I’ve always known Denver as the Mile High City, but just read that it’s also nicknamed the Queen City of the West. Well, well, well… Looks like I was traveling from the Queen City of the South to the Queen City of the West.
Sunday afternoon I headed to the airport to begin my journey to Denver. I had a flight to Charlotte with a three hour layover. Summer storms pushed back the flight time and once I got outside, I was glad we didn’t head out earlier than we did. This little nugget was going to jet me on up to the QC…
Time to fly away…
I finally made it to Denver late Sunday night. If you’ve ever been there, you know the airport is a bit of a hike to downtown, but luckily I had a great taxi driver that held just the right amount of conversation with me.
Come to mama.
The next morning I started my day off with some greens, eggs and ham. Too bad it wasn’t green eggs and ham!
So fresh and so green, green.
When I worked out Monday morning, I definitely felt a little off… That dang elevation gets me every time! I convinced myself it was part mental and powered through 😉 It was so great walking to lunch later on in the day and being able to enjoy the weather. I love the Carolinas, but it’s nice to get a break from the heat and humidity from time to time. After I was done working for the day, we went to check out a new restaurant concept that opened called Avanti Food and Beverage.
“One collective space. Seven culinary options. Inspired by European markets and food truck roundups we have created a modern day food hall. Seven different restaurant concepts, housed in modified shipping containers, will provide our guests with an eclectic mix of affordably priced, chef-inspired cuisine. Finally answering the age-old question, “where should we go eat?”
Explore your culinary options after grabbing one of our twenty draft beers, classic cocktails, or affordably priced wines. Find us for a beverage at one of two large bars (main level and rooftop) or grab a seat in our lounge, dining area or rooftop deck and one of our many servers will find you.”
LOVED this concept and it has a killer view of Downtown Denver.
Skyline panoramas all day everyday.
On Tuesday, we headed to WaterCourse Foods for lunch. This carnivore hasn’t been to a vegan restaurant in a while, so I was super excited to switch it up. I was hangry and wanted everything on the menu. I opted for the “Orange Beef & Broccoli Bowl” – crispy seitan in a citrus teriyaki glaze with broccoli and brown rice. Didn’t miss meat or dairy one bit during this delicious entree. However, I DID find myself missing Puree and my friend Jenan back in Charleston. ❤
Yum yum yum.
After we were done working my boss and I decided to go take a class at CorePower Yoga. I had never been and was super excited to try out the Yoga Sculpt class we signed up for.
CorePower Yoga Sculpt classes are set to energizing music and designed to tone and sculpt every major muscle group. This class complements your regular yoga practice while boosting your metabolism and pushing your strength and flexibility to new heights. Free weights are added to the CorePower Yoga 2 (C2) sequence, creating resistance and intensifying each pose. Strength-training exercises such as squats, lunges, bicep and tricep curls are incorporated to build lean muscle mass. You will see visible results in your body.
Definitely did NOT hurt, that your first week is free. Check their website to see if there is a location near you and give it a try. This class was AWESOME. Definitely nothing like a traditional yoga class… not sure if that’s what made me love it even more. I may post a video of myself doing some of the moves for your entertainment.
We were going to take a Car2go to get to yoga, but realized the account info on file was out of date so ended up taking uber (no complaints). Have you ever heard of Car2go?! I was immediately intrigued and slightly obsessed with this concept:
Maybe next time, Denver…or other cool city.
After getting our sweat on, we headed to Linger to their rooftop bar. The food and cocktail menu is awesome and the vibe makes you want to stay forever.
The former site of Denver’s historic Olinger Mortuary is now a new bar and restaurant called Linger. Rather than being skeeved out by the building’s history, chef/owner Justin Cucci has embraced the concept, darkening the first letter of Olinger’s prominent neon sign to name his place, and changing the word “mortuaries” to “eatuaries.’ The host stand is a former church pew and the decor also includes vintage funeral fans, a giant photo from Harold and Maude, and other little touches just on the whimsical side of macabre. – eater.com
We had tried to go to Uncle Ramen the night before, but the wait was over an hour. Tuesday night we headed there a little later in hopes of being able to get right in. We were in luck. The food was SO good. It’s been forever since I had ramen and I can’t imagine a better place to revisit my love.
Spicy sesame broth, scallion, bean sprouts, soft egg and chicken
After dinner we started to make our way back towards the hotel, but not without stopping at Forest Room 5. Think log cabin meets camping meets bar. You have to check out their website for the pictures. If someone whipped out a Hershey’s bar, graham crackers and marshmallows, I don’t think I would have ever left.
We passed by the The Union Station and took a quick walk inside so I could see what it was all about.
The Union Station has been there since 1881, but went through over $50 million in renovations a few years ago to make it a hub for dining, shopping and lodging. Oh, and, transportation.
On Wednesday, I decided to walk a little over a mile to check out a different CorePower Yoga location and take a different class. This class was more along the lines of a power yoga class you would expect to take.
Ready to sweat? CorePower Yoga 2 (C2) is a rigorous yoga class with demanding strength postures that will have you moving, breathing and sweating! True to its name, a C2 class focuses on building and enaging your core strength to support you in more advanced postures. Set to energizing music in a heated, climate-controlled room.
I liked it, but I REALLY liked the Yoga Sculpt class I had taken the day before.
For lunch, it was Crepes N Crepes and then off to the airport to begin my journey back to Greenville.
Until I see you again, Mile High City…stay high, my friends.
Have you been to Denver before? Any must see (or more importantly must eat at) in case I’m there again soon?
Northern Produced, Southern Seduced. 