The drive from Madison to Denver was pretty boring- farm after farm of bare fields due to the time of year. I was pretty anxious and kept expecting to all of a sudden feel differently when I tried to breathe as the elevation increased. I’ve always had a fear of tornadoes and on my drive across Nebraska the skies darkened to a navy/black and it poured. As I crossed over the Colorado border the sun came out ahead of me and the landscape changed to beautiful green rocky hills.
My anxiety was pretty high throughout the 3 weeks I was in Denver. I think my body was still processing out all of the leftover anxiety from my last week in Chicago.
The weather wasn’t ideal during my time in Denver. There were a lot of rainy days and when I first arrived I couldn’t see the mountains for the first 3 days; I started to wonder if you could actually see them from Denver. As soon as it cleared up, low and behold, I could see the beautiful Rockies.
My first cold, rainy Monday I headed out for a 3 mile run, unsure of what to expect. To my amazement I felt fine running and didn’t notice a difference in my breath. Throughout my stay I ran through different neighborhoods and regularly ran at City Park. The park is huge and beautiful. I could feel the elevation while doing speed workouts and on my longer runs I would gas out and get thirsty quicker due to how dry it is. Overall, I truly enjoyed running in Denver.
The first Friday it was 80 degrees and sunny and I went downtown to explore Larimer Square which I found to be overrated. I found much cuter neighborhoods and restaurants in other areas of Denver. While I was in Larimer I sat outside and had a drink and then headed over to Humbolt Kitchen and Bar for a delicious dinner.
My first Saturday I headed to Red Rocks Amphitheater early because there were predictions of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Red Rocks may be the most magical attraction I have visited on my trip. The amphitheater and the surrounding landscape and hiking trails are absolutely breathtaking. I sat for a while and people watched as many people go to workout and run the stairs. I can only imagine seeing the stars come out while at a concert.
Wrapping up my first weekend I went Dos Santos for some amazing tacos after a friend of a friend recommended it.
I found several amazing coffee shops in Denver. The Corner Beet was a great spot for coffee, homemade coffee flavors, and Mexican inspired tofu scrambles. Quince coffee is in an old Victorian home and all the rooms are set up as separate dining areas. I loved getting their blueberry vanilla lattes. I also love Honey Hill Cafe which felt more upscale and had great vibes and a beautiful patio.
It was extremely hard to find an affordable AirBnB in Denver and the one I ended up staying in had a kitchenette- not a full kitchen. Luckily I brought my Ninja Foodi on the trip and knew I could make it work for 3 weeks. I experimented with some new recipes including dairy free potato soup and an Indian style rice and chicken.
During my stay I was able to meet up with a cousin I haven’t seen in about 25 years. We got drinks (delicious frosé) at White Pie and then headed over the Mile High Station to see actual live music for the first time in over a year. We had a great time catching up and sharing memories.
My second weekend the weather was overcast with occasional rain. I drove up to Genesee in search of Buffalo, which I didn’t find, but did get to enjoy the views from Lookout Mountain. I headed to Golden next which was the cutest town ever. I got a coffee and walked around downtown shopping and people watching. The college just graduated and there were graduates and their families everywhere. There’s a shallow river that runs through town with a walking path. I walked along the river and met a family from Flagstaff which is where I’ll be staying when I’m in Arizona later on in my trip. I found a hotel restaurant on the river and the hostess snuck me onto the beautiful deck ahead of the 45 minute wait list because I was on my own and I enjoyed a mimosa and some hummus.
One of the neighborhoods I loved exploring was Five Points which is now referred to as RINO (River North Arts District) after quite a bit of gentrification. I walked around checking out the Crush Walls which are the home of many street art murals. I also walked by Platform Strength which is a functional fitness gym owned and run by my favorite old Road Rules cast member. I finished my exploring with a delicious flight at Stem Cider.
Another rainy weekend, I found a highly recommended bookstore, Tattered Cover, and spent about an hour wandering around with a coffee. My favorite part were the old theatre chairs and church pews throughout for sitting and reading. After sufficiently exploring Tattered Cover I went to tour the Margaret Brown House Museum aka the Unsinkable Molly Brown who survived the Titanic. I was in a group with 2 sisters from Montana and we chatted the whole time while exploring, listening to the audio tour, and helping each other take pictures.
I got my nails done while in Denver and while I miss getting a gel manicure in Boston that actually lasts longer than a week (yes I’ve been disappointed in Asheville, Nashville, and Denver) I met a wonderful woman who gave me a bunch of recommendations for places to explore in Denver and Boulder.
When I first moved to South Boston I lived in an amazing 4 bedroom house where there was a consistent rotation of new female roommates coming in as one moved out. One of those roommates, Pasha, lives in Denver now. We were able to meet up at City Park golf course and catch up over drinks while watching the sunset over downtown Denver and the Rockies.
City Park on a Run 
City Park Golf Course with Pasha
On my last Thursday, knowing I didn’t get to hike as I planned due to predicted storms each afternoon, I finished work and booked it to Boulder. I made it time to hike the Flatirons while thunder cracked in the distance. Huge raindrops fell sporadically as I continued my climb. The stormy weather bonded us as hikers as we would all say hi and check in with each other as we passed and reassessed our perceived safety.
After falling in love with the views on my hike I went to Pearl Street which reminds me of Burlington VT; a red brick street closed to traffic with shops and restaurants for blocks and continued falling in love with Boulder.
As I scoped out restaurants to enjoy a glass of wine I walked by a patio and noticed an attractive man sitting alone at a table. I promptly decided I would sit at the adjacent table and see what happened. As I hoped,I struck up a conversation with him and we ended up chatting over a couple drinks. He had an amazing English accent, was living the van life as a landscape photographer and had also lived in San Francisco the last 7 years and had tips for California including to figure out how to not get my car broken into while in San Fran. We exchanged numbers and as we hugged and headed in different directions he said the side of Pearl Street I had yet to explore was more touristy and less impressive. Soon after parting I got a text from him that he was on a beautiful roof deck if I wanted to meet back up. He was right about the other end of Pearl Street so I headed back in the direction I came to have another drink and some appetizers with my new good looking friend.
Due to graduation reservations we couldn’t stay long at the roof deck table so we headed to a Japanese restaurant where I tried sake for the first time. Unfortunately, the night takes a turn here- he started talking (see: monologuing) about alien abductions and interbreeding for far longer than I would like to admit. Then as we settled out and he paid because I had half a glass of sake to his 4 I saw that he left our server $3 on a $65 tab. I was mortified especially after being a server and knowing we took up her seats for a good amount of her night (talking about said aliens). We finally headed out and said our goodbyes. I snuck around a corner and waited for him to be out of sight and then went back into the bar to find our server to have her charge my credit card $0.10 so I could then leave her a real tip.
Overall I loved Denver and Boulder. I know they typically have much better weather than I experienced. I loved both the beauty and the outdoor active vibes in both places. I would love to go back and spend more time in both cities, hike more, and get to Rocky Mountain National Park.
Where My Feet Are 