Denver

Road Trip Days 9 - 12 (June 21 - 24)

Flickr Pictures: Flickr pictures

Song of the weekend: Bob Marley -- No Woman No Cry (Peter Rowan version)

Driving westbound on I-76, the Rocky Mountains gradually become more and more visible, until finally you can see Denver, with the mountains cascading in the background. It really is a beautiful sight and because I reached Denver, around 7:30 pm, the sunset added to the artistry, as well. Sorry, Iowa, but this is now the best sunset I've seen on the trip (-->)

. I had planned to make it to Denver by Friday, June 21 because my sister Anjeli and her husband Avash were finishing their first year as internal medicine residents at the University of Colorado, and would have the weekend free. They'd be leaving for a much-deserved vacation in Cancun on Monday, so I was glad that I made it to Denver on schedule. My mom also decided to fly in from Pittsburgh to spend the weekend with us in Denver. 

If you've never been to Denver, you probably think of it as a really cold, gloomy place and so that I don't give out the secret, we'll stick with that depiction. But somehow, this particular weekend, it was sunny and warm each day! Denver is designed very differently than a northeast city. It's more of a conglomeration of neighborhoods than a coherent grid, each neighborhood featuring beautiful parks, a diverse array of delicious restaurants, and of course, its own Dazbog Coffee, a Russian coffee shop chain that dominates even the likes of Starbucks in Denver. Over the course of the weekend, we dined on ramen soup and fried green tomato buns at Uncle, B.L.T.'s and tomato soup at Vert Kitchen, fresh scallops, fish, and gnocchi at Bistro Vendôme, gelato at Little Man Ice Cream, and homemade nachos at Anjeli and Avash's apartment, but the culinary highlight of the weekend was without a doubt the Old South Pearl Street Farmers Market. If you're in Denver on a summer Sunday, this is the perfect way to get a taste for Denver's culture, as the market features everything from its best street food to handmade soaps and chocolates to a soon-to-be-not-so-medical marijuana shop (remember, Colorado legalized marijuana usage). While I did not sample any herbs, I did try some of the best street food I've had in quite some time: the queso a la plancha taco from Pinche Tacqueria (-->) 

and the smoked reindeer hot dog with Coca-Cola infused onions and cream cheese from Biker Jim's Gourmet Dogs (-->)

, of Anthony Bourdain fame. Ah, my mouth is watering just thinking about these two Denver delicacies. Sadly, Monday morning came all to fast and it was time for Anjeli and Avash to leave for Cancun and me to continue my trek west into the mountainous terrain of western Colorado and Wyoming.  

Denver on Dwellable