With regard to population, just like the comparison with Las Vegas, Honolulu (almost a million) has more people than Denver (600,000), but the metro area of this city has a population that exceeds 2.8 million (the whole state of Hawaii has just about half that).
Hawaii has zero professional teams, Denver has seven: Broncos (football), Nuggets (basketball), Rockies (baseball), Avalanche (hockey), Rapids, (soccer), Mammoth (lacrosse) and Outlaws (field lacrosse). Yes, lacrosse is very big here.
Hawaii has zero professional teams, Denver has seven: Broncos (football), Nuggets (basketball), Rockies (baseball), Avalanche (hockey), Rapids, (soccer), Mammoth (lacrosse) and Outlaws (field lacrosse). Yes, lacrosse is very big here.
Denver is lot more "green" than Honolulu. The airport has a 10 MW solar photovoltaics system, and everywhere you go are reminders of sustainability.
I'm staying at the Sheraton on the 16th Street Mall, which is a truly wonderful one mile stretch that I did not know even existed. The top photo is looking one way, and to the right looking the other. It is serviced by a free ultra-low emission hybrid-electric bus system that runs every 90 seconds, stopping at every block, so you don't even need to alert the driver. There are 40 street cart vendors and 28 sidewalk cafes. The granite paving is in a pattern that, when viewed from above, resembles the skin of a rattlesnake.
I'm staying at the Sheraton on the 16th Street Mall, which is a truly wonderful one mile stretch that I did not know even existed. The top photo is looking one way, and to the right looking the other. It is serviced by a free ultra-low emission hybrid-electric bus system that runs every 90 seconds, stopping at every block, so you don't even need to alert the driver. There are 40 street cart vendors and 28 sidewalk cafes. The granite paving is in a pattern that, when viewed from above, resembles the skin of a rattlesnake.
The conference center (left--twice the size of the Hawaii Convention Center) is less than a ten minute walk, Coors Field (where the Rockies play--view from my room to the right) and Pepsi Center (Nuggets) are a free and short bus ride plus few minutes walk away, with Larimer Square, the Denver Performing Arts Complex, Denver Pavilions, U.S. Mint (free tours), Denver Art Museum all perhaps within a walk of 10 to 15 minutes. Note those peaks: you can see 32 of them soar to 13,000 feet and higher from Denver.
The past couple of days have been cold (30's) and rainy, but May is the wettest month. The average temperature is a high of 64 F and low of 37. (Hawaii is 85 F and 70 F.) However, a high here of 86 F could be reached in a few days. That's Denver for you, as snow one day can be followed by a sunny day in the 80's.
I had lunch yesterday at Marlowe's:
This was a filet mignon salad with blue cheese vinaigrette and bowl of Irish corned beef soup, with a glass of Colorado beer. There are more than 100 different breweries here (including, of course, Coors, where the tour and beer are free). I noticed a truck stopping just outside my table, and my waiter walking over to pick up a couple energy bars, so I asked him what's happening? He said, oh, these marketing trucks drop by regularly to offer free samples. So I went over and picked up four (you should have noticed them in the above photo--on my way out, I couldn't help but select four more--I have enough energy bars to last a year--they are 200 calories each, so you need to be careful). Aside from the free hotel breakfasts, all my meals thus far have been soup and salad, perhaps in penance for my 3 Michelin Star extravagances, but more so that right next to the street level of my hotel elevator stop is a soup/sandwich/salad shop I have conveniently used.
Lunch today was at Denver's best restaurant, Rioja, Mediterranean with a Spanish flair. Remember, this is Mother's Day, and the place was packed when I just showed up. I noticed that no one was sitting outside, so I asked for that corner table:
After me, others came outside, for the weather was, actually, briskly comfortable. My opening drinks were a Lemon quencher and Rioja Ramon Bilbao Reserva with Asparagus garlic soup topped by some lemon fraiche and crispy spring garlic accompanied by a Rioja house salad of baby arugula, Medjool dates, Gorgonzola (Italian blue cheese) and toasted almond vinaigrette:
Lunch today was at Denver's best restaurant, Rioja, Mediterranean with a Spanish flair. Remember, this is Mother's Day, and the place was packed when I just showed up. I noticed that no one was sitting outside, so I asked for that corner table:
After me, others came outside, for the weather was, actually, briskly comfortable. My opening drinks were a Lemon quencher and Rioja Ramon Bilbao Reserva with Asparagus garlic soup topped by some lemon fraiche and crispy spring garlic accompanied by a Rioja house salad of baby arugula, Medjool dates, Gorgonzola (Italian blue cheese) and toasted almond vinaigrette:
My main entree was a duck confit hash with Yukon gold potatoes, sunny side eggs and warm maple syrup:
I was brave, and had Sauternes soaked Fourme aux Moelleux (blue) cheese, crispy layers of lavender feuille (sheet) the de brik (baked filo dough), Sauternes grape Helene, micro basil edible flower and honey:
About those fancy dsndy French terms? Click on translation. I was very well served by Lauren:
That is a 2005 Chateau de Rolland Sauternes with my cheese/dessert. I was so stuffed that I had to sit through three burps over 20 minutes before I could walk.
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