Denver Week Finale: Gabrielle from Design Mom

Well, my dear internet cosmos, we made it.  It's been a wonderful week exploring my new home town of Denver and I hope you have had as much fun as I have.  I just want to take a quick second and thank all of the wonderful bloggers who were kind enough to let me in on their favorites.  They have made me feel so welcome and have given me TONS of ways to stay busy exploring and falling in love with my new hometown.  There is no way for me to adequately thank them for such a wonderful gift.  And I hope their suggestions have inspired you to get out and explore your hometown too, even if it's not Denver.

So, today we have our last list of Denver favorites from a blogger who really needs no introduction.  But for the sake of good etiquette, I'll at least keep it short and sweet.

Who?  Gabrielle Blair
What?  Blogger extraordinaire, design maven, super mom, community builder, role model, inspiration
When?  Her family adventures have taken her all over the world, spanning many beautiful years, most recently France (swoon).  She lived in Denver in 2009-2010 and has a whole bunch of wonderful things to do here on her blog.
Where?  Here are her top favorites, only a handful compared to the many more wonderful ideas from her blog, from her time here in Denver.  And make sure to check out subscribe to her blog to stay up to date on all the other places she documents.
Why?  Because a little random blogger from CO decided to e-mail her on a whim for some Denver advice.  And because this busy mom was so kind enough to let me in on her secrets.  And because she was so kind enough to let me share them with you.

So, without further ado, Gabrielle's Denver favorites, after the jump...

Design Mom

Hi Megan! We love to eat at Oceanaire and Cherry Cricket.

Oceanaire, Landry's Select

The Cherry Cricket, denver.org

We love concerts at Red Rocks.

Red Rocks Amphitheater, denver.org

We love Duffeyrolls.

Duffeyrolls, Design Mom

 Staying at the Brown Palace.

The Brown Palace

Weekends in Boulder. 

Boulder, Blog the Rockies

Rocky Mountain National Park.  

Rocky Mountain National Park

MEL here--I also just had to include the following three pictures from Gabrielle's blog.  This is how her family enjoyed the RMNP.  Can't believe I hadn't thought to do this myself!

Denver is awesome!  Kisses, Gabrielle

Thank you so much Gabrielle for your list of Denver favorites!

And thank you, my dearest internet cosmos, for joining me for this very special week.

Have a great weekend exploring your hometowns--

MEL

Denver Week: Melanie from You Are My Fave

Happy Friday everyone!  As you know, we're coming up on the finish line of Denver Week and I have to say, I've had a blast.  I hope you all have too.

I'm so glad that you have come back to check out today's list of Denver recommendations!  And remember--I will have one more list for you guys tomorrow from a former Denver-ite who has been completely changing the world of blogging over the past few years.  Seriously.

And today, I couldn't be more thrilled because we have another Denver blogger who has her hand in a TON of different creative venues as well.  Meet Melanie Blodgett from You Are My Fave.  

First of all, I just have to give a little disclaimer here.  Compared to all the wonderful guests I've had this week, I am very new to this whole blogging business.  And I know I'm a very small fish in a HUGE pond.  But anyone who knows me can testify that in the majority of my time on earth, I've never met a stranger.  So I thought I'd try to reach out in the blogosphere as well.  And just from this week alone, I'm feeling not quite as little as I once felt.  

Melanie was one of the first bloggers to make me feel this way.  When the Mr. & I were relocating to Denver, I of course had a million questions.  I have read Melanie's blog for a while and just thought, "Hey, she might have some great insight!" and I e-mailed her.  Next thing I knew, I had lists full of awesome neighborhoods, restaurants, and amazing things to do in Denver from Melanie.  And if that wasn't enough, she even had her own realtor call us and make a connection.

All of that being said, Melanie is the real deal.

So without further ado, here's Melanie's list of must-see's in Denver, after the jump:

You Are My Fave

There are a lot of great parks in Denver--Washington Park is the most popular, but City Park is great too and Sloan's Lake has a nice path around it.

Sloan's Lake, Denver Photo

The Highlands Square neighborhood is charming and has a great street of shops to browse through. I especially like The Perfect Petaland Word Shop. Another couple charming areas are Pearl Street and Gaylord Street. 

Highland Square, Denver Photo

The Perfect Petal, Design Sponge

Wordshop, Bloodstream

Three other shops I love: Talulah Jones, Fancy Tiger, Mod Livin

Talulah Jones, Westword

Fancy Tiger, Sunset

Mod Livin', Design Sponge

The Santa Fe Arts District has a Friday night art walk on the first Friday of the month.  There's also great antique shopping around there.

Santa Fe Arts District, denver.org

The Denver Public Library system is expansive and amazing, you won't need a Netflix subscription once you get a card.

Denver Public Library

Red Rocks has a lot of concerts in the summer and movies.  It's an amazing venue.  I also love the smaller venues in the area: The Fillmore, The Ogden, and The Bluebird.

Red Rocks Amphitheater

The Fillmore, colfaxave.com

Ogden Theatre, Cinema Treasures

The Bluebird, writRHET

We like to take day trips to Boulder and go to the farmer's market and stroll up Pearl Street   (Check out Emily's list and Tiffany's list for photos of these two favorites.)

Denver Art Museum 

Denver Art Museum, buildipedia

Rockiesgames are fun to go to in the summer.

Colorado Rockies, denver.org

A few restaurants we love: Steubens, The Hornet (Remember from Will's list?) Root Down, Jelly, Cloud Nine Frozen Custard 

Steuben's

Root Down, Open Table

Jelly, Westword

Thanks so much for the great list Melanie!  I have to say I have tried a few of the wonderful restaurants and been to some of the parks and areas of town on this list and she is right, they are all amazing.  I can't wait to try all the rest.


Tell me, what do you guys think about Melanie's favorites?  Are any of hers yours too?


Don't forget to stop back by tomorrow for the grand finale of Denver Week and to hear from this lovely blogger extraordinaire!


XOXO
MEL  

Denver Week: Emily from A Denver Home Companion

Happy Hump Day!  If you've been with us since Monday, I'm so glad you're back!  And if you're just now joining us, here's what we've been up to:  it's Denver Week!  I'll have a new post every day from some of Denver's most wonderful bloggers, sharing some of their favorite things to do in the Mile High City.  We started off the week with Will from The Momentum, who told us about all the great places to get your midday buzz on.  Then yesterday we heard from Tiffany from Camp 1899, who introduced us to a local winery with a $5 tasting.  If this keeps up, we may have a real drinking problem by the end of the week. 

Anyway, today we have a guest-post (my very first one!) from the delightful Emily Power from A Denver Home Companion.  Emily and her painstakingly adorable family--her chef & coffee shop celebrity husband, her doe-eyed doll of a daughter, Ramona, her precious dog, Otto, and her goats (!!!)--have homesteading in the city down to a tee.  I love reading about all of her adventures as a creative, a mom, a wife, and just all around rockstar.

So without further ado, take it away Emily, after the jump:

Emily & Ramona in Ironwood, one of Emily's favorite places (read below)

Megan, being new to Denver, asked me to write up a list of my five favorite places in this town for her to check out. Five places? Just five?! It was hard to narrow it down. I didn't, after all, want to leave anyone out. There are so many places to explore and shop and eat at in this city that I love love love love. To narrow it down i chose the top five spots that i keep returning to over and over lately. 

1. crema coffee house. Is anyone that knows me surprised I listed this? I am an unabashed fan and supporter of this place (full disclosure: my hubby is one of the owners and the chef here). It is great. The coffee is serious and excellent and the food is unique but accessible. Don't let the naysayers scare you: yes, it does seem to attract a large amount of the hipster-persuasion but they don't bite and the baristas love meeting new customers and making regulars out of you. My favorite is the toddy (iced french press, perfect for this heat wave), the breakfast burrito, the gyro, and the juice. It gets busy, especially on the weekends, and everything is made with lots of handcrafted love, so expect a little bit of a wait but trust that it'll be worth it.  

Crema

2. ironwood. This is a magical shop of curiosities, vintage goods, local art and jewelry, succulents, and beautiful stones and rocks. Aly has lovingly and painstakingly created a space that speaks to the whimsy in all of us. It is certainly not your average gift shop or vintage store. Even if you are not a lover of knick knacks and small tokens of nature, make sure you pick up a break-it-yourself geode as a memento. Also, if you are a thrift-store-shopper or estate-sale-goer and have some goods you want to unload, Aly does buy from pickers. 

Optimysticism installation, Ironwood

3. commons/confluence park and surrounding paths along the river and pedestrian bridges leading to downtown. Here's how you would utilize this space: start with a drink in the bar at linger during happy hour (sure, the patio is popular but I think the bar is a lot sexier and more comfortable and less crowded). Then head down the hill to little man ice cream for dessert (just order a kids size: it's cheap and more than enough ice cream. I recommend anything with the word "salted" in front of it). Keep walking down 16th, across the I-25 pedestrian bridge. If you're on bike you must stop into salvagetti (first building north of the bridge) to say hi to the great employees and best bike shop in Denver. Otherwise, keep walking straight and you'll run into commons park. South one block is confluence park. These places are great for relaxing, having a picnic, people-watching, or access to trails for biking or running. Beyond commons park is yet another beautiful pedestrian bridge that spits you out essentially right on the 16th street mall. Skip this place, but pop into the kitchen for dinner or take a peek inside union station. Heading back to where you started, stop into williams & graham for a nightcap.

Linger, Pitch Engine

Little Man Ice Cream

Salvagetti, from Emily's blog

The Kitchen, Denver Post

Mix It: Williams & Graham's Vieux Carré from 5280 on Vimeo.

*MEL here--How cool is the above video about one of Williams & Graham's specialty cocktails?  Plus, I have friends who live near this bar and said it was a super rad speakeasy-style bar, masked behind a storefront of bookshelves.  Looks like our drinking problem will continue after all.*  

4. denver art museum: This museum rivals some of the great ones I've seen in my travels. It's big without being overwhelming and they have a good balance of an incredible permanent collection as well as great temporary exhibits. My favorite section is the western american collection. I thought that it was going to be cheesy oil paints of Kinkade-ish landscapes but boy was I wrong. I visit on the first Saturday of the month when the museum is free. It can be a bit crowded but I've never been a lingerer in a museum so I'm fine sweeping through, saying hi to my favorite pieces, and ducking out. If you want a quieter experience here, I suggest avoiding the museum at this time. Oh, and if you have children, this museum is so kid-friendly. I can't wait until Ramona gets better at walking and her and I are going to have a date here.

Western American Art, Denver Art Museum

5. boulder farmers market: No this is not in Denver but if you're in the Denver area on Wednesday evenings or Saturday mornings, it's certainly worth a drive to Boulder to check it out. The produce is fresh and local and the vendors are kind and excited about what they're doing. There are some prepared food kiosks but mostly it's fresh produce and happy-animal products (Denver is notorious for having "markets" that offer mainly local companies selling their prepared foods. This does not a farmers market make). To make your drive to Boulder worth it (though I have driven there just for this) I'd suggest poking your head into boxcar coffee and cured for some caffeine and picnic provisions (or grab lunch at pizzeria locale). If you want to get some hiking in, chautauqua has lots of trails to choose from.  (It's MEL again--in my very short time here, the Mr. and I have searched hi and low for a great food co-op or farmers market and surprisingly, we haven't come across much.  So this is wonderful to know about!) 

Boulder Farmers Market, Bon Appetit

Boxcar Coffee, Eric McNeish

Cured, Denver Post

Pizzeria Locale, Archinect

Chautauqua, Planet Ware

OK. I knew I couldn't do it! I have to throw a 6th one in here for good luck:

6. patzcuaro's. I order the margarita (as big as your head) and the chicken burrito deluxe. Nothing fancy. Good-sized portions. Cozy and shaded patio. Salsa with a kick.

Taqueria Patzcuaro, Lovely Denver

Welcome to Denver, Megan! I can't wait to hear what you think of these places and also recommendations on places you discover on your own.

Thank you so much Emily!  It's Wednesday which means I might hop in the car and head to the Boulder Farmers Market today!

Tell me, my dear internet cosmos, have any of you been to any of Emily's favorites?  Tell me in the comments below.

I'll be back tomorrow with a new list of things to try out from this super cool new mom.

XOXO

MEL

Denver Week: Tiffany from Camp 1899

Hello my dear internet cosmos!  If you're just joining us, here's a little refresher:  this week is Denver Week!  I'll have a new post every day from some of Denver's most wonderful bloggers, sharing some of their favorite things to do in the Mile High City.  Yesterday, I was so excited to have Will from The Momentum share his favorite things to do in Denver.  And what a list!  I'm going to be tipsy from drinking mimosas all day  busy for months checking out all of his favorites!

Today, I have another incredible blogger sharing her favorites here for you.  Meet Tiffany from Camp 1899.  She and her Mr. moved here a couple years ago and bought a teensy-weensy adorable bungalow and have been COMPLETELY renovating it for the past year.  And I am totally obsessed with checking out their progress!  Seriously, it's mind blowing and inspirational how much work they have done with their own two hands.

In addition to documenting her home renovations, she also highlights pieces of her beloved southern culture, adventures on the road, and her own spot-on style and design.  Needless to say, I'm a huge fan.

So without further ado, check out Tiffany's favorites after the jump:

camp 1899

Hello!  I have to say right off that because we have such a huge job on our hands renovating our house we have not done as much as we normally would. We work work work on the house and rarely venture out!  I laugh and say after this year is over, I feel like then is when we will really start "living" here and not just working and sleeping in our new city. (:

But... the little bit I've done I'm more than happy to share! We've done more just outside of Denver and those have been some of our favorite things...

Echo Lake is beautiful and we love going there:

John DeBord

We enjoy Creekside Winery--they have a great wine tasting for $5:

Creekside Cellars

We recently went through Rocky Mountain National Park via the town of Estes Park which we've visited several times and really enjoy (MEL here--as you have witnessed many many many MANY times on this blog, Rocky Mountain National Park is like my home away from home.  In my opinion, you can't come to Colorado without taking a trip north to RMNP.  And no, I'm not being paid for those opinions :)

RMNP, from Tiffany's recent trip

Pearl Street in Boulder is fun for a day of shopping and browsing:

Joshua Michael Hill

For thrifting and shopping vintage, my favorites so far are all along Broadway St and also The Brass Armadillo Antique Mall.  I actually found it and loved it so much I have a booth there--if you go my booth is on Colorado Ave (#41).  They name the rows by street names because it's a pretty big mall!

Brass Armadillo Antique Mall, Sharon Johnson

I'm vegan and my husband is pescatarian so we don't go out to eat a ton but when we do, we go to Edgewater Inn for amazing pizza:

Yelp

And US Thai is also really really good and very well known but caution, their hot is INSANE (and I love hot food) so fyi, might want to go mild (;

The Urban Brain

We also enjoy Watercourse for breakfast (banana bread french toast!) and lunch,

Mitten Machen

And City O City is good as well:

City o City

Oh! and I recently became a member of Denver Botanic Gardensand I highly recommend it, absolutely gorgeous!!!

City Profile

Wow, thanks so much Tiffany for your awesome recommendations!  I think that wine tasting might be #1 on my list.

Tell me my dear internet cosmos, have any of you tried out any of Tiffany's favorites?  Let me know in the comments below.

And don't forget, I still have more Denver favorites lined up for this week!  Don't miss tomorrow when I'll be hanging with this rad Denver momma.

XOXO

--MEL