Denver, Colorado

Last weekend Daniel and I had a little getaway to Denver, Colorado.  We stayed just off of Sixteenth Street Mall.  This is what it looked like in the evenings.  It was pretty cold. Each night we would start out walking towards our restaurant and then resort to taking the shuttle or getting a ride from a bike carriage.

On our trip we met two very interesting people.  One was our taxi driver who took us from the airport to our hotel.  He was from Afghanistan and had moved to America when he was 18 years old in 1974.  Having read The Kite Runner, I was fascinated to meet someone who had a very similar background and time frame to the protagonist in the book.

 The other man I was mesmerized by was Claude, a fifty something black man who was shining shoes on the corner of 16th and Welton.  We stopped because my beautiful boots Daniel had given me for Christmas had a few scuffs on them.  I received a lecture about the importance of cleaning my shoes.  First, shoes are filthy and carry disease, and second, my shoes are made of skin.  It would be irresponsible for me to neglect this skin, let it dry out and crack, when it always took such good care of the animal is was on.

Throughout this learning/polishing session, Claude would look up to notice everyone who walked by.  Sometimes he'd comment on the people, "Are you a bumblebee?"  he'd say to a man passing by.  "Well, how did you get that honey?" referring to the woman at the man's side.  Sometimes Claude would comment on the shoes, "Nice shoes.. to one of you."  Daniel watched as two men carried on walking while looking down at their shoes and then at the other's.  "I think you might have just started a fight," he reported.  Daniel decided to wear his leather shoes the next day and go back to the same spot for a shoe shine.  I loved my time with Claude.  I love people who make me laugh and who are also serious about life.

Our favorite discoveries for food were Vesta Dipping Grill on 1822 Blake Street - Very cool and very delicious.

 Mixed baby heirloom lettuces, shaved butternut squash, ricotta, garden herb vinaigrette.  Garlic grilled scallops, fingerling potatoes, fennel-arugula salad, bacon aioli.  That was my appetizer and main dish.  Then a sliced caramel apple for dessert with a vanilla bean sauce for dipping.

And Snooze, an A.M. Eatery on 2262 Larimer Street

 - so cute and so yummy. 

 Upside down pineapple pancakes with cinnamon butter.  Sweet potato pancakes with pecans and caramel.  The list goes on and on.

Besides relaxing and exploring, the best part about a vacation is discovering the best food your destination has to offer.  Daniel often uses yelp.com to find recommendations.