The bf and I recently returned from a trip to Denver to visit one of his oldest and closest friends. I’d been to Denver as a little kid, so I was excited to be going somewhere “new” and to see and experience a different city. It’s been a long time since I’ve been out West, and I looked forward to nice weather, scenic views, and the vibrant, free-spirited culture I’d heard so much about.
I had a great time, and wanted to share some of the highlights from this whirlwind trip:
Wednesday, April 17
The Denver Art Museum (and SNOW!)
What a great museum! It took us nearly three hours to walk through and look at all the galleries and exhibitions. I was worried that it would be “just another museum” or something similar to what I would do here in Atlanta, but I was wrong. With a great collection of Native American Indian folk arts and collections, and Western American art and design, there were plenty of different genres and styles. I also enjoyed the contemporary art collection and the special Georgia O’Keefe exhibit.
Native American Indian tipis and headdresses, an Asian art piece made entirely of sand, and a collection of Rocky Mountain art by Charles Partridge Adams were some of my favorite items.
Denver is a fairly spread out city, not unlike Atlanta, but the downtown area feels much more compact. Restaurants, shops, and galleries are all very close together and the main part of this is the 16th street mall, which is pedestrian-friendly and has a free shuttle service (which we took advantage of on this snowy day!).
We had dinner on Wednesday at The 9th Door Tapas restaurant, and had an excellent meal. We shared lots of small plates – some standouts being the albondigas and the arugula and pear wrapped in jamon – and enjoyed sangria. The service was by far the best we had in Denver (we found out at the end of our meal that our server was from Savannah – can’t beat that Southern hospitality!).
After dinner, we braved the (still falling) snow and gusty winds for drinks at the Falling Rock Tap House. I tried a tasty apricot wheat beer by Dry Dock – yum!
Thursday, April 18
This charming neighborhood is “quintessential Denver” or so I was told. Cute, character homes and a delightful strip of cafes, galleries, shops and restaurants had me enjoying the morning here.
I had a massage in the afternoon – ahhhh. It was much-needed after the flight and all the walking from the previous day!
We passed through Larimer Square on our way to Euclid Hall for dinner, all in the LoDo neighborhood. The service at the restaurant was spotty, but that’s because the bartender was our server. The food was excellent. I had a green salad and quality steamed mussels, but the real standouts were the cauliflower salad with green onions, goat cheese and green chilies that Sean ordered, and the smoked chocolate strudel we had for dessert. Om nom nom!
Friday, April 19
Friday morning we all had breakfast at home (I made fresh juice), and then the boys took the dog to the park for a walk where Sean spotted a coyote – so cool!
We drove into town and went for lunch at a vegetarian restaurant called City o City. This place was hopping and had a vibrant, funky interior with a menu to match. I had a delicious sandwich with arugula, roasted tomato, Gruyere cheese and a fried egg, and Sean and I shared a curried carrot soup.
After lunch and some maneuvering to get past blocked streets from a “suspicious package” situation, we arrived at our first brewery of the trip – Prost Brewing. It was a German-style spot with one of the best pilsners I’ve had in awhile.
Sean and Steve were excited about Crooked Stave and its “funky” beers. We each did a flight, so we got to sample all of the beers listed below. They were all good, with some more sour than others.
When we’d arrived at Crooked Stave, I noticed the plaza next door had a sign out for wine tastings. Turns out there were two tasting rooms right there from local Colorado wineries, Bonacquisti and Garfield Estates. Both were pretty solid and we took home some wine from each: A sparkling Gewürztraminer and Cabernet Sauvignon from Bonacquisti, and a Fume Blanc and chocolate Port from Garfield Estates. I think wine is a great souvenir for my forays into minimalism – consumable! 😉
We also stopped by Williams & Graham, a cool speakeasy, for a drink and snacks before having a pretty epic sushi experience at Izakaya Den on Pearl Street. All in all, a very busy but very fun day!
Saturday, April 20
The neighborhood
Sean’s friends live out in a suburb south of the city and near the Front Line mountains. The views were gorgeous each day – first with snow, then with blue skys and sunshine.
We drove into the Front Line in the morning and walked around a bit, played in the snow (Sean) and took pictures. The drive was gorgeous and we passed by an adorable mountain town called Evergreen that I definitely want to check out on my next visit!
An afternoon and evening in Fort Collins:
We stopped for a quick lunch at Choice City Butcher (so good!), then headed out to tour some breweries.
Odell Brewery was the first stop, and it was packed due to a new beer release event. We didn’t stay long, but it was a nice brewery and it’s currently expanding.
We spent a lot of time at Funkwerks – a small brewery specializing in saisons and other different styles of beers. I thought their Saison was amazing, as well as the Single Hop Polaris. The weather was perfect for sitting outside, chatting while sipping our beverages, and watching people struggle at cornhole (haha).
I wasn’t as excited about New Belgium because we get so much of their beer here in Atlanta, but I’m SO GLAD we went. It’s a great space, with fun and unique decor and a friendly staff that doesn’t accept tips because they’re 100% EMPLOYEE OWNED and they all get to share in the profits. So, so cool – makes me want to support them even more!
Sean, me, Steve and Beth at New Belgium brewery
Sean’s colleague in Denver recommended Restaurant 415 to us for dinner in Fort Collins, and I enthusiastically recommend it to anyone. An inventive menu of small plates, pizzas, and mains, with plenty of vegan, gluten-free, and vegetarian options enabled each of us to get exactly what we wanted. Sean and I shared brussel sprouts, a beet, goat cheese and toasted hazelnut salad, fried polenta with green chili salsa, and a pizza with jalapenos, chickpeas and cilantro. It was so delicious.
After dinner, we headed back to Denver to pack. Our flight was early the next morning, and while we were sad to leave we were excited to get home to our pups!
All in all, it was a good first experience of Denver. With so much to do there and in the surrounding area, I can definitely see myself returning in the near future – maybe for some hiking, camping, or skiing.
Very good times!
Indeed! We really enjoyed it. 🙂
Hi Jess! I wouldn’t say that clean and ogianrzed are the first things that come to mind when i think of portland. But i would say that’s one of the things that denver and portland have in common. might sound funny, but all of any time someone from the south visits that area of the u.s. they are always surprised/impressed with the cleanliness and organization of the area. it’s definitely apart of the northwest/west aesthetic.