What to do in Denver

tonyb

Just kidding.....there's tons to do in Denver. Just booked a trip to see my niece there over Memorial day weekend. So far we have rafting on the agenda, gondola ride up Copper mountain, slide down....and zip lining. Any you local Polkies to Copper mountain want to meet up for a cocktail that weekend, PM me your cell and I can call ya when we are there. Recommendations for good eats is always welcome.

mhardy6647

I have a Warren Zevon bootleg called Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead... not sure if that mightl help any? ;-)

Oh, and then there's that legal dope thing, too, right?
It's like Amsterdam without the hookers now, isn't it?

just kiddin', of course... although, come to think of it, I've never been to Denver per se -- jjust through the airport(s)... Stapleton in the old days, and whatever the new one's called ;-)

tonyb

LOL...problem with that is I'm not dead...yet.
I could also care less about the dope thing....I run into enough "dopes" as it is here in Illinois.

Eats guys....where ? You know me....a foodie and wino at the core.

dkg999

There's a gentleman's club right downtown by the postal facility that used to have an absolutely fantastic lunch buffet. I used to do all the annual reviews of my CO team there.

Stew

Rodizio Grill is pretty amazing if a steady stream of rotisserie meat is to your liking.

nooshinjohn

mhardy6647 wrote: »

Oh, and then there's that legal dope thing, too, right?
It's like Amsterdam without the hookers now, isn't it?

I am sure you can find hookers in Denver too. Now that the NFL is pimpin' the girls out for lap dances at halftime, you might just be able to score a cheerleader.

kevhed72

Go meet John Elway.

Toolfan66

Not sure what my plans are that weekend Tony, but I will keep it in mind as I love taking off up in the hills, if it works out I will hook up with you for a drink, I will even buy...

tonyb

Toolfan66 wrote: »

I will even buy...

....and I'll hold ya to that too...LOL.

I'm heading there today, Denver will never be the same. Just found out one of the places I want to eat at is closed until June 1st, Food Headz....suppose to be stellar.

So far, we have rafting, Zip lining, sailing...lined up. Isn't the purpose of vacation to relax ? I'm gettin' too old for this sh&t. lol

tonyb

Yeah man, I could never be a vegetarian. I'd start looking at rabbits cross eyed.

amb426amb1

tonyb wrote: »

....and I'll hold ya to that too...LOL.

I'm heading there today, Denver will never be the same. Just found out one of the places I want to eat at is closed until June 1st, Food Headz....suppose to be stellar.

So far, we have rafting, Zip lining, sailing...lined up. Isn't the purpose of vacation to relax ? I'm gettin' too old for this sh&t. lol

Hope your in shape...remember the the altitude is just as "high" as the people compared to Illinois.

EndersShadow

Rocky Mountain HIGH Colorado....

just saying...

AsSiMiLaTeD

DSkip wrote: »

We used to have that in Dallas. I miss those days.

A few things regarding local brazillian steakhouses:

1 - We still have a Rodizio here, one right down the street from us actually
2 - Fogo de Cao in Addison is the standard for a Brazillian steakhouse, everything else is measured by how 'less good than Fogo' it is
3 - The Rafain down on the tollway is also another good option and is easier to get into than Fogo de Cao
4 - Texas de Brazil is basically the Bennihana of brazillian steakhouses, not horrible but not one of the top options out there

steveinaz

Hey man, grab me a couple bags of hooch while you're there. Hook a brotha up.

miner

Foolish Craigs in Boulder - on your way to Estes Park and the RMNP.

markmarc

Take a drive to Red Rocks, the greatest outdoor concert venue ever!

Have a true Mountain meal at the Buckhorn Saloon.

Indulge in a Jalepeno Cheeseburger at My Brother's Bar.

If you imbibe, an endless number of great brew pubs.

steveinaz

Hate to be Cap'n Obvious, but Garden of the God's is close by.

lunazul

Beau Jo's Pizza in Idaho Springs. Mmmmmm good.

tonyb

Here in Copper mountain guys. Great drive up from the denver burbs. Rafting today, and the river is rageing due to the rain. Killed some time in Frisco, nice place, nice people,but good food is not that towns specialty.....nor is any decent wine.. Views are breathtaking though.. Your right about the altitude thing....kicking my arse.

tonyb

steveinaz wrote: »

Hey man, grab me a couple bags of hooch while you're there. Hook a brotha up.

You know all those pot heads from High school, imagine if they all got together and formed their own town....thats Frisco.

gudnoyez

I suggest blending in with the locals sample some of thier ware, raise a little hell cause a ruckus and then

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jeremymarcinko

Go race the gocarts at IMI. I spent two months in Denver back in 2006, Had a blast at this place, Insanely fast rental carts over 80mph on a one mile paved road-coarse. Ridiculous fun.

http://imimotorsports.com/rentals.php

tonyb

Rafting was a blast....scenery fantastic. The old guy took point on the raft as the younger chickens were cryin like a baby. Colorado river was very high and fast........and frickin cold. Going sailing today and shooting later in the day. The group can use some up close and personel with some variety of guns ....for various reasons.

Toolfan66

Where you sailing at Tony?

tonyb

Toolfan66 wrote: »

Where you sailing at Tony?

Dont know yet. My niece's boyfriend is taking us so i guess ill find out in a few hours.

Toolfan66

Glad you're having a great time, good thing you weren't in town, the rain and hail has been insane the last few days..

tonyb

Larry, sailed on lake Dillon. Cold, rain and some hail but not as much as you guys had at lower elevations. My niece's apartment is in Lakewood, glad we boogied up to the mountains.

Finally found some good food and a wine list in Breckenridge at a place called Briar Rose. Rack of lamb, Elk medallions, and a citrus olive oil cake that was outstanding. Very friendly people up here. Giving zip lining a go today.

Toolfan66

I was wondering if you would go to Dillon, beautiful place. I bet it was cold but hope you had a great time. Briar Rose is a great place, I forgot all about it, I have only been there one time..

tonyb

The nature beauty up here is just something you have to see for yourself. Pics don't seem to do it justice. Larry, I dug Breckenridge. There was also a very small crepe stand on the main drag. Guy had like 100 different crepes, breakfast,lunch,dinner crepes, even ice cream crepes. Had a banana foster crepe, served in a cone. Fantastic....not cheap though but nothing up here is.

Back home now. Had a good time but the wife was sick on Monday. Seemed a combination of a cold sailing day and the altitude kicked her butt. She was fine when we got to lower altitudes in Denver.

Things I like about the mountains.....nice friendly people, the natural beauty, the amount of activities available. The history....tons of it. The town of Dillon was actually moved 3 times. The original town founded by gold and silver prospectors is still in tacked...under Lake Dillon.

Things I don't like....good food is costly, good wine scarce. Seemed the good food was only at super high end places or dive bars. Anything in between was overpriced crap. The altitude can screw with you. Lack of wildlife....saw zero my whole time there. Have more wildlife in my backyard. Was told they hang more at about 6,000 feet elevation. Did see a rabbit at the Denver airport as I was leaving. One more thing....you can walk into a Walmart and not get carded to buy Ammo, but God forbid you want any tobacco products, then you have to show I.D. Something is effed up about that.

Denver....just another major city to me, no better or worse than the others. My niece's place was in Lakewood, Alameda and Wadsworth behind the Belmar shopping complex. Nice complex and they even had a Ted Turner steak house which I couldn't convince the group to go. They liked the Elephant bar and eats, decent food with good prices. Me....I was jonesin' for an 1.5 inch thick steak....which btw was sorely absent up in the mountains.

One thing pissed me off.....since I stayed at Copper mountain and it was in between seasons, the majority of snow had melted and the garbage left by the skiers was astounding. Even the small man-made pond in the village area by the shops had garbage you'd only expect in Chicago. Such a lack of respect for the area ticked me off as I'm sure it does the locals. Every town I visited was spotless, as it should be too. No garbage on the roads either. Tourists from big cities who go up there with such a lack of respect for their surroundings....I want to go back to Walmart and load up on ammo.

tonyb

Trying not to turn this into another one of my soap box rants, but you have to admit....our country....and others too, have some simply outrageously beautiful natural places. Places that need to be preserved, unspoiled by mans approach and bad habits. It becomes a balancing act between man and preservation/conservation.

I was lucky enough to have a local, someone who has lived their life up in the mountains as a guide. He took us to trails and area's only few knew about, plus gave us an education on the history and conservation battles they faced. Very enjoyable and interesting trip that really opens your eyes to the perils these treasured areas face.

Like I said, you can look at pics of the Rockies, California coast, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, etc.....they simply do not do these places justice imho. Go there....see for yourself. Spend at least a few days in a certain area and get to know the area and locals. What we are told by media....even history books, isn't completely accurate. I know for myself, every time I visit such places restores my faith in country and a belief that keeping our national treasures....natural, is very important. It's a good fight to have if one must pick a fight to have. In my lifetime, I can't think of any time man's encroachment into such areas has benefited both nature and man.

That said, I'm not an environmentalist wacko. We still need some natural resources to survive. Again though, it's a balancing act that must do little as possible damage to the natural environment while still addressing the needs of the many. I know....tough to adhere to in many cases.

tonyb

DSkip wrote: »

I really want to move to Colorado, but my wife won't get on board because of the winters. I'd be hiking weekly if I lived up there. Its simply astounding how beautiful those places are. Texas is too damn hot and too damn flat for hiking to be a normal venture.

Then northern California might be up your alley....maybe central. I know Carmel pretty much stays 70 year round and plenty of hiking around.

One more thing that irritated me was the rental car. I figured going into the mountains, steep upgrades and all, a Jeep would be more appropriate. Rented a Cherokee....what a frickin' dog. No matter what I did I couldn't get that sucker over 60 on the steep upward slopes. My niece's Toyota corolla handled it better. Lag in the gas pedal, irritating controls, no balls what so ever. Let them know about it too when I brought it back.