A VISIT TO THE MILE HIGH CITY OF DENVER
Hello.
Back in November I took my youngest son Austin on a trip to Denver, Colorado to visit the universities in the area. Being the fanatical skier that he is, the college he chooses must be in close proximity to snow.
The second prerequisite is that the school be situated in an urban area. Having spent most of his life living in a rural mountain community, Austin is ready to experience life in the big city. The existence of a good Economics program (his desired major) ranks a distant 3rd place on the priority list. So, what better place to begin our search than to pay a visit to the mile high city of Denver?
It just so happens that the University of Colorado Denver sits smack-dab in the middle of the city, with classrooms and dormitories located in downtown highrises. A short 45 minutes away lies some of the world’s best ski resorts. And, coincidentally, UC Denver just happens to have a good School of Economics. This was a dream come true scenario for Austin.
Despite its urban setting, UC Denver does also posses a defined campus, which has managed to incorporate lovely remnants of the city within its boundaries. For example, the Tivoli Student Union is housed in a former brewery. Beer, college students, what a perfect union ( in Austin’s eyes anyway).
The campus is also home to 3 former churches, only one of which is still operating as a religious institution.
This former Jewish Synagogue is now an art gallery.
The university also acquired an entire city block of historical residences and now uses the homes as offices, cafes and classrooms.
Austin loved UC Denver and so did I. Like Austin I have some ulterior motives as well when considering university choices for my youngest son. Frankly, I’d like to enjoy visiting him while he’s away at college and if he chooses Denver as his new home there won’t be any complaints from me. As we learned on the campus tour, Denver is one of the fastest growing cities in America. The mix of urban sophistication meets outdoor adventure wonderland makes Denver very appealing and thus, Denver is attracting young professionals like no where else in the country. They are bringing with them entrepreneurial talents that are fueling a growing restaurant and foodie culture that we took advantage of during our visit. It started with breakfast at Snooze, a delicious and delightful AM Eatery located in Denver’s newly restored Union Station.
This landmark train station is so nice I’d like to take a train ride just to end up here.
Just look at the fabulous chandeliers!
In addition to dining, one can sip a cocktail while lounging on comfortable sofas in a terminal beautifully decorated for the season. However, when we visited we had not yet celebrated Thanksgiving and the station was already decorated for Christmas.
One can check in at the beautiful new Crawford Hotel or get some retail therapy in the delightful shops.
Fragrant bouquets of flowers can be purchased at Union Station’s resident floral shop.
The four days we spent in Denver afforded us the opportunity to dine in several of the cities most popular restaurants, including this one called Linger.
Housed in a former mortuary of all places, Linger offers rooftop dining and cocktails with a beautiful view of the city.
Linger is all about small-plate dining where the food is shared. Look what we shared (with 2 other friends). It was really yummy!
In the same little center where Linger is located we also visited the sensational ice cream institution of Little Man Ice Cream.
Since I’m making food a big focus of this post I thought I’d share with you another great Denver restaurant discovery: WORK & CLASS.
This intimately small restaurant actually seems to have been constructed using metal shipping containers, giving it a casual, rustic ambience which I enjoyed. In fact, the name Work & Class is designed to reflect the working class backgrounds and unfussy, down-to-earth ethos of the 3 owners. Their stated business philosophy is to provide “A square meal, a stiff drink, at a fair price.” So it’s not surprising that having just opened a few months ago, it has already become a very popular choice for Denver foodies who flock here, making obtaining a table challenging since they don’t take reservations. We went early on a Sunday evening and after a short wait, enjoyed over a cocktail at the bar, we obtained a table on the heated patio.
The menu here also focuses on small plates to be shared, seemingly a popular trend in Denver. Served in what reminded me of tin camping pans, everything we ate was delicious. And because we went with good friends who live in Denver we were able to try a good variety of the American/Latin American influenced menu items. I loved the Croquettes! By the time the desert of butterscotch pudding and chocolate bread pudding arrived we were stuffed. Sorry for the fuzzy photos taken with my cell phone in very low light.
So there you have it: A VISIT TO THE MILE HIGH CITY OF DENVER
P.S. – Do you know why do they call Denver the Mile High City? It’s because it just so happens that the 13th step on the west side of the Colorado State Capitol Building is exactly 5,280 feet above sea level – one mile high. My home here in Lake Arrowhead also sits at almost exactly 5,200 feet high. So, should my son end up in the mile high city of Denver for college, I believe he will feel right at home.
P.S.S. – Travel + Leisure magazine recently wrote an article entitled “America’s Best College Towns”. Several Colorado schools made the list. If you are also in the process of a college search, you may find this article interesting.
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