How I Spent Two Days in Denver

Back in March, I received a “cheap flight alert” from Scott’s Cheap Flights that alerted me of ridiculously low airfare from Seattle to Denver. $98 per person… on a direct flight roundtrip! That’s a steal. A few clicks and $98 later, I had a trip to Denver set for a long weekend in April. 

I’ve visited Denver several times recently but only for long layovers, and never had enough time to get out of the vicinity of the airport and explore. The last time I spent longer than a day in Denver was back in 2018 on a week-long trip with a group from my college. 

A weekend in Colorado would provide me respite from the still-chilly PNW. 

When the time finally came to visit Denver last weekend, I dusted off my short-sleeved shirts and shorts (which were sitting in the back of my closet, by the way), and headed excitedly to the airport.

Funny enough, my flight was delayed by two hours. What was already a late-night flight turned into an all-night ordeal. Luckily for me, the plane was not even half-full. Only about 40 people were on my Southwest flight. Everyone had a whole row to themselves to stretch and sleep (I did both). 

I landed around 2:30/3am, and I arrived at my hostel around 3:45am.  A whole evening of travel had me exhausted. 

I stayed at the 11th Avenue Hostel in Denver, which I recommend for anyone looking for a reasonably priced accommodation for a night or two in Denver.

Day 1

On my first full day, I woke up at around 8:30am. Keep in mind that I’m running on less than 5 hours of sleep at this point (I normally aim for 8-9 hours of sleep), so my mind is really only focused on one thing: finding coffee. 

Usually, I opt for local gems and indie coffee shops. And in my desperate search for coffee that morning, I tried so hard to locate one. But because I wasn’t yet familiar with the area around the hostel (and also because I only had 30 minutes to find coffee, chug it, and meet up with a tour group), I opted for Starbucks. It was close and familiar, and I needed to make a quick decision. Not like me at all, but desperate times call for desperate measures. 

With caffeine in my body and less than 10 minutes to meet my tour guide for my 10am Denver walking tour, I basically ran all the way to our meeting point. 

I should mention here that I found Denver Free Walking Tours through an email sent to me by the hostel a couple days before my stay. The tour itself is free but requires you to reserve a spot online in advance due to COVID, and there is a $2 online booking fee. But even still, $2 is cheaper than most other tour options around. The company is called “Denver Free Walking Tours”. The tour itself covers 1.5-2 miles around downtown Denver, and along the way you learn interesting facts about the history of Denver (you also get some great photos!). 

My tour guide’s name was Alice, and she is truly an expert on all things Denver. She was funny, personable, and willing (and able!) to answer any and all questions about the city. Our tour lasted roughly 2 hours, and we saw iconic Denver highlights like the Blue Bear sculpture, Denver Museum of Art, and Union Station. 

I loved the tour! It was a great way to enjoy the beautiful Denver weather, meet new people, and learn a bit of trivia about the city I was in. If you’re ever in Denver, I highly recommend checking out Denver Free Walking Tours (this isn’t sponsored, I just had a really great time!). 

The tour ended at Union Station, and it was lunch time. I wasn’t too hungry but I was craving something sweet. I opted for ice cream from Milkbox Ice Creamery. Delicious. I enjoyed my cup of coffee-flavored ice cream outside next to the fountain. It was in the 80s, and the sun was shining. I couldn’t not enjoy the weather, considering that was part of what brought me to Denver in the first place! I’d regret spending so long in the sun without sunscreen later on, but more on that later. 

For the next hour or so, I simply wandered aimlessly just enjoying the walk back to my hostel. I stopped in a few stores on the 16th Street Mall, but resisted the urge to buy anything knowing that I only brought a backpack and there was simply no room for souvenirs! The 16th Street Mall is a mile-long pedestrian street packed with shops, restaurants, and attractions. What’s awesome about the 16th Street Mall is that there is also a free-to-ride bus that takes you from one end to the other, making several stops along the way. It can get pretty crowded, though, so I recommend putting on a mask prior to boarding. 

When I returned to the hostel, I spent an hour relaxing and hydrating before making my way over to a local Cuban restaurant, Cuba Cuba Cafe & Bar. I heard about this spot through a quick Google search, and I am so glad I did because, spoiler alert, it was fantastic. 

Since moving to Seattle, I’ve had a difficult time locating authentic Cuban cuisine. When I lived in Florida, there was no shortage of Cuban restaurants to enjoy. I grew up in South Florida, too, and so Cuban food quickly became one of my favorite cuisines. The struggle to find Cuban food since living in Seattle has been too real. I’ve been craving it for months on end with no relief. 

When I saw how close Cuba Cuba was to my hostel, I knew I had to go. It’s a family-owned and Cuban-operated restaurant and it was founded 2001. They’re also known for their mojitos, which I quickly learned while waiting out front in a line that wrapped around the block. I overheard several different people reference the “out of this world” mojitos. 

The restaurant opened at 5pm, and I got in line around 4:45pm to make sure I was one of the first people in. And even though I arrived early, there was already a line of about 20 people waiting at the door. By the time the restaurant opened, the line had doubled and was snaking around the street corner. A clear sign the restaurant has a pretty dedicated following. 

The food (and the mojitos) were stellar. I’ve included photos above for reference. 

Following my incredible meal at Cuba Cuba, I headed back over toward the hostel. But I wasn’t calling it a night yet. While waiting in line for Cuba Cuba, I booked a timed ticket to the nearby Banksy Art Exhibit, which has over 100 Banksy works on display. I love Banksy’s artwork, and I knew I just had to check it out–it was less than a quarter mile away from my hostel, too! It was an opportunity I just couldn’t pass up. 

I arrived at the Banksy Exhibit a few minutes before my timed entry ticket. They mentioned that the exhibit would take roughly an hour to walk through, but there was no limit on how long I could stay. I usually try to read all of the wall placards and tidbits of information when visiting museums, so I was quite glad to hear that they weren’t planning on kicking me out after only an hour. 

The Banksy Exhibit was incredible. I know of Banksy from his public art installations, but I’ve never seen any of his work in-person before (until this trip). The pieces on display are all pieces sold by Banksy himself to private collectors. 

Following an hour or so of enjoying Banksy art, I headed back to the hostel and called it a night. What I desperately needed was sleep (and more water), so I made that my focus for the duration of my evening.

Oh, yeah–remember how I mentioned that I wasn’t wearing sunscreen? Well, I got extremely burned on my forearms, calves, face, and chest. Not a great way to end the day, but there was no turning back. I lotioned the affected areas and tried to sleep as comfortably as possible without thinking about the sunburn pain.

 

Day 2

The following day I woke up at 6am to prepare for an excursion out to St. Mary’s Glacier and swimming in geothermal cave pools. Sounds awesome, right?! I was so eager to get out on the trail and explore a part of Colorado I hadn’t seen before. 

However, at around 6:30am I got a call from the excursion leader. She told me that the weather forecast predicted dangerously high winds in the hiking area and that it wouldn’t be safe to head out. She was incredibly kind and offered to take me out the following day. If I wasn’t leaving the next morning, I absolutely would have taken her up on her offer. Regrettably, the excursion was canceled and I suddenly had a full day open without any other plans. I still desperately wanted to do some hiking but I knew it wouldn’t be safe near Denver due to the weather conditions that canceled the excursion in the first place. 

I headed downstairs and started a conversation with the front desk manager at the hostel. One of the great things about hostels is that the staff always know of the best things to do in the area, and can provide really awesome, tailored recommendations based on your interests. I explained my dilemma and how badly I wanted to get out into nature and he suggested something I admittedly would never have thought of: take a bus to Boulder and hike in Chautauqua Park. He explained the logistics of how to take a bus from Union Station to Boulder–it’s not difficult at all. I’ll have a full post on how I did it up on my blog next week.

Before I caught the 8:50am train to Boulder, I wanted to stop for breakfast crepes across town at Cafe Miriam. I’d seen and read good things about them, and I was craving a sugary breakfast crepe. 

The crepe was just as delicious as I hoped, and the lavender latte I ordered complimented it perfectly. The cafe is just across the street from City Park. This is where the Denver Zoo and the Denver Museum of Nature & Science are located. I highly recommend stopping at Cafe Miriam if you’re in that area, or planning to spend a day hopping between the zoo and the museum. 

I took an Uber from Cafe Miriam over to Union Station, and got on the next bus to Boulder. After just 45 minutes, I was standing in downtown Boulder only a block away from Pearl Street. Quick and easy.

I was there on a Saturday, and the Boulder County Farmers Market was in full swing by the time I arrived. I enjoyed strolling through the market, and wanted so badly to buy a plant. If I weren’t flying home on a plane, I surely would have bought at least two (or five). I also strolled down Pearl Street for a bit while everything was just opening up for the day. 

From there, I began my journey to Chautauqua Park. It’s roughly a 1.5 mile walk from downtown Boulder. Not too far, but still a hearty walking distance. It’s mostly uphill, too, so good walking shoes are necessary. Apparently, there is a shuttle that operates in the summer. More information on that can be found here if you’re visiting during the summer months. In fall, winter, and spring there is no shuttle service but parking is available at the park for free. 

When I finally reached the park, I explored the signage and posters that detailed the various hiking trails. There are 40 miles of trails in the park, so there are many options to choose from. It’s an awesome place to explore and immerse yourself in nature. I did the Flatirons Loop, which is rated moderate. It is an awesome hike and I definitely felt the burn. 

Wind started to pick up and clouds started to come out, so I made haste back toward the base of the trail to avoid any unpleasant weather. Luckily things cleared by the time I exited. After burning off my breakfast crepe, I was in the mood for food. There is a dining hall inside the park, which is pretty convenient. It’s a full service restaurant, and there is also a General Store right across the way. It’s a nice way to warm up after a chilly day of hiking around the Flatirons. 

I’m a creature of habit, and I typically order eggs benedict whenever I spot it on a restaurant’s menu. At the dining hall, that’s exactly what happened. It was incredibly delicious. 

I walked back into downtown Boulder shortly thereafter and stopped at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art (BMoCA). On Saturdays, admission is free! Even during the rest of the week the price for admission is only $2. The museum is small but the artwork is interesting. It won’t take long to walk through the museum and appreciate the exhibits on display. It took me roughly 30 minutes to see all of the exhibits and also read the wall placards. 

My day neared to a close in Boulder, and I strolled down Pearl Street again for good measure before hopping on the bus back to Denver. 

Once back in Denver, I headed straight for the hostel. I enjoyed leftovers from Cuba Cuba (still so good, even a day after the fact) and relaxed in the common space. I also had to take my contacts out because my eyes were incredibly dry from the weather in Boulder. 

Though I had every intention of going straight to sleep that evening, my hostel mates had other plans. They convinced me to enjoy a night out with them before catching my early flight to Seattle. I was tempted to call it a night, but I was also excited by the idea of some last minute fun. What I thought would be a short affair (an hour, tops) turned into me dancing through the night and only returning to the hostel to check-out and head toward the airport. By the time I checked out and jumped in an Uber toward DEN, it was 3am. 

Luckily, I caught my 5am flight and managed to get through the airport in a breeze. Needless to say, I slept the whole day upon returning to Seattle. Do I regret anything? No, absolutely not. It was a fun weekend. I thoroughly enjoyed the company of those I met at the hostel and during my travels. That’s the exciting thing about traveling… You never know what will happen or who you’ll meet. 

Until next time, Colorado!