Gay Bar-Crawling on the Zero Bus

By Kelly Lemieux

The Regional Transportation District (RTD) has a number of infamous bus routes servicing the Denver metro area. One of the biggies is the Zero bus servicing Broadway/South Broadway — almost as famous as Colfax’s #15 route — and you can plan an adventure on this north/ south route with a monthly pass or a ten-pack of tickets.

If you plan a gay bar-crawl adventure on the #0 line, you can start just north of the Denver Public Library’s main branch and head south on Broadway. Have your ticket ready, ask for a transfer, and find a seat. The bus driver will do the work as you and your fellow riders check smart phones, talk with other passengers, and gaze out the windows at the passing restaurants, pot shops, and thrift stores that line Broadway.

We’ll be getting off in no time for our first stop, Broadway’s, the gay dive bar between 11th and 12th. Remember your transfer. It’s good for 2.5 hours.

After a beer or cocktail surrounded by big screen TVs (Broadway’s is a sports bar) and a large outdoor patio, head back outside, walk north to Arby’s, and park your caboose on the bus stop bench to wait for the next Zero bus.

Next stop: The Compound. The Compound is annoyingly in-between bus stops, but if you’re willing to hoof it for a block or two, the Zero bus will get you within range. This dive bar has been around since the 90s and is a perfect place to grab a pitcher of suds and chill with the friendly bartenders. Take ten minutes, take an hour, but we do need to catch the Zero bus again to our third stop: Li’l Devils. Hopefully our transfer hasn’t expired and the line to board for the bus isn’t too long. Either way, pee before you leave The Compound.

Li’l Devils, near the intersection of South Broadway & Alameda, is relatively new and features one of the best patios in town. A number of gay establishments have occupied the site where Li’l Devils resides and the club is one of the last gay watering holes on the South Broadway corridor as you head out of Denver — but it’s not the last. We’ll reboard the Zero bus after a drink at Li’l Devils and head down Broadway to our final gay bar crawl destination: the Black Crown Lounge.

By this point, the Zero bus has taken us into the heart of Antique Row and the Black Crown Lounge is rumored to have a selection of antiques to match the patios and the live music; perfect browsing (or buying) time with a tasty adult beverage.

As happens with bar crawls, you’ll be pleasantly buzzed now and perhaps ready to make a final stop at the restrooms. Check for your wallet, keys, and return bus ticket and head out of the Black Crown to park your caboose at the bus stop and wait for the next #0. It’s time to head back into town on RTD’s finest and to bring our gay bar-crawl/bus adventure to a close. Thank you Regional Transportation District and your mighty vehicles that get us to and from our destinations.