Denver
A couple of years ago, I made my first trip out to Denver. Katie, a dear friend of mine, moved from D.C. and created a life out there. At the time, it seemed like everyone I knew also had someone they knew move to Denver. All I heard was the hype. “People are outside! They are young! They are sporty! There are mountains! So. Many. Mountains!”
I think you need to know that I was hipster before it was cool. Seriously. I hated hype. If people were obsessed with it, I was obsessed with avoiding it. Call it my “main character syndrome” or one of my many “red flags.” I just didn’t want to lean into the Denver hype, but I was determined to visit Katie.
She and I were in the trenches together (as baristas at the same side hustle). We passed our time by exploring every restaurant in D.C. We’d eaten at every ice cream establishment throughout the city and battled our lactose intolerance the entire time. I got to introduce her to Bollywood and Mamma Mia and DIY oat milk (0/10 do not recommend making your own oat milk). I was bummed she left, but I knew it was only a matter of time until I visited her in Denver.
I was very skeptical until the moment I landed and saw the mountains in the skyline. On my very first trip, I got to head to those mountains. I was picked up by Nicole, an almost complete stranger. I had never met her before I jumped in her car and drove 2.5 hours to a mountain town, called Salida. This is where you tell me that I could have been kidnapped – that I shouldn’t get into cars with strangers, especially strangers that sit with one of their legs up on the seat while eating a salad out of Tupperware and going 70 mph on mountain roads. I could have died. Instead, I made a new best friend.
We spent the night in Salida and headed to the Sand Dunes National Park the next day. It was beautiful… and hot. I burned the shit out of my feet walking on the hot sand and we had to retreat pretty quickly. Despite my ill preparation, I was enamored by Colorado. The people were nice. The views were unmatched. The food was good. The friends were precious.
I waited all of two weeks before I came to Denver again. I finessed a work trip to visit a partner in a rural Colorado town with 898 people. I got to produce a story with that partner as a teenage workforce tackled food insecurity in their community. They welcomed me with open arms and I’ll always remember that experience.
I’ve been to Denver half a dozen times since my first trip. I love it there and would have moved if the pandemic hadn’t stopped me. My childhood best friend beat me to it, and moved to Denver first. Joyeeta is living her best life and I got to visit last week. She almost convinced me to move, but I’ve seen my fate and it’s tangled up in the East Coast. Even so, I trust her recommendations with my life, and we’ve gotten to explore a lot of Denver together. She’s now another reason to come back to this place. I hope this blog either convinced you to visit or convinced you that my friendships are special.
Either way, now that you’ve made it through, here are some of my curated recommendations:
Food:
Jerusalem Restaurant – This middle eastern restaurant is the best hole in the wall in any city I’ve been. I recommend getting take out and going over to Wash Park to have the best picnic of your dang life.
Sweet Cow Ice Cream – This is worth the game of lactose roulette. I have never been disappointed by a flavor and it’s almost always busy, but seriously worth it.
Post Oak – This barbeque place rivals many in Texas. I cannot recommend the smoked turkey enough and their breakfast kolaches are fluffy and perfect.
Dio Mio – This handmade pasta place has a great indoor/outdoor vibe and their pasta is SO good. I don’t think you can go wrong with any of the menu options.
Denver Milk Market – This is one of those public markets with a bunch of food stalls. It’s a cool area with a ton of shops if you’re looking to pack it in.
Urban Farmer Denver – If you’re interested in going “balls to the wall” and having a true farm to table experience that you pay a little too much for, I recommend this restaurant.
Hoja – This restaurant is in my favorite South Pearl neighborhood and has a classic Mexican menu with some surprising gems (pickled cucumbers, anyone?).
Latke Love – Another hole in the wall in Littleton (a suburban oasis). The latkes are “no fuss” and they are perfect for a lazy Saturday morning.
Any of the carts at the City Park Farmers Market. The samosa guy may or may not be in love with me and I may or may not be in love with their brisket samosa.
Linger or any place by Edible Roots – I haven’t been here, but it comes highly recommended and I’ve tried to get on the list MULTIPLE times and failed. Make a reservation in advance and tell me how it was.
Coffee:
Steam Espresso – A coffee shop in my favorite part of town. It’s the perfect place to sit down with a coffee and pastry to work or crank out some blogs.
Fluid Coffee Bar – Less pretentious and homier. I like their uptown location, but their downtown location is convenient if you’re there on business.
Prodigy Coffee House – This is a nonprofit coffee shop that hires young adults into their apprenticeship program. I love their youth engagement mission and the atmosphere is great.
Outside of Denver:
Chautauqua Trail in Boulder – It’s a short trail and it was my first solo hike. The views are incredible and it is manageable for someone coming from sea level.
Lake Dillon Trail – It’s also a short trail and even more low-key than Chautauqua, because it’s paved. It’s great for beginners.
Red Rocks Amphitheater – All live music should be outside in the mountains. I’ve seen a couple of shows here and they’ve completely changed the listening experience. I can explain it well, but you have to see a show there to experience it for yourself.
Crested Butte – This was the first place I camped, and I almost died (but it was kind of worth it). The town is quaint and there was a surprisingly good Nepalese restaurant. There’s an annual 5k if you’re into that sort of thing.
