Colorado Exploration : Chapter Denver

Our Route of Travel in Colorado

First Stop....... DENVER

Our Colorado exploration began with a flight to Denver.
We had an early morning flight and a short layover in Chicago- long enough for my Chicago husband to eat a Corned Beef sandwich for breakfast!

And by the way, did you ever notice how the land looks from in a plane?

Lots of patterns and shapes- Why is that?
My husband says because of the way the land is irrigated. Can anyone confirm that, because I never believe him????

My daughter sat with me on the first leg of the flight.

Let me just say that I really do not like to fly.... and she ALWAYS gets the safety card from the seat pocket and looks at it- which is really not comforting. She ask me how we are getting off the plane and I said, walking, just like we got on the plane.
She said, " No, Mama, we get to SLIDE!"

And just in case you are thinking of taking a remote control car on the plane, please note that

they are not allowed.

We flew into the Denver International Airport, which is one of the most unique and beautiful

airports I have ever seen.

We rented a minivan- a Kia Sedona- to my son's disappointment-- he

wanted a Mustang. I must say it was an excellent ride and cheap on gas!

We began to drive to the downtown area of Denver.

From the minute we landed, beautiful snow capped mountains were in the distance, calling to us...

But the first 2 nights we were in the city.

We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Downtown and is was wonderful.

Of course, all my children cared about was the fact that it had a pool and hot tub-- oh yes, and escalators and elevators.

Denver is a diverse city with many sights to see!

We saw Coors Field, Mile High Stadium, The Federal Reserve and Mint buildings, the capitol building, the Hard Rock.....

we even visited the Six Flags park there as well. Just too many photos to post! Most of the old warehouses had been turned into trendy condos, just as in other large cities.

We met the kids "other brother"- who is 23 and we had not seen in a long time..... and all had dinner at ESPN Zone.

The food, drinks and game were excellent and we had a great time visiting and relaxing. Kids big and small loved the games!

There were people playing checkers at cool artistically crafted tables.

There were sculptures and pieces of art everywhere.

We walked down the 16th Street Mall, which is a pedestrian mall in the heart of the city.

(I got up early Day 2 and went on a photo walk....no one out but those homeless who lived there- all of whom were friendly as well.)

The big blue bear is peeking in the convention center and is actually made of hundreds of

triangles. It is by Lawrence Argent entitled I See What You Mean, and is 40 feet tall. The artist has described it as a stylized representation of native fauna. As the bear peeks inside the enormous facility at the conventioneers, displacement and wonder pique curiosity and question a greater

relationship of art, technology and whimsy.
“My public artworks are part of a larger whole,” stated Lawrence Argent. “I am an artist that utilizes assorted mediums and venues to engage the viewer in questioning the assumed and provide a vehicle by which stimulus opens a plethora of responses that defy verbal articulation.”

I found Denver to be very friendly, fresh and fun-- Very artsy and laid back.

After relaxing at ESPN Zone and walking downtown a bit,

we drove to my step-son's hometown,

Boulder,

which was one of my favorite places of the trip.....
details and the beauty are coming up!