12 Sep 2014, 1:35pm
Colorado Music & Dance Telluride Telluride Festivals:
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KOTO Broadcasts the Telluride Blues & Brews Festival to All

Telluride Blues & Brews Festival

Telluride Blues & Brews Festival

What are you doing this weekend?

We’re having some beautiful late-summer weather here in Telluride, Colorado and I’m going to be enjoying some great music throughout most of Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I might even be sipping some frosty beers. I’m going to take part in one of the best musical happenings in the world, the Telluride Blues & Brews Festival. And you can, too.

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9 Sep 2014, 3:56pm
Boulder Colorado Hotels & Lodging The Rockies:
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Hotel Boulderado: Boulder’s Bastion of Tradition

Hotel Boulderado:  A Sight to See

Hotel Boulderado: A Sight to See

“Why aren’t I staying here?” exclaimed Alec Baldwin upon a recent visit to Boulder’s renowned place of lodging, the Hotel Boulderado.

Mr. Baldwin was staying at another fine property in town but like any informed visitor to this tony Colorado city, he popped into Boulder’s landmark hotel for a look around. Certainly a lot of people feel this way as they gawk–neck-cranked and wide-eyed–up at the stunning leaded glass canopied ceiling of the Boulderado’s lobby.  The beauty of this masterpiece crafted out of cathedral glass from Italy bedazzles one and all.

As you look around the lobby you discover other treasures from the hotel’s more than a century-old past. Glass showcases display historical artifacts from the hotel and Boulder while other features of the lobby provide a living history experience extraordinaire; the Boulderado’s original safe, for example, is on display behind the front desk and the more than one-hundred year-old, operator-attended Otis elevator still works like a charm. Guests and passersby are encouraged to poke around to take in this marvelous slice of Colorado history.

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5 Sep 2014, 4:51pm
Art & Culture Colorado Telluride Telluride Festivals:
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My Telluride Film Festival 2014

Telluride:  A Beautiful Spot for a Film Festival

Telluride: A Beautiful Spot for a Film Festival

I’m exhausted today. It’s Friday and the end of a busy week, so I have good reason. I think most of my fatigue, however, is emotional. I’m coming off of the Telluride Film Festival (TFF) and I feel like every fiber of my being absorbed the many intense emotions I experienced while watching movies that dealt with everything from a mother’s bizarre relationship with her deeply troubled son (“Mommy“) to a journalist’s capture and brutal confinement in Iran (Jon Stewart’s “Rosewater”) to the devastating effects of the housing bust in America (“99 Homes“).

But a film is worth nothing unless it deeply moves you, right? And moved you will always be at the Telluride Film Festival, many times over in fact.

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FlipKey and Me

Ski In/Ski Out in Telluride Where Your Instructor Meets You at Your Rental

Ski In/Ski Out in Telluride Where Your Instructor Meets You at Your Rental

Biarritz Beauty

Biarritz Beauty

Vacation rentals have been experiencing tremendous growth from Telluride to Tokyo–the key is to make sure you land one that delights you. That means it’s a good idea to consider verified guest reviews for the properties you’re considering and FlipKey, a vacation rental service largely owned by TripAdvisor, provides that and more.

Paris Rental

Paris Rental

The “more” includes terrific photos and descriptions about each destination along with expert input. Voilà, that’s where I come in, since I’m now one of FlipKey’s experts for Telluride, Colorado.

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The Thrill of a Bike Race

The Start of the USA Pro Challenge in Aspen

The Start of the USA Pro Challenge in Aspen

Sexy Cyclists

Sexy Cyclists

More Good-Looking Guys

More Good-Looking Guys

I’m here at my desk amid piles and piles of papers, cards, brochures and miscellaneous other remnants from an action-packed trip to the USA Pro Challenge, which took place here in Colorado last week. I also just spent a couple of hours going through a slew of images from time spent at this exciting bike race. I met cyclists and bystanders, travel suppliers and promoters, journalists and commentators, fans of all ages, shapes and sizes, avid cycling enthusiasts, amateur bike riders and tons of folks just out for a good time.

There’s nothing like a big sporting event to bring people together, especially when it’s on wheels and it travels to different locations along the way. Many people followed the seven days of racing–an extraordinary route that began in Aspen and finished in Denver as it traversed some of the world’s highest mountain passes, most scenic valleys and most beloved Colorado destinations. I hit the USA Pro Challenge in Aspen, Crested Butte and Gunnison and boy, did I soak up every minute of fun I could find within that four-day period.

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14 Aug 2014, 1:45pm
Colorado France Paris Podcasts Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride Writing & Books:
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Marking Eleven Years in Paris and Telluride with Mom

Me and Mom Early Spring 1990ish Having Tea in the Garden at the Normandy Country House

Me and Mom Early Spring 1990ish Having Tea in the Garden at the Normandy Country House

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13 Aug 2014, 1:55pm
Aspen Colorado Durango Music & Dance Telluride Telluride Festivals The Rockies:
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Steve Gumble Brings Us Telluride Blues & Brews and More

Steve Gumble

Steve Gumble

There was a story in The New York Times a few days ago about the proliferation of music festivals all over the world within this past decade. In North America, you can count almost 850 for this year alone. People are crazy about music festivals and the all-encompassing experiences they offer, and promoters and musicians have found them to be profitable enterprises.

Telluride Blues & Brews Festival

Telluride Blues & Brews Festival

But no one puts on a festival like Telluride, Colorado. Sure, I’m biased because I live here. But ask anyone and they’ll likely tell you the same. Plus, most of our great Telluride festivals—from music to film—have been around for decades. So I was thrilled to do a Travel Fun interview with Steve Gumble, founder of Telluride Blues & Brews, one of our beloved festivals, to hear his story, how he got this now twenty-one-year-old festival going and to listen to him reminisce about some of the most memorable moments from his shows.

Click the play button below to listen to Steve chat about this world-renowned festival as well as the Durango Blues Train and Snowmass Mammoth Fest, two other terrific musical happenings he recently took on.

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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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    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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