Colorado Denver Hotels & Lodging Restaurants: Denver Hotels & Lodging Restaurants
by maribeth
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Summertime and the Livin’ Is Easy at the Denver Warwick Hotel
Red, Wet and Blue at Denver Warwick's Rooftop Oasis
With record-breaking temperatures hammering most of the country this summer, business and leisure travelers are delighting in hotels that offer something more than icey-cold, air conditioned guest rooms. Yeah, baby, it’s hot outside. But it’s also summer, the season intended for sitting outdoors to breath in fresh air and listen to the chirp, chirp, chirp of little birds.
Denver’s a great city for capturing this sort of bliss since even when temperatures soar well into the nineties, it’s dry enough that a quick dip in a pool or a leisurely moment on a shaded patio, can leave you feeling like you’re relaxing in a balmy seventy-five degrees. But the secret is to find those special havens where you can forget big-city life and lull yourself into some sultry summer fun. You’ll find just the place at the Denver Warwick Hotel in the heart of the mile-high city.
Randolph's at Dusk
Even if you’re not checking in to this superior quality establishment, you can enjoy a fine meal on the terrace at Randolph’s Restaurant and Bar, the hotel’s signature restaurant. Randolph’s presents a contemporary American cuisine served up with a Rocky mountain flair. Enjoy an Heirloom Ensalata Caprese, followed by a Rocky Mountain Red Ruby Trout Florentine and you’ll understand why this restaurant has become a favorite among Denver’s movers and shakers. (I’m sure they appreciate the relaxing atmosphere of Randolph’s terrace as well.)
You’ll want to be a guest at the Denver Warwick just to experience their rooftop swimming pool, a real rarity in any major metropolitan center. Not only is it a fun way to cool off, but it also offers some fine views of the Denver skyline.
After lolling poolside for a while, you can still pad off to your temperature-controlled guest room to flop on the bed. Fortunately there, too, the crisp, Rocky mountain air is close at hand because all of the rooms at the Denver Warwick boast their own private balcony.
Fresh and breezy. Here, summer never felt so good.
Denver Warwick Hotel, 1776 Grant Street, 303-861-2000. Randolph’s is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily year-round; brunch is also served on Sundays. Call 303-318-7272 to reserve. Check out their daily specials at their Web site or enquire by phone.
Being Green Shopping: Being Green Shopping
by maribeth
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Online Boutique Recommendations: Holidays 2010
Marmot Skier from Alpen Schatz
Are you overwhelmed yet? You know, about all the holiday hoopla. I try to keep it as simple as possible and still, I sometimes feel myself stressing about the handful of items scratched onto my holiday to-do list. This year poses even more of a challenge—for me and other Americans—since many of us are more cost conscious and environmentally aware than ever before.
I’ve always been an advocate of buying quality, not quantity. Call it the French way, if you want. It’s also very European to be green and it’s great to see Americans implementing that approach into their lifestyle—especially their shopping habits—more and more. We all know about bringing our own bags with us when we shop, but what approach should we use for online shopping? And is online shopping even green?
I’m not sure how to answer that last question since I’m a huge proponent of shopping local. But let’s face it, you can’t buy everything locally, especially when you live in a remote mountain town like Telluride, Colorado. Plus it’s fun to source speciality items on the Internet from time to time. And what about Aunt Harriet, brother Mike and all the other assorted friends and family members on your gift-giving list—you know, the folks that live a bazillion miles away? I think it’s much easier to turn the packaging and mailing chore over to an online boutique.
Art & Culture Colorado Denver Hotels & Lodging Restaurants Travel: Art & Culture Colorado Denver Hotels & Lodging Restaurants Travel
by maribeth
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Viva Italia, Viva Italian Americans, Viva la Dolce Vita in Denver
The Sweet Life: Italian Style
Clemente. My name ends with a vowel, just like Delgato, Cardaluccio, pizza. When my grandparents emigrated from Italy our name was actually spelled Clementi. They Americanized it somewhat with an “e.” Even Frankie Valli once contemplated making his stage name Vally with a “y.” But he opted to be a good ‘ole Jersey Boy and settled on Valli and in so doing preserved more of his Italian heritage.
Jersey Boys: Italian American Guys
My dad is a Frankie, too. Not from Jersey but from Troy, New York. Close enough. Recently the music of the Jersey Boys helped him to reconnect with his roots. I spent a lot of time back east this past summer helping my father get through a difficult passage in his life and every step of the way we were serenaded by the melodious and memorable sounds of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. We became Jersey Boys addicts. My dad had seen this explosive Broadway show that recounts the story of four Italian American guys and their rise to fame last spring. Their hits from “Sherry” to “Oh, What a Night” to “My Eyes Adored You” to “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” and more buoyed him up to a place of joy he had not known in quite some time. Through this music, I could tell my dad was retracing part of his own story. And I was right there with him, rediscovering a sound and a slice of Italian American culture I had not paid much attention to in quite some time.
Colorado Denver Hotels & Lodging Travel: Colorado Denver Hotels & Lodging Travel
by maribeth
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Close Encounters in Denver
I’m a real people person. But I like being alone a lot, too. I often like traveling by myself, at least part of the time. Sometimes I just need to be on my own schedule without having to consider another’s wants or needs. I also have more encounters—interesting or otherwise—when I’m alone.
The Lobby at Denver’s Hotel Monaco
This turned out to be the case recently at Denver’s Hotel Monaco. I was to stay at this stylish hotel a couple of nights before flying out to the east coast. When I arrived, their wine hour was in full swing. I made a mental note to be sure to check it out the next evening. The hotel’s boldly colored lobby beckoned.
After the bellman provided me with a brief tour of the room, I noticed a goldfish in a big round bowl on the desk. I peered down at it and read the adjoining notice that talked some about the fish, its environment and what not to do to it. I learned that I was not to share the crumbs from my granola bar—or anything else—with it for example. I looked at it again and registered one thought: gimmicky.
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by maribeth
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I’m Thinking of You
A Good Sign: Heart-Shaped Tea Stain on My Kitty Dish
I’ve never been so consumed with thinking about people. I’m not dwelling or ruminating or obsessing about others. I’m visiting with folks. I’m spending time with my closest loved ones as much as I’m guarding the safety of those tight-knit families living in their one-room hovels in the slums of Islamabad. I’m hanging with my boyfriend who’s been working 12-hour days to keep the hotel he manages afloat and I’m rushing through the halls of a busy ICU with over-worked medical professionals. I’m sitting with the families that are grieving the loss of their loved ones while maintaining social distancing and I’m riding with that trucker who’s bravely making his way across the country to deliver goods without even being able to sit down at a truck stop to enjoy a good meal. I’m in the kitchen with that family that’s trying to figure out a new way of living, juggling working remotely with homeschooling and this new concentrated version of togetherness. I’m looking over the shoulder of that grocery store clerk who’s stocking shelves for a small wage so that we can continue to fill our refrigerators and pantries. I’m with that person fighting for his or her life on a respirator in the hospital. Indeed, it feels like I’m everywhere these days–at least in my thoughts.
My Partner Delivering the Goods Beneath the Cover of Darkness
Yet, I am all alone–at least from a physical standpoint. I was very sick for quite a while with presumably some kind of a Telluride crud that I picked up on the mountain while teaching skiing the first week of spring break. (I had a COVID-19 swab test, self isolated for over two weeks and then found out it was negative. It took ten days for the results to come back but even if I had found out that I was coronavirus free sooner, it was best not to be out spreading germs.) During this time, I saw a couple of friends who came by to drop off provisions for me, safely separated by the glass door of my foyer. My guy came by with care packages as well but as hard as it was, we maintained a good ten feet between us, knowing that had there been any less distance we would have been more tempted to fall into each other’s arms. And then once I received my test report, I was thrilled to carefully venture out to the store, the pharmacy and a couple of other necessary places on my list. (Thankfully liquor stores are considered essential businesses here in Colorado.)
Driving Up for My COVID-19 Test
Like many people throughout the rest of the world, I’ve been doing this for over a month. I’m not at all bored though. I have my reading and writing, cooking, cleaning and house projects, lots of radio programming (I don’t have a TV) and now that I’m better, I enjoy doing an occasional walk in the countryside surrounding my house. Plus, I have all of you. Really. I’ve never felt so connected to the rest of the world in all my life. All kinds of people, including old college friends, old boyfriends, my ex husband, friends in France, and so many more from the cast of characters that have played a role in the movie that is my life have filled my thoughts and dreams. Prince Charles even appeared in one of my nighttime productions last week! We were eating potato chips together sans gin and tonic unfortunately. I sleep as deeply as a Rocky Mountain bear during the month of January and wake up exhausted, perhaps because of all the visiting I do during the night. In pondering the symbolism behind these dreams, I’ve come to the conclusion that the night is just a continuation of how my brain has been functioning throughout my waking hours: thousands of loved ones and total strangers pop into my head over the course of the day and with each flash, I’m wondering consciously or unconsciously how they are doing. Best of all, I feel myself sending them strength and love.
Saying Hello to Cows on My Walk is Good Therapy
The expression “my thoughts and prayers are with you” has gotten a bad rap. Honestly. I believe in the power of thoughts and prayers more so than ever. And I feel like I’m working overtime these days to stay emotionally connected with everyone in this world, particularly those in need. We have all discovered the meaning of “we are one” throughout this worldwide pandemic. I feel for the people of Italy as their death toll reaches inconceivable numbers. I’m experiencing the horror and sadness that New Yorkers feel upon seeing the refrigerated trucks line up outside their hospitals for the storage of the dead. I’m fluffing up the pillow for that medic sleeping in his car. I’m feeling the excitement of that oh-so creative person that has turned her 3-D printer into a face mask-making machine.
Everyday I find myself having a good cry. I’m not at all depressed. I’m just full of empathy and compassion and although it can be tiresome, shedding tears is a wonderful release both physically, emotionally and mentally.
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by maribeth
Comments Off on On Notre Dame, Loss and Love
On Notre Dame, Loss and Love
Notre Dame de Paris
Up Close
Closer
So much has been said, written and felt about the devastating fire that ripped through Notre de Dame de Paris three weeks ago that I’m not sure there’s room to add more. Yet like the loss of a loved one, it is healing to process the pain throughout the weeks, months and years beyond the initial shock. As with death, this tragic event will always leave a hole in our hearts, since many of us did suffer a huge sense of loss, particularly on the emotional front.
For me, it brought up so much on so many levels. Le choque, or the shock, of this magnificent Gothic cathedral catching on fire was what first hit me. Utter disbelief that quickly gave way to a flood of tears. The unthinkable had happened. I remembered staring at her magnificent flying buttresses at length on a homework assignment for my Architecture de Paris course when I did my junior year abroad in Paris. Those old stones had already lived well for centuries; there was no reason to think that they would not endure centuries more. And then when I settled into living in Paris for another ten years, Notre Dame was a constant–as much as the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Elysées, the rabbit warren streets of the Latin Quarter, the cafés of the Left Bank and so many other parts of the French capital that are quintessentially Parisian.
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by maribeth
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A Cancer Journey of Heartbreak, Love, Resilience and Hope
Dave and Me During the Last Week of Our Packing Up of the Family’s Summer Home
On Wednesday January 3rd, just as I was rolling off the couch from having been exhausted up to my teeth from the big Christmas rush on the mountain, I learned some news from my brother, David, that has forever changed our lives.
I knew he was feeling sick since December 12th but I was so busy working as a ski instructor in Telluride at our peak time, that I couldn’t make any solid offers of assistance until the big holiday push had passed. I then suggested to drive up to Aspen and take care of him, do some cooking and shopping and provide whatever assistance I could to help him get back on his feet. Little did I know how serious it was. Little did I know what was brewing inside of him would be the dreaded “big C.”
Pay attention: This is how quickly cancer can take hold and how important it is to mobilize yourself to figure it out. It is happening to so many people that we all have to have some measure of preparation and most of all, a keen awareness that doctors can’t always get it right. I hope that my story will provide that for you. This is also a tale of how people respond to a cancer diagnosis: some show up big time to help while others use it as an opportunity to further their own agendas.
Here’s my texting exchange with my brother from that day.
Dave:
B …that is a very generous offer, but I think I will continue to be able to manage. If I was really in need, I would gracious ly accept. Take advantage of your time off to get rested and take care of your own accumulated work load😊
Me:
OK, keep it in mind. Maybe we should find out if you’re contagious first. But know that aside from a 5-hour drive, I could easily drop in to provide some assistance. Please let me know how it goes at the doctor’s today!
Dave:
Will do
B…still at the throat Dr…not good news…he thinks I have cancer and wants to do a biopsy Friday…so if your offer still holds to come up, I will graciously accept…fill mom in so I can save a step
Of course I left for Aspen the next day. I stayed ten days that first trip, came back to Telluride to work and regroup twice for a few days, then headed out again, first on a one-week and then on a two-week trip, crisscrossing our vast state of Colorado to see doctors and accompany David to medical procedures in Glenwood Springs, Grand Junction and Denver. For over a month, I assumed the role of my brother’s health advocate. The fact that he wasn’t able to talk very well underscored my role; I became his voice both literally and figuratively. I became a velvet pit bull of sorts sweet-talking our way into hard-to-obtain doctor’s appointments, asking question after question about the diagnosis, treatments and cure rates as I gathered information from every imaginable source including the many pamphlets handed out to us at the hospitals, my note taking and recordings of every doctor’s appointment, the internet, friends in and out of the medical profession, total strangers that had been through similar experiences–it all was important in attempting to make sense of my brother David’s Stage 4A diagnosis of laryngeal cancer.
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by maribeth
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Vail Getaway
Poolside Lunch at the Four Seasons in Vail
Phew! It’s been a busy six weeks filled with all kinds of travels for a variety of reasons.
I spent the first two weeks of July in Denver–sword-drawn–helping my brother battle cancer. (More on that at a later date.) On both ends of the trip, I sampled Colorado Greyhound service for the first time. (It’s much like I’ve found it to be on the East Coast: colorful and crammed on certain trips, sparsely populated and cruise-y on others, all punctuated by sketchy wifi throughout.) Still, I feel that it often beats driving the approximate seven hours between Telluride and Denver. I wish train service was better along this route but that’s likely a dream for years to come. Shuttle service between these two destinations is sadly nonexistent as well.
Lots of People Traveling with Pets These Days
The first week of August I arrived back in Telluride from a whirlwind three-and-a-half-day trip to the East Coast to drop off my seventeen-year-old-cat Clara for an extended stay with my eighty-five-year-old mother–double phew! (Had my travels not been canceled due to weather on the outbound, it actually would have been a two-and-a-half-day trip.) Clara is a great traveler although it could all have ended poorly this time because she nudged her way out of the zippered closure of her carrier beneath the seat in front of me while mommy was catnapping.
“Excuse me, miss. Is this your cat?” a kind-faced young man asked as he hovered over me in the aisle, cradling Clara in his arms. “She made her way to the back of the plane.” Fortunately the other passengers chuckled and I refrained from having a heart attack.
A Disgruntled Clara on Her Layover
I’ll was in T-ride less than a week before I headed back to upstate New York with her brother, Leo, another old kitty, a fluffy miniature lion-like orange tabby as his name indicates. Don’t ask–but know that only one pet per passenger is allowed in the cabin. Thankfully we’re all adaptable travelers. If only they could rack up frequent flier mileage, too!
TSA Hold Up with Leo’s Suspicious-Looking Kitty Litter
Leo: Old and Grumpy yet Very Happy to Be at Grandma’s
In the middle of all this movin’ and shakin’, I delighted in three lovely days in Vail, Colorado with my boyfriend, Steve. Ahhhh, yes, aside from the usual email checking, note taking and social media posting, it felt like a vacation, a much-needed one because as you can perhaps gather from the above, it has been a hectic year.
Cheers to Getaways
We often have a summer getaway in Vail, largely because he has business meetings that take him there–he’s a hotel GM–and I tag along and do my travel writer thing and steal some quality time with him. As residents of Telluride, we regularly enjoy the many benefits of living in a beautiful mountain town, but as we all know, it’s different when you go someplace else, especially when you stay in a luxury hotel where neither of us has to get bogged down with daily household chores or catering to our four cats. (Yes, we each have two and together we formed the Brady Bunch cat family.)
Hotel Talisa Vail
This time we enjoyed our stay at the newly renovated Hotel Talisa (formerly Vail Cascade) within a smooth, style-y decor that made us feel oh-so pampered. The staff makes lots of efforts with the service as well, something that as a demanding hotel GM and travel writer, we inevitably test to the max. (Hint: Always ask for a room change if you’re not quite happy with the one you’re given upon check in and don’t be afraid to suggest some kind of compensation–some sort of a gesture–if there’s a goof up during your stay.)
