn proudly displays his work. Rural Scenes from America. Click for more pix.Joel Belmont and his striking work Give Me Debt. Hi Stacy. Click for more pix.