So when I got the itch to go somewhere over the summer, I looked at a couple of different places, like Philadelphia, which is close enough to where I live that I could drive to it in under four hours. But then everything hit me: I wanted to fly somewhere. I wanted to see mountains. I wanted to go somewhere I hadn't been before. So I started looking at Denver; flights here were very well priced, so I couldn't pass it up ($265 roundtrip, non-stop via Frontier). I was looking at going in August, but when I saw that a band I liked was playing in Denver (and not DC--I'm a little bitter about this) in October, during a week when I already had a day off, I thought, "I can wait. What's a couple more months?"
Now admittedly, I did some legwork for this trip but had no solid plans day-to-day. On the one hand, this leaves a lot of flexibility. On the other hand, I had more downtime than I feel I should have. Add to that the fact that I didn't e-mail Susan, an acquaintance from college who lives in Denver, more than a few days prior to my trip, and I feel very disorganized.
That said, I have done some cool stuff. I flew in on Sunday, got a car, and drove to my temporary digs that I'd found on Airbnb. In March, I used Airbnb to secure two nights in an apartment for me and three friends in NYC and that worked very well (well, most anything would have worked better than paying hundreds of dollars for a hotel), and decided to give it another go, as Denver hotels were too expensive and hostels were out of the way or just didn't work for me. The apartment was comfy with everything I needed and the host, Brian, is cool. He'd put together a list of decent restaurants and things to do in Denver, and on the list was a burger joint called H Burger. I looked it up online and saw that they also had milkshakes (of the non- and alcoholic variety) and all-day happy hour on weekends. I felt the need to investigate immediately.
I ordered a small Nutella Marshmallow shake (sans alcohol, although they do have an "adult" version of it) and a quarter pounder that came with fries. I enjoyed both (although the taste of the Nutella didn't come through much in the shake), and marveled at the rest of the menu, which includes a full-on bar menu and items like fried jalapeños with Sriracha-ranch sauce and cilantro sour cream.
On Monday, I covered beer and botany, although not in that order. First, I went to Snooze for breakfast; it had been recommended by one of my host's previous guests and was near enough to walk to. Don't let the name fool you; this place is far from a snoozefest. Not only do they serve things like breakfast margaritas and platter-size pancakes, the place is crawling with people. I waited 15 minutes for a seat at the bar--a short wait, really, and definitely worth it. I had the Fluffernutter S'mores French Toast, which was pretty amazing, and a breakfast margarita. Yes, you read that right (the margarita comes in spicy and regular). And they were both as delicious as they look.
I went back to the apartment and took a little time to formulate a plan. I decided to go to the Denver Botanic Gardens--it was going to be around 70 degrees and there was hardly a cloud in the sky, so the weather would be perfect for a stroll.
I couldn't have asked for better weather at the Botanic Gardens. It was ironic that they had already begun decorating for Christmas considering how warm it was outside. Of course, not many things were in bloom, but I still managed to get some really great pictures.
I had a tasty Cuban panini at the cafe near the entrance (the only food vendor that was open) and perused the gift shop before thinking about how I wanted a beer. I decided to check out Great Divide Brewing. Three samples later, I left feeling a bit disappointed--I enjoyed one of the samples enough to finish it, but was turned off by the Yeti and Oak Aged Yeti. I dig dark beers, but these were far too bitter for my taste. I took solace in the fact that the samples were only $3 for the three ($1 per sample after) and all proceeds go to charity. I chose not to stay for the tour, which happens at 3 and 4 p.m. on weekdays.
I finally responded to Susan's e-mail on Monday, and she mentioned two magical words: Red Rocks. Why this hadn't crossed my mind before, I don't know. About 30-40 minutes outside of Denver, Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre hosts a slew of good concerts every summer, as well as other events such as movie viewings. Artists like U2, Peter Gabriel, Depeche Mode, The Clash, The Eurythmics, Blues Traveler, Jason Mraz, Deadmau5, James Taylor, Carole King, and a host of others have played here in its 60-some year history. I defy you to find a more scenic concert venue. And when they have such great bands, who wouldn't want to come here?
It was cooler Tuesday than I'd anticipated, and naturally I neglected to bring a hat and gloves on my trip, since I expected it to be 70 every day. So I ducked into the Ship Rock Grille at Red Rocks for a hot lunch. They had no hot chocolate or dark chocolate torte, and my Eldorado Elk Sliders lacked flavor and looked less and less appetizing the longer they sat on my plate.
After perusing the more expansive (and more touristy) gift shop at Red Rocks, I made a plan to head back to Denver. I drove to Cheesman Park (right by the Botanic Gardens) but didn't get out of the car because the weather was beginning to look a bit like rain and I wasn't dressed as warmly as I'd have liked. I can definitely see the park being a great place for frisbee or football in the summer, as it has lots of green space. Susan had said the parks in Denver were definitely worthwhile and had recommended Cheesman Park because of the surrounding architecture.
I drove back to the apartment to regroup. Susan and I had made plans to go to Vine Street Pub for dinner at 8. I was really glad we went here, because the food and beer were great and reasonably priced (be aware that the place is cash only). Plus, I'd passed D Bar Desserts on the way, which was very serendipitous. Susan said it was really good but couldn't make it, so I walked a few blocks back. My chocolate hazelnut souffle was good, but the best part was the little donut-hole-sized bites that reminded me of churros that had chocolate icing in the middle. I got two truffles, each of which were $2 (even truffles in DC aren't that expensive!), but the waiter and I had chatted and he gave me his favorite, passionfruit, because he thought the other two looked sad in the package by themselves.
At dinner, Susan had told me about this amazing muffin shop in an alley by a bike shop in a less-than-lovely part of town. But come Wednesday morning I would not be deterred, considering how highly she had spoken of Martine's Muffins. The owner and namesake was very pleasant as she walked me through all the many choices there were, highly recommending that day's special scone, the pumpkin cheesecake (I'm not a fan of scones, but I kind of wish I'd gotten that). She noted that she didn't recognize me--I think she must have a lot of regulars. I got the chai tea muffin, the sausage quiche and a big chocolate chunk cookie, all for $6.50. The muffin was surprisingly light and airy, the cookie a bit harder than I'd anticipated, and the quiche decent. I wasn't over the moon about any of the food, but I'm still glad I went. Before long, I was packing up my stuff and on my way to Boulder.
Now I found Denver to be a rather odd place. To me, it made no sense as an urban area. As someone (probably Susan) explained it, the city wasn't planned out, which seems like an obvious reason for why there are skyscrapers scattered throughout the city amongst much smaller buildings as opposed to being concentrated in one area. That said, there were some impressive and very cool modern-looking skyscrapers. I was also caught offguard by the very visible homeless population, something very unexpected. There were panhandlers everywhere. Walking to Snooze, I passed a block where maybe 20 or 30 people had congregated. I never felt unsafe or anything; I was just surprised.
Check back soon for my post about Boulder!
I finally responded to Susan's e-mail on Monday, and she mentioned two magical words: Red Rocks. Why this hadn't crossed my mind before, I don't know. About 30-40 minutes outside of Denver, Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre hosts a slew of good concerts every summer, as well as other events such as movie viewings. Artists like U2, Peter Gabriel, Depeche Mode, The Clash, The Eurythmics, Blues Traveler, Jason Mraz, Deadmau5, James Taylor, Carole King, and a host of others have played here in its 60-some year history. I defy you to find a more scenic concert venue. And when they have such great bands, who wouldn't want to come here?
It was cooler Tuesday than I'd anticipated, and naturally I neglected to bring a hat and gloves on my trip, since I expected it to be 70 every day. So I ducked into the Ship Rock Grille at Red Rocks for a hot lunch. They had no hot chocolate or dark chocolate torte, and my Eldorado Elk Sliders lacked flavor and looked less and less appetizing the longer they sat on my plate.
After perusing the more expansive (and more touristy) gift shop at Red Rocks, I made a plan to head back to Denver. I drove to Cheesman Park (right by the Botanic Gardens) but didn't get out of the car because the weather was beginning to look a bit like rain and I wasn't dressed as warmly as I'd have liked. I can definitely see the park being a great place for frisbee or football in the summer, as it has lots of green space. Susan had said the parks in Denver were definitely worthwhile and had recommended Cheesman Park because of the surrounding architecture.
I drove back to the apartment to regroup. Susan and I had made plans to go to Vine Street Pub for dinner at 8. I was really glad we went here, because the food and beer were great and reasonably priced (be aware that the place is cash only). Plus, I'd passed D Bar Desserts on the way, which was very serendipitous. Susan said it was really good but couldn't make it, so I walked a few blocks back. My chocolate hazelnut souffle was good, but the best part was the little donut-hole-sized bites that reminded me of churros that had chocolate icing in the middle. I got two truffles, each of which were $2 (even truffles in DC aren't that expensive!), but the waiter and I had chatted and he gave me his favorite, passionfruit, because he thought the other two looked sad in the package by themselves.
At dinner, Susan had told me about this amazing muffin shop in an alley by a bike shop in a less-than-lovely part of town. But come Wednesday morning I would not be deterred, considering how highly she had spoken of Martine's Muffins. The owner and namesake was very pleasant as she walked me through all the many choices there were, highly recommending that day's special scone, the pumpkin cheesecake (I'm not a fan of scones, but I kind of wish I'd gotten that). She noted that she didn't recognize me--I think she must have a lot of regulars. I got the chai tea muffin, the sausage quiche and a big chocolate chunk cookie, all for $6.50. The muffin was surprisingly light and airy, the cookie a bit harder than I'd anticipated, and the quiche decent. I wasn't over the moon about any of the food, but I'm still glad I went. Before long, I was packing up my stuff and on my way to Boulder.
Now I found Denver to be a rather odd place. To me, it made no sense as an urban area. As someone (probably Susan) explained it, the city wasn't planned out, which seems like an obvious reason for why there are skyscrapers scattered throughout the city amongst much smaller buildings as opposed to being concentrated in one area. That said, there were some impressive and very cool modern-looking skyscrapers. I was also caught offguard by the very visible homeless population, something very unexpected. There were panhandlers everywhere. Walking to Snooze, I passed a block where maybe 20 or 30 people had congregated. I never felt unsafe or anything; I was just surprised.
Check back soon for my post about Boulder!
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