Denver Co.

We arrived in Denver @ 7 a.m. (UTC) after a 6 a.m. flight out of DFW. Upon exiting we got our first glimpse at Colorado's gorgeous mountains. We took a train from DEN to Union Station which is in the center of Denver Co. Hard to believe that our flight only cost $60 after tax (Thank you United Airlines). The only downside I think y'all find is that it was basic economy which means you cannot bring a carry on. The only item you can bring is a personal item ( 9 inches x 14 inches x 22 inches). No problem for me and my friend Annelise though. We were just there for 2 nights and 3 days so our backpacks had more than enough room for 3 outfits (one we wore that day), our makeup bags and even enough stuff to bring some souvenirs back. 

Union Station -Built June 1st 1881. But burned down March 18th, 1894 when a fire ignited in the women's restroom. The beautiful Beaux Arts classicism and Italian Romanesque Structures of Union Station were built in 1914. President Eisenhower, Taft and Theodore Roosevelt has walked this welcome mat into Denver's "front door." Union Station celebrates holidays where we just so happen to view Halloween decorations that were pleasing to the eye.  Union Station was declared a land mark October 4th 2004. We were told that several renovations have been made to Union Station since years past. A wonderful, photogenic place to see. 
The atmosphere was amazing in there and thankfully we would come back to this wonderful space time and time again. 
Exiting Union Station I pulled up maps and was ready to find the Blue Bear Structure by Lawrence Argent. Walking around the city we really got to see alot, taking in the higher altitude ( 1,317- Stephenville Tx < 5,280 Denver Co).

The Blue Bear was only about 1 mile from Union which wasn't a bad walk at all in the 48 degree weather. Plus Denver has a bunch of bike rentals you can take if you wanna get around a little faster in the city. Or you can just take a Uber if walking isn't your fortay, But just saying you might miss out on some photo opportunities that litter all of Denver. 

I wore my awesome astronaut socks from Slimpickins Outfitters (Insta- @spoutfitter) that kept me warm all during the trip. Flannel is from Blue Flamingo (Insta- @shopblueflamingo) in Stephenville Tx.
  After about 30 minutes of walking (we stopped a lot) we finally made it to the Convention Center where the blue bear takes a peep into.

 (Excuse me sir? Do you happen to know where the Blue Bear is?)
Blue Bear-  "I see what you mean," Sculpture by Lawrence Agent was completed in 2005. At first people were weary of the public work of art but when it was put in everyone agreed that the bear was a amazing touch to the convention center. Lawrence "It's kinda like the bear needs the building and the building needs the bear." Lawrence passed away in 2017 but you can find out more about this amazing sculpture at www.denver.org

  We traveled around downtown a bit more but then we decided to go to Bones. A excellent restaurant on Grant st. A must for any one who likes something different in their life. 

We both got the Steamed Bun Pork Belly and was even given Crispy Brussel Sprouts for our wait. I would highly recommend you go here not just for the food but for the atmosphere. But be warned most the time you have to have a reservation (Check out more of their items before hand Insta- @bones_denver ).

 After exploring some more we finally took a Uber to our airbnb deciding to retire for the night. 

The next day we woke up with no initial plans so we decided we would go with what online said to do. The first thing that came up was to go to The Source. 

The Source is a market place (Insta- thesourcedenver)  that houses bakeries, bars, a couple places to eat, deli and a little more. We weren't really sure what we were looking for considering that at the time of travel over there there was a lot of construction but still a little gem in this really busy side of town. 

 As we continued our travel everyone kept on saying "You need to go to Boulder," "Boulder is the place to be especially for you two young girls!" "You need to go see Pearl st while there." Now I'm not one to back down to going somewhere especially when a lot of people tell you to go. So we picked up our stuff and headed back over to Union Station to board the next bus to Boulder Co. 

 Like I mentioned before we always seemed to end up at Union Station but this time we ended up there at lunchtime. We decided to try Acme Delicatessen where I got a Italian Bistro. Honest to goodness you need to just get a simple lunch here to make your day. (Sweater and watch from Blueflamingo.) As we waited for the next bus I decided to pop upstairs real quick and grab a small bouquet of flowers for my friend Annelise who was eyeing them earlier. 

For anyone who wants to give their honeybee a sweet gift while waiting for the next train or bus flowers are really a sweet way. It only cost $10 to make someones day all thanks to Bloom by Anuschka (Insta- bloom_by_anushka) 

We traveled to Boulder by RTD which is the downstairs area of the station. For Just $9 you can travel anywhere round trip outside of Denver in a 25 mile radius (this is what we were told.) The bus ride wasn't even 30 minutes long as we struck conversations with the locals who helped up find our stop. If you need help finding anything in Colorado just ask a local. They truly are so helpful. Leaving the city we got closer to the mountains really taking in the views. Finally reaching our stop we took a tour of University of Colorado's small museum and walked 1.4 miles to pearl street. Just by chance we were there during Homecoming week for the buffs where they had a parade later that night. You can spot some nice places to eat along with a couple Murals while walking there.

Boulder Co- Boulder Valley was originally the home of the Southern Apache tribe but as year went by gold miners came into the mountains panning for their next fortune October 17, 1858. Boulder was considered Nebraskan Territory till the state was established by U.S congress in 1861. As population rise through the years in Boulder so did visitors wanting to see the mountains. You can find amazing hiking trails while here. The University itself was established in 1876 making Boulder a college town today. 

After a long day we finally headed back to Denver later that night to our humble home for the weekend. We had already walked 12 miles the first day just around Denver but walking around all of Boulder we walked a good total of 15.6 miles in one day. Waking up the next morning we felt as though our legs were about to fall off. We checked out of our airbnb and headed to Union Station for lunch.

We decided to eat at Mercantile (Insta- mercantiledenver) where i had the soup of the day (cheese and broccoli), their Braised short rib sandwich and a juice they make there inside the store (mine was carrot and pineapple based  and honestly not that bad). We were exhausted and didn't really wanna do much before heading back to the airport home to Texas. Dragging our feet to one last stop we stopped by the Tattered Book Store. The one near Union Station isn't the original but we were told both are splendid to see. If you wanna a quick stop before leaving stop by there for a cute little book for your travel. 

Finally leaving for the airport we said good bye to Denver as we made our way back home. Next time we go to Denver though we will be like the locals and know where everything is. Hopefully finding gems we didn't get to see last time.

Safe travels to all those who wander such as myself and here's a look into the next trip you may wanna make to the mile high city. 

Cost of trip 

Plane flight round trip -$60

Airbnb- $50 for two nights after splitting it by two

Uber-$60 for three days

Food- $150 (ate about 3-4 meals a day though) 

Museum, art and more -Free