colleen stinchcombe

I was lucky enough to spend the weekend in Boulder, CO recently. I have a friend there who showed me around. I took the shuttle from Denver airport all the way up to Boulder for $13 – a similar trip in AZ costs $50. I was more than a little jealous of their transportation infrastructure, their bike lanes, and how walkable the area was.

First order of business: breakfast. We went to The Buff, one of the restaurants that President Obama ate at on a recent visit. My friend and I shared this delicious “Pecan Caramel Quesadilla” which was the only food item I managed to take a picture of – I was too busy stuffing my face to stop for the rest.

Next, we made our way to Pearl Street. Pearl Street is this fantastic part pedestrian-only shopping area full of amateur musicians, magicians, and contortionists who perform all day. The shops are mostly locally-owned businesses (in contrast to many “downtown” streets which are filled with chain restaurants and stores) and it’s a great place to hang out and people watch.

We took a left turn and went shopping at the Saturday farmer’s market – bigger than any I’ve been to in Arizona – where there were shoppers, and a big lawn of green grass where people played frisbee or just sat around chatting. We decided to get ingredients for dinner and bought some bright red tomatoes, bread, and local Boulder wine (a fantastic deal at $11 for a white blend and it was excellent. Crisp, smooth – delicious with the pasta we made.)

We explored CU, where my friend is attending, and enjoyed the strange buildings and beautiful campus.

And then had lunch at The Sink, another place President Obama visited. We saw his signature on the wall and shared a custom pizza that was really tasty and well-earned after several hours of walking.

Then we went home and had a nap and headed off to make our farmer’s market dinner.

Day 2, we had breakfast at Foolish Craigs on Pearl Street, where I had a damn good egg’s benedict and a much needed cup of coffee. We walked up to Eben G. park and walked around the creek.

The creek was something I really adored about Boulder – it was a free space for people to go out and enjoy. The weather was beautiful. 

We stayed there for several hours before heading back to town and grabbing a bite at Rueben’s Burger Bistro, where I had an okay burger, and then I headed back down to Denver for my flight home to Phoenix.

If you need a weekend getaway where you can enjoy green scenery and sunshine, Boulder, CO is a great choice.