Sunday, July 22, 2012

Howdy, Denver!

Well, I wasn't sure what to expect of Denver, being that all I've ever heard about is the Great American Beer Fest held here every fall. Call it a cross between Phoenix and Portland, with friendly locals, good food, terrific culture, and great beer. Enjoy my re-cap of our 3-day weekend.

We stayed at the Residence Inn in downtown Denver and that is where the friendly service all started. Greeted by one of the nicest ladies we've ever encountered at a check-in desk really got the good vibes of this anniversary weekend started. (It's #28 if you're counting!) The room was so cozy with a comfy bed and living/kitchen area. They have a breakfast buffet but we didn't try it - sorry, other plans. This Residence Inn is located at 1725 Champa Street and was a great central location to walk everywhere we wanted to go. Check out this cowboy right next door.


First up on our itinerary was Breckenridge Brewing Company located at 2220 Blake Street. Great service here, very cool a/c working (it was a brisk 92 degrees outside!) with cold frosty beers. We enjoyed the restaurant as well; hubby had a good bison burger, and I had a yummy blat (bacon, lettuce, tomato, avacado) on wheat. Very good start to our walking tour.

From here we headed over to Falling Rock. Now this might have been my very favorite place - as far as ambience is concerned. The walls are covered with beer and liquor bottles and old-timey taps too. Here's a couple of shots of their decor. Love it!



The wait staff was uber-friendly, my Dry-Dock beer was cold and frothy and we enjoyed relaxing in their over-sized couches. It was like drinking with your best friends, and I was! Falling Rock is located at 1919 Blake Street - don't miss it!

Onward to One-Up right next door at 1925 Blake Street for some skee-ball, pinball, and human-sized Jenga game. We were strolling early afternoon and it was still pretty warm so sitting outside wasn't the greatest idea. The jenga bricks are a bit worn and could use some sanding and my wonderful hubby felt I need a shot of Jaeger. Who doesn't love Jaeger?? A couple of cold beers later I lost to Mr. Smith in pinball but redeemed myself in skee-ball. This place has a great feeling to it and I bet late nights - it's packed. Here's a snap of their outdoor Jenga game.


And here's the love of my life...


From One-Up we headed over to Freshcraft for a little afternoon snack and boy was I glad we did. Located at 1530 Blake Street (see how easy Denver can be?) we went for another Dry-Dock beer and some deep fried pickles. Now I don't know about you but deep-fried pickles I can NOT pass up. These gorgeous little coins of spicy goodness were peppery and hot. The beer of course could not be beat and the service was again superb. What is it about you Denver that you are so friendly? Could it be the water? Or the beer? Not sure but this wonderful attitude is pervasive and very welcoming here in the mile-high city.

Next stop was Great Divide Brewing Company located at 2201 Arapahoe, still well within walking distance. Their beers were also quite good. Jeff enjoyed a sampler and I had a refreshing raspberry wheat. Chill.



Isn't that a refreshingly delicious looking glass of beer. It truly was. Great Divide was a hip and happening place - very popular with the 30'ish crowd for sure. Happy hour was packed and new relationships were blossoming in every sun-filled corner. Aaahhh..... One of Zach's friends used to work here and she was spot-on recommending it to us. Very tasty indeed.  

Last foodie stop of the evening was right around the corner at 2148 Larimer Street and home to Biker Jim's. Oh my heavens... hot dog heaven! Your choices here include everything from bratwurst to veal wurst to rattlesnake/pheasant and on to reindeer sausage with everything in between. There are wild inventive toppings for your dogs and side dishes like Biker Jim's Baked Beans and Deep Fried Mac 'n Cheese.



Who can walk out of a place like this and not sample the delectable goods. The buns were soft and held the dogs beautifully with no soggy-ness like some buns. I had the rattlesnake/pheasant covered in some kind of cactus accoutraments. Hubby had the reindeer, and both were delicious. Service was good here but also a bit snarky. We didn't care at a bit 'cuz the food was that darn good.  It looks as if they have a small bar here but we opted for the cold and frosty root beers instead. Biker Jim's also has a food truck hangin' out downtown near the Colorado Rockies' Coors Field Stadium. Check it out...


As we were heading back to our hotel we spied a book store called "The Tattered Cover." I love cozy old independent book stores and this one was truly special. New books, used books, benches, couches, chairs, corners, cubicles, magazines, refreshingly good coffee & tea... need I say more?? 





If you've ever been to Powell's House of Books in Portland, this one is a bit smaller and cozier. I found that I might even prefer this new find and make it my favorite along with my local Changing Hands. Check it out at 1628 16th Street in lower downtown Denver. I noticed that they had two other sites in the Denver metropolitan area. Find out more at their website http://www.tatteredcover.com/. Even though I do own a Kindle, I still love the feel of a book in my hands when reading. If you do as well and you find yourself in Denver, check them out.

Exhausted yet? We were and headed back to our hotel to get up and wander on Saturday morning.

Hubby had this entire weekend planned as a surprise for me and I had no idea what we would be seeing or doing. First thing this morning we headed over to the Delectable Egg for breakfast. Now, it was good enough. But, it reminded me of a very clean and smaller IHOP. They even had hoddles of coffee like IHOP does. This is a chain eatery and there are a few scattered throughout Denver. If you're hungry and have a big family with you - it's decent.

Our morning walk took us through some interesting and gorgeous neighborhoods. We wandered past immense brick churches, huge old turn-of-the-century homes, and tiny apartment buildings as well. I love seeing how homes look when they are well-loved and cared for. But, I also enjoy street art and culture and lots of youthful activity. Denver has it all in the surrounding environs.










Through their Cheesman Park and into The Denver Botanical Garden we strolled. Grandma Kay used to always tell us to go to the botanical gardens in California. Not a cool idea for a couple of 20'somethings, but these two 50'somethings love them now. This garden has a very navigable strolling path with a huge variety of landscapes, flowers, trees, shrubberies, sculptures, and seating areas. Oh, and their strawberry lemonade is killer.





I loved it. And I love Jeff for thinking that this would be someplace awesome for the two of us to stroll through.

This day was a 7-mile walking day and my legs were feeling it, but we pressed on towards The Molly Brown House and Titanic Tour. What a lovely afternoon tour through this mid-1800's home decorated in period with stories of Titanic throughout. Our host had a nice spiel, yet a bit practiced. The Molly Brown House is located at 1340 Pennsylvania Street in Denver and their website can be found at www.mollybrown.org. A great visit, especially if you love Titanic lore.


Heading back to downtown Denver and some food. We loved the visit to Freshcraft on Friday and decided to head there again on Saturday. Again, great food with terrific friendly service. The Ahi Tun Salad was amazingly fresh and delicious and hubby enjoyed the Turkey Sammy on a Pretzel Roll. Of course we had the Dry-Dock beer again with some of those deep-fried pickles. Hell, I walked all day and surely deserved it!

Sunday took us to breakfast at a fantastic little place called Snooze. Don't snooze through this place my friends. Our wait was 30 minutes but I can guarantee that later in the day it's even longer. This funky little corner spot serves up hot delicious coffee with both savory and sweet breakfast tidbits. Hubby had a sausage and egg sammy on (another) pretzel roll and I had the pancake trio. Of course I did. My choice of three pancakes from their menu of chocolate chip, fresh strawberry/nutella, sweet potato, pineapple-upside down cake, red velvet, peanut butter/banana... you get the idea. I chose my three faves and ate almost the entire plate. Service here is swift and friendly, and the meals are portioned appropriately. That's one of the things I loved best. Who needs enough food for four at every seating? I like a meal that's apportioned just for one... me. Check out Snooze - really it's one of the best breakfasts I've had in ages. Snooze is located at 2262 Larimer near Coors Field. Yumm.

After breakfast we headed over to the Denver Art Museum. What a delight! Seven floors of art dating back to pre-Columbian times. We read that there were over 68,000 pieces housed here and I believe it. Another glorious piece of culture right in downtown Denver. You can visit the Denver Art Museum at www.denverartmuseum.org. You won't be disappointed.

We had a lovely weekend in Denver and enjoyed so many of the sights and sounds and eateries. I would definitely love to plan a return visit ... maybe in the cooler months though.

Till next time when I return from San Francisco...
:) Deb