Oh man have I been busy lately. Work, home, and a mini vacation have me distracted the last two weeks. I do apologize for not getting a break to clue you in but I finally have a quiet house and an hour to spare. Last week, I got to get out of town and spend quality time with my dad and my friend Amanda who lives in Colorado. Denver is a quick flight away from Vegas and It was so necessary.
Denver is a beautiful city. It has so many things to do, places to eat, and sports teams to root for. I spent some of my trip with my Dad. We went to see the Colorado Avalanche play on night and we checked out Larimer St for food and drinks. A place called Ted’s Montana Grill has the best bison burgers and killer fresh made strawberry shortcake, just delicious. But that is all the big city stuff. When my friend Amanda picked me up we got to the small town life.
We got to spend the day in Boulder Colorado. Its a town about 30 minutes north of Denver. It is nestled in the Rocky Mountains and is home to the University of Colorado Boulder. We didn’t do any more research than that but we headed up that way to check out their historic main street and a hard cider brewery.
Lets start with Pearl St. The entire street is considered a pedestrian mall. There are shops, restaurants, live performances, music, art galleries, even little areas for children to play. It has always been a busy street, since the gold digging days but it has been changed and restored, new store fronts, more beautifying and new business. The link below is from the Boulder Colorado website. Interesting info on how its morphed over the years.
https://boulderdowntown.com/visit/history-of-pearl-street
Amanda and I set out to explore as many stores as possible. We did find some good ones. There was a spice and herb shop that we got to sample different seasonings. Her favorite was the smoked steak rub and I found a pizza seasoning that I liked. They sold every spice you could think of, blends for marinating, bitters and even chip dips. Two doors down there was a chic boho store, with all kinds of jewelry, purses, and clothing. Then we came across this little gem.
Three floors of glorious books, knickknacks, stickers, t-shirts etc. I am that girl that will spend all day, reading cover after cover of books and just enjoying the slow pace of the store. It was voted best bookstore in 2018, if I am remembering correctly. I had to buy one to read while enjoying the beautiful weather and people watching. Did I mention the flowers and trees that line the street.
I love tulips in the spring. And the people watching. We had to take a little break. Amanda was/is recovering from a broken leg. Colorado winter got her and she slipped and broke it. We even found a place to ease her pain and kick our feet up. The Savannah Bee Company, a honey and honey mead store. We got a little sampler.
We had our detour and decided to go check out one more place. If you are new to Colorado, it is known for its breweries. The Google search says that there are over 400 established breweries in Colorado. We had done a bit of drinking the night before so instead of a beer brewery we looked up a hard cider brewery. And I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with the selections. Of course we had to do a sampler. This one is BOCO Cider.
We were only in Boulder for maybe 6 to 8 hours. But the slow laid back pace, the weather and the draw of spring really had us enjoying the time together. The city has so much to offer but the environment of small towns is so amazing. Its quiet, and peaceful. Doesnt seem to rush by. I have been to many all over this country on family trips. I have really fond memories and can only imagine making more.
I got a break from reality in this small Colorado city. Im waiting to hear back from my interviews and things are going to be moving pretty quickly come Monday. As if they havent been, lol. But Ive got a few things coming up I am definitely going to be sharing with you. Fun things, new things, new job, fingers crossed. Hope you can get out into a main street soon and get a break from your reality. Trust me it is 100% worth it!
The Distracted Damsel 