They say Colorado has over three hundred days of sunshine each year. But, this winter, someone forgot to remind mother nature. It was a cold and snowy winter in Vail, Colorado--I invested a small percentage of my income to toe and hand warmers and never felt the need for Spring gloves. So, when the chairlifts stopped spinning on Vail Mountain's closing day, it was time to retreat to warmer pastures.
Less than one hundred miles away, a warmer, more urban city began calling our names: Denver.
Known as the mile high city for it's elevation 5,280 feet above sea level, Denver was still a good 3,000 feet below the town of Vail--which is why we moved from mid-winter snow conditions to Springtime and sunshine in a less than a two hour drive; Goodbye puffy coats, hello short sleeves!
When we arrived, we had a quick peek at our fancy hotel room at the new Hyatt, before we zipped into town on the 16th street mall shuttle. We had planned to go to the lacrosse game, but after learning it was sold out, we decided to grab some grub at Wahoo's Fish Tacos instead.
(Scott; Walt and Francis)
When we entered the first bar in Denver, we were transported to a world miles away from the Ski Bar in Vail. We went to a popular Irish bar on Blake Street. "It's Celtic, like Sell-Tic, no it's Celtic like Kell-Tic," we playfully argued. We had a round and then found ourselves relocating to another bar near Coors field.
Lodo's was the place to be tonight--Not because they didn't turn the boys away for wearing hats, but because of the atmosphere. Our rooftop table with sparkling city lights in the background was a novelty, indeed. It had been a long time since we could enjoy an evening outdoors.
The bar was filled, as it should be on a Friday night. I enjoyed watching the people and wondering what they did for living. It was a slightly different crowd than my beloved snowboarder crew: No hoodies, no beanies, not even a fleece in sight. There were no blatant tourists or fur coats either. Most of the people here a younger, trendier crowd, dressed for success. The women were in heels and girly tops; the men, well-groomed, clean cut and shaven. You could even see their hair, trimmed short and styled above the ears. "We have the longest hair here," the boys chuckled.
(Me & Gergz)
We spent the evening sitting around our rooftop table, laughing and talking nonsense.
(Kylie and Walt)
We celebrated our friendship and our final night together in Colorado.
The next morning came early, and we did our very best to get Gergz to the airport in time for his 8:30am flight. The ticketing agent was kind enough to allow Gergz to fly standby on the next flight in three hours, but could do no favors for the extra heavy luggage.
With a few extra hours, Gergz and I had a lovely little airport experience...a nice breakfast at a French cafe, overlooking the central airport area below. Then, we camped out on our giant-sized trolley with our human-sized hippo-rhino friend.
I wasn't sure if the rhino or Gergz would make it on the next flight, but surprisingly, they both did! Bye Gergz!
Early afternoon, I headed back to the Hyatt to pick up the crew. Francis was ready to start cooking for our Saturday afternoon BBQ at Washington Park. Yeee haw!
The place was filled like Bondi Beach on a summer's day, flooded with twenty-somethings playing volleyball, cornhole, and soaking up the sun. It was just the kind of day we needed.
The evening flew by--I caught some Zs in the hotel room while my buddies went for dinner and drinks. By midnight, I was fresh and ready to meet them for one or two. (Francis and Hershey)
Sunday morning, we requested another late checkout and surfaced when it was time for food. We covered every inch around Federal and Alameda looking for King's Land, a popular Colorado Dim Sum place, but mmm, it was sure worth the search! Kylie especially loved the chicken feet (just kidding).
They say a surefire way to know if a someone is ready for marriage is to see how steady one can pour a cup of tea! Well, it turns out no one will be getting married anytime soon. I'll have to work on making a few less air bubbles next time.
We spent the rest of the afternoon shopping at Cherry Creek mall, catching up with one of Kylie's old friends, rock climbing near the R.E.I. store, and tasting a bit of Cuban food at the Samba Room on Larimer Square.
It was a full-on weekend, for sure, but certainly a fun way to kiss the season goodbye. BYE EVERYONE!
