Denver:

We got up early today thinking we would get a head start on all the other tourists wanting to explore Denver. Maybe we got up a little too early. There was no one around when we got into Denver, and nothing was open. Part of the problem was that The Taste of Colorado wasn’t open and had a large section of the city blocked off, and that was the part of the city I really wanted to see. The Civic Center Park. This park contains fountains and statues and is surrounded by the Capitol Building, the City and County Building, the public library, etc. After wandering around for a bit though, I was very excited to see that the stairs to the Colorado State Capitol were not blocked off by The Taste of Colorado! For those of you who don’t know, “One Mile Above Sea Level” is inscribed on the stairs, and it one of the most popular places to have your picture made in Denver. Since there weren’t many others nearby, we had the luxury of taking our time and posing for dozens of photos.

After the photo shoot, we strolled down 16th Street Mall, which is a charming little street with hotels, restaurants, and shops. It is closed off to most vehicles, but a free bus does go up and down the street. (Word to the wise: Don’t take the bus on a hot day unless you absolutely must. It is packed, smelly, and slow.)  There are a few must-dos which include The Tattered Cover, The Brown Place Hotel, the big blue bear at the convention center, Rockmount Ranch Wear, and Lamier Square. Not all of these places are right on the street, but they are within a couple blocks. The Tattered Cover is a cute book store that gives off an old western vibe with wood floors, wood ceilings, wood bookcases, etc. The Brown Place Hotel is a beautiful historic hotel with an amazing lobby. Feeling fancy (and like spending a lot of money)? Stop by for high tea. Nisheet and I were happy enough watching other people dressed up having tea and cocktails while we were in jeans and sandals. You can’t miss out on a photo opportunity with the big blue bear at the convention center. Since the bear has his rump in the air, it is quite easy to take some funny photos. Rockmount Ranch Wear was one of my favorite stores. I loved trying on the western clothes, and I really regret not buying anything! Lamier Square is also just off of the 16th Street Mall and is best visited after dark when the lights hung across the street come on and the outdoor patios are filled with people drinking and eating delicious food.

Speaking of food, that brings me to our next stop of the day. For a late lunch, we decided to check out the Wynkoop Brewing Company. Little did we know, a Rockies game was about to start, but we were still able to grab a seat at the bar. Nisheet ordered green chili, and I had BBQ beef sliders. Both items were simply delicious and hit the spot. Even better was the beer! We both tried a couple beers, and I wasn’t a huge fan of them, so I ordered a random stout off the menu, the Cowtown Milk Stout. The waiter messed up and brought both of us the Cowtown. Best messed up order ever. It was smooth, creamy, chocolaty, and sweet, almost like drinking chocolate milk. The. Perfect. Beer. After finishing up with our lunch, we wandered around and found that you can see the brewery downstairs and there are pool and Foosball tables upstairs. Nisheet asked me if I wanted to play a game of Foosball, but I declined. The older gentleman sitting nearby got a huge grin on his face and asked if Nisheet would play with him. It turns out he was part of the Chicago Foosball club and had been waiting for someone to come along and play a game!

We were then on our way to the next brewery of the day. Denver has a lot of great breweries, but we decided on The Great Divide. Once we got there, we found out that you have to wear closed toed shoes to take their tour, and we were both wearing sandals. Ugh! However, they had another tour, and for some odd reason neither of us took our shoes into the hotel the previous night and they were left in the  car trunk. So off we ran (and walked) as fast as we could in the sweltering heat back towards our car a few miles away. The bike racks along the way only had 1 bike, the bus was moving at a snails pace. And then part way to our car, we realized we only had a general idea of where we parked. Neither of us bothered to look at the street names in the morning! Luck came our way again when Nisheet recognized the building we parked next to. We jumped in the car and Nisheet drove like a crazy man back to the brewery, we threw our shoes on, and walked in just in time for the last tour of the day! High five! Was it worth all of the running around? I’m not really sure. But at least it gave us a good story.

To end out night in Denver, we went to the Taste of Colorado. There were tons of booths set up with food and crafts. Beef jerky seemed to be a huge food item to sell. There were several booths of jerky. The food and crafts seemed average for a festival, but the views were great. In between the beautiful building you could catch glimpses of sunsets and the rocky mountains. Such a great setting. And then…. Hammer Time! MC Hammer was the entertainment for the night! I hadn’t listened to him in probably 15+ years!