Thursday's Child: Destination Denver

Destination: Denver, Colorado

When we visited: July 2012

Why to go: Denver is the gateway to the beautiful state of Colorado, and a lovely city in its own right.  

What To See:  

We wandered around the Latimer Square area, which is adjacent to the newly revitalized LoDo (Lower Downtown) section of Denver. Among many interesting shops, the real standout was the Tattered Cover.  I have a weakness for any good independent bookstore, and Tattered Cover is one of the best in the country.  I immediately fell in love with its eclectic collection of new and used books.  I normally don’t care for used book stores, because the books are often treated like commodities, stuffed on the shelves in the most economical way.  Here, they were curated as lovingly as the new books they shared the shelves with.  In the picture above, I’m reading Kazuo Ishiguro’s Nocturnes.  I was half-done the first story when Andrew asked if I was ready to leave.  Sweetly, he agreed we could stay until I finished it (the story, not the book). 

Also to do – see a Rockies’ game.  Or two.  We bought tickets for the evening game months ago and got great seats a few rows back from the first base dugout.  On our second day in the city, Andrew asked if we could go to another game.  Sweetly, I agreed.  Word to the wise – if you’re attending a day game at Coors Field, choose a seat in the shade.  I’ve never been to a ball game before where the seats next to the field empty out in favour of the covered seats at the back of each section.

Where to Stay:

We stayed at the lovely Castle Marne Bed and Breakfast, just southeast of the downtown core. This beautiful old B&B had tons of character, from the thick stone walls to the peacock window on the landing.  It was located on a quiet residential street just to the west of Denver's City Park.  We loved being out of the busy downtown area, and a 20-minute walk and a free shuttle took us to the centre of LoDo.  Breakfast was served at a communal table, where we had the chance to meet the others staying at Castle Marne.

Where to Eat:

I have two recommendations, one for a gourmet meal and one for a fun meal.

1.  Fruition:  Four words for this restaurant:  Eat Here.  Book Early.  The food and the service were unparalleled.  If I went back again, I’d order exactly the same thing – melon and arugula salad, Columbia River Sturgeon, and lemon meringue pie.  This was one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten.

2.  Denver Chophouse  We ate here before the night game and liked it so much, we came back for lunch the next day.  Andrew is still raving about the pork, and I loved the portobello mushroom sandwich.  If you eat here, ask to sit in Shorty’s section.