Pearl Street Mall

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Pearl Street Mall, referred to as Pearl Street, Downtown Boulder or just simply Downtown is a four block walking mall in downtown Boulder, Colorado. The pedestrian mall stretches on Pearl Street from the 1100 to 1400 block (inclusive) and is home to a number of local businesses and restaurants as well as the Boulder County Courthouse. The mall is one the most popular tourist destinations in Boulder and is home to much of Boulder's nightlife. During the summer months, Pearl Street Mall is the stage for a number of street performers (or Buskers) and musicians. When the University of Colorado at Boulder is in session, the mall is a popular destination for students.

The Pearl Street Mall is filled with public art, including numerous fountains and sculptures as well as a sandbox for children and a stylized map of Boulder County. The mall also contains a number of small gardens which are planted with a variety of flowers and trees, most notably tulips in the spring.

The Mall is the heart of Downtown Boulder, which is in the western part of present-day Boulder. The area is a historic district and many of the buildings are some of the oldest in Boulder, though they now house popular retail outlets. The Boulder County Courthouse is located in the 1300 block on the north side of the mall. The Courthouse no longer houses the actual courts for Boulder County, but it is the home of some of the administrative offices for the County.

In 2005, University of Colorado Athletic Director Mike Bohn and the Golden Buffalo Marching Band instituted the Stampede on Pearl Street, a pep rally on the Pearl Street Mall. The pep rallys, which are held on Friday nights before home Colorado Buffaloes football games, were designed to increase community support for University Athletics.

During the series of snowstorms in 2006-2007, the first snowstorm covered the mall with a couple of feet of snow. On December 20, many cross country skiiers decided to embark to Pearl Street Mall during the evening. From about 6 PM - Midnight local time, Nordic skiiers were flocking around Downtown Boulder.