Jingsamichty

I'm working up in Northern Canada but will have a weekend R&R trip coming up in a couple of weeks time.

One possibility is to nip down to Denver for the weekend. So, would anyone recommend Denver as a place to hang out for a couple of days?

What is there to see and do? Is it best to get a downtown hotel? Any nice areas to wander round or is it all spread out, requiring a car?

Any hints, tips, recommendations or warnings gratefully welcomed.

Leyther

It really depends on what you enjoying do, there is everything from bars, restaurants and movies to Rockies baseball games ($4 Rockpile tickets are great fun), museums, theme and water parks all right downtown. For the evening you could check out a show at the DCPA (Denver Center Performing Arts), the Pepsi Center (concerts) or any of the other amateur theatre productions in town (Bovine etc).

I would either get a hotel downtown or somewhere close to the light-rail to make getting around much easier. I have stayed at the Curtis, Teatro and I got married at the Oxford and would recommend any of them, although there are much cheaper alternatives such as a Comfort Inn.

Denver is not all that spread out and a car is completely unnecessary to get around. I have many times walked from one end of 16th street to the other, although if walking is not your your thing there is a free mall-ride that will take you up and down 16th Street Mall and that runs until about 2am. The light-rail can take you to the DCPA, the Pepsi Center and the two parks, although the former is easily walkable by anybody from downtown. My wife and I never take the car if we are downtown-- we light-rail from our home and then utilize the mall-ride and take advantage of the small blocks.

If you want to venture out of the downtown area, then I would recommend a vehicle, but there is certainly enough to see and do in the city without one for a weekend.

If you have any real specific questions, just send me a message and I would be happy help.

Jingsamichty

Thanks! Will file those tips away for future reference.

I had hoped to stay in Boulder too, but there's not a hotel room to be had the weekend I want to go, so will probably save Denver/Boulder for later in the year.

Leyther

Boulder is great too, I commute there daily for law school so I can certainly give you tips in that city also.

You will certainly need a vehicle to commute between the two cities though, also Boulder is much closer to the foothills if you wish to enjoy the mountains.

MrBaker2011

There is a bus service that runs between downtown Denver and Boulder. It is pretty efficient, so it is possible to make a day trip to Boulder ($5pp each way) if that is what you are after. If you like beer there are walking tours of the microbrews in both cities - I haven't done them yet but hear it's good fun. There are plenty of excellent restaurants as well.

Staying in Boulder, I would definitely recommend hiring a car and spending some time in the mountains - Estes Park and the Trail Ridge Road are stunning and can be done as a daytrip from Boulder.

scrubbedexpat099

I have not been there, but they have been advertising the new History Museum, sounds worth a visit.

Lrt me know what your interests are.

PS I had to go down to Denver for a Tade Exhibition, hot! 80F in April.

Leyther

I purposely forgot to mention this since I take it everyday and for the one time trip it can be very efficient, but for a daily commute-- I have often thought of just moving from Denver to Boulder altogether.

I do agree though that if I had the option of visiting either Boulder or Denver, I would opt for the former and then rent a car: Estes Park, RMNP-- heck even the Peak to Peak Highway between Netherland and Lyons is worth the drive, even if it just for the nice Napalese restaurant in Netherland and the Oskar Blues in Lyons You can't go wrong for the day!

scrubbedexpat099

Nederland?

There is a bigger Oscar Blues as you come in to Longmont on the Diagonal.