Denver, Colorado

When I first got to Denver, I did not really like it very much. The city was kind of grey and the 16th St looked like a standard run-down strip mall. But then I did some walking and Denver turned out to be super interesting! There are lots of great restaurants, bars, and interesting old buildings. It's also infinitely walkable, which I really like in a city. Here's a rundown of some of the awesome things I found.



Biker Jim's Gourmet Dogs (16th St Mall next to the Clock Tower) - they make all kinds of really awesome hot dogs here with interesting meats like reindeer or veal or buffalo or pheasant. It's only $6 a dog and comes with cream cheese and onions.

Boneys BBQ (Champa St between 15th and 17th) - boneys has a great pulled pork sandwich which I got with sweet potato fries. The pork is moist and the fries are crispy. It's right near the convention center, which is very convenient when you only have 20 minutes between presentations to go and get food.

Cholon Asian Bistro (Blake St between 15th and 16th)- I got a vietnamese banh mi here and it was really excellent. The asian slaw was the perfect counterpoint to the pork and it comes with a HUGE salad.

The Kitchen Denver (at the corner of Wazee St and 16th) - this place really emphasizes local ingredients and the lamb burger I got here was superb. They also had Kumamoto oysters, which were fresh and sweet. I also ate fries here for the first time after giving up potatoes for a few weeks and they did not disappoint. Their cocktails are also quite good; I got a Potent Portside whose main spirit was gin and it was very refreshing. I also very much liked the exposed beams style of interior space they had going on here.

The 1up (Blake St between 19th and 20th) - really awesome bar with arcade games, giant jenga, and skee ball. So fun! They also sell ectoplasm from Ghostbusters which was made of vodka and green apple jolly ranchers. It smelled like rubbing alcohol so I did not have a taste.

Elixir Massage (Wazee St between 15th and 16th) - such a calming place. I booked a 75 minute massage to try and work out the knots in my shoulders and my masseuse REALLY worked at them. I was surprised that she wasn't sore after that massage but I left feeling great!

WillPower Fit (Market St between 21st and 22nd) - I went to a barre class here and it was intense and perfect. the class was not crowded and the studio was very clean. My legs were sore for a couple of days afterward but if I lived in Denver I would definitely make this my regular gym.

The only place I wanted to go to but did not get to was Stranahan's Distillery to see some Colorado whiskey being made in the heart of Denver. Oh well, next time!