Denver
Oh Denver, what a beautiful and strange place you are… and I can still hear it now. “Sierra Leone” by Frank Ocean was literally the only song the boys played for five days straight, while repeating the same lyrics, “No I don’t live in Denver.” Welcome back everybody to part 3 of my blog series Party in the USA, in this segment I will be going over the second part of our epic three-week trip that we ventured on back in August. After getting back from our ten day road-trip, (which you can still read about if you haven’t had the chance) we had 48 hours to relax at home before embarking on part two of the three part trip. When planning back to back trips it’s vital to make sure you have a buffer period (time to readjust) so that you don’t feel run down between each location. One of the days we were at home my Fiancé and I actually celebrated our six year anniversary (shout out to you babe for being amazing and by my-side all these years). We had plans to go out all day and celebrate, however, when we got home from Vegas, the next morning I woke up and felt like a ton bricks hit me. I didn’t really want to get out of bed. My blessing of a fiancé surprised me with some treats and six dozen roses and so we just relaxed all day. I feel like there has been so many times where I made myself or Brandon go out and do extra things for special events despite how sick, tired, or stressed we felt at the time, and we couldn’t fully enjoy enjoy the evening. Being able to lay in bed, relax, order take out, watch movies, and enjoy being lazy all day together was the perfect way to celebrate our six beautiful years. At the end of the two days I felt ready, mentally and physically to start our next adventure.
We woke up bright and early the next morning, (August 6th), and got to the airport around 7am. When booking our flight we found a pretty good round trip rate on Hopper for Frontier Airlines for about $197 per person. We were pretty nervous about flying because this was the first time during COVID-19 and as a group we honestly didn’t know what to expect. We were set for take off at 9am so we had a solid two hours to navigate threw SFO. Overall we had a really great and organized experience, the airport was honestly super unoccupied and quiet. We were able to get through the security line with ease and within ten minutes. Within thirty minutes of arriving we were sitting at our gate terminal ready for boarding. The plane was at 60% capacity and Frontier assigned seats with room between customers so you never had to sit next to a stranger. One thing I would love to reiterate is to remember that you have to wear your face masks from the time you get out of your car at the airport to the time you get dropped off at your next destination, so make sure to bring a few different comfortable face coverings. (This could include scarves or bandanas for a more comfortable breathing option.)
After our three hour flight we arrived in the remarkable Denver, Colorado. Previously we booked a two-bedroom apartment style accommodation called Kasa Denver Riverfront Apartments for four nights which costed us about $1100. Once we arrived the apartment complex was super beautiful on the outside and the location was PERFECTLY positioned between an awesome dog park and downtown Denver. As soon as we walked into our room however we immediately ran into our first large issue, this was not the room we booked. Originally we reserved a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment and when arriving at the apartment it was only a one bedroom, one bathroom. Panic settled upon me pretty quickly and we immediately walked downstairs to find the apartment manager. I originally didn’t think I was going to include this travel issue that we went through, but I feel like through each obstacle we face, we learn so much travel advice that I could pass onto any traveler. One thing I have learned, is that booking through a third party seller like Hotels.com, Expedia, or Travelocity isn’t always the best solution because when dealing with an issue you can not go through the property itself, you have to call this third party seller to figure it out. Now that I know this, I tend to go on the third parties website, find the cheapest price that I can, then I call the property directly to see if they can price match so that I can book through them (Which works 99% of the time). What a lot of travelers or bloggers don’t talk about are the issues that occur during traveling. When we first started traveling it felt like every trip we took, we ran into some kind of an issue. It was discouraging at first because I didn’t know what I was doing consistently wrong to run into these issues while other travelers were going on seemingly perfect trips. Now after taking over ten large trips, and talking to other travelers, I have come to understand that everyone runs into issues. When you are on vacation always expect the unexpected, stay relaxed, and just enjoy wherever the ride takes you, because I have made the mistake in the past to just waste more time being upset about the issue then just moving on and enjoying my vacation. Make sure as well that when dealing with customer service representatives, you stand your ground, be direct, and have patience. Don’t be rude because that rarely ever helps the situation. In the end Hotels.com was able to fix the issue and we were ready to just move on and start enjoying the vacation.
Denver, Denver, Denver. Honestly, this location was unique, scenic, and had such an interesting vibe. Did you know that there are actually more dogs in Denver than actual children? There are 150,000 dogs while there is only 130,000 children in the city, and this was definitely apparent because there were dogs everywhere! The city had something different to look at or do everywhere you turned, one way there was a six flags themed park, while on the other the Broncos Stadium, and the Union Travel Station! There is an awesome art district and in the far distance the city is surrounded by the scenic Mount Evans mountain range. The city oozed a modern laid back living, with culture filling the streets and beer gardens on every corner. We decided to do two different excursions while we were in the mile high city. One was the MCA, Museum of Contemporary Art, and the other was the Denver Botanical Gardens, Both were about $20 per person for admission. MCA was hosting a Nari Ward exhibit which had a lot of moving and thought provoking pieces covering topics that include classism, poverty, and immigration. The Denver botanical garden was equally moving and beautiful, unfortunately the main green room was closed during COVID but there was still a ton of gardens, flowers, and exhibits to experience. My favorite part was their seasonal Lily exhibit that was just absolutely tranquil and breath taking. Other than these two excursions we mainly hung out in our apartment complex, scooted around to explore, and ate all week!!
The food scene out in Denver is a foodie’s dream. If you’re in Denver you absolutely have to try one of their iconic beer garden’s. Since one of Brandon’s favorite beers is Blue Moon we decided to check out their establishment. The ambience and architecture of the restaurant was super unique and industrial, the food was decent, but we really enjoyed trying all the beers on tap. We were on the hunt for an awesome brunch spot so we decided to try the famous Snoozed restaurant, and holy jeeze, my mouth is already watering just thinking about our experience. We had the best service from our waiter, who was extremely knowledgeable, hospitable, and ended up giving us some free food because he liked us so much. To order we all tried a different alcoholic drink, I got an infused berry mimosa, but the best drink by far was their Bangkok Bloody Mary. Let me just say, I highly believe this will hold the title of the best Bloody Mary I will ever have in my life. For food we ordered a plethora of items like cinnamon pancakes (that didn’t even need any syrup because they were perfect on their own), the salmon benedict, breakfast burrito, and their denver breakfast. If we could’ve we probably would’ve eaten there everyday, it was that delicious, and I still dream about this restaurant. Lastly, we headed over to the arts district, where every wall is covered in awesome street art and the vibe is super urban. There was a food hall very similar to the Downtown LA food market, that had a ton of options of local food companies. Some of the food vendors we shopped and looked at included an oyster bar, a charcuterie board vendor, wood fired pizza, a yummy ice creamery, and a coffee shop. Overall if you are looking to visit a place that has a ton of yummy food options, Denver is a perfect place for you.
Honestly, Denver was such a blast, and I am so glad that we all decided to go there for the first time together. Through the ups and downs, of flying and our hotel room, I still feel like we had the best time. We caught every Denver sunset with awe, I tried to pet as many passing dogs as possible, and every time I turned my breathe was taken away by all of the scenery and architecture. Coming home I was sad to see Denver go, but that just means I cant wait to come back to experience the mile high city again. We arrived home and we had one day to rest and relax until we headed onward to our last and final part of our three week trip. I will see you next week back for the fourth and final installment of the Party in the USA blog series discussing everything about our Seattle and Oregon road trip. If you are interested or have ever been interested in going to Denver, I hope these recommendations help you plan your upcoming trip. Please let me know if you have any questions about our itinerary, or if you need help planning yours. I will see you next week in Seattle, Washington.
Cheers to our Twenty-Somethings.
Rayna