I played “Tour Guide” last weekend and I think I was pretty terrible at it. I mean, I’ve been in Colorado for like five minutes so I’m no expert but at least we still had lots of fun overall.
When some of my closest friends booked a trip to visit me I was overjoyed to show them my new home and why I love Colorado as much as I do. I’ve explored as much as possible over the last 6 months and have received a lot of great recommendations from friends. If you’re visiting the area, you can use this as a mediocre guide!!!
The goals were to see the Greater Denver Area and experience some beautiful Colorado landscapes. So basically my plan was enough. It might not be an expert tour from a native, but this is a great starting point for seeing some touristy parts of of this colorful state over 4 days!
Where we went for views:
Boulder Flatirons. This was the first hike we went on/place we visited. It was pretty easy compared to some intense mountain hikes and shows a beautiful display of Colorado. Plus, everyone got to see their first share of mountain views on the drive to Boulder.
Red Rocks Amphitheatre. This isn’t a hike, per say, but we were able to head up the stairs to the concert venue for a cool view. It was something my best friend really wanted to do and it was a beautiful day outside for it!
Loveland Pass. It’s a legendary place for some high elevation photos even if it’s freezing, snowing, and cloudy. We stopped here on the way back from Keystone over in Dillon, CO!
Where we went for the holiday:
LoDo (Lower Downtown Denver). We spent St. Patrick’s Day celebrating downtown. I don’t remember most of the places we went to after the first bar (lol) but Tanner took us to Denver Beer Company to start off the holiday. If you need some pictures with a mural that says “Greetings From Denver” or want to try the IPA’s we have in the pictures, you’ve got to visit this place!
Also ate lots of green cotton candy. Sugar is my fave. Thanks, T.
Where we stayed:
A beautiful home in Parker, Colorado. Aka my house. It was free (obviously) and we stored groceries in the fridge to save money. This is not a suggestion to anyone visiting Denver but really a bit of life advice for any and all vacations you might go on.
Airbnb in Keystone. Summit County Mountain Retreats hosted a super cool Airbnb for us to stay in called Slopeside! We drove over to Keystone on Sunday to see the mountainy-side of Colorado. We didn’t plan to go skiing or anything, so a cute Airbnb was perfect for chilling on our last night together.
Where we ate:
Raising Cane’s. Obviously… my friends haven’t had the chance to eat Raising Cane’s in Louisiana or Texas, so I basically forced them to have it once they got here. All hail the Cane’s sauce.
Hapa Sushi Grill and Sake Bar. This place had modern vibes and BOMB food all around. We had apps, drinks, and a bunch of well-known sushi that our friends recommended us (I want to say the 69 roll was the favorite). My New York friends were also surprised how inexpensive the bill was for all of us!
9280 Tap House. We wanted a little mountain/resort town lunch at some point and we got it at 9280 Tap House in Keystone. The beer was still green from St. Patrick’s Day and we got to watch the snow falling (as well as the snowboarders/skiers falling) as we ate our waffle fries and sandwiches.
The Morning Collective. We came here for brunch after we came back from the mountains and waited to go to the airport. It was an adorable place with great food/service. If only we had it left in us to get the bottomless mimosas.
I already miss my friends soooooooo much. It means the world to me that even after leaving New York, my friends love me enough to visit me (and bring me NY bagels)!! These girls are forever going to be a light in my life and I can’t wait to see them again. Thank you Alison, Ten, and Jaclyn for planning this trip, and a special thank you to Danielle for surprising me at the airport. Also want to say another thank you for the bagels because I really missed those. I had a wonderful holiday with my besties and my heart is so full!!!
-happy ksex
KSL 