Denver on Business Trip Report
 

Thanks to you all for our good advice! Turns out I shouldn't have dreaded this trip at all - I really liked Denver. Of course it really helps that the first day of my conference I ran into an old friend who was attending as well! And that the days were warm and beautiful.

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Downtown. This was an okay hotel with very friendly service and a great location, just a block from the 16th street mall.

The meeting went from 7am to 5:30pm - an extremely long day! Wednesday evening we went to the art museum (the only evening they are open). I loved the open feel of this museum and the fact that they put color on the walls! My only regret - not enough time spent in the great Native American displays.

It was almost 9pm when we left so we walked back ove to 16th street and had a late dinner at Appaloosa (grill?). It had a warm, cozy decor and very modest prices for my chili and salad. We noticed they have live music every night and meant to come back one evening but never made it.

Thursday I extended my lunch break a bit to take advantage of our proximity to the Aveda Institute - where they train their aestheticians. Had a very nice facial/body treatment at a great price!

That night we tried to make reservations at Vespa Dipping Grill but they were booked soid - turns ot it was restaurant week in Denver. A three course fixed price dinner for approximately $26.

We went to 1515 Market instead at the concierge's recommendation and it was great! I had chicken, my friend had salmon and we enjoyed it.

We fled after the first Am lecture the next day. We headed to Loveland Ski Resort and took a ski class. The best part? I could rent pants, jacket, gloves, hat and goggles for $25! I had been screwing up my courage to look like an idiot in just jeans and a sweater so it was a nice surprise. I think my friend was a little bummed that she schlepped her stuff all that way when she didn't need to. It was very warm and bright and we were just awestruck at how beautiful it was.

Afterwards, as we drove out, we saw a sign for Red Rocks and stopped to look. Again - just eye-popping as my friend described it. I would so love to see a concet there. Well worth stopping for. The ranger there was kind enough to let us into a restroom (they had closed for the day) - a huge help after trying to stay well hydrated while skiing! I was sorry not to have a look at the visitor center - it was such an attractive building and I would love to know more about th geology of the site. It is n my lst of things to do next time.

We headed into Boulder. We were pretty tired and awfully hungry by now - a bagel just doesn't last with all that activity! We had a late dinner at The Boulder Cafe (I think...) and walked around Pearl Street. It was 8 pm and most everything was closd (we found that to be the case in Denver too - even with chain stores. It was a bummer because there were so many places I would have loved to poke around in). There was a cool gallery type store that featured a zillion different artists - jewelry, painting, baskets, batik - more than you could really take in. Boulder was about 45 minutes from Denver and along Highway 93 was a lovely drive.

Saturday we went back to the grind of the conference. It wasn't a great conference and in retrospect I would rather have skiied again or gone back to Boulder!

But saturday night we went to the Vespa Dipping Grill. All of you were SO right to recommend this place. We loved it. I had lamb and K. had venison. The lamb was the special, the venison is on the regular menu. I have to say the dipping sauces are extraneous! It was fabulous without them - every bite was fabulous and I get hungry just thinking about it!

We also had time to go by The Tattered Cover (yes the Chery Creek stor is moving in June and the Fourth Story will close.) We had a drink at Brown's Palace Hotel after dinner Saturday too!

We fit a lot in and I so enjoyed the city! Thanks SO much to you all for your great, and speedy, advice. I would have been lost without you! I can't wait to take my husband.

Wow-Great report! So glad you liked Denver and surrounds and really glad you made it to more mountainous areas (landing at DIA is a bit anticlimactic, eh?). Haven't been to Vespa yet myself but will definately keep it in mind.

Fabulous report and it sounds like you packed in a lot and had a fabulous time. My kind of business traveler! :-)

So glad you had a good trip. That's a great tip about renting clothes at the ski resort. We saw John Mellencamp (with John Fogerty opening) at Redrocks last year--absolutely a highlight of the summer!

The woman at the rental shop said thy are one of the few to do that - definitely a spacesaving idea! Other people renting clothes were, like me, business travelers who hadn't expected o go skiing.

Our instructor also told us to look for deals on ski equipment since it is cheaper in CO than on either coast especially at this time of year. I found a tent sale in Denver and bought a pair of ski boots for $25! (marked down from $250) - a great deal for a beginner like me.