Denver, Dude: My Brain's a Little Fried, But Here's the Lowdown
okay, so. denver. right? i just got back, and honestly, my brain feels like a tangled ethernet cable. i’m a touring session drummer, you know? constant travel, weird hours, the usual. this trip was… different. it wasn’t bad, just… a lot.
first off, the weather. i just checked and it’s… a brisk, almost defiant chill in the air. like the mountains are saying, “we’re still here, and we’re not playing around.” 9.11 degrees Celsius, feels like 9.11, which is… fine, i guess. i’ve played gigs in worse. humidity’s low, though, which is a win for my hair.
I was there for a week, mostly just wandering. trying to find some decent coffee (more on that later). the vibe is… weirdly calm. like everyone’s accepted that they live at altitude and just… go with it. i spent a lot of time in RiNo, checking out the street art. seriously, the murals are insane. you could spend days just photographing them. I’m thinking of doing a whole series on it. Check out some local art collectives like Zeppelin Collective https://www.zeppelincollective.com/ if you're into that.
Speaking of wandering, i stumbled upon this little vintage shop in Capitol Hill. It was crammed with the most amazing stuff - 70s bell bottoms, band tees, you name it. I almost bought a sequined jumpsuit, but my drummer brain told me it wouldn’t pack well. Someone told me that the owner, a woman named Agnes, used to be a costume designer for the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Apparently, she has some serious stories.
Okay, coffee. This is important. I’m a coffee snob, sue me. I hit up a few places. Huckleberry Roasters was decent, but nothing groundbreaking. I heard that Little Owl Coffee https://www.littleowlcoffee.com/ is the place to be, but the line was always insane. Drunk advice from a guy at a bar told me to try Corvus Coffee Roasters. It was… okay. Not life-changing. I’m still searching for the perfect Denver cup.
I also spent a day exploring *Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Obviously. It’s… breathtaking. Even empty. I can only imagine what it’s like during a show. I checked TripAdvisor https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g608627-d117387-Reviews-Red_Rocks_Amphitheatre-Morrison_Colorado.html and it’s got a solid 4.5 stars. Pretty much everyone raves about it.
The 16th Street Mall was… a mall. Lots of people, lots of shops. Not really my scene, but it’s there if you need it. I did find a surprisingly good burrito place though. Yelp https://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=burrito&find_loc=Denver%2C+CO is your friend here.
If you get bored, Boulder and Fort Collins are just a short drive away. I didn’t make it to either this time, but I’ve heard good things.
Pro-tip: Bring layers. Seriously. The temperature can change in an instant. And comfortable shoes. You’ll be doing a lot of walking.
Another pro-tip: Don’t underestimate the altitude. Take it easy on your first day. Drink lots of water. And maybe don’t try to run a marathon. Just a thought.
Final thought: Denver is… interesting. It’s not my favorite city, but it’s got its charms. I’d go back, probably. Maybe when I’m not so sleep-deprived.
Oh! And something a local warned me about: apparently, there’s a whole ghost hunting scene around here. Apparently, the Brown Palace Hotel is loaded* with spirits. I didn’t check it out, but now I’m kind of curious…
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