Groovy Times Guaranteed at Mountain Lodge Telluride

Steve and Me at this Year’s Mardi Gras

Imagine a handsome mountain lodge in a superlative setting with an extraordinary local vibe. Think of a place that puts on great parties for locals and visitors alike. That’s what you’ll find at Mountain Lodge Telluride, one of the top places of lodging in Telluride, Colorado.

Joint Point
Jammin’

As I wrote in my story, The View at Mountain Lodge: Telluride’s Best-Kept Secret, for Telluride Magazine, their restaurant is a favorite place for great food and drink and also a happening place for parties. The View hosts all kinds of events, including weddings. And they also put on some great bashes that embody the vibe of a good ‘ole Telluride party. Joint Point, a favorite local rock band with solid jamming chops, has been putting on shows twice a year here for a number of years. Their Snow Dance the Friday after Thanksgiving and their Electric Luau, a Friday night in the first part of June, have become traditions in Telluride’s roster of good times. 

Costuming is Part of the Fun
Fun Times with Friends

Music festival season is almost here. And there’s no better way to warm up for it than attending a fun evening of music and dance within a fabulous great room, a space surely designed with extraordinary gatherings in mind. Dig out your Aloha shirts, board shorts and flowered sarongs and put your bright on this Friday, June 9th to welcome the summer season. 

With chilly temps still bringing in some fresh fallen snow (up high!), it has not felt very summery around this part of the Rockies so far. But we have had some spectacular rainbows and you’re sure to bask in your own kaleidoscopic array of light by attending Friday night’s Electric Luau at the Lodge. Reasonably-priced and super tasty food and drink will be served, so go hungry. 

Full disclosure:  my guy, Steve Togni, the general manager of Mountain Lodge Telluride for almost twenty years and my significant other for about fifteen of them, usually steps in and plays a song or two with the band. How cool is that? No wonder this elegant establishment can so easily take on a hippie vibe. Anyone in the know, knows that that’s part of the beauty of Telluride. It’s our way of keeping it real.

Lighting Up the Night Old School

Know that even if you miss Friday’s party at the Lodge, there are plenty of other opportunities to enjoy this wonderful venue. Check out my story, The View at Mountain Lodge:  Telluride’s Best-Kept Secret, to find out more about the restaurant and bar. Note that changes are afoot and there will be a whole new food and beverage team this summer. In keeping with the trajectory of The View since it’s conception in 2008, offerings here are sure to be better than ever.

The Mountain Lodge Spirit

Win a Fall Foliage Trip to Telluride, Colorado

Fall in Telluride

Fall in Telluride, Colorado

Autumn in Telluride rates as one of my favorite times of the year. Since we’re located in southwestern Colorado, it’s typically sunny and warm during the day and cool and crisp at night. Known as the gold season, the aspens present a dazzling array of sunshine yellow, honey and maize while the brush, which flanks our mountainsides and carpets our valleys, turns into a rich showing of saffron, russet and ruby red.

The foliage typically peaks at the end of September, however, the scenery remains stunning here through mid October, especially if we’re blessed with a fresh dusting of snow on our breathtaking peaks. The big summer and festival crowds have gone home, so you can easily soak up the tranquility of our charming mountain destination and the outlying area whether you’re hiking, biking, fishing, jeeping, shopping, dining or just lolling on a nice deck.

Thanks to Mountain Lodge Telluride, the New Sheridan Chop House Restaurant, Paragon Outdoors/Bootdoctors and Salon 7, you can win a fabulous stay in Telluride, one of the most beautiful destinations in the world. (And that’s coming from a gal who lived eleven years in Paris.) Here’s what the trip includes:

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6 Aug 2014, 1:15pm
Colorado Denver Hotels & Lodging Podcasts Restaurants Shopping Travel:
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Comments Off on Dana Crawford Chats About the Opening of Denver’s Restored Union Station and The Crawford Hotel

Dana Crawford Chats About the Opening of Denver’s Restored Union Station and The Crawford Hotel

Denver's Union Station

Denver’s Union Station

I rarely write about a place without having visited it, however, in this case, I can do it with the utmost confidence. I’m talking about the newly restored Union Station in Denver and a splendid hotel housed within:  The Crawford. Both have been a labor of love of for Dana Crawford and Sage Hospitality, and Colorado is abuzz about the reopening of this landmark station and the unveiling of this unique hotel. Listen to what Ms. Crawford has to say about this enormous project, her passion for restoration and future plans in the works in my Travel Fun interview below.

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3 Jul 2014, 12:00pm
Art & Culture DC Hotels & Lodging Travel:
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Comments Off on A Patchwork Quilt of Memories from Annapolis

A Patchwork Quilt of Memories from Annapolis

The Perfect Launching Area for Kayaking at Meadow Gardens B & B

The Perfect Launching Area for Kayaking at Meadow Gardens B & B

An Heirloom in the Making

An Heirloom in the Making

Hot weather, boating, men and women in uniform, our nation’s capital, Americana, quilts, the sound of the water, seafood, red, white and blue, family and friends gathering, centuries worth of history—-these thoughts and more flood my mind during this sunny holiday period. I won’t be celebrating July 4th much this year, since I’ve decided to take advantage of the quiet time and catch up at my desk. But I am very much in the Fourth of July spirit and am nurturing memories of these bright, summertime moments even more.

Country Breakfast

Country Breakfast

Some of the best were experienced about the same time last year in Annapolis, Maryland. I visited this charming Mid-Atlantic town with my boyfriend and his family after his brother’s wedding in Virginia. Annapolis smacks of the sea and we enjoyed many aspects of it from savoring fresh seafood, to taking a sail on the Chesapeake Bay, to peering out into one of the many water inlets that typify this long-established seaport, home to the United States Naval Academy since 1845. We stayed in a charming bed and breakfast, one of countless in Annapolis that define the character of this old, historic town as much as their brick buildings and cobbled streets.

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Garden Love

Nina's Garden

Nina’s Garden

I’ve been feeling much love these past days. It’s a different sort of love. It’s a love shared around a theme:  gardening. This is rather new to me, since I’ve never been much of a gardener. I love visiting beautiful gardens and receiving a bouquet of flowers counts as one of my greatest joys in life, but getting down and dirty with the soil has never been my forté. Now, however, I’m much more enthusiastic, perhaps it’s because this year I decided to add vegetables and herbs to my potted plants. This year I yearn to see the fruits of my efforts and I’m crossing my fingers for an abundant harvest of tomatoes, peppers, basil, melon, pumpkins and more. As I sit at my desk, I’m sending love to all my little plants with the hope that they will defy the challenges of living at over 9,500 feet and that somehow they will miraculously thrive.

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9 Jun 2014, 1:01pm
Colorado Hotels & Lodging Restaurants Telluride The Rockies:
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Comments Off on Colorado: A Stunning Place for Weddings

Colorado: A Stunning Place for Weddings

A Telluride Wedding by Merrick Chase

A Telluride Wedding by Merrick Chase

Graduations, anniversaries, engagements, weddings. ‘Tis the season for gatherings—big and small—to mark momentous occasions. I’ve noticed an influx of people from all over the country to Telluride to celebrate milestones, especially weddings, now that the weather has turned beautiful. Telluride, in fact, has become quite the place for destination weddings year-round with perhaps the exception of mid-spring since the leaves don’t typically pop until late May. I frequently meet people in and around Telluride and Telluride Mountain Village—often on the gondola which joins these two towns—that are here for a wedding. Many of the couples that opt to have weddings here and in other parts of Colorado have no particular attachment to the area except for their love of its beauty, the perfect backdrop for making a special day even more awe-inspiring.

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The Riches of Paris and The Riches of France Now eBooks

The Riches of Paris:  A Shopping and Touring Guide

The Riches of Paris: A Shopping and Touring Guide

If you’re headed to Paris soon or are just an armchair traveler that enjoys curling up with your eBook, may I recommend my books, The Riches of Paris:  A Shopping and Touring Guide and The Riches of France:  A Shopping and Touring Guide to the French Provinces. They’re perfect for Francophiles interested in knowing more about the places they’re discovering.

The eBook versions of my classic guidebooks come just in time for spring/summer travels to the French capital and the provinces of France. How handy it is to pull them up on your mobile device or eBook reader to find out about the most interesting places and products to savor.

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22 May 2014, 11:23am
Beaver Creek Colorado Hotels & Lodging Music & Dance Spas:
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Comments Off on Keep the Beat Going with a Dancing with the Stars Pro in Colorado

Keep the Beat Going with a Dancing with the Stars Pro in Colorado

Here's to Fun and Dance

Smiles from the DWS Judges: Here’s to Fun and Dance

How about that “Dancing with the Stars” finale this week? Did you have your fill of beautiful moves, heart thumping music, flashy costumes and cheeky judges? No wonder this highly entertaining TV show  on ABC has kept much of America enthralled for almost two decades. The creativity, athleticism and sheer vibe of the dance productions is incredibly inspirational and motivating. It’s, in fact, one of my secret desires to be a star on the show. Perhaps if I sell enough books, that will happen!

In the meantime, I guess the closest I—-or most anyone else—-can get to being a part of such a dynamic happening is to attend the Karina Smirnoff DanceFIT-KS workshop at The Westin Riverfront Beaver Creek June 13 through 15. Yes, this successful dancer/choreographer of ABC’s global hit “Dancing with the Stars,” will soon be here in Colorado to lead a unique, customized fitness experience that’s open to everyone including singles and couples of all ages and fitness levels. The classes are sure to be inspiring and physically effective because of this beauty and lifestyle expert’s signature approach to total body fitness. From a Meet & Greet cocktail party to a special screening of Across Grace Alley, a short film starring Karina, to Salsa, Cha Cha, cardio classes and more, this three-day event promises to provide many memorable moments.

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    This blog is a personal blog written and edited by Maribeth Clemente. This blog sometimes accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation. The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post may not always be identified as paid or sponsored content. The owner of this blog is sometimes compensated to provide opinion on products, services, Web sites and various other topics. Even though the owner of this blog receives compensation for certain posts or advertisements, she always gives her honest opinions, findings, beliefs or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blogger's own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question. This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.
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