Ramblin' Bess

Snowshoeing in Breckenridge

2012-02-09T13:09:00.001-07:00

Even though I live in Colorado, I had never been snowshoeing before. Recently, I decided it was high-time to remedy that situation and take a trip up to the mountains. It was gonna be me, my husband, and my two dogs. I bought some real hiking boots (usually I just wear sneakers), scanned a book for a good beginner's trail, and reserved a dog-friendly hotel room in Breckenridge. In other words, I was prepared and I was excited. And then my beagle went outside to go pee, and came back with a sprained ankle. What to do?! (He's fully healed now, by the way.)

I'll keep you in suspense about how we resolved this problem without losing our non-refundable hotel deposit or risking our dog's safety in any way. For now, I'll just say we made it up and had a great time. The snowshoe trail, French Gulch, was alongside a (you guessed it) gulch right outside Breckenridge.

The contrast of the sunken meadow, tree-covered hills, and white-capped mountains was beautiful, and it was very quiet. For a long time, all I could hear was the crunching of my shoes against the snow. There were about four houses along the trail, but no one seemed to actually live in them. Unfortunately for hikers, every once in awhile a snow plow seems to come through up to the last home, but the trail does go beyond that point.

I found the snowshoes were easy to put on and use—basically all you do is walk. Apparently, they keep you from sinking into the snow, but you can see that we didn't really need that feature. Next time, we'll probably go off-trail a little.

Tip for humans: Wear really warm socks. I wore long-johns, a shirt, a sweater, and a coat, as well as a hat and ski gloves. All of me was toasty and comfortable, especially after we started moving, except my feet.

Our chow-chow absolutely loved frolicking in the snow. But look at all that fur! She was made for this.

Tip for canine companions: Bring a plastic spoon to help disengage the icicles from your dog's paws and consider snipping any paw fur before going.

So what did we do with our injured beagle? Well, when we rented snowshoes from the REI in Northwest Denver, we also rented a sled for toddlers! I know, crazy, right? We thought about trying out doggie day care, leaving the dogs in the hotel room, etc., etc., but this really seemed like the best option. I didn't know what to expect.

But it turned out he liked it! You can see it all in the videos I've posted here.

Snowshoeing was great, and next time, I'll be warmer, Nani's paws will be more comfortable, and Jacques will be able to use all four of his legs!

Snow Days in Denver

2012-02-04T10:06:00.000-07:00

Denver was hit with a blizzard that started Thursday night and just ended this morning.
With a day off work and nowhere to go, I actually enjoyed the quiet the snow brought.

Bahama Breeze: Restaurant Review

2012-01-30T12:31:00.000-07:00

Looking for an escape to the Caribbean? Or at least an escape from chain restaurant monotony? Well, Bahama Breeze is actually a good option for a nice dinner out in Florida. It is a chain, but you can count the number of outposts on the two hands of three people (okay, maybe that is pretty big).

My dad happened to be in Orlando at the same time I was, so he picked me up from the hotel and we searched for a restaurant within a few miles of the conference center. Faced with Outbacks and Landry's, we chose Bahama Breeze. (We kept calling Bahama's Breeze for some reason; then my dad said it should really be called Bahamian Breeze.)

It really doesn't feel that much like a mold. The decor is supposed to recall the Islands; there's lots of wood and bright colors. There is even a large firepit on the outdoor patio. Since we were in Florida, the look didn't feel over-the-top.

The meals weren't exactly Caribbean specific; my dad had paella and I had shrimp curry. But the food is unique, reasonably priced, and tastes good without being too rich. The drinks especially seemed really fresh. They have Mojitos and Mai Tais and similiar cocktails.

We finished off the meal by sharing a piece of yummy key lime pie. I've been to a few Caribbean restaurants in Colorado that were locally owned. In all honesty, there were better, in my opinion, but Bahama Breeze (aka Bahamian Breeze) was definitely in the running.

Sunset Sam's

2012-01-23T12:58:00.001-07:00

When in Orlando, stuck at a conference center, do as the people stuck at conferences do: Eat overpriced, under-performing hotel food.

But in all honesty, you usually find a range of quality among hotel restaurants. Some are pretty good, decently priced, and atmospheric. Sunset Sam's at the Gaylord Palms probably falls somewhere in the middle of that range. If anything, it's a little too atmospheric. As one of my coworkers noted, the whole resort feels a little like Vegas.

Sunset Sam's is supposed to call to mind Florida and the Caribbean. (So don't ask me why my fish and chips were nestled in a fake London newspaper.) It sits partially on a big boat overlooking a "lagoon."

Despite the cheese factor, it was fun to be on a boat near water (even if it was all for show). Also, the food and drinks tasted fine and were no more or no less than at similar spots.

As an added bonus, after dinner, you can walk around the hotel and see the replica of St. Augustine and resident turtles and crocodiles. Yes, you read right: crocodiles!

I don't think you'd make a point of going to Sunset Sam's unless you were staying at the Gaylord or a nearby hotel, but all told it is pretty fun to enjoy a cocktail on a sailboat.

Marriot World Center Orlando

2012-01-20T13:39:00.004-07:00

I recently traveled to Orlando—no, not for Disney, sadly, but for work. I think business and convention travel must be a close second to tourism, specifically Disney World, for Orlando. I stayed at the Marriot World Center, largely because it was on the conference block. But I have to say, it was pretty nice.

The room was specious and comfortably decorated and furnished, and the bed, like most nicer hotels, was really soft. I guess that's why Marriot has started selling linens and such.

The bathroom was large and clean but didn't have that spa feel that some hotel bathrooms do.

Even though it was Florida, it wasn't all that warm, and I worked through the sunny hours, so I didn't get to enjoy my balcony. But I did step outside a few times for some fresh air and views, and, whether I use it or not, I do love a patio.

My dad, who happens to work in Orlando Monday through Friday, thought the hotel was a little industrial looking. I think he was referring to the super-high ceilings and rafters in the lobby. But I thought the hotel was luxiurious enough, with tiled floors, plants, plentiful inside and outside seating, and large grounds. If you go to Disney and don't want to stay at the resort, or if you travel there for work, I think the Marriot World Center is well worth checking out (or checking in, I guess).

Best Roller Suitcase (for Me)

2012-01-08T12:02:00.002-07:00

Time and again, as I lay spread out on a hotel bed with aching shoulders and a throbbing headache, I've sworn I'd buy a wheeled carry-on bag. Alas, I've never followed through. As much as I love traveling, there are always too many other things I'd rather spend my money on than a oversize nylon bag. But enough is enough. I've suffered too many times from dragging ungainly suitcases and carry-ons through airports and hotels. So I made it a priority to buy myself a roller suitcase before my upcoming trip to Florida.

Now, I'm just anal enough to want matching luggage. I just like the idea of zipping through the terminal all matchy-matchy. When I graduated from college, I purchased a large black wheeled suitcase from Briggs and Riley. So, even though there are tons of cute, functional suitcases out there, I narrowed my carry-on search down to that product line. But which one?

There was a lovely blue bag that would fit nicely in the overhead compartment and hold everything I need for a short trip. Ultimately, I decided the shade was too light for my taste (I like bolder colors) and wouldn't look right next to my black suitcase.

I liked this style, and it got reviewed well on the site. Black of course would go with black. But can you say "boring"?

So I landed on the red version. I was a little worried it would be too bright, but as I waited for it to arrive in the mail, I was pretty confident in my decision.

When it came, I got a little jolt of excitement because it represents both travel and comfort to me. It was a little smaller than I expected, and I realized after opening the main compartment that it might be difficult to pack because you sort of have to lower you clothes into it in layers. But the color was just right, less bright than in my pictures, and deeper than in the store shot. And my upper back is so excited to be off the hook for upcoming trips!

Do you love your suitcase, or have your eye on one?

Travel Resolution for 2012

2012-01-02T15:15:00.003-07:00

On New Year's Eve, my friend Kayla asked us. "Do you make New Year's resolutions?" Courtney said yes, she always did. I answered vaguely, because honestly I couldn't remember. But the next day I sat down at my computer to see if I had written some last year, and it turned out I had. It was interesting to see what I'd accomplished this year and what I hadn't, so I decided to do it again. I know we can start a new good habit any day of the year, but it is nice to take a moment to reflect on where you are and where you want to be. I think that's why people continue this tradition.

My resolutions are more like reminders. There is a lot on there about being kind to other people, and to myself. Most of it I won't share with you, too long and boring. However, I will post two here:

Learn a little Italian
(And more importantly) Take a trip to Italy and France

The second may not seem like a big deal to a lot of you, but I haven't been to Europe in nine years, and I'm someone who loves traveling. Money and time have been two big impediments, but I figure that at some point I need to make travel a priority again. And if not this year, when?

So imagine my delight when I was listening to an audiobook (another resolution: make chores fun) and I heard this line from Frances Mayes's book A Year in the World:

"I asked an impulsive question. What if we did not go home? What if we kept traveling. Should you not listen well to the questions you ask out of nowhere? Only in looking back do you find those crumbs you dropped that marked your way forward."

For me, this line means that as we are going through our lives, little moments come up where we have to make small but significant decisions. A lot of times, we're too confused, too much in the muck of things, to know what to do. But we've probably left ourselves crumbs marking our path into the future. I feel like my desire to go to Europe this year is a big, fat morcel of bread for myself. So with that, I encourage all of you to pay attention to those funny urgings and leave you with another line from the book that I absolutely loved:

"With the force of an earthquake, a wild certainty forms in the center of my forehead. Time, to go. Go. Just go."

Ice Skating at Keystone Lake

2011-12-24T11:50:00.002-07:00

Have you ever ice skated on a real lake? I hadn't, until a few days ago that is. Normally, I would be too scared to put on some bladed shoes and skoot around on a frozen lake—afraid, namely, to fall through a crack in the ice. But Keystone includes ice skating and hockey on their menu of official winter activities (as do a few other places around Colorado) so I figured it couldn't be too dangerous. Plus, it seemed like a fun December outing.

The last time we went ice skating was a few years ago in a tiny rink at a Denver outdoor mall. We were a little tentative at first, but after a while, we got more comforable. I have to admit, my husband, Jared, and I got a little cocky at the end and tried to perfect our figure skating routine. The grand finale was my falling on my rear end with a resounding thud.

I found myself staring at the patterns in the frozen water made by air bubbles, cracks, and blades.

And leaves.

Afterwards my husband and stepdaughter played a little air hockey with a view of a real rink out the window. (Jared lost, if you were wondering.)

The view near the continental divide over Loveland Pass was stunning, don't you agree?

Before heading home, we stopped in Idaho Springs for some "mountain pie" at Beau Jo's. If you don't mind taking such a long drive just for some ice skating, I definitely recommend it.

Joyeux Noel

2011-12-21T16:35:00.001-07:00

Turns out I'm not the only Francophile at work. During two weeks in December, each department is asked to bring in treats, and my group decided to do something a little different. I think it started out with, "What about quiche?" and then, "Oh, we could do a French-theme!" The idea met with a resounding yes, and my coworker even brought in mini-Eiffel Towers and a large French flag. For food, we had quiche, croissants, cheese, crackers, figs, and strawberries, and we accompanied that with virgin mimosas. To add to the effect, I sent out the email invitation in (bad) French. Bon appetit!

The Cruise Room: Holiday Style

2011-12-20T20:12:00.002-07:00

The Cruise Room in the Oxford Hotel is one of my favorite bars in the Mile High City. According to the website, it is downtown Denver's first bar and was opened the day after the Prohibition was lifted. It boasts art deco decor and is modeled after a room on the Queen Mary (where I've also had a drink). My husband and I decided to go when we had a free Friday night recently, and it was all dressed up for the holidays.

It's hard to sip on anything other than a martini at the Cruise Room.

As you can see, it's a pretty atmospheric spot.

The lighting is off in this photo, but I love the contrast between the red of the walls and the yellow coming from the lights that border the room.

The Cruise Room isn't a bar I go to regularly, but it's great for special occasions—and for making everyday occasions special.

Lighting Up the Denver City and County Building

2011-12-13T20:48:00.003-07:00

Love it or hate it? In case you don't know, I'm referring to the near-florescent lights that shine on the Denver City and County Building this time of year. The night I went to see them, I was all set to enjoy the festivities. After watching The Muppets (such a fun movie, by the way), my husband, stepdaughter, and I ordered up some hot chocolate and headed over to catch some holiday spirit. Right next to us, with the very same thing in mind, were a handful of horse-drawn carriages, which really added to the ambiance of the whole experience.

And I have to admit, I got excited as I saw the shiny blue top of the city structure up ahead.

But as I was staring at the display, I had to wonder if I actually liked what I was looking at. I'm someone who loves festivals, theme nights, and generally any reason to celebrate. But even I cringed a little at this.

It's a very Las Vegas Christmas, isn't it? It's like someone took traditional decorations and electrocuted them. It also looks a bit like a night club for elves.

Still, I don't think I would like to see it go. I guess the lights at the City and County Building are something I love to hate.

What do you think? Too much?

Ornaments from around the World: 2011

2011-12-05T19:03:00.001-07:00

I think a travel-inspired Christmas tree can be lovely and unique. For those of us who are travel-lovers, it can reflect one of our biggest passions. Last year, I did a post on ornaments from around the world, and I've seen so many beautiful ones lately, I decided to do it again.

From Crate and Barrel, these baubles are inspired by Russian Faberge eggs and made by glassblowers in Poland.

These papier-mâché cuties, also from C&B, were made in the Kashmir region of India. The sales of these orbs helps to fund Florence Hospital, Kashmir's first medical center.

You'll be practicing one of the three "r's" of environmentalism when you drape your tree or halls with this garland made from vintage saris.

From Macy's, these papier-mâché owls and hearts were "crafted of paper from recycled cement bags and hand painted by Jacmel artisans" from Haiti.

I just think this tree skirt is adorable. And isn't it the perfect dress for the travel-inspired Christmas tree?

Sales of these ornaments support the nonprofit HAND/EYE Fund; they were handmade by artisans in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

I spotted some cute fair-trade ornaments at the Tattered Cover, a Denver bookstore. The company that makes them is called WorldFinds, and they are on the Web.

But do you want to know what I'm buying for my tree this year? Even though they weren't strictly crafted with love in another country (as opposed to mass-produced elsewhere hopefully at a fair-pay rate), I thought these rustic bells and pretty white birds would look great on my tree.

Hopefully I will be able to take a trip to Italy and France in 2012. If so, I'll definitely pick up a few ornaments from around the world of more sentimental value.

Gaining the Confidence to Write

2011-12-01T07:47:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I read or hear something that strikes a chord with me. It could make me misty eyed, or it could put a big smile on my face—but for whatever reason it resonates with me. This happened the other day as I was reading an article in Vogue by the great-niece of Virginia Woolf, who is one of my favorite writers. The article was on coming out from under the shadow of her great-aunt's fame. She writes:

"Perhaps the happiest day in my professional life was the day I signed a deal to write a nonfiction book on a topic that had nothing to do with Virginia and her milieu.... My confidence rocketed. I could write, but I didn't have to write about Bloomsbury. I was freed from the clasp of my ancestry, yet at the same time buoyed by its legacy. After all, my mother always joked that there was ink, not blood, flowing in the family veins."

Now, I've never had a famous writer as a relative, or a famous anything for that matter. But I do know what it's like to doubt myself as a writer, and to doubt myself in general. I think most people do.

Green Valley Ranch, Las Vegas

2011-11-29T08:15:00.001-07:00

When I heard "Green Valley Ranch," "twenty minutes outside of Las Vegas,"—now, don't laugh—I honestly pictured dusty prairie land punctuated by a rustic-chic resort. Needless to say, I was disappointed—at least in that regard. I recently attended a conference there, and after I got over the fact that Henderson is just a suburb of LV, I had a nice time.

I'll let you in on a little secret. The main reason I so enjoyed myself can be summed up in three little words: spa. Normally I don't let myself spend money on indulgences like that, but nearly every time I'm navigating a city solo, I think, "You know what would make this 100 times better? Getting a spa treatment." I finally caved. I booked an appointment for a facial after the first full day of the conference. If you have an appointment, you can go to the spa area as early as you'd like and use the hot tub, steam room, and sauna, as well as the showers and toiletries. I ended up booking the express facial, but I think I'd recommend either getting the full facial or getting there earlier than I did to soak in the whole experience. Afterwards, my skin didn't feel all that different, but I do think it was softer for about a week or two.

I didn't take any pictures of the actual spa area, but these shots are of the check-in area and the outside.

Girly fun aside, the hotel-resort is quite nice, if a little on the empty side. They have a beautiful pool, lounge, and outdoor bar area, but no one was there. It's probably hard to pull people away from the strip. In all fairness, it might be more hopping in the warmer months.

As usual, I forgot to take a picture of my room, but it was big and it was pretty. Here's the wash basin in the bathroom. To the right are the bath and shower and to the left is an enclosed area for the toilet. The whole hotel had a light Spanish theme.

The only downside, no doubt a plus for a lot of people, is the hotel is attached to a casino. I ate my sushi dinner beside the casino. The fish was a little chewy and afterwards my hair smelled like cigarette smoke. I would recommend leaving the hotel for dinner.

The next few shots are the lobby and the exterior.

I think the Green Valley Ranch is a great place to stay if you have to go to Las Vegas, but aren't a Vegas person at heart.

Dispatches from a Hocky-Watching Novice

2011-11-20T13:22:00.001-07:00

Colorado is sports crazed. Me, not so much. Still, I've been wanting to go see the Avalanche, Colorado's hockey team, for a couple years now. When an email went out at work about discount tickets, I jumped on it. Two people in my department also wanted to go, and spouses were thrown in the mix, so we made a happy little group.

With only three periods (I almost wrote three "quarters") and zero wishy-washiness on the part of players and coaches, the game went by quickly. Some people say that hockey is violent, but I didn't find it to be too much so. I hate to say it, but a little contact between players ups the entertainment value. At first, I literally didn't know anything about the rules of the game, but I picked up the basics fairly easily.

Besides the game itself, the night was filled with distractions. Isn't this thing funny and weird? I got excited when it would come close to us.

I don't know why or how they created this pattern on the ring, but it was kind of cool (assuming you think ugly, Eighties-looking designs are cool).

These kids were sure distracting, in a good way. They were dancing and gyrating and screaming and just generally freaking out. I wish I had caught them at their best.

Here's my husband pretending like nothing about the game or night interested him. That's my coworker and I below him (nicely smiling for the camera).

Don't I look awesome (besides the red eye, which I couldn't fix because my photo-editing software is sub-par, to say the least)?

We were able to walk across a couple parks and pedestrian bridges to our hassle-free parking spot before and after the game. On the jaunt back, I spotted this mural.

In case you were wondering, the Avs lost to the Calgary Flames, but I think we all still had a pretty good time. Sports fanatic or not, I would definitely go again.

German Food, German Liquor, and German Cousins

2011-11-13T10:34:00.001-07:00

Sometimes an ocean is wider than you think. My husband's mom is Filipino-American from Hawaii. She comes from a big family of eight brothers and sisters, so Jared has a lot of cousins. He sees most of them every few years, but his cousin Mark's mother is German. From twelve on, Mark lived in Stuttgart, so Jared only met him once. Mark recently came to Colorado with the intention of sketching and visiting friends, so Boulder was a natural homebase for him. We live in Denver, but Jared was able to grab coffee with him a couple times and the three of us ate dinner at the Westend Tavern one night.

Since I'm really interested in travel and other cultures, I especially enjoyed meeting him. He surprised us by bringing us German fruitcake and spirits. The label reads Butter-Stollen mit Mandeln, and from an Internet search, I gather it's a kind of Christmas cake with fruit, nuts, and a light icing. One of the ingredients is Glukose-Fruktose-Sirop. Sound familiar? We ate some with coffee over several mornings and really enjoyed it.

The liquor is called Krauterlikor, with a couple umlauts. It's of the same family as Jagermeister, flavored with herbs and spices. Mark told us people sip it after dinner to help digestion (but really to get buzzed). When we told him American (specifically frat boys) take shots of Jagermeister, he was sincerely shocked.

A few days later, we drank a little Krauterlikor with Jared's brother, Adam, who'd just come into town. It made me nice and warm—a great winter drink.

Here's a picture of Jared (on the left) and Mark. We loved getting to know Mark. He had to school me on European history and geography. (I'm ashamed to admit it but I didn't even know there was such a country as Belarus. In my defense, it only became independent from Russia in 1991, and they still have very close ties.) Otherwise, we talked about their family, where he's been in the States, where we've been in Europe and would like to go, and our hobbies.

Some little coincidences and connections came up during dinner. For instance, Jared and I remembered that we had our first date at the Westend about six or seven years ago. Also, Mark grew up in a town that serves as important location in my novel-in-progress. We also have a few common interests—and "high-fructose corn syrop" is spelled similarly in English and German!

So sometimes the Atlantic Ocean isn't that big after all!

Black Birds Give Me the Heeby-Geebies

2011-11-13T10:27:00.000-07:00

I just discovered this band, First Aid Kit. They are pretty good, but then I like indie folk music. Interestingly, the singers are Swedish even though their music—and their accents even—sound so American. This video is pretty cool too, if a little creepy. What's up with that suitcase anyway?

What do you all think?

Restaurant Review: El Noa Noa

2011-11-08T12:38:00.000-07:00

I enjoy a good patio. In fact, El Noa Noa's wide, tree-covered, walled-in patio was the main reason I decided to try out the eatery a couple years ago. The second reason was the restaurant's proximity to the art galleries on Santa Fe that have openings on the first friday of every month. My birthday falls in October so it wasn't El Noa Noa's courtyard that brought me in for a birthday fete with friends. I wanted to round out dinner with a stroll through the galleries. Incidentally, I noticed it wasn't as busy there as it has been in the past, which I attributed to the cold weather and the plethora of food trucks parked down Santa Fe.

The decor is what you might expect of a Mexican restaurant. I tend to like color and exotic touches, so that suited me just fine. It's a casual place, so I could also easily forgive the homey nature of the wall decorations.

That night, the food was fine, again what you would expect. The service was only so-so. Everyone was really friendly, but no one on the waitstaff seemed to claim our table so we had to wait a long time for everything. But my main goal for the night was to spend time with my friends, so the wait and other hiccups didn't bother me any.

Afterwards, we checked out a few openings, and all in all it was a nice night. I recommend it for patio-grazing, beer and margarita drinking, and First Fridays.

Dogs in Costume

2011-11-02T12:32:00.000-06:00

I work at a pretty cool place. For one, we're allowed to bring in our pets to work. But people here really love animals, so on Halloween we did more than bring our dogs to work: We decided to have a dog parade, costume contest, and talent show! Here's a video of our animals on parade.

I'm the one in antennas walking the cow (beagle) and pumpkin (chow). I know it's silly, but it was also pretty entertaining, and don't worry, the costumes came off right after the event. Hope you enjoyed this bit of Halloween fun!

The Brown Palace Haunted Tour

2011-10-30T15:38:00.001-06:00

For some reason, I've really been into Halloween this year. I don't believe it ghosts, but I've been enjoying the history, and the silly fun, of it. I got a little bit of both the other night when I went on a "haunted tour" of the Brown Palace. The Brown Palace is a posh historic hotel in downtown Denver, the kind of place you want to dress up to take afternoon tea. The only other time I've been there was when I first started working in book publishing and got a small promotion to begin taking on new projects. My husband decided we should go to the Palace Arms bar at the Brown Palace to have a drink and celebrate. It brought back good memories to see it again.

I was really excited for the tour. I think I get into these kinds of things because I like to know the stories of other people's lives, especially people who lived in a different era (like the Wild West!), or who work in an interesting field (like espionage!), or who live in another country (like Romania!). Maybe that's why I like writing too. The tour started in the old ballroom, where two lovers of a married woman got into a duel. One died, and apparently, you can sometimes catch his image in the mirror of the Tavern bar.

The guide also said that ghosts sometimes appear in the lobby, sometimes only in photos. I took one hoping to catch a "permanent guest" of the hotel, but alas I don't see any.

This is supposed to be the most haunted room. Sometimes calls come from this room, but there's only static on the other end of the line. Sometimes this even happens when the room phone is out of order. That's my brother in law looking possessed.

The tour was alright but not stellar. The historian wasn't there and our guide didn't draw out the drama of these events for me, plus he didn't take us to the haunted sites while talking about them. In short, it lacked ambiance. We ended up taking the service elevator up to 904 after the tour was over. That was the most exciting part.

But the hotel is beautiful, atmospheric, and luxurious.

Plus, my name is spelled out in a case. Okay, it says "bees" and not "Bess," but still.

Dia de los Muertos

2011-10-25T13:01:00.001-06:00

The Day of the Dead is nearly upon us. It sounds scary, right? Well, it's not supposed to be. The Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos, is a Mexican holiday that has its roots in Aztec rituals. The Aztecs didn't fear death but instead celebrated it. When the Spanish arrived, they found the rituals to be sacriligious, so they tried to quelch it by forcing the Aztecs to celebrate All Souls Day instead. But many of the rituals still exist, merging with the Catholic Church's rites surrounding All Souls Day. You can read more about it here. I think it's cool when a group of people who have been suppressed find a way to continue honoring their unique culture.

I went to the Chicano Humanities and Arts Council (CHAC) Gallery for the Day of the Dead reception. I don't know much more about the holiday than what I looked up on the Internet, so I just walked around and looked at and admired things. There was some Aztec dancing.

You could also buy these sugar skulls to take home and decorate.

I absolutely love their patio, and it looked pretty with these colorful flags hung up.

There was a lot of Day of the Dead art up of course.

I liked this lady.

And I loved this artists etchings. He uses sandstone to make these neutral-colored, simple but evocative pieces.

And of course there were alters. Artists in the U.S. and Mexico try to outdo each other with their alters. They are also use them to remember their loved ones. I thought this particular combination of items was very sweet and personalized.

I accidentally took a picture of someone's shirt, I think. Or maybe it was a ghost. Woo wooo.

For me, these days are about honoring your culture more than about celebrating a religious holiday. Even though I'm not Mexican-American, I like to take in all the stunning visual imagery around the Day of the Dead. I also like the idea of remembering our loved ones who've passed on.

Guest Quoter

2011-10-18T13:10:00.002-06:00

Lately, I've been enjoying the blog "If it's not okay, then it's not the end," and so I've left the blogger in question a few comments and reactions. I recently shared a link to my blog post about a quote that I find inspiring because I knew we had in common a love of well-spoken comments. I was happy and surprised when she asked me to be a guest quoter on her blog!

The post is now up, so if you too like a good quote, please take a gander.

Her blog is also a nice collection of thoughts on life, human nature, traveling, and more, so you may (will probably) want to follow it.

Restaurant Review: The Kitchen

2011-10-17T13:14:00.001-06:00

I'm taking the slow train, behind the curve, an old lady in a young lady's body, or however else you want to say it. To put it another way, I finally tried the Kitchen, a "community bistro" with seasonal, local, and organic food. I think it's been around for about five years and it has gotten good reviews, both by local and national food publications and acquaintances of mine. Plus, it's just my (food) style. So, why did it take me so long to go?

While there's really no excuse, I finally frequented the establishment a couple weeks ago. I chose the Kitchen to celebrate my thirty-somethingth birthday with my parents and my husband. My dad doesn't like to smile for the camera, but maybe that makes him seem more European.

I felt comfortable, cozy, and urbane in the sparsely decorated room with an elegant mix of earthy furniture and luxurious fixtures with nods to a French bistro.

I was able to eat beef because they only use hormone- and antibiotic-free, free-range beef. You can read about all their suppliers on their website. I chose the beef bolognese, and it was a real treat for me and surprisingly light. My mom ordered the beef succotash, and my husband had pork chops. I can't remember what my dad ate, but he had good things to say about the wine.

I love this little window—not sure why. I also adore the sparkling chandeliers.

We finished up with a lemon cake with homemade whipcream and espressos, and then my husband and I went to the Kitchen Upstairs, an affliated bar, for another drink. If you visit Boulder, I recommend the Kitchen, whether it's for dinner, drinks, or happy hour.

T-Rex Exhibit at the Museum of Nature and Science

2011-10-11T19:26:00.000-06:00

The other day, I laid my eyes on a ferocious Tyrannosaurus rex. It snarled at me and stared me down, but somehow I lived to tell about it. Okay, so it was a robotic Tyrannosaurus rex, but still. The Denver Museum of Nature and Science is currently featuring an exhibition on the notorious dino, and I recently had a chance to check it out.

The T. Rex exhibition is on the third floor of the museum that is also home to Egyptian mummies, gems and minerals (ooohh, pretty), a space center, and more.

This skeleton doesn't belong to a T-rex. In fact, I'm not sure what it belongs to, but it hangs from the ceiling near the escaltor.

You can't take pictures inside the special exhibition room, so I don't have any to show you. Actually, if you want to know the truth, my husband did snap a few shots ... but since he wasn't supposed to I won't encourage his bad behavior by posting them here. Besides, I could tell you more about the experience, but it would be more fun to see it for yourself. Suffice it to say that kids will love it. I did, and I'm an adult, but then I got it for free, which probably put me in a good mood, so I don't know where that leaves us.

They also have a little photobooth set up at the exit. I have one word for you: hilarious. You can fetch your postcard from Flickr. But please don't look at ours close up (I'm cross-eyed in it).

There are some free days coming up, and the T. Rex Encounter is included in the remaining 2011 free days! Otherwise, tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for kids.

What Makes You You?

2011-10-07T14:51:00.000-06:00

I have read a few blogs lately where people wonder what to do with their lives, who they really are, what makes them happy. I have to admit to also being a person who battles with these kinds of questions. Sometimes I'm content to live on the surface on life, but other times, I can't help wondering why. For that reason, and also because I just had my birthday, I decided to post this quote I found. It has become a sort of mantra for me. It's no Sartre or Camus, but it rings true to me.

What’s different about you, from anybody else?
Why are your fingerprints unlike anyone else’s
on the face of the earth,
or in the total course of history?

You know the questions.

And you know the answers.

Actually, it’s just one answer,
and it all comes down to this:
the world has never seen anyone quite like you before,
and it will never see another You again.

And there is something you have to contribute
to this world that the world needs,
no matter howsmall or unimportant you may think you are, in the grand scheme of things.

You were born, you are breathing, you are here,
because there is something you have to contribute to the worldthat world really really needs.

At least in that place, at least in this time,
at least with your style, at least with your character and stamp upon it.

—Richard N. Bolles, What Color Is Your Parachute?

To take it even further, I printed this quote out, as well as some resolutions and priorities, and put them in a cool frame I found at Michael's. I plan on hanging it in my closet so it can serve as a daily reminder to myself.

I know it's a little cheesy, but it makes me feel good. So, here's to spending most days ice skating on the surface of life, and plunging deeper into its dark, fishy green on other days!

Glenwood Springs, Colorado

2011-10-04T13:06:00.000-06:00

Glenwood Springs is one of those go-to weekend getaways for Coloradans. If you ever just need to get out of town and recharge, in only a few hours you could be soaking in the hot springs beneath a breath-taking mountain backdrop. Even out-of-towners should add Glenwood to their list of stops on a car tour of the Rocky Mountains. I was probably about seven the last time I went, and so I was overdue for my hot-springs vacation. I got the chance when my husband was due to go to Rifle, Colorado, for work, only 45 minutes away.

We chose the Hotel Glenwood Springs as our homebase after we couldn't get a room at the Hotel Denver on such short notice. Both are dog-friendly (a must for us), but the Hotel Denver is a little nicer. Hotel GS is part of an amusement park system, so it's great for families—and maybe not as great for childless couples. With plastic curtains, a scratchy comforter, and stale decor, there was nothing special about the room. Plus, the walls were paper thin. At about 11 pm, the group in the room next to ours decided to ramp up their evening, much to our dismay. There were only about five of them reveling and guffawing; it wasn't a raucous college party or anything. But the sound-proofing was so terrible, we could hear every "hee, hee, hee" and "har, har, har, har." I will say, the hotel staff was really friendly and helpful. Just bring earplugs if you stay there.

I also loved that my dogs could stay with us in the room. They loved it too.

After barely checking in, we headed over to the hot springs. With the mountains in the background and the clean, mineral-rich, soothing water, sitting in the pools is like taking the best bath ever. I can't really say how they compare with other hot springs, but I very much enjoyed my dip.

After the hot springs, we drove across the highway (you can also take the footbridge, but we had dogs to get back to), and picked up Chinese food at 50%-off recession-special prices. We picked up some picnic wine and had a little (quiet) fete in our room.

The next day, we made use of the town's extensive walking trails and headed downtown again for breakfast. I can't say I'd recommend Sacred Grounds, the coffee shop we ate at. The food was good, the coffee was mediocre, and the wait was terrible. My advice would be to turn around and walk out if there's any kind of line at all. But it does boast a cute patio.

Before heading back to Denver, we took a little hike—not to Hanging Lake, the most well-known trek in the area. That day, we didn't have the time, but I also wouldn't have wanted to deal with the crowds. Instead, we took this quiet path (located a couple exits up from Hanging Lake).

Isn't this little guy amazing looking? And he's my favorite color, orange!

Driving back through Vail, we saw some glorious displays of Aspens. It looks as though God took some gold paint and splashed it all over the evergreens. The fall colors are nearly at their peak, so get up to the mountains as soon as you can if you want to witness the changing colors. Besides Vail, the Peak-to-Peak highway is a great place to see the Aspens.

I'd love to walk through an Aspen forest this time of year. So magical.

That was the extent of our mountain getaway, but honestly, two days felt like double as many.

IKEA DENVER

2011-09-28T12:47:00.002-06:00

Denver is finally home to an Ikea. The buzz around this opening has been insane, so much so that I avoided going for a month. We've been searching for a small gray couch for our (small) office, so we finally decided to brave the crowds.

Now, I'd heard from a few friends (Kayla and Melisa, hi!) that Friday night is the best time to go. That makes perfect sense—and yet I went on a Sunday afternoon. It was total madness, but it turned out to be a good kind of crazy. We did a loop around the downstairs and the warehouse to get oriented. Then we headed upstairs, ready to scout out a couch we liked (which, mind you, we weren't going to buy that very day). I was stopped up by this wacky thing. I like it, but then I felt it and it's made of paper. I'm not sure how good it would look after being exposed to the elements (okay, the elements within my house aren't that strong, but they are still there).

This was the first couch we spotted that seemed to fit the bill, but alas it is actually too big for our space.

Next, we saw this one, waaayyyy at the end of the couch section. These little guys are apparently an embarassment to the others. But this one is gray, and tiny, and only $149! What?! Remember, we weren't going to jump into anything. This was just supposed to be a scouting mission. But we took its warehouse number, just in case, and kept browsing.

I got very excited over the kitchens. The one below is only (only) $10,000, including appliances. I like the stoves with the hanging vents, the gray tiles, and the white counters. The one below it is more expensive but I also think it's purdy. I'm definitely not in the market for a new kitchen though.

We do need to renovate the bathroom in our basement, which looks like a haunted bathroom from a Seventies-era gymnasium. Here are two extremely afforable sink sets I liked.

After all that fun, we were hungry so we grabbed some food in the "Swedish Marketplace." I'd had lunch already but couldn't resist the broccoli cakes. My husband had Swedish meatballs that were apparently tasty but the sauce that covered them looked like brown Elmer's glue. Note the delicious-looking cake (and delicious it was).

But I thought this sign was funny. You know how coffee shops sell day-olds? At first, I thought they were selling year-olds (see the "last year's price" copy?). Ewwww.

And here is just one hallway in the enormous warehouse. To save costs, Ikea has customers locate their own wares, and also check themselves out and clean up after themselves in the cafeteria. Hey, you won't find me complaining, the couch I thought I'd have to spend at least $500 on cost on $150! Remember how we were just looking? Naturally, we couldn't resist buying. Of course, when we brought it out to my little orange Corolla, there was no way it was fitting in the trunk. After a few moments of desperation, we had to unpack it and put it in the car piece-by-piece. Serves us right for being so impulsive!

This is Ikea saying "bye bye" in Swedish. Bye Ikea! I'll miss you! Hope to see you again soon!

What's Your Favorite Travel Book?

2011-09-23T15:33:00.003-06:00

Reading about travel is no doubt a distant second to the real thing, but it might be as close as I'll get for a little while. That said, I'm looking for a new book to read to—as corny as it may sound—enliven my senses and bring a little adventure and beauty into my life. Maybe you are too. If so, this list of the 86 best travel books on the Conde Nast Traveler website might be interesting to you. You can read it by clicking here.

Honestly, I like my travel writing a little less highbrow than many of the books included in that article. I want it to be escapist, but not out of touch. Literary, but not overly intellectual. And I want it to be about people as much as places.

Do you have any favorite travel books you'd recommend?

Restaurant Review: Cuba Cuba

2011-09-20T12:37:00.002-06:00

Last Friday, my husband and I had a date night. We don't usually get a chance to go out to dinner just the two of us, so it was a treat. Because summer is quickly nearing its end—if it isn't already over—I picked Cuba Cuba. The name says it all, right?

It's a popular restaurant in Denver because of the tasty food and the inviting and quietly colorful ambiance that gives you the impression of being on vacation. There were certainly a lot of couples there that night.

Over cocktails—a white sangria for me and a Cuban martini for him—we talked about my family trip to Cuba as a kid and planned a hypothetical trip there for ourselves. I was so excited, I decided I needed to look into the current laws, but honestly, I want to travel to so many places, I don't know if the little Caribbean island will prevail.

I have to admit, I ate pork. I am a vegetarian unless I know the animals that provided the meat had some basic needs met, like healthy food, space, and sunlight. It's not always easy to tell if that is the case, but I do my best. However, that night I unfortunately didn't try that hard. I didn't see anything vegetarian on the menu and only one (expensive) fish dish. So strict vegetarians, this probably isn't the place for you. As for me, I really wanted to eat the Cuban-style pork, so I used the limited menu as an excuse. I'll try to do better next time!

Jared had a Cuban sandwich.

Here I am after dinner, full and happy. You can see the exterior in these two photos. It's situated inside two Victorian-style homes with lush vegetation outside.

Cuba Cuba comes with my recommendation, even if just for happy hour or cocktails. Next time we have a date night, I'd like to try a new restaurant and maybe get tickets to a play or ballet.

Paddle Boating at Washington Park

2011-09-14T16:33:00.001-06:00

My husband's birthday was coming up, and just as quickly so was the end of the summer. In an effort to maximize our enjoyment both special moments, I decided it was a good time to go paddle boating in Washington Park. When I get the notion to do something, it's fairly difficult to deter me, so that Sunday we headed to the park ready for some time on the water. (Don't worry, since it was his birthday, we did two or three other things that he had a hankering to do, like watch Rise of the Planet of the Apes.)

If you're not from Denver, just know that Washington Park is one of those places you love to hate. It's teeming with volleyball players and Golden retrievers and girls boating in miniskirts and knee-high boots (yes, I saw that). The people and park are so pretty it hurts. Even though I'm not a card-carrying yuppie, I do enjoy bucolic surroundings as much as the next person, so I usually bite the bullet and head to "Wash Park" when I feel like a little fun in the sun.

I was a little unhappily surprised to learn that a four-seater would cost us $30 an hour. But I had my heart set on it, so I pulled out my magnetic strip and moments later we got our life vests and boat and were on the water. (My vest stunk of some woman's perfume, as though she had just poured a whole bottle of the stuff over herself before heading to the park. Ohh, Wash Park.)

The rental company also rents out "unique cycles," which I think are absolutely adorable. I want to live inside one of these.

I was thrilled to get out on the water, and I quickly realized it's a little bit of a workout too. It turned out to be a lovely combination of sitting under the sun with nothing to do but float and an opportunity to get some lightly strenuous exercise.

See how relaxed and happy we are? (Actually, I think he was a little annoyed at me for ruining the moment by taking his picture.)

Wash Park is a neighborhood as well as a park. You can see the handsome houses along the lake. I don't blame people for wanting to live there.

After we'd made a small tour of the lake, I decided I wanted to get as close as possible to the historic boathouse.

The string of lights along the room and the other special details make it such a cool building. It is being renovated, so if you're looking for a spot to get married, or just have a romantic date, keep your eyes on this boathouse.

The ducks like it too.

I got one last look at the rental stand and playground from the lake and we headed in, totally content (if a little less clean).

I had to include a shot of this statue. It caught my eyes because it looks like the little boy in back is strangling the other kid on a canoe. Not what you want to see before you get on the water.

If you want to learn more about renting paddle boats or cycles at Washington Park, click here for the company's website.

Interview of Me by My-So-Called Denver's Courtney!

2011-09-08T13:08:00.002-06:00

Hey everyone. Coincidentally, just after I wrote a post about sharing more about my personal life and my interests on my blog, my good friend Courtney interviewed me for the Creative People Series on her My-So-Called Denver blog. Check it out if you get a chance. In it, I share a few tips on trying to get published and making time to write for yourself when you have a full-time job.

What Kind of Blogger Am I?

2011-09-06T21:12:00.000-06:00

I recently posted a quiz I made up based on my observations of others' blogging styles, specifically travel bloggers. Besides just wanting to post something other people might find fun and interesting, I also wanted to figure out what my niche was. When I took the quiz and stared at my answers, I was a little surprised. I'd guessed that I would be the Regional Tour Guide with a little bit of Writer in me too, but I actually got a few of the Cool Best Friend, too. I should clarify by saying the Cool Best Friend just means you like to share a little bit about yourself and be part of a blogging community. In making the quiz and even in taking it, I realized a few important-to-me things about my blog.

If I'm a Regional Tour Guide, I should make it more obvious that my blog is especially helpful for people who live in or will be traveling to Denver and the Rocky Mountain region. To that end, I'm changing my tagline. That's still to come, but I've already altered my "About Me" section.
I should make every post count. This is an opportunity for me to further develop my writing style and to share my writing with people, so I should take it seriously. (But not too seriously or else I'll never write another post.)
Even if I'm not going to blog too much about myself, I can and should still inject my personality into my writing (and so become more of a Cool Best Friend). I'm going to start making small changes to my posts to do just that.

I feel like I want to expand a little on point #3. The picture above is me in Hawaii last year, hiding behind some tree needles. The picture to the right is me again, also in Hawaii, but it's a close-up shot. These pictures are a literal representation of me coming out from behind the safety of the wall of my blog. Not everyone is going to connect with my blog, but people who like traveling, reading, writing, art, fashion, etc., and are also just regular folks, might appreciate learning more about my take on fun, interesting things to do in Denver and the Rocky Mountains, and hearing a little bit about my thoughts on getting more out of life.

I think that's the end of my navel gazing. I hope my little quiz gave you one-tenth of the insight it gave me!

What Kind of Travel Blogger Are You? Take This Quiz to Find Out

2011-09-03T12:41:00.000-06:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about what kind of blogger I am, and what kind of blogger I want to be. I think there are tons of successful ways to blog, but your style should be an extension of who you are and what you want out of your blog, e.g., to make friends, to practice writing, to develop a platform. I think other people think about this too ... so I came up with several travel blogger types and even made a little quiz so people could find out what type they are! Obviously, it's not based on anything other than my observations reading travels blogs, but I read a lot of travel blogs. I'm still thinking about my blogging style, so I'm going to take my quiz too and I'll get back with my results and thoughts about it.

How much do you share about your personal life?

Oh, anything and everything. I mask my boyfriends’ identities by referring to them by their first initial or country of origin, but I have some pretty great stories, and I like sharing them.
I share a fair amount. I’m not shy, and I think people want blogs to be personal, so I usually include a little about myself, my city, my family, even my job.
I don’t include any information about my personal life. The places I go are pretty interesting so I can leave the spotlight on them.
I don’t really share much. I think my blog is more about giving people information they need and want and I spice it up with reviews, recipes, videos, etc.
I don’t really think about it that much, but I guess I talk a lot about my personal life. I don’t have anything to hide, and I think it helps people form a connection with me and my travels, the same way I get to know people I meet on my trips.
Even though I share a little bit about my family and myself, I think my personality really comes through from my writing, pictures, comments, etc.
Virtually nothing. I use my blog as a way to practice and share my writing/photos, so I’m more focused on my technique than the juicy details of my personal life.

What’s your favorite part of blogging?

My favorite part of blogging is knowing that my travels and adventures can brighten people’s day.
I like reading other people’s blogs and having people read mine and being a part of a community. And honestly, I also like having a lot of followers and comments.
I blog to share my travels with people. I think people enjoy reading about exotic places; if they can go themselves, it will help them to have a better trip, and if they can’t, it can provide them with a five-minute vacation.
I like knowing that I can help people figure out fun and interesting things to do when they travel.
Honestly? Telling people about my travels and having an opportunity to make money, in equal parts. I need to find any way I can to bring in extra money on my travels.
My favorite part of blogging is the community, hands-down.
I really love being creative. My blog keeps me writing/taking photos/being generally creative, and I need that in my life. I like sharing my work too, and I secretly hope that some agent or editor will take note and offer me a book deal or something.

Where do you like to stay when you travel?

Five-star hotels and resorts! When I travel I like to live it up.
Friends’ houses, boutique hotels, kitschy motels. Anywhere that’s clean, cute, and close to the stuff I want to do.
I like to try out new luxury hotels I’ve read or heard about.
I try to stay at hotels, motels, and b&b’s that reflect that culture of the area where I’m staying. If it’s affordable, all the better.
I stay in hostels or I couch surf.
I’ll stay anywhere, but I like to stay with friends, some of whom I’ve become friends with from blogging.
I don’t really care where I stay, as long as it’s close to the sites.

What do you like to do when you travel?

When I travel, I like to eat out at nice restaurants, see a couple of the big attractions, and try out a spa. I also love lounging at the beach.
I try and take it easy. I’ll do a little site-seeing, get coffees and dinners out, have drinks on outdoor patios, take some pictures, but mostly relax.
I rely on local friends and acquaintances for trusted recommendations. I like to dine at the best new restaurants, do some shopping, and take day trips to unique spots.
I find out what’s special (food, attractions, cultural activities, shopping) about that area and create a loose itinerary around those kinds of things. I also like to blend in. I even dress like the people of the place I’m visiting.
I just do whatever I feel like doing. I don’t make any kind of plan. I usually don’t even know how long I’ll stay in one place. I meet so many people when I travel, and they always have recommendations for things to see and do.
I like to enjoy my time with friends and family and possibly make some new friends.
I like writing in my journal or on my blog/taking tons of photos when I travel so I can document my trip and practice my craft.

How often do you travel?

All the time. I take three or four big trips a year.
I don’t get to travel as much as I would like, especially because I visit family and friends on most of my vacations.
I take a few international trips a year, both for work and pleasure.
I take a lot of little trips a year, mostly to places within a few hours of my hometown though. I also take a ton of day trips.
I’m pretty much always traveling. I don’t even feel like I’m from any one place anymore.
I travel as much as anyone I guess. I’m not as focused on traveling as I am on meeting new people, blogging, and being part of a community.
I travel a lot, but mostly as part of my job/hobby of travel writing/photojournalism.

When someone follows you, do you follow them back?

It depends. I only think of following back if I become really good friends with someone or if they have a really cool blog.
I usually follow someone back if they follow me. It’s resulted in me making a few new friends too.
Almost never. My blog is actually part of my website, so following and following back aren’t really part of the routine.
Almost always, unless it looks like a fake profile.
I don’t spend enough time on the Internet to really think about following people and getting people to follow me. I just get on to do a quick blog and then move on to something else.
Absolutely! I usually make a point to comment back too, and I even give awards to fellow bloggers, host give-aways, and do other things like that.
I’m trying to develop a platform for my writing/photography, so I’m a little more focused on getting the word out about my blog than following other people’s blogs.

Okay, now just tally up how many A's, B's, etc., you got and read the descriptions below. If you got a few of a couple different letters, read both descriptions because you might be a combination of a couple different types. Also, know that I value all these blogs and bloggers! There is room for every kind of travel blogging style.

If you got mostly A's, you are the Glamorous Best Friend. You like to travel to exotic locales, dress glamorously, and live it up, and you often share the juicy details of your personal life in your blog. You might acquire an Internet stalker or two, but that's never scared you. You probably have a fun blog and a lot of followers!

If you go mostly B's, you are the Cool Best Friend. You probably live somewhere cool and blog as much about that place as any trips you take. In your blog, you usually paint a good picture of your hometown and region and share the best things to do and see there. You season your blog pretty heavily with interesting details about yourself, your relationships, and your job.Your blog is probably pretty hip and interesting.

If you got mostly C's, you are the Magazine Editor. You like to travel to beautiful places around the world and live luxuriously. You will share pictures and descriptions of places, food, hotels, etc., but you never talk about your real life. People like to visit your blog to live vicariously through you and/or get recommendations for things to see and do.

If you got mostly D's, you are the Regional Tour Guide. You share informative and interesting reviews of things to see and do in your part of the world, but you keep your blog strictly about the places you feature, not about yourself. If you don’t live somewhere a lot of people want to travel to, you know you must keep it interesting in other ways: reviews, recipes, splashes of luxury, quizzes, etc.Your blog is probably really helpful and informative, with a little something extra that makes it unique!

If you got mostly E's, you are the Backpacker. You flit around from place to place, doing everything on the cheap. You want to maximize your travel time by living frugally. You share freely on the Web, just like you would with fellow backpackers you meet in hostels.Your blog is probably fun and exciting, and you probably get a lot of comments!

If you got mostly F's, you are the Cheerleader. You live in and blog about a cool place, where you take occasional day trips. But you blog mostly to be a part of a community. You love following others blogs and having people read your. You also want to encourage people to keep blogging and to feel rewarded by comments, giving awards, posting buttons, hosting contests, etc. You probably have tons of followers and comments on your postings!

If you got mostly G's, you are the Writer/Photographer. You love traveling and writing/taking photographs in equal parts. You view blog mainly as a way to share your writing/photos and possibly even get a book or other gig out of it. A lot of people in your blogging community share your passion for writing/taking photos. People come to your blog as much to get a five-minute vacation as to admire your work.

What did you get? Do you think it was accurate?

E-Books or Real Books?

2011-08-27T08:05:00.007-06:00

Travelers strike me as Team E-Book kind of people. We have lots of opportunities to pass time, and we don't have a lot of room to spare. Placing as many books as you want on one device definitely has its appeal, as does purchasing a new one with the click of a button. For that reason, I bet this post I wrote on e-books will resonate with a lot of you. I put it up on a blog I share with friends called And Now With Books. If you're a big reader, you might like to follow the blog (we'd definitely like you to!). Here's the first part:

I have a confession to make: I possess not one but two different electronic reading devices. And if I get an iPhone like I'm planning to, it'll jump up to three. I should qualify that by saying the Kindle I use belongs to my company. I work at a little publishing company, and as we were exploring the idea of creating e-books, we purchased a Kindle. Our enthusiasm waned when we learned what percentage of sales Amazon offered publishers (but that's another story), so now I'm the only one who uses it. Don't tell my boss, but it's been at my house for two months now. Read more.

Denver County Fair

2011-08-23T18:56:00.007-06:00

A few months back, I was stuck at a stoplight driving home from work when I looked up to see a billboard for the Denver County Fair. Huh? I had to do a double-take. Since when did Denver County house farm animals and crafters? I was intrigued, and not just because Devo was playing and the billboard was super cute. So when I got home, I looked it up on the Web, and sure enough this was its inaugral year. Apparently, Denverites purchased land for the fair, but the Civil War diverted the attention away from it, and the idea never resurfaced until around the time it became legal to own chickens in Denver.

I immediately got it: an urban county fair that would promote sustainable living and local businesses. A lot of people are interested in growing their own food and making their own stuff. It's fun, good for the environment, and easy on the pocket. So I decided to go.

The first thing we did after desparately searching for a parking space was get some food. I have to say, I was a little disappointed on that front. I imagined that local restaurants would have booths, but instead they were only serving typical fair fare. The best thing about the funny-smelling pizza I ate was its proximity to Devo's sound check. We snuck in a back door where no one could see us and listened to a few songs and took pictures with this cardboard cutout.

Of course there were animals there. The petting zoo was closed, but there were plenty of cute goats, chickens, and llamas to ogle.

They also had a freak show, but unlike olden times, the "freaks" were running the show. Unfortunately, I didn't see the coolest part. Because it cost $1 to see the "weirdest thing you've ever see," we sent my stepdaughter in. She was definitely not unimpressed, and likened it to the body of a tiny dead mermaid. She assured us that it was very lifelike, and I even heard another (normal-looking) man whisper, "I know what it is. It's an alient. It's a mutated alient." I did enjoy this collection of supposedly possessed dolls though.

The carnival may have been the best part. We thought it was funny that the ferris wheel had a view of the highway's onramp, but it was still a good time.

I think they need to find a smaller space, have more interactive booths and information on environmentalism and sustainable living, and get some better food up in there, but all in all the Denver County Fair was definitely a good time.

Quatorze Juillet

2011-08-17T12:26:00.005-06:00

I spent a year abroad in the Brittany region of France and later returned to Paris for a few months post-graduation. The time I spent there and a general appreciation for French culture has made me something of Francophile. So when I saw a Daily Candy video tutorial about celebrating the French Independence Day (Quatorze Juillet) with Croque Monsieurs and profiteroles (aka, baked ham sandwiches and ice cream stuffed dough), I was hooked.

Half-French foodie and French Revolution blogger Kerry led the cooking lesson. I scribbled down the ingredient list and picked everything up from Whole Foods after work on the Friday after July 14. A day late and eight hours behind the French, my husband and I watched the videos and prepared the Black Forest Croque Monsieurs smothered in Gruyère and homemade profiteroles, which are Parisien cafe staples. I have to say, it was hard to follow the recipe via video. We had to stop and start a bunch of times to get it all. That said, here are the Croque Monsieurs.

Per the recipe, I should have bought an uncut loaf and sliced it length-wise, but I had second thoughts at the store and bought regularly sliced bread a little larger than usual. Despite everything, it tasted really good.

We set our table a little nicer than usual and poured glasses of French white wine to set the mood. As you can see, I'm no Martha Stewart. I might have done better on a Saturday when I had the whole day to prepare, but it was still festive. We turned on the soundtrack to Les Miserables, which is actually a British play by origin. :-)

The profiteroles were delicious, but we just couldn't get them to ball up, so we added more and more flour and they turned out heavy. I had a lot of fun, and I'd totally try the recipes again, but next time, I'll refer to her blog post so I can read the recipe at my speed.

8 Great Weekend Roadtrips You Need to Take Now

2011-08-08T13:16:00.004-06:00

I recently wrote a blog for Denver's Westword.com on eight great weekend roadtrips you need to take now—before the summer ends. I think I'm going to take my own advice and pack up the car for South Dakota over Labor Day weekend. Here's a snippet from the post; click the link at the bottom to read more.

It's the first week of August, so it's likely that many of you are experiencing Endofsummeritis. You may think there's nothing you can do but watch the slow creep to winter, and before you know it, you will be shoveling your car out of six feet of snow while icicle tears form on your cheeks. But there are several good weekends left in the summer, and Denver is luckily situated between dozens of unique cultural and geographic landscapes. Here are eight great road trips that, in about six hours, will take you somewhere that feels a world away from the Mile High City.

Read more

The San Francisco Series: Day Four

2011-08-02T20:26:00.007-06:00

Normally I'm not foolhardy, so I must not have been thinking straight when I agreed to bike from Fisherman's Wharf, through the Presidio, past the Golden Gate Bridge, and over to Ocean Beach. Not only is this a 7.5 mile bike ride, but it's a 7.5 mile bike ride in San Francisco—and San Francisco is hilly, very hilly.

The day started out quite nicely, with a long walk through China Town on Grant Street and Little Italy and North Beach on Columbus. We stopped at a coffee shop, Cafe Trieste, with a very European ambiance and mapped out our day. Luckily we were able to snag one of the coveted outdoor tables.

Then we set off toward Fisherman's Wharf to find a reasonably priced bike rental. The one we settled on was cash-only and didn't log our purchase (odd) but was also half the price of the others. The bikes were in good condition and we had no problems so the shady business practices didn't work against us at all. I insisted on helmuts!

The views were amazing. As we rode up the bike path past Chrissy Field, we could see the marina and bay spread out below us. Truth be told, I had to walk my bike up one stretch.

When we reached Golden Gate Bridge, things got a little crazy. You couldn't take one step without hitting a tourist. Plus, we couldn't tell how the bike path connected to the other end of Presidio. My husband happened to ask another bike rider, and for better or for worse, he offered to chauffer us all the way to Ocean Beach. But when he started talking about spending the day together, I got a little nervous. Luckily he dropped us off at the top of the hill on a street near Baker Beach, probably because I was going so slowly.

I got nervous again after we'd been riding downhill for a good fifteen minutes. Downhill now means uphill on the way back. With my legs shaking, I knew I couldn't do much more, especially since we had to ride back. We stopped for lunch in Inner Richmond and decided to turn around. You might be wondering about the weather since we were in San Fran: It was gorgeous! It was so beautiful that a three-mile line of cars was waiting to get into the parking lots at Baker Beach. Feeling a little refreshed after lunch, we simply biked in, locked up our bikes, and laid in the sand. I even waded in the freezing water.

I took it really easy on the way back, walking all the way to the top of the hill. It was a little embarassing, but my body thanked me for it. After checking out the Palace of Fine Arts, which was set up during one of the 1915 World's Fair, we returned the bikes and set off to find an Italian restaurant in North Beach. I honestly think we found the best pizza place in San Francisco at Tony's Pizza, where we sat in the shade on the porch and refueled after a grueling bike ride that turned into a really wonderful day.

The San Francisco Series: Day Three

2011-07-29T07:25:00.009-06:00

Day three brought the wedding—the whole reason we were in San Francisco in the first place. Because it wasn't my wedding, I don't feel like I have the right to post a bunch of photos, but there were some really cute touches that reflect the personality of the bride and groom, as well as San Francisco.

But first, a gratuitous shopping tangent! My hotel magazine contained a list of not-to-miss shops. Jeremy's, a designer discount store, caught my eye and didn't appear to be too far from the hotel. My husband and I walked south from our hotel, away from Market Street, through a neighborhood called SoMo to find it. The area got a little less sketchy and more arsty until we spotted the street Jeremy's was supposed to be on. Instead, though, we found an island of a park surrounded by adorable townhomes and houses. I love finding little oases within cities. The other end of the lot opened up to our destination, where a huge sale was going on. I was able to find a good handful of accessories I needed (wanted?) for the wedding.

My husband was in the wedding party, so I had to navigate the ceremony by myself, but the beautiful location and friendly guests made that easy enough. Laura and Jeff, the bride and groom, are both English teachers, and so they chose to holdthe wedding at Shakespeare's garden in Golden Gate Park. I thought that was adorable. There are lines of poetry about greenery engraved into stone at one end of the park, which I read while they took photos of the wedding party.

They set up glasses for a champagne toast, which added nicely to the ambiance. I thought they looked so pretty stacked next to the archway of trees.

Here is my husband walking down the aisle with another lady! She was really nice, and the bridesmaids looked lovely in their brown dresses. Speaking of dresses, the wedding gown was beautiful, silk with a beaded waist and long bell-shaped skirt.

Besides archways, champagne glasses, and secret gardens, I love topiaries, as demonstrated by the below picture. In the background, you can see the Verdi Club, where they held their reception. The bride is from New Jersey, so this might have been a nod to her Italian-American roots. Who knew there was a vibrant Italian social club in the Mission?

It turned out to be another near-perfect day, which you can't always say about attending weddings for people you don't know that well, so good job (and best wishes) to Jeff and Laura!

The San Francisco Series: Day Two

2011-07-17T19:50:00.008-06:00

Day Two was arguably my favorite. It started off shakily though. As my husband and I hoofed it the nearby rental car company, we realized that we'd never reserved a car—and it was a holiday weekend, in San Francisco. Luckily, after a little sweating and hair-pulling and a few emphatic "no ways," they did manage to procure us a large, obscure American car that was actually kind of cool (but probably had horrible gas mileage).

Then we were off to Sonoma County! We detoured in Berkeley for a cup of coffee and then we quickly made it to our first winery, Cline Cellars. It was only 11, so I just sipped a few wines. Sorry for the color issue in these photos.

I ended up really liking the Cline 2010 Sonoma Coast Viognier, which tasted like a sauvignon blanc to me. Here I am trying to look very serious about the whole thing.

Somebody at Cline Cellars has a thing for pheasants. There were dozens in large cages by a pond. I thought these little love birds were cute though.

Next, we stopped for lunch in Sonoma. It is a lovely little town, only a little bit too touristy and built around a town square. We ate at a restaurant called The Girl and the Fig, which I would highly recommend. I would describe it as a California-French restaurant.

We were set on visiting Dry Creek County, but it was quite a drive from Sonoma, about an hour. It was well worth it though. Not only was it beautiful (in that cultivated way that comforts us humans so much), but there were 50 or so vineyards there. Suffice it to say, we only visited three, and that was one to many. We pulled off at a tasting center for six vineyards in Dry Creek. Again, I really enjoyed a couple offerings at Peterson Winery.

We also stopped by Truett Hurst and Bella Vineyards and Wine Cave, where the owner had blasted out a hole beneath a hill to store the goods and do the tastings.

It was seriously pretty scenary, and the whole trip was more than worth the hour and a half drive from San Francicso. One day I'll try Napa, but I think Sonoma County is more my speed.

The San Francisco Series: Day One

2011-07-13T20:28:00.004-06:00

We arrived in San Francisco in the middle of the day—tired from getting up at 5:00 am but excited to explore. First we picked up my husband's rented suit at Selix's, where their "passion is fashion." Then we decided we needed a water-sighting. I'm from Colorado, so when I go somewhere on the ocean, it's always a big deal.

That excursion took us down to The Embarcadero, or the piers along San Fransisco Bay that now play host to a variety of shops and restauants and end at Fisherman's Wharf. We found a nice little spot for a drink.

This trip also helped us get our bearings and figure out the mass transportation system. Basically, the cable cars are expensive, just for tourists, and only near Fisherman's Wharf, but the street cars (run by wires above) are part of the bus system, cost $2, and are pretty far reaching. So, we took a streetcar back to our hotel and then later to the Mission.

Speaking of our hotel, we stayed at The Good Hotel. It's basically a corporate-spun boutique hotel. As my husband said, it looks a little like an Ikea that got jacked up. It's also right in the middle of the area where all the homeless people reside. Overall, though, we liked it, and we certainly appreciated the cost. Here's the lobby.

My husband thought he was being funny and switched the "d" to make it look like a "p."

Someone else thought they were being funny and stole the 420 sign. We were in room 420 and otherwise might not have even thought about the pot connection. "It's 4:20 man."

Later that evening, we bused it to the Mission, where our friends' rehearsal dinner was being held. Like our neighborhood in Denver, it used to be an Italian-American hood and then became more heavily Latino. Now it's getting fairly gentrified. I loved the shape and color of the houses.

They prettied up their stairwell with potted plants and a lemon tree.

It was a wonderful first day. We kept joking that we shouldn't talk too much about how well it went so we wouldn't jinx ourselves. But no jinxes occured, and the whole trip was lovely. Stay tuned for Day Two.

The San Franciso Series: What I Wore

2011-07-09T16:20:00.010-06:00

I usually make my packing lists based on a fifty-fifty mix of fashion and function, and I also find some inspiration in the residents of that locale. Since I was planning a trip to San Francisco, I knew that I would be doing a lot of walking and be generally active—but also that I would be in a city, where people put a little more effort into their appearance. So I brought a mix of comfortable—but also somewhat stylish—clothes, as well as skirts and dresses fit for an urban hippy. I was also attending a wedding, so of course I had to account for that. If anything, I under-packed, but thanks in part to a crazy Fourth of July sale, it worked out pretty well.

Like most, I wear comfy clothes on planes—in this case an oversize t-shirt and jeans. I also sported my new Clarks, which I think of a city sneakers.

That night, we went to the rehearsal dinner. Since it was a backyard affair, I tried a sundress with a black velvet blazer and tap shoes.

We went wine tasting the next day, for which I wore a long black H&M skirt and white t-shirt. The tap shoes made a reappearance because I forgot to pack black flats or flip flops. I felt a little like Stevie Nicks, but I was into it.

For the wedding itself, I brought along a red dress from J Crew, which I bought two years earlier. Luckily it still fit, even if it was a little snug. I paired it with a shrug and gold sandals.

But naturally I forgot a bag and a coat to match the dress and shoes. It gets cold in San Francisco, so I didn't want to go without. Luckily, I'd heard about this store called Jeremy's that was near our hotel. We walked there that morning and stumbled upon a huge sale. There was actually a line. I was able to find both a purse and trench coat—and at a super good price.

For the trip home, it was more of the same. Stay tuned for more on what I did, while wearing what I wore.

Vacation Looks

2011-07-02T10:25:00.002-06:00

When I'm planning a trip, I'm usually also ruminating on what I'll wear. I consider things like the style and feel of the place I'm going, trends, my personal style, and what I'll be doing. For instance, when I went to Hawaii, I packed for hanging out, relaxing, and going to the beach, and when I went to Toronto, I brought clothes for going to museums and coffee shops and staying warm. When I read about this new website/shopping club by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, I thought it could be tweaked to help travellers decide what to pack. The site is called Style Mint, and the idea is, you answer a series of fashion-related questions about yourself, and they choose looks for you based on your style. I took it and got "modern" and "classic," which, I guess, is an oxymoron. Then, they choose the perfect t-shirt for you each month, email it to you, and you can choose to purchase it or not. My idea is that first, you take a quiz similar to the Olsens' to determine your style profile, and then each time you're planning a trip, you visit the site, log in, and choose the urban status of the place you're going, the region, and the time of year, and then you can choose from a series of looks based on your style and destination. What do you think? Do you like my idea? You can steal it if you want because I'll never do it. But if you do filch it, be sure to tell me, because I want to visit this site.

Restauant Review: The Empanada Grill

2011-06-22T22:30:00.008-06:00

When I saw that a new Venezuelan cafe opened up near Tennyson Street in Denver, I knew I had to try it—and I'm so glad I did!

The decor of The Empanda Grill is very basic, but I don't think you go there for a dining experience.

You go to chow on delicious, fresh empandas, arepas, and other Venezuelan delights. The arepas are small corn cakes.

And the empanadas are like turnovers.

We also munced on tequenos.

The inexpensive cuisine is friendly to both vegetarians and meat lovers and served warm and fresh, and they offer fun little sides and drinks, from fried plantains to fresh manjo juice. There's also a Golden location. The Empanda Grill comes recommened!

Boulder Creek Festival

2011-06-13T20:36:00.003-06:00

Recently, I went to the Boulder Creek Festival. Instead of blogging about the day, I thought I'd post my favorite image from the event. A man was stacking creek rocks into cairns, or heaps of stones piled up as a memorial or landmark. It makes for a cool sight, but he must have been cold standing in the water all day!

The Toronto Series: Niagara Falls

2011-06-07T19:43:00.009-06:00

This last post in the Toronto Series is devoted to the ever-popular Toronto day trip: Niagara Falls. It's only an hour and a half away, so it's an easy—and worthwhile—excursion.

In retrospect, I would have liked to rent a car and do the trip on my own, but I still enjoyed my tour. There are dozens of companies vying for your money, so make sure to read online reviews. However, they all take the exact same route with all the same stops, so the differences are in the professionalism of the tour guide and the niceness of the van.

First, you stop at the wineries for a tasting. Canada isn't known for its wine, and I for one wasn't blown away with the ones I sampled. But the vineyard was pretty, and it was fun to sip on the different varieties, including ice wine.

Here's Jared, tasting away.

Next you stop at Niagara-on-the-Lake, which seems like a fabolous place to visit in the summer, especially during the Shaw Festival. Note that the first white settlers were loyal to the British, so beware!

Finally, you end up at Niagara Falls. You can take do a few different activities, like ride the Lady of the Lake or go "behind" the falls. We didn't do any of these touristy things, though. We just walked along the path and enjoyed the view.

Spectacular, no! But make sure to bring your umbrella.

The Horseshoe Falls (on the Canadian side) drop about 173 feet, and the height of the American Falls ia about 70–100 feet with large boulders at its base. The Horseshoe Falls are also wider (about 2,600 feet wider) than the American Falls (about 1,060 feet wide).

If you get a chance to visit Niagara Falls, you definitely should, at least once in your life. The city has become overly touristy, but that doesn't detract too much from the beauty of the waterfalls.

The Toronto Series: Tourist Attractions

2011-05-28T17:08:00.009-06:00

The first few days I was in Toronto—and even before I went, in some cases—I figured out what the major tourist attractions were. Here's a brief guide to the big/not-to-miss ones so you don't have to do any research at all.

The CN Tower was built by Canadian National Railways in 1976 and is apparently the world's tallest tower. I didn't go up it (partly because I'm afraid of heights), but here's a picture from the base. For those of you who aren't afraid of heights, you can buy tickets to the EdgeWalk starting this summer, where brave souls are attached to the building and can walk around its exterior wall. No thanks!

You should also visit the Royal Ontario Museum, a natural history museum. You can read my post on Toronto neighborhood for some fast facts about ROM.

For those who prefer art museums (like me), be sure to visit the Art Gallery of Ontario. Three floors are devoted exclusively to Canadian artists, which is a cool idea but also a little challenging since Canada hasn't been a united nation for that long.

Finally, our hotel was within walking distance of this conservatory. I became convinced it was a meeting spot for drug deals, but the (free) greenhouse is filled with many varieties of lovely plants.

The Toronto Series: Neighborhoods

2011-05-16T19:24:00.008-06:00

"What is a city but the people?" This (very serious-sounding) quotation by Coriolanus III is engraved into one of the municipal buildings in downtown Denver. I spotted it while stopped at a red light the other day and immediately thought of it when writing this blog. It's the city dwellers who create the buildings and public spaces, as well as run the stores, cook the food, and, of course, populate the streets. So this post is devoted to my favorite neighborhoods in Toronto. Because what else but people are neighborhoods made up of?

At the north-end of downtown Toronto is Bloor-Yorkville, where cobblestone streets are lined with designer and high-end clothing stores and fine-dining establishments. Needless to say, it's a bit on the yuppy side, but the posh shops make for a pretty backdrop. Nearby is the Royal Ontario Museum, a natural history museum. It was originally designed by Toronto architects Frank Darling and John A. Pearson in the 1870s, but Daniel Libeskind designed the crystal extension that juts from the "heritage building" in 2007.

On the far end of the hip scale is Queen Street West. You get on the trolley and keep heading, well, west. First you're in the shopping area, with an H&M and other fast-fashion chains hawking trendy wares. Case in point, the leggings below. Click here to read my top-ten list of things I didn't know about Canada, featuring these beloved tight cotton pants.

Soon you get to the garment district, which will probably hold no interest for you unless you're a designer. As you keep heading west, you hit the part of the neighborhood that's still in transition, which is where you'll find the Gladstone Hotel (see my blog on Toronto eateries).

I also loved the Harbor District, which is saying a lot because it was frigid. You have to walk past the CN Tower and under a major highway, and the area itself isn't very big. But I'm a big fan of anything waterfront.

See, pretty? If you go in the summer, you have to go to the Toronoto Islands. I didn't get to go because of the weather, but it looks like a lot of fun.

Another popular area is the Distillery District. It used to be a whiskey distillery, where all the workers also lived. They recently developed it into a mixed-use neighborhood with lofts above and retail spots and restaraunts below.

There's also China Town, Little Italy, the Indian Bazaar, and Greek Town. While I went to China Town and Little Italy, I didn't snap any photos. But picture China Town and Little Italy in New York or San Francisco, and you get the picture. Definitely worth checking out though. I wish we had time to go to the Indian and Greek hoods, but we did eat Indian, and Chinese and Italian, food while in Toronto.

So what are you waiting for: Go forth and explore!

The Toronto Series: Restaurants and Coffee Shops

2011-05-08T21:57:00.009-06:00

I recently traveled to Toronto, and everyone kept saying I had to try the ethnic food. Toronto boasts people of all different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and naturally that ends up reflected in the cuisine.

The first week I was in the business district attending a conference. I tried out a couple nice restaurants, including Canyon Creek and Oliver & Bonacini's, but I wasn't really focused on the food or experience so I can't say much (except maybe: ambiance, nice; food, good; neighborhood, stale).

When my husband arrived, we moved to the center of town where affordable cafes of all kinds lined the streets.

The first place we went to was a chain called Marche. They don't have them in the States, but they are a mix between a theme restaurant and a Whole Foods. You get a card and each time you order food, the server swipes your card. Warning: It can add up!

I was seduced by the Swiss- and French-style motifs since I'm a Francopile, but I have to admit it was a tad bit cheesy.

Our food, paella and a crepe, was pretty darn tasty though.

Later, we tried a trendy-looking little Chinese restaurant on Yonge Street that was all but empty at 8 but started to fill up more by 9. We were starving and just popped in, and unfortunately, I forget the name.

The next night we frequented a hole-in-the-wall Indian restaurant, also on Yonge. I have to admit, I was a little turned off by the industrial-looking fixtures, but the food was delicious. It came out hot and fresh, especially the samosas.

Like any big city, Toronto's streets crawl with food vendors. My husband tried a hot dog, and we discovered that you put corn on your pups in Toronto!

We at at the cafe at the Gladstone Hotel on Queen Street West too. The food is natural, organic, local, and all the rest—as well as yummy.

I had a chickpea polenta tian while my husband had a burger.

On the last night, we ate in Little Italy. Sadly, the neighborhood seems to be disapearing, but I guess it's natural. We didn't get any pictures, but I'd highly recommend the family-run, everything homemade restaurant we tried, Marinella. In a slightly over-the-top way, our server kept referring to his mom and brother in the kitchen. But still!

Finally, Toronto has great coffee. It seemed like every shop we tried had a good cup. We mostly got our fix from Second Cup, but there's a super cool coffee shop in the Distillery District called Balzac's.

So, whether your a foodie or just like food, there are a ton of options in Toronto—just make sure to try a wide range of offerings!

The Toronto Series: Hotels

2011-05-01T12:20:00.008-06:00

I recently traveled to Toronto for work—and extended the trip a full week to explore the area. Since I had never been to Canada before, it was an opportunity for me to visit a thriving major city, as well as travel to a new country (and get a stamp on my new passport!). This series of blogs is devoted to the places I went while there and my impressions of them, starting with hotels.

Because it was an extended work trip, I had the chance to try out two hotels. The first was the Fairmont Royal York. This historic hotel was built in the booming railroad days of the early twentieth century. This is just my thing. In fact, the Canada tourism bureau determined I was a "cultural explorer". With an elegant facade, a bar that looks like a rail car, and a "library" bar, it definitely charmed me.

Okay, it doesn't look that chic with the scaffolding out front—but still.

Here's the view from the second story onto the lobby.

The British royalty seem to frequent the Royal York, judging by the photos on the second-floor gallery.

Here's Jared in the York Station Bar. It's very tiny and cute, with a model train that runs around the ceiling.

We then moved to the decidedly less storied Courtyard Marriot Downtown Toronto. It was so quotidien, I didn't even think of taking a picture. However, if you click on the link above, you can find photos on their website. I will say, it was extremely conveniently located next to a major subway stop, between Little Italy and the university campus, with a nice high-end shopping and museum neighborhood a little to the north and the business and harbor district to the south. The accomodations are exactly what you would think they would be, except that contruction was going on here as well, which was kind of ugly and distracting. It seems like the whole city is under (re-)construction.

Finally, even though we didn't stay at the Gladstone Hotel, Daily Candy did, and we went for dinner and a show. Truth be told, we only stayed for sound check—and when the band started eating hamburgers at 9 pm, we left.

We ate yummy, healthy dinners in the cafe (pictured above), which I'll blog about later.

And we poked around the ground floor. They have a cool, old elevator, but it's mostly renovated with lovely wood everywhere.

It's also a boutique hotel, and they feature unique art (like these bulbs) throughout the space, but especially in the rooms, which we unfortunately didn't see. Note that Qween Street West, where this hotel is located, is fairly far from the downtown area.

All of these hotels were nice, but for really different reasons. If you know why you're going to Toronto, and what kind of traveler you are, you'll be able to pick a hotel that's right for you.

Keep checking back for more on my Toronto trip!

The Satchel

2011-04-29T11:42:00.003-06:00

Daily Candy says that "anyone who considers herself a bit of a vagabond, a tried-and-true leather satchel is integral," and I buy it. Their "everywhere" weekend edition spotlighted The Madly, who make leather bags with vintage appeal. Each brown overnighter has a dinstinct shape and detailing, including embroidery, and is named after a famous writer. Now, finding a real vintage version would be even better. You can try Etsy for that. With a scuffed-up, writerly bag in tow, I will really be ready for my much-coveted road trip to Moab or Steamboat Springs or Flagstaff. Sigh.

Summer Festivals

2011-04-25T12:53:00.003-06:00

As I mentioned in my previous post about the Frozen Dead Guy Days, I am a huge fan of festivals, from street fairs to state fairs, and I recently wrote a blog for Westword.com outlining Denver's choiciest ones this summer.

Memorial Day weekend is just around the corner, which kicks off the summer festival season. From sweaty outdoor concerts to snooty art crawls, here are the good, bad and ugly of the Metro-area's most popular community celebrations.

Click here to read more.

10 Things I Didn't Know about My Neighbors to the North

2011-04-22T10:59:00.005-06:00

I may be ignorant, but there were several things I didn't know about the culture and politics of Canada until my recent trip there. Here's a list of the top ten, which launches off my series of blogs about Ontario:

1.) You have to pay for plastic bags in stores. I knew this was done in Europe, but I didn't know that about Canada. Personally, I love it. There are too many plastic bags in the world as it is.
2.) You can recycle almost anything. Again, this is right up my alley. In some places, you can even recycle organic material (aka lunch leftovers or half-finished cups of coffee). So cool!
3.) It's a Constitutional Monarchy. How did I not know that Queen Elizabeth is also the Queen of Canada?
4.) Due to the nature of the parliamentary system, if the Prime Minister doesn't have a simple majority, he can be ousted by the House of Commons (well, it's more complicated than that; the parliament defeats the goverment in a motion of confidence and another general election is called and the leader of the party with the most seats becomes the new Prime Minister).
5.) This is happening to Prime Minister Stephen Howard right now. Elections are set for early May.
6.) Canada didn't become a united country until 1867, and Newfoundland didn't join the confederation until 1949!
7.) They love ice cream! Even when it's literally freezing outside! Okay, I only have anecdotal proof of this, but I saw dozens of people walking around Toronto with cones in hand, even though it was zero degrees out.
8.) As a follow-up to the previous point, Canadians seem extremely proud of their resilience to the cold. I saw a commerical that boasted, "A Canadian would never suggest postponing an event on account of the weather." Well, you're stronger than me.
9.) The women love leggings! Again, anectdotal, and I'm from Denver where we are not the most fashion conscious, but I have never seen so many pairs of printed leggings worn with crop tops that revealed the entire lower body from waist to ankles. I'm not judging, just noticing.
10.) Toronto (and apparently Vancouver) is incredibly diverse. There is a Polish neighborhood, a Chinatown, a Greek neighborhood, a little Italy, a South Asian hood, and more! It's pretty awesome.

I loved my trip to Canada and can't wait to visit the West Coast. Stay tuned for more on the food, fashion, museums, and parks of Ontario!

Frozen Dead Guy Days

2011-04-14T21:27:00.007-06:00

I am a huge fan of festivals, even thought they are crowded, unhygienic, and mostly indistinguishable. Because of its unique theme, I've always wanted to go to Nederland's Frozen Dead Guy Days. Yep, you heard me.

Here's the story: A big believer in cryogenics, Norwegian Bredo Morstoel was packed in dry ice upon death and shipped to a cryonics facility in California, where he was placed in liquid nitrogen for almost four years. Then, he was moved to Colorado to stay with his daughter Aud Morstoel and his grandson Trygve Bauge. He "lived" in a cold shed there for years until his grandson Trygve was deported due to an expired visa. Bredo’s daughter Aud volunteered to take care of icing her father, but Aud was soon evicted also needed to head back to Norway. Before departing, she spoke to a local reporter, and with the help of the Nederland city council, Bredo and his shed became a strange mix of a shrine, a tourist trap, and a public park. Now someone is tasked with ensuring the body remains at -60 F.

Now, the Frozen Dead Guy Days are really just a festival to celebrate all things Nederland. Bluegrass music is played, microbrews, and drunk, tie-dye is worn, and a good time is had by all (hippies).

We should have gone on Saturday, when they held the Polar Bear plunge and the Coffin Races. But we didn't. Lesson learned.

Here we are crossing a half-frozen river, trying to locate the festivities.

And here we are trying to blend in with the bluegrass-loving crowd.

I think Jared looks like he fits in.

My favorite part of the afternoon could have been this dog. (He thinks he can drive, silly guy!)

Actually, the best part was probably this carousel. It was made entirely by one man out of wood. I didn't get pictures of the animals, but they were beautiful works of art!

As you can see, I was getting into the spirit of things. Totally psychedelic man!

Jokes aside, I like Nederland. It's a cute mountain town with a unique flavor.

And it boasts a dead guy in a shed!

Springtime = Happy Hour

2011-04-09T10:42:00.012-06:00

One foolproof way to know if spring has come is whether I want to go to happy hour. Forget groundhogs, crocus, or any of that earthy stuff. If I pop out of my house or office and sprout up at a rooftop bar or a patio, you can be sure that spring has sprung.

When it comes to happy hour spots, I prefer those that recall holidays of years past ... or future. Give me strung lights, courtyards, color, or any of these dainties, and I am content. In such spots, it's important to have a festive concoction to maximize the atmosphere.

The latest Denver Diatribe breaks down the best patios in Denver, so if you're a resident of the Mile-High City, you should definitely take a listen. Full disclosure, Jared, one of the hosts, is my husband. In the first part they discuss Denver's best-of lists, which is a funny and helpful little break-down. If you're just looking for patio recommendations, skip to about minute 17. Kazia, a Denverite with a taste for international travel and food, gave some really great suggestions. Here's a link to her blog.
My friends and I tested out The Lobby last night, which was mentioned in a comment on the Diatribe's Facebook page, not in the actual podcast. Tucked within a sprawling, white-walled courtyard, it definitely had the international flavor I adore. The happy hour food and drinks are priced well and they were good ... but not great. Still, I loved the ambiance and will definitely return.

These pictures were taken by my good friend Courtney, of My So-Called Denver. Here's Jared enjoying the happy-hour patio scene. He was the only male among four women.

And here's the exterior. Pretty, no?

Happy Spring!

Vicarious Travel Tip #1,300,433

2011-04-06T12:23:00.004-06:00

Okay, this is for those who are truly desparate for a mental vacation (which I always am). Did you know you can choose a Yahoo homepage for almost 50 countries? Just follow this link, or click on Yahoo International at the bottom of Yahoo.com. I just switched to Yahoo France, so now all my trusty sports, celebrity, and miscellaneous news (you know, a video of a kitten who actually mews "Love me!" or something to that effect) is in French. Now, it seems to be all the same information I normally get, just in French, so if anyone knows of better websites to get news and culture information about another country—in that country's language—let us know!

Guest Blogger: Ann Everhart

2011-03-28T09:33:00.008-06:00

Ann Everhart is an editor and writer who recently returned from a volunteer trip to a farm in Nicaragua, during which time she traveled around south-eastern Nicaragua. If you want to find out more about the farm she volunteered at, Project Bona Fide, click here.

Simple Happiness

Immersing oneself in another culture should be a requirement in life. It’s good for the soul, which in turn is good for your own society. You are humbled and vulnerable. Your armor chips away. You welcome, absorb, and then transport home many fresh cultural values and perspectives. You remember. You’ve grown. You are at peace. Everybody wins.

I spent just two weeks in Nicaragua. If I had my way, I would’ve spent much, much longer there. But the forceful tug on my collar guides me back to a full-time office job, and U.S. values.

I learned about improvisation. I watched as families rode by on a single bicycle and noticed rooftops being held down by heavy-enough things, like small rocks and broken bicycles. I observed mother and daughter, or father and grandfather, sister and brother sitting side-by-side in simple wooden chairs at the entrance of a wall-less house. They were so serene. Silently watching and waiting for nothing, together, as most natural creatures do. Once I saw one expression of the culture, I’d see it again and again, and I’d become in love with it. I began to slow down. I went from increasing impatience as I waited always over an hour for my food to be ready at a restaurant to smiling as I wait, relaxed, and feeling connected to those around me. I began to appreciate the peace, and the time to sit still.

I thought Granada was beautiful. It was the first place we went to—straight from Managua. Colorful, historic, celebrated. But after a couple days there, I got on my first “chicken bus,” which you can bring your chickens on, if you want to. I started realizing that Granada has a lot of tourist dollars, keeping it attractive and alive, but for the most part, it’s already made the turn from being completely authentic. Chicken buses are the very old U.S. school buses that fit two kids per seat. They use them in Nicaragua to travel, or just to go to a market. For about 50 cents you can travel about 150 miles. But count on sharing your personal space, and with more than one. Everyone is everywhere. Sitting on the seats, sitting in laps, standing in the aisle, more on laps of those on laps.... I shared my seat with three very grown women. As we struggled to communicate, I realized how fortunate I was to be in that moment.

Another kind of “bus” I took was from San Juan Del Sur to the beautiful beaches north and south. The bus was a pick-up truck with benches on it. The great thing about these rides was that you get to ride on a little dirt road through villages of improvised, creative housing and catch quick glimpses of families and their tranquil lives. I opened my eyes just enough to relax into receiving these brilliant and peaceful sights.

Ometepe is a volcanic island in the middle of Lake Nicaragua. That it takes some effort to get there helps the island remain authentic and bona fide. This was my favorite place. Children run free and everyone feels safe. Women are in colorful clothing, smiling, sitting. There seems to be no organization, but everyone’s heart beats together, so it works. Hogs, dogs, kittens, and chickens are making their respective calls out loud.

The farm we volunteered at is on the west side of the island—with the smaller volcano. It’s a fairly steep climb to the main part of the farm. We were welcomed by a community of gracious smiles and warm, dirt-stained handshakes. As we introduced ourselves, I noticed we were in the kitchen, but still outside. All of the volunteers live in tents or under a canopy on the land. All of the food they eat has been grown there. They live outside and sustain themselves with everything they’ve grown or built right there on the land. They preserve indigenous agriculture in a country that sustains ancient culture. There is such wisdom that is noticeably present, attributable to this preservation and improvisation.

I already miss the rawness of Nicaragua. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles that the United States has, and I think that’s a beautiful thing. It’s a strong reminder of what matters—family, food, and simple happiness.

Colorado's Best Dog-Friendly Hotels

2011-03-22T16:15:00.003-06:00

I just wrote a blog for Westword.com on Colorado's best dog-friendly hotels, my first "published" article in about ten years! Click here to read it if you live in Colorado and have dogs, want to visit Colorado and have dogs, or just want to read about cool hotels in Colorado ... or just because you're excited for me.

Why I Love Travel: Part 3

2011-03-12T20:02:00.008-07:00

Part 3 of Why I Love Travel is dedicated to my grandmother, who was an incredibly unique and wonderful person. Her name was Elisabeth Vanrenen, but we all called her Zizza. Apparently one of the grandchildren couldn't say "Elisabeth" and I don't think she wanted to be called "grandma." As is often repeated in my family, Zizza not just visited but lived on four continents.

She was raised in England, the daughter of a Scottish minister, and had four sisters and a brother. She married Walter Vanrenen and moved to India, where his family ran a horse-breeding farm.

Here she is with one of her children in India, probably my aunt Valerie. Wasn't she pretty?

Later, they moved to Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, and lived there for several years. The situation was fraught with complications because of colonialism and post-colonialism, but if you can set that aside, it must have been an incredible adventure for her. That isn't my grandma, but a great aunt; she might be taking the picture.

Later, they moved to Tuxedo Park, New York, where she became very involved with a spiritual group. She meditated every day of her life and was a very calm and centered person. When my dad and uncle went to University of Colorado at Boulder, she and my grandfather moved again, following their sons across the U.S.

She remained a world traveler well into her senior years. When we lived in Egypt, she came to visit us, and she went to England fairly regularly to see family.

Here she is again in Boulder, Colorado. In this picture, we were getting coffee on the Pearl Street Mall.

The three most important things she taught me were to try and be mindful, to have adventures, and to laugh.

Why I Love Travel: Part 2

2011-03-04T08:19:00.013-07:00

I grew up traveling, so it's probably no surprise that I jumped at every opportunity to ramble throughout my teens and twenties. These trips were definitely more formative than my earliest ones because they helped shape my personality.

My first international trip sans parents was at the end of eighth grade. I went on a chaperoned tour through Europe with a group of kids from my middle school in celebrateion of graduation.

The song of this post is "Perfect Blue Building" by Counting Crows since I listened to August and Everything After nonstop during that middle-school trip. I remember staring out the window of the tour bus, barreling down the highway from one town to the next, and it all being very poingnant.

Here we are in Spain. We saw a bull fight, which I had mixed feelings about. In Barcelona, we visitied Miro's ceramic wall, and in Madrid we giggled over his oversize scuptures that lined the streets.

And here we are in Greece. Later we took a cruise to a couple Greek islands, stopping for lunch in Istanbul, where we encountered a toilet paper tree. For only one American dollar, we could procure a square of toilet paper, tie it around a branch of the tree, and make a wish. No joke.

My senior year, I followed a bunch of kids to Mexico. They weren't my bestest friends, but the trip sounded fun, and it was. We danced in a little club and got smothered in that foam that seems to only exist in clubs in Mexico. We went para-sailing and cliff diving and we took a boat ride. I met a nice Mexican boy who held my hand in downtown Puerto Vallerta.

I decided to spend my junior year of college abroad and picked France because I had been studied French. Paris only had a one semester option, and I wanted to stay a full year, so I picked Rennes. Here I am just arriving in Paris.

I have so many pictures of this time, but one memorable trip was when I took the train from Rennes to Paris to meet up with my friend Kelly who was studying in Spain. We had a great time haunting Pere Lachaise, seeing a play, and ogling museums and English-language bookstores.

We took a lot of tours through Brittany. This is in Saint-Malo, a little walled town in Brittany on the sea. I'm standing on Rue de Bes!

These pictures make me nostalgic, and I can't wait to be able to go on another international trip.

Why I Love Travel: Part 1

2011-02-25T21:55:00.004-07:00

Is it nature or nuture—the force that makes us who we are? Like most people, I would say both. My dad's family all has the travel bug, from his grandparents, who moved from South Africa to India at the end of the 20th century to my cousins, who have all spent time in Europe, Asia, and/or South America. So maybe it's in the blood of the Vanrenen-Ronalds.

On the other hand, I grew up with a passport in hand, so it's something I learned to appreciate. Part 1 of Why I Love Travel is dedicated to some of the places I visited or lived in as a child. Be prepared to see embarrassing pictures of my in bowl-cuts and sans diapers.

We spent a lot of time in Mexico when I was little. It wasn't a far trip from Colorado. For some reason, I'm not wearing any diapers in this picture. I know, I'm shocked too! We went back to Mexico when I was about 12 or 13, except that time we went to the Yucatán Peninsula (and also to Cuba, but more on that later).

My brother and sister are a little older than I am and spent some time fishing while we were there.

A few years later, my dad's company asked him to move to Egypt to build a hospital. He jumped at the chance, so he moved us all to the town of Maadi, just outside of Cairo. I think we've all been especially interested in the events in Egypt because of our connection there. My brother and I went to Cairo American College. I was so little I don't remember much. I still get occasional dreamlike flashes of the places we traveled to, but sadly one of the strongest memories I have is of the makeshift candy stands that were put up on street corners. Also, apparently I held a pound puppy or cabbage-patch doll throughout most of this era.

We visited the pyramids of course. I do recall our guide eying my stuffed animals and telling me about his son who didn't have any toys. Of course I gave him one of mine at the end of the tour. He wasn't very subtle.

Because we were relatively close to Europe and Asia, we took trips to a lot of different places during the two years we lived in Egypt. Once we rented a car and drove through Europe. Here were are in France. Little did I know I would become a Francophile and revisit France as a college student and then again after college.

We also lived in Cyprus, a little island in the Mediterranean, for a few months in the summer. I mainly remember playing Wonder Boy, a video game about a cave man, in an arcade with my brother. It was awesome.

We also went to England. I actually remember this day really well. We took a hike, and my dad pointed out mustard leaves, which I tentatively munched on. I was extremely impressed that my dad knew they were edible. We also popped our head into a pub that boasted a dart board, but I can't remember why.

Later that trip or during another, we went to London. We went to a family reunion, which was great fun. We also saw Annie Get Your Gun and visited a huge and amazing toy store, where I wasn't able to convince my parents to buy me a life-size stuffed lion.

Finally, we drove to Israel a few times. We stopped in a resort town called Elat and stayed at a hotel on the beach and ate flan. Later, we temporarily lost my brother in Jerusalem, where we visited all sorts of mosques and temples.

Yes, my parents made me suffer through bad haircuts and even worse hygiene practices, but they certainly introduced me to a lot of cool places and instilled in me a love of adventure and a respect for other cultures.

Arctic Dogs

2011-02-20T16:20:00.009-07:00

Our furnace broke today, so we had to put this panda hat on our dogs.

Denver Zoo

2011-02-20T12:16:00.010-07:00

Yesterday, my husband, step-daughter, and I went to the Denver Zoo. It was a free day, sponsored by the City of Denver Scientific and Cultural District, and it was literally and figuratively a zoo. We got there at 10:30 and parked at City Park, which helped minimize traffic and parking stress.

It was a B-U-T-ful day (no, not "butt-full"), and it really felt like spring was just around the corner. Somehow we decided to try to figure out our spirit animals while there. Yes, we're very dorky.

We went straight to the dik-diks because we are obsessed with them. The dik-diks are like miniature deer. Do you see them lying down among the rocks?

We'd sort of already decided my spirit animal was the giraffe. But later we saw a gerenuk (like a small giraffe or a gazelle) and decided that was actually my spirit animal. Look how wobbly and delicate these giraffes are though. And my step-daughter decided her spirit animal was an elephant shrew, a funny, tiny primate, but we didn't get a picture.

My husband declared his spirit animal to be the gibbon. They were having so much fun climbing around and hanging upside down.

I liked watching the seals laying in the sun and gliding through the water.

Plus, I had a bonding moment with this tiger. It may just have wanted to eat me. I actually hope they weren't feeling overwhelmed with so many visitors.

So sleek!

The lion was taking a nap when a hyena encroached on his space, so we got to hear him roar. Some little kid started crying.

Finally, we stood in line to go into a room with all sorts of colorful birds. You can buy feed, but we just walked around and admired them.

It was so nice, we got soft-serve ice cream, and I made my step-daughter pretend like our ice creams were kissing. I think she was embarrassed.

I love the Denver free days, even if they can get kind of crazy.

How the Choices You Make Make Your Life

2011-02-09T13:04:00.006-07:00

Do you ever stare down the length of some path you never followed but always wanted to and feel a pang of wistfulness? When I read other travel bloggers' posts, I sometimes think about how firmly rooted I am in Colorado. Teaching in Thailand, volunteering in India, and backpacking across South America aren't adventures I've ever had, nor are they likely to be in the near future. I don't mean this in a resigned way. I have made choices and life has played out the way it will, and the two forces together—fate and free will, if you like—have taken me to a very specific point.

For instance, I've always loved words and the stories they create. When I was in high school and college, I would dream of all kinds of futures for myself involving writing. Before I knew much about all the careers options available to people who are interested in the English language, I thought I wanted to be a journalist or a novelist. In college, I imagined becoming a professor of English literature, and in graduate school, I finally landed on acquisitions editing as a profession. I remember the distinct moments in time where the endless options before me narrowed into a slimmer set, and an ever slimmer set, and an even slimmer set.

It makes me also think of different guys I've known over the years and who have been special to me. As much as I love my husband and know that he's the perfect match for me, I sometimes feel a little nostalgic. At one time, I must have imagined some kind of future with each of them; if I hadn't, why be with them at all? But when you choose your life partner, you are effectively closing all other doors.

I imagine an intricate series of interconnected boxes, like a complicated computer program, an upside-down family tree, or a choose-your-own-adventure story. As you go through life, you must travel to and through these boxes. In the beginning, there are a seemingly infinite number of boxes before you. But once you make a decision, the number of options available to you becomes slimmer. Or, when you don’t get something you want, again, the line of boxes before you is narrower. Now, you may end up arriving at one of your coveted boxes at a different point in life than you first imagined. For instance, you could end up retiring from medicine and then finally write the novel you always dreamed of. But you just can’t experience everything life has to offer. There are not really an infinite number of boxes before each of us!

Maybe this is just a reminder to always keep your biggest dreams, the ones that get your heart fluttering, close by, like in your nightstand or back pocket. Because you never know when life will shift a little to the left and suddenly one of those boxes will lie before you.

I think it’s also a reminder to life your life fully ... and to appreciate all you do have.

Pummelo

2011-02-05T13:53:00.005-07:00

Last weekend, my step-daughter and stopped by Truong An Gifts in West Denver to get, well, rocks of all things. I had seen some there and wanted to make a little centerpiece with them. Anyway, we were surprised at how busy it was. I'd never seen the store so hopping. When we randomly ran into some friends, we realized that people were stocking up for Chinese New Year celebrations. Not wanting to leave without a little something festive, we bought a large citrus fruit they were selling by the hundreds. The sticker said it was a pummelo and an Internet search told me it is like a large grapefruit without any of the bitterness.

When we were checking out, the clerk asked if I knew how to eat them. I must have looked dazed or something. I said no, so he told me you cut a star-shape on the top about an inch thick when the pummelo is very yellow. Then you peel back the rind and eat it like a grapefruit or orange. He also told us the rind is supposed to be good for your hair so some people put it on their head. He could have been messing with us, but we were intrigued.

We ate our pummelo this morning. My husband did the honors.... It was delicious.

And my step-daughter put it on her head, declaring that now all her dreams in life had come true.

Happy Year of the Rabbit!

Estes Park, Colorado: The Stanley Hotel, the YMCA, and Taffy

2011-02-01T16:16:00.009-07:00

The other day my husband, step-daughter, and I decided to take a day trip to Estes Park, about a two-hour drive from Denver. We've been there more than a few times so we didn't make any specific plans. But as we were driving into Estes, I suggested we visit the Stanley Hotel, since I'd never been. It's supposed to be haunted, but more on that later.

A pack (tribe? herd?) of mule deer greeted us at the edge of town. We drove closer and parked and were able to walk right past them.

We headed straight to the Stanley. All I knew about it was that it was historic and the inspiration for The Shining. It's pretty striking from the front and the views are gorgeous. But I immediately felt a creepy vibe.

Here's a room dedicated to Stephen King memorabilia and the ghosts of the hotel. The Billiards Room, the Music Room, the bar, and several rooms are supposed to be haunted by Mr. Stanley and his wife. Click here to read about the sitings.

I think there might be something to it. Even the stairs look ghostly.

Properly scared, we decided to have our picnic lunch at the nearby YMCA camp, which both my husband and I took elementary school retreats to. YMCA!

I don't know for sure, but I think there were trying to be ironic with this sign.

This is where we dined. My stepdaughter became pretty obsessed with the idea of sleep-away camp.

After lunch, we strolled around the downtown area. If you've seen one tourist shop, you've seem them all, but I did like this walkway and water mill.

And this belt-buckle shop.

Word to the wise, only buy salt-water taffy if you know it's homemade or home-spun or what-have-you. We didn't and were severely let down. But overall, it made for a great day trip.

Poncho Day!

2011-01-29T12:34:00.004-07:00

So, I recently purchased this poncho from Forever 21. I saw some in InStyle and thought they were really cute, in a Seventies, global-fashion inspired way. This particular one was only $4 on sale, which is about as much as I would pay for such an impractical article of clothing. I can't actually wear it in cold weather because a coat won't fit over it. Plus I don't really have the full use of my arms when wearing it. But, it makes me feel like a Central American cowgirl from the 19th century, which makes it all worth it. And today is freakily warm for January in Colorado so I'm sporting it.

2011 Top Ten Travel List

2011-01-24T13:34:00.005-07:00

So I thought this list was interesting and figured some of you might too. It's the "Luxe Report" from Virtuoso (a travel agency), or their guess at the most popular U.S. destinations in 2011. I was intrigued because I was supposed to go to Orlando for work this month (but did go last year) and it's my secret wish to rent a car next time I'm there and drive to Miami. Bienvenido a Miami! I'm also going to Las Vegas for work next month, and my husband and I are attending a wedding in San Francisco this summer. Plus, we just went to Kaua'i and I'm hoping to visit the Big Island and Maui in the near future.

Then I thought more about the list. It's the spots Virtuoso thinks will be the most popular, not the best, and a lot of those visiters could be there on business, like me. Plus, I have no idea how they compiled the list. However, it did inspire me to plan one somewhat glamorous thing to do in Vegas. I'll think about it and fill you all in. A pedicure ... a fancy solo dinner ... a show ... a blackjack lesson? Hmmmm....

Vicarious Travel Tip #7890

2011-01-21T12:11:00.003-07:00

Once you know what country you want to go to, visit a large, preferably independent bookstore. I say that because I've noticed they have a larger selection of periodicals. You should probably be wearing some item of clothing or jewelry from said country, such as a beret, something with fringe, or bangles. (The fringe is if you want to visit the Land of the Eighties. Actually I don't know why I think of that as "foreign.") Then simply peruse the foreign-language magazine section and pick out a rag from the country of your choosing. If you like fashion, home decor, architecture, food, or lifestyle issues, you can usually find a foreign-language magazine devoted to that topic. You'd probably be able to replicate this activity from home using the Internet, except there'd be no real need to sport your beret. If you have a conversation club, the bookstore might just give you outdated mags to fuel your fire. I got the latter part of this idea from a person in a French conversation class, but you should probably only do it if you're actually part of a conversation group, otherwise it's a little unethical (but I won't tell anyone).

Restaurant Review: Ondo's

2011-01-09T11:36:00.007-07:00

My husband, brother-in-law, step-daughter, and I recently tried a new Spanish-style restaurant in Denver called Ondo's. Actually, it was on New Year's Eve, so you can see how wild and crazy of a night I had. After dinner, Iron Man 2 was in store for me, and I was able to make it to bed well before midnight. Woo hoo!

Anyway, Ondo's recently made 5280 Magazine's best-restaurants-of-2010 list, and I love tapas, so I thought it was well worth a shot. The decor is pretty simple, maybe too basic. Here's a picture from their website. It doesn't seem quite so ... designed once you're in there, but it's still a pleasant environment.

But see how plain the wall is behind us? Or, maybe it's our gorgeous faces that outshine the decor. Ha, ha.

The little plates were really yummy. They were rich but not too rich, and I was definitely full after sharing about six among four of us. We had shrimp, paella, and many other delectable dishes. Sorry for the gross, half-eaten shots, but I never think of getting food-shots fast enough. My husband is a very fast eater!

And even though I was full, I was able to share a dessert of warm bread pudding with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. Mmmmmm.

If you want to read a review by someone who knows way more about palettes and ambiance and whatnot than I do, click here. Overall, it was a fun night out, and I got to try to pronounce menu items with a Spanish accent. By the way, that's a plus for me and a minus for the people with me.

Ramblin' Bess's Bucket List!

2011-01-06T12:48:00.006-07:00

In the January issue of Vogue, Anna Wintour wrote that she doesn't do resolutions; instead, she provided a list of the ten things she was looking forward to in 2011. I thought that was kind of cool. Rather than bemoaning yourself and your life, why not look ahead to all the amazing things to come?

My version of this is a "bucket list," which I've seen on several other travel bloggers' sites, including Connie at Convoyage and Andi at My Beautiful Adventures. (Thanks for the idea, ladies.)

So here goes (in no particular order):

Get a novel published

Get an article published in a travel magazine

Get a nonfiction book published ✔

Travel around East Asia

Visit all 50 states

Go to South America

Go to Morocco

Go to Australia

Go to Tahiti

Go to Cuba ✔

Go to Ireland, Germany, Austria, and Romania

Go to France, England, Spain, Italy, Greece, and Turkey ✔

Learn French ✔

Learn Spanish

Learn Italian

Learn basic Arabic

Learn basic Chinese

See the pyramids ✔

Live in France ✔

Spend a summer in France

Get an MFA in Creative Writing

Get an MA in English Lit ✔

Go on a volunteer trip abroad

Take a hot-air balloon ride

Go cliff diving ✔

Go parasailing ✔

Swim with manatees ✔

Okay, some disclaimers: I have my whole life to have these adventures, and I'm sure I'll change them as I learn more about all the amazing things our globe has to offer. I also checked some things off that I've already done but think are kind of cool.

P.P.S. I also wrote regular resolutions because I'm a dork and can't help myself.

Hiking in a Snowstorm

2011-01-02T10:15:00.010-07:00

Since I took a few days off last week and had a lot of free time, I got my heart set on trying out snowshoeing. I asked my outdoorsy friend where I should go (thanks CAT!) and then figured out where to rent the shoes. But the day we planned on going was also the only day it was due to snow the whole month of December. Awesome. However, skiing in the snow is nice, so wouldn't snowshoeing be too?

I never found out because the snowstorm came in with a vengeance just as we were going to leave. Somewhat disappointed, I picked out a hiking trail that I hadn't tried out yet and loaded the dogs into the car. About five minutes into our trip, my husband informed me that the roads were really slippery, which was confirmed by the three or four accidents we saw on Interstate-70.

We ended up at little park in Golden called Clear Creek. There's a playground and lake at the base, then an RV park, and then a little trail that ends at the foothills. Not exactly the Great Outdoors experience I was looking for but fun no less.

The dogs had a good time anyway. The hike and the falling snow combined to equal very frisky creatures.

I guess I was feeling a little playful too because I decided to make a snow angel, which resulted in my dogs trying to pounce on me.

Next time we'll really go snowshoeing, so look for that post in the near future, assuming the weather gods smile on me.

Guest Blogger: My So-Called Denver

2010-12-29T08:11:00.003-07:00

My friend and fellow blogger Courtney spent Christmas in Mexico. Click here to read about her lovely little trip.

And also click here to read a NY Times article about travel in Mexico.

The Christmas Beagle

2010-12-27T22:51:00.003-07:00

Inspired by another blogger, and of course my beagle's antics, I had to post this picture. A beagle can dream, can't he?

Christmas Memories

2010-12-25T15:58:00.007-07:00

As Christmas was approaching this year, I started thinking back to the year I spent this winter holiday in France. I was studying abroad and living with a French family. I'm pretty introverted, so it was a little difficult for me to settle into their family life. But I really enjoyed the Christmas I spent with them. My good friend from the program had been left alone by her host mom, so my clan invited her over. I found my journal entries from that time, and what's interesting is that I was just as enamored with my own Winter Solstice celebration as I was with the religious festivities. I know a lot of people will roll their eyes at this, but while I consider myself a spiritual person, I find it hard to immerse myself in organized religion. You can also see some homesickness creeping in. Here are some diaries entries from that time:

12/22/99
I got a tattoo today of a Chinese character that translate to "to be alive"/"vivre". Today is also, and I didn't know it at the time, the Winter Solstice. I looked so hard to find the right symbol, then just before I was due to get it, I found the perfect one. I'm not entirely content with the artwork, but that can be fixed, and everything else was perfect. After I got home, I looked up on the Internet how to celebrate the day.... I played classical music, lit candles, meditated, and laid out the holly Michael gave me on our walk in the forest.... Tomorrow I'm going to try to catch the sunrise and go for another walk.

12/25/99

It's Christmas again, but it doesn't feel like it. It never does. Last night was great. Laura came over to spend Christmas Eve with us. We made cookies, wrapped presents, got dressed up, drank Champagne, ate so much caviar and fois gras and huîtres; we went to Midnight Mass and then opened presents after.

But today has been a little hard. I feel so far away from my family and friends, and it's not just the distance. Sometimes I feel like I can't talk to anyone from home anymore. I try, but I really shouldn't bother. Josh sent me these amazing books and it just made me sad. I thought maybe I do love with him after all and should tell him that. But then we talk on the phone and I just can't do it, and I don't know why.

What December Looks Like...

2010-12-23T14:36:00.019-07:00

...in my Part of the World

Here's Highland's Square, a little shopping district tucked into Northwest Denver.

And here are some houses decorated with lights. You see brick ranches, Tudors, and bungalows, and a few Denver squares.

Here's my little ranch. We didn't do too much with decorations.

But I did get a wreath this year.

This is a pizza place at 32nd and Zuni.

And this is Little Man Ice Cream. It looks like a big, old-fashioned milk container. They sell hot chocolate and soup in the winter.

And here's the nearby cathedral where we went to on Christmas Eve. I'm not super religious, but I like to go to church sometimes, and this one is beautiful inside and out. The color scheme was all oranges and pale blues and greens, maybe mimicking the tones of the Southwest desert, but otherwise the murals and artwork looked very European.

We visited my parents' in Boulder on Christmas morning. Here is a view of the mountains from South Boulder.

Then we strolled through Pearl Street Mall.

If you post Holiday Season pictures from your corner of the world, be sure to let me know!

Orlando

2010-12-16T19:02:00.011-07:00

Finding myself in the epicenter of Colorado's cold, dry winter, I figure a post on my recent trip to Orlando is apropos. I had to travel to Florida for work, and while I usually travel alone, this time two coworkers were going there too—and staying in the same hotel as I was.

Like I've mentioned before, when I travel for work, I always try to fit in one or two activities to make the trip feel more like a little vacation. In Orlando, this ritual becomes a little difficult because you need a car to get anywhere of interest. Plus, I'm not a Disney-Sea World kind of person. But what I came to realize about Orlando is that the hotel, the pool, and the weather are the be all and end all of the trip. While I couldn't sit by poolside for days on end, I certainly can for two or three evenings in a row.

We were lucky enough to stay in a really nice hotel, the JW Marriott, which is attached to the Ritz Carlton. It was discounted for conference attendees. Here is the lovely view from my window.

And here's the pool—or part of it. There's also a lazy river around the hotel grounds, which I'm sorry to say I missed out on.

And the lake behind the pool at sunset.

It was really nice to have a cold beer on the patio with my coworkers after another long day.

Ornaments from around the World: 2010

2010-12-12T10:18:00.017-07:00

As we were decorating our Christmas tree this year, I noticed that I've collected a good handful of ornaments that were made in or evoke different places around the world. I guess that's natural, since I'm attracted to all things travel-oriented. After poking around on the internet, I found a bunch of other pretty tree trimmings from all over.

I got these when I was in graduate school to decorate my little single-girl tree. They are Mexican tin art ornaments.

I picked up these ornaments at a craft fair in Hawaii, pineapples and ukuleles.

These angel ornaments are ubiquitous in Hawaii. My husband and I found a beautiful one while we were taking a walk on the beach, but we left it with my in-laws.

I found these ornaments at Potterybarn.com. They are meant to recall 12th-century Christmas trees in Germany, the first decorated trees apparently.

This next set came from worldmarket.com. I think the French grouping is adorable, and I love the Eastern European design.

I found this last group at Ten Thousand Villages, a fair trade retail store with an online component. I love all of these. Wouldn't it be pretty to decorate an entire tree in bird ornaments?

This is supposed to be a good luck ornament made in Vietnam. To bedeck a tree, you could also pick a country you love and choose ornaments that evoke that culture.

Or you could pick colors, like white and orange or green and gold and adorn your tree in those hues.

This one is from Lima, Peru, and made from a gourd.

This last angel was made in Nepal from corn husk and silk.

I don't know about you, but now I'm ready to head out to some local shops, get some hot cocoa, and buy me some Christmas ornaments. I've only been acquiring my own for a few years now, so my collection has lots of room to grow.

Music Video of the Week

2010-12-05T11:58:00.010-07:00

I just designated this video as the audio-visual accompaniment to the previous post.

Fall Fashion

2010-11-30T17:55:00.008-07:00

Now that fall is almost over, I'm writing a little blog on the trends of autumn 2010.... Better late than never. And anyway here in Colorado we have to savor as many moments as possible from the fecund season between summer and winter.

But what, pray tell, does fashion have to do with travel? Well, I've been noticing a lot of magazine spreads and street trends that seem influenced by world fashion. These were the garments that I was most excited about. It's always potentially fetishistic to borrow fashions from other cultures, but at it's best, it shows an interest in the world outside your front door. The apparel below feel fresh and new to me. The layers, length, hats, and fur are also warm, which is highly practical in cold Colorado. And, these clothes are simply pretty! One thing I can't get enough of is faux fur. Ever since I spotted my first furry vest, I've been hooked.

In Vogue's October issue, they juxtaposed models and celebrities in attire influenced by cultures around the world. Here are a couple I liked.

These clothes look like they're influenced by traditional Siberian or Mongolian fashions, or basically that of any northern European/Asian country.

Actually, here's a picture of some tribal men that I spotted in a travel magazine.

So, as I mentioned, when I saw a shearling vest in a Piperlime ad, I felt like I had to have it. There were a few problems: I'm not a terribly trendy person, and I don't really want to wear fur or animal skins. I finally bought this vest, which is faux and the back is all knit. It basically looks like a regular sweater vest (!) from the back, so I don't feel too much like a fashion victim.

Another trend I immediately loved was hair feathers. Yes, that's right. In Denver, women have been attaching feathers to their hair, and I just thought it looked so pretty and cool. I think one of the things I like about it is how it's vaguely reminiscent of Native American attire. Again, it feels different and fun, sort of the way that traveling can make you see things in a new way. They will give you fly-fishing-feather extensions at the Aveda Academy in LoDo, so I had it done. Here I am with my feathers.

Guest Blogger: karascene

2010-11-30T12:39:00.002-07:00

India

Click here to link to my friend Kara's funny and very sensual (as in "engages the senses") post about her visit to Mumbai.