We just got back from a long weekend in Denver! What a great trip! There are some things I would have done differently, but it was a lot of fun and not too expensive.
What we should have done differently:
- We chose a hotel on 16th street... in the end it really didn't matter that we were in the heart of Denver. If we go again, I'll pick a nicer area and a hotel with a pool that doesn't charge for parking.
- The mermaid show at the Aquarium was recommended to us. Not that great, and the food was not that great either. To me that could have been skipped and we could have eaten somewhere better.
What we did right:
- We drove (and we specifically drove our more fuel efficient car that uses the less expensive fuel). I filled up the car before we left and spent about $18, then put $30 in the car while we were gone and came home with 3/4 of a tank of gas still in the car.
- We chose street parking lots rather than the $35/day that the hotel charges for parking. We saved $50! Walked less than a block.
- We ate lunch at the Aquarium to see the mermaid show, but didn't go to the Aquarium itself. We have an Aquarium here.
- Botanic Garden was worth seeing though not incredibly cheap. But beautiful!
- We visited the Denver County Fair - super fun! F made a Peeps Diorama, and there was a scavenger hunt. We didn't eat there, and I'm glad; fair food = yuck. But D did try a cookie made with ground up crickets that they were letting people sample. Again.. yuck.
- We met friends who live in Denver for a nice meal out at a Korean place. I was stuffed! D got a beer, which he normally doesn't do out, but hey, he's on vacation. They had unlimited sides and the food was really good! We don't have a Korean place here.
- Hammond's Candy Factory tour - FREE and they gave us each a giant lemon candy cane at the end. The tour was short, but fascinating, and totally worth doing!
- Colorado Rapids soccer game - my friend's son is the event manager for the Rapids so we got free tickets, 8th row, to a sold out game against the LA Galaxy! So much fun!!! We even saw two of the British soccer coaches that stayed with us during the summer when they ran the camp F did. She was so excited to see them!!
- Stopped in Trinidad, CO on the way back down for lunch - that might have been one of the best meals we had, and it was only $22 for all three of us. If you are ever in Trinidad, stop at the Daily Grind. They even had gf bread, so I had a sandwich, too.
We fit a lot in a three day trip. Since we didn't have airfare or soccer tickets to buy, we decided to splurge a little on food... usually I bring food, but we wanted to eat out.
The dining out budget is almost gone for this month, but it was worth it!
Trip to Denver!
August 5th, 2015 at 01:15 am
August 5th, 2015 at 02:26 am 1438737985
Curiosity leads me to ask if you make any of the popular Korean dishes. Was the restaurant authentic - no chairs? I remember learning that during the Korean War [not yet resolved] the people were eating insects, larvae, anything they could find to keep from starving to death; aren't crickets a delicacy in some cultures?
August 5th, 2015 at 02:40 am 1438738857
August 5th, 2015 at 03:12 am 1438740771
I'm cringing just thinking about a cookie made with crickets ....
August 5th, 2015 at 04:41 am 1438746087
August 5th, 2015 at 07:34 am 1438756453
August 5th, 2015 at 02:34 pm 1438781689
August 5th, 2015 at 06:44 pm 1438796652
Kr dishes use less expensive products but everything is finely sliced and chopped. It's easier if you have the gizmo that turns vegetable strips to julienne matchstick. [kuhn rikon julienne peeler] Noodles are either from potato or rice, sticky rice - Japanese
I wouldn't buy a gizmo unless you plan to commit to julienne root vegetables once a week.