Her View 

Denver - Caywood's perspective

 

Denver: a city I only remember going to for work, although I camped there when I was 10 and don’t remember it. Before our trip began, this city was #1 on Feliks’ list for places to move to after our travels. It was lower down on mine but still in the top 5. We got into Denver late morning and walked around 16th Street Mall. I love the idea of shops and restaurants all being on a strip together, especially with a free bus that will drive from one end to the next; however, I saw more chains (and bums) than I wanted to. It was obvious to everyone around us that Feliks and I weren’t locals when we got caught walking in the bus lane.

 

I had my first ever thai food experience for lunch at Tommy’s Thai near Uptown, where we got to reconnect with a few old coworkers from Scripps. It was great to see Eleanor, Lance, and Todd, and update them on our travels thus far. My thai food was awesome! I definitely stuck to the wimp side of the menu as far as spice goes, but I loved what I ordered and will go back to get some thai in a heartbeat. Our friends showed us around some of the parks in the area which were great to see, then we headed to the LoDo area. The LoDo area is more of what I like in a city. I don’t think I saw a single chain in this area, and we chose to stop at a local brewery for Feliks and a local coffee shop for me.

 

In Denver we spent the night with Bronwyn, mom of one of Feliks’ best friends from high school. I had a great evening getting to know some of the people who were in Feliks’ life every day before I met him, and we shared some amazing food while there. The next morning we woke up and went to check out Red Rocks Amphitheater. I so wish we could have planned to see a concert there, but even during the day with no music this concert venue was well-worth the visit. All up and down the stairs were all kinds of people - walking, running, doing pushups, doing lunges. Apparently during the day this area is open (for free) for anyone to come and exercise. And I later found out they even offer yoga on the weekends. How cool is that??

 

Our last stop in Denver was one I was most anticipating - a drive up the highest paved road in North America to the top of Mount Evans. After I scarfed down double the normal dose of Dramamine, I was ready to tackle the long and winding road up to the peak at 14,380 feet. The drive up was awesome: scary at times, but so awesome. There were various lakes, unique wildlife, and the best part of all…it was snowing! The brochure we received after not having to pay the $10 entry fee (thanks annual NP pass!) told us that the drive up this mountain is very similar to driving from North America, up through Canada, all the way to Alaska. I haven’t been to Alaska, but I think this was totally legit.

 

Once at the top we parked and walked the last 300 feet to the peak. One of the most magnificent sites I’ve ever seen. After lots of pictures and a storm starting, we hiked back down to the car and drove on down the mountain.

His View 

Denver - Feliks' perspective

 

Just like Austin, this city was really built up. My expectations were pretty high. At first sight the Denver skyline looked awesome. We arrived around lunch time and hit a little bit of traffic, but for the most part getting downtown was easy. We started off with 16th Street Mall, and walked pretty much up and down the whole thing. There were lots of local shops, but just as many national chains. I think I saw two Subways within 5 blocks of each other. I liked the setup of the vendors and performers in the middle, with free buses that take you up and down the street. I know that this is their downtown area and it’s probably not fair for me to say, but I definitely get the “local” Denver feeling. 

We had lunch at Tommy’s Thai with some old co-workers, who told us a little more about the city. We did not get to do suburban tours, but that is apparently where you can get that local Denver feeling. We did however make it down to LoDo, which is their newly uplifted entertainment area. This definitely seemed more like the Denver I was expecting, with local restaurants and breweries that I haven’t heard of before. 

 

We spent the night with one of my best friends’ mom Bronwyn. She lived out in the suburbs and it was nice to get outside the city and see what that was like. Her hospitality was the best, as always, and she hooked me up with their family recipe cookbook. The next morning our plan was to check out Red Rock Amphitheater and Mount Evans. Arriving at Red Rock Amphitheater, I was very excited to see how they built a stage into the rocks. The sight itself was worth going; I can’t imagine what a concert would be like. There were people everywhere, hiking and running, jumping up stairs… it was almost like an outdoor gym for everyone to enjoy. 

 

We made our way out and started driving to Mount Evans, which was a trip I was anxious for. We took the long way from I-70 and it was definitely worth the extra 20 minutes. The winding roads went up and down, left to right, and the view kept getting better and better. We got into the Mount Evans National Park for free with our National Parks Pass, and started the hour journey up the mountain. I gotta say - at times it was a little bit scary. Some of those drops could have definitely ended a life very quickly. But we made it to the top safe and sound, and I finally understood what they meant by harder to breathe at high altitude. Even the 10 minute hike to the top of the mountain took my breath away, but the view was totally worth it. Pictures will not do it justice. Me telling you will not do it justice. The only way you can really get the full effect of that view is to stand at the top of that mountain. The way down was a little bit easier, and faster. We took the short way out through Idaho Springs.

 

Overall, Denver is an awesome city. It seemed that their public transportation was by far one of the best. The view of the mountains is something I could definitely get used to. All the people that we talked to were very passionate about this city, and I can understand why. I can’t wait to stack it up to the other potential places to live, because it is a big contender. Parking was medium and the roads were pretty good. Traffic was pretty bad at times.