“The Bear” was certainly loose in Denver on Tuesday night.
President Obama was in the Mile-High City for a dinner with five Americans who wrote him letters about the economy — but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t time for a little fun!
First up, that dinner...
Obama greeted diners at the Wazee Supper Club and complimented the bartender on his mustache. "That's a cool 'stache," Obama told the man, before settling in for a meal of pizza. It was pretty neat, reporters there noted: brown on one side, gray on the other.
President Obama has a pizza dinner with letter writers in Denver, Colorado pic.twitter.com/yUdqGgqEui— petesouza (@petesouza) July 9, 2014
A president, a gorilla and a man in a horse mask...
After dining, the president decided to take a stroll -- surrounded by a dozen Secret Service agents -- down a popular downtown street where crowds had formed.
Obama walked down 15th Street, shaking hands and greeting people.
"Here's my business card": Pres Obama greets pedestrians in downtown Denver pic.twitter.com/hUEAjKbR1Y— petesouza (@petesouza) July 9, 2014
“High fives, fist bumps," Obama said as he offered a few of each to people lined up alongside the street -- including one lucky gorilla statue.
One man wore a horse head and he appeared to catch the president off-guard as Obama shook the man’s hand.
At one point, a man asked the president if he’d like a hit of weed. Obama could only laugh.
Point me to the closest bar
From there, Obama went to Denver’s Wynkoop Brewing Company, where he hung out with Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper.
The two pols chatted with a few folks before grabbing beers and facing off in a game of pool. Reporters on the scene say the two got off to a slow start — Hickenlooper stripes, Obama solids — but eventually the president got hot and won the game.
"Did you record that?" Obama asked reporters. "I take a little longer to warm up," Hickenlooper said. The president took note of how many balls Hickenlooper had left on the table.
“Five,” said the most powerful man in the world. "Five."
TL;DR
Here's the whole night in 15 seconds.