carisdc

Has anyone been to Aurora, Colorado?

DebitNM

Yes. My sister lives there, what would you like to know?
Debi

SuzieTrue

Aurora is a "suburb" of Denver. It is on the far eastern reaches of the Denver area. BIL used to teach in the Aurora schools. There is nothing I can think of to set it apart from Denver.

carisdc

How far is it from Denver? Is there anything to do at night? I have to go for business the first week of December.

wtm003

Where are in staying in Aurora? Aurora is a big suburb, but on average it is probably a 20 - 30 minute drive to downtown Denver. If your hotel is close to I-225 and Parker Road the new LightRail system can take you right into Denver.

carisdc

I haven't decided where to stay yet. have to be near Buckley so I want to stay relatively close to the base, but don't want to stare at the walls of the hotel at night either

DebitNM

Hope this will help you find things to do:http://www.ci.aurora.co.us/AuroraGov...o_Do/index.htm

Hope this helps...
Debi

MaureenB

If you're working at Buckley, you could stay at one of the hotels off Airport Boulevard. (Buckley Road becomes Airport Boulevard, going north.) But that puts you in the middle of nowhere-- literally.

You could go closer to town, and stay at a hotel on Quebec, in the Stapleton area, like the Renaissance. That would put you more or less equidistant to Buckley and downtown. And Stapleton has some little restaurants, big stores, etc.

Or you could stay a hotel on Colorado Boulevard, like the Loews or Cherry Creek Inn.

Will you have a car?
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wtm003

I hope you have a car! Anything in particular that you are looking for in terms of entertainment?

The Buckley and airport area offer no real nightime activities. That area is made up of newer houses and strip malls. There are two malls fairly close to Buckley - Aurora Mall and Buckingham Square (you may see these advertised in hotel magazines) - DEFINITELY AVOID.

I agree about staying at Stapleton or close to the Cherry Creek area off Colorado Boulevard. I would also consider staying in downtown Denver if you don't mind a longer commute. I'm estimating a 30 minute drive in the morning. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

carisdc

These tips are great! Yes, I will have a rental car. I'll look into staying in Stapleton.
Not sure I want to deal with a long morning commute (I commute 45 minutes now!) but wouldn't mind maybe going to the Zoo event one evening!

wtm003

If you are interested in the zoo event you may also like Blossoms of Light at the Denver Botanic Gardens.

http://www.botanicgardens.org/pagein...omsoflight.cfm

Also in today's paper was an ad for Symphony In Lights at Northfield Stapleton. www.northfieldstapleton.com As this is a new event, I can't comment one way or another, but if you are staying at Stapleton it may be worth checking out. Hopefully it would be better than staring at the walls of the hotel.

Have fun!

carisdc

Why should I avoid Aurora Mall and Buckingham Square?

RedRock

You could stay at the Crystal Inn in Aurora. We have stayed there several times. It located on Ouray/32nd Street just off N. Airport Highway. South on Airport and you will be at Buckley. Just a short drive to the AB, 10 minutes or so.

http://www.hotel-rates.com/us/colora...r-airport.html

They did serve a good breakfast (free), don't know if they still do or not.

wtm003

Aurora Mall has had problems with unsupervised teens and gang related problems. A shooting last year (I know this can happen anywhere) but I think it is best to avoid. Buckingham Square is past the point of decline. There may be some redevelopment starting in the area, but not worth a visit. I'm surprised it is still advertised as a mall.

If you are interested in shopping outside of the Stapleton area (if that is where you end up staying), I highly recommend the Cherry Creek Shopping Center. Lots of nice shops and restaurants.

www.shopcherrycreek.com

MaureenB

I think Stapleton would be good bet for your stay. You'd be able to jump on I-70 East to Airport Blvd., then south a mile or two to Buckley Air Base. Also, from Stapleton you can easily take Quebec to 6th Avenue and then west to the Cherry Creek area.

Stapleton has Panera for good sandwiches, soups, salads, plus a very small walking mall area with a nice Irish pub and Asian restaurant. Lots of interesting new housing developments at Stapleton (it was our airport, now being redevelped). Also, the big box stores, like Bed, Bath and Beyond, etc. at at Stapleton.

Then further north, up Quebec, is a new HUGE cinema, a new Macy's, etc. I think this development is called Northfield. I've not been there yet. You could also drive Quebec south to the new Lowry area, which also has restaurants and some beautiful new homes. (Lowry also is a re-developed area, it was a military base.)

The Renaissance Hotel is on Quebec, near 32nd, where there are a couple of other hotels, too. I think one is a Doubletree, but I'm not sure.

I hope you enjoy your visit to Denver.
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RedRock

If your choice is around the old airport area the Red Lion on Quebec St is another consideration.