Last week was crazy. I was away from home for a week and let me tell you, my bed was a very welcome sight on Monday night. The best part was that I had the housekeeper scheduled to arrive on Tuesday morning. Not only did it mean the apartment would get a much needed scrub-down, it forced me to unpack my suitcase and do a load of laundry (that I had to fold and put up immediately). I usually procrastinate on that bit, but it’s really nice to already have things in order. I’ve been doing a little decorating lately and the more I do, the more excited I am to be home and the more incentivized I am to keep it looking nice.
While in Denver, we stayed in the downtown district, or Lodo. This put us right by Union Station so it was super convenient. I expected this area to be similar to the financial districts of Boston or NYC, ie: dead on the weekend/at night. While that’s somewhat true, this area seems to be getting a bit more popular, as evidenced by the many boutique fitness studios in the neighborhood. On Saturday mornings, there’s even a farmers market right outside Union Station. I love a farmers market and this was a good one. It was the perfect place to grab breakfast (I got an empanada; Albie got the most legit BEC) and also to stock up on a few items we could take back with us, like this amazing local honey.
Union Station, itself, is gorgeous. It puts most other train stations to shame. Architecturally, it’s stunning in the beaux arts style. Design-wise, it’s also beautiful – as it should be, given AvroKO did the design work. This is much more than a train station. The glam masculine setting is ideal for doing work (it’s basically the Ace Hotel lobby of train stations) or blowing off steam at the shuffleboard tables. And it features bars and restaurants you’d actually choose to go to, not just settle for. I had no problem spending a lot of time in this place.
We were in Denver for a wedding but none of us had any responsibilities on Saturday until the rehearsal dinner at 6:30 pm. Mark organized a brewery crawl for him, Allison, Albert, and myself. Just before leaving, we realized we had two extra seats so my parents tagged along for what became a fabulous family outing. We went from brewery to brewery in an electric tuktuk, driven by a knowledgable but not pushy guide. For $382, you get 6 seats in the aforementioned tuktuk and 3 brewery stops where you each get 3 5-oz tastes or one pint. It’s actually a pretty solid deal. I’m not a beer person…like at all, but my distaste for beer is surpassed only by my distaste for missing fun family events so I joined in on the fun. If nobody was into beer, we could have stopped at wineries – just an fyi if you’re all “but Tess, I hate beer but this sounds like fun.” Whether or not you like beer, this brewery tour was very cool. I loved seeing different areas of the city and sampling different drinks. Also, there is tons of amazing street art in Denver, and this is a great way to see it.
Peaches to Apples 