Denver...the 'Mile-high City'!

Arriving in Denver late Sunday evening, after two good (but delayed) flights and a long taxi ride, we were relived to find that both the weather and our hotel (The Warwick) were impressive. We sleep-walked our way to the hotel's excellent restaurant and soon settled on 'steak for dinner', which more than matched-up to expectations. It was food raised to an art-form and the draft beer was its equal! Actually, the latter isn't really surprising as Denver boasts around one-hundred breweries! Unsurprisingly, we slept well and waking to blue skies and sunshine we hit 16th Street before the Memorial Day revellers. Denver was soon offering-up reminders of why we like this very pleasant city, which is both clean and vibrant, combining a good mix of old and contemporary architecture, and where you can near always catch a glimpse of snow-capped mountains. We started-out at the State Capitol Building where having climbed to its thirteenth step, we were officially one-mile above sea-level.

Then we meandered down through the malls and the myriad of stalls that had been erected for the holiday arts-festival, before reaching the lower downtown area.

Here, we soon found ourselves in The Tattered Covered Bookstore, an enterprise situated in an old mercantile building close to the Union Pacific Rail-road Station which provides a unique setting for the written word!

One couldn't fail to be inspired to read something here and in its unique alcoves, stumbling across Harry Potter would probably fail to surprise. Leaving the tranquillity of the bookstore, we made our way in the sunshine through throngs of baseball fans to Coors Field Stadium where two games were scheduled to take place to commemorate the holiday. (Lots of families and no disorder!)

Stopping-off for lunch at Johnny Rocket's, we decided to take in some more of the art festival and then immerse ourselves in American culture by going to the cinema! ('Men in Black 3' is definitely recommended!) Our first day passed quickly and reaffirmed why we like America!! As for finding an appropriate music for today, I eventually went for an off-beat choice.....an old favourite that also serves as a reminder that with its now-licensed 'pot' outlets, it is now possible to get really 'high' in the 'Mile-high City'!