Colorado Trip Notes

I visited Colorado for the first time and wanted to share some sights and tips from my visit. I enjoyed both Denver and Boulder and would definitely come back for more fun. Some specifics around restaurants / hikes / beers / food stuffs have all gone out of my head. hopefully S. and T. have better notes and/or memory and can add a bit more.

day 1 Denver

beautiful airport with tent structure and fantastic lighting http://www.flydenver.com/

16th st free mall ride http://www.rtd-denver.com/FREEMallRide.shtml

state Capitol building. restoration of house and senate chambers (check it out next time). hall of president portraits. http://www.denver.org/listings/Colorado-State-Capitol/3679/

Tattered Cover Bookstore with coffee and ice cream shop (reminds me more of Powell's than Strand) http://www.tatteredcover.com/

Wynkoop Brewery. http://www.wynkoop.com/ Rail yard Amber ale (also part of the downtown brewery listing from the visitor center. food was also pretty good. I ordered trout with polenta.

Union Station. yet another station that’s prettier than our Penn Station. I didn’t take the train and we walked inside where they had many food shops and even décor for Halloween.

day 2 Boulder

We took Green Ride from Denver to Boulder. http://greenrideboulder.com/

walking around on Pearl St. one memory store was the puzzle store and one memorable street art was watching people make art by sticking leaves and flowers on the rock with water slowly running down it. http://www.boulderdowntown.com/visit/history-of-pearl-street

tried a pumpkin cannoli from this shop: https://pieceloveandchocolate.com/

hiking and panorama views (photo from S.)

French restaurant near pearl st. I think it was brasserie ten ten? great happy hour specials https://www.brasserietenten.com/menus/happy-hour/

SFjazz Michael Jackson tribute (with jazz interpretation) http://www.sfjazz.org/events/2015-16/1022/collective

day 3

origami convention

west end tavern rooftop – forgot which beer I had? smoker selection (pork, chicken, sausages) http://www.thewestendtavern.com/

day 4

flat iron coffee. http://www.flatironcoffee.com/

flat hiking around Sawhill Ponds https://bouldercolorado.gov/osmp/sawhill-ponds-trailhead

celestial seasoning tea tour http://www.celestialseasonings.com/tours learned about herbal infusions and the overpowering “mint room”. of course sample all the teas there ( I liked watermelon zinger and chamomile lavender) and buy some gifts for your friends and family back home! I enjoyed reading about the history and also looking at the illustrations that they have for each tea.

teahouse lunch (amazing décor outside and inside, visit it!) we sipped some tea and I loved the Mediterranean salad which came with hummus, grape leaves, and olives  http://www.boulderteahouse.com/

street art near the teahouse

more hiking with more slope and views Chautauqua https://bouldercolorado.gov/osmp/chautauqua-trailhead

chophouse and tavern (??) split lamb chops with T.

we sampled java porter (coffee flavored beer) at mountain sun bar and caught haymarket square 'punkgrass' band performance. http://haymarketsquares.bandcamp.com/ the bar also offered prime people watching opportunity. we saw poker players, board game groups, dancers, couples, visitors, and more. http://www.mountainsunpub.com/

day 5

the buff for breakfast http://www.buffrestaurant.com/

Next Time:

• Denver Visitor Center Tips
  • Appaloosa grill 10pm music http://appaloosagrill.com/
  • Jazz at Jack's http://www.jazzatjacks.com/
  • http://www.denver.org/things-to-do/day-trips-around-colorado/denver-beer-triangle/
• Coors Field baseball stadium tour http://colorado.rockies.mlb.com/col/ballpark/
• Denver zoo http://denverzoo.org
• various parks and stuff
  • http://estes-park.com/peak-peak-scenic-byway
  • http://peaktopeakguide.com/

Resources:

• Colorado Beer Tour iOS App. I consulted this along with Yelp for a few good outings. https://appsto.re/us/LL6zz.i
• University of Colorado at Boulder
• Visitor Centers and Trail Maps