The Simple Note

 So many people have asked why we decided to go to Denver. Honestly there isn't an answer other than "Why not?". Some of the highlights of my trip were the food, the air, and the scenery!

We made our own itinerary before arriving and followed that! Here are tons of pictures from our trip and some of the things I enjoyed most about Denver. 

 We had a 4:30 p.m. appointment to tour The Rising Sun Distillery and taste their local brews! The tour was so intimate. Our guide walked us through their fermenting and bottling process and allowed us to taste the liquor at the highest percent. Gross.

We purchased a tour on Groupon that allowed us to have a distillery tour and tasting for two people plus two artisan cocktails. To me, their best in-house crafted spirits was their Colorado Peach! The one I disliked the most was the Colorado Chili Spirits. The Chili in the mixture was completely over powering.

We visited Snooze which was voted to have some of the best breakfast in Denver. You can visit their menu here! At Snooze I ordered their breakfast pot pie and a sweet potato pancake. Pretty tasty, but the pot pie didn't have the breakfast taste I was going for. 

Our next stop was Manitou Springs. This area reminded me of a tribal environment. Manitou is known for having fresh spring water. We were told after our visit that in this area, you can go around with a cup tasting the fresh water throughout the area!

Next, we drove to Pike's Peak which was a little over 20 minutes away. Due to weather conditions, we were not able to drive all the way up (T didn't want to drive all the way up anyways). We went to 13,049 feet above Sea Level which was near the top. Simply. Majestic. 

Tidbits of this part of our trip:

-Entry into the park was $10 per person.  

-The higher the elevation, the colder the temperature. 

-Although there was snow on the mountain and roads, it did not technically snow while we were there.

-The air is thin (and I could FEEL the difference).

(I had to force him to go down by the water)

We went on the hunt for ice cream and attempted to go to Little Man Ice Cream. The line for Little Man's was incredibly long. There had to be at least 40 people standing in line for ice cream. Instead we opted for Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. 

One of my goals for last month was to try a spice. I came across the Savory and Spice Shop (perfect for a home chef). This cute little shop had hundreds of spices! I purchased about four different spices for future recipes. 

Special Thanks:

I can't express how helpful and kind Food Parooze was in our foodie journey while in Denver. I found Food Parooze online and visited their website countless times while in Denver. Their easy to use page allowed us to click on food we loved and get recommendations for restaurants we should try. It is perfect for the locals, but even better for a tourist looking for all the right places. I wish they were in Florida because their site is PERFECT for someone looking for brunch, lunch, dinner, or cocktails. Check out their website here and follow them on Instagram! 

Some additional places we went to:

Improv- Dinner theater for a comedy show

The Cooper Lounge - Cocktail/Lounge 

Union Station - Downtown for shopping and dining 

Saltgrass Steakhouse - Similar to Logan's or Longhorn (The best wedge salad I have ever had)

The Winery at Pikes Peak - Winery on the main road headed to Pikes Peak

Overall:

- I could not breathe there. I understand now what they mean by elevation and thin air.

-It's a really cool, fun city. Worth the trip.

-We booked our trip through Expedia.

- I got ENGAGED and part two is all about the proposal!

 Our tour guide, Omar!

First cousins

 Captain's dinner where my family sang Happy Birthday to me (it's two months early but all things get better with practice)!

Randoms:
1. My sister and I were proposed to by two different strangers on the beach.
2. The last night my sister and cousins went to Karaoke night. I missed it because I was seasick , but I wish I was there.
3. Something I learned was that everyone (and I mean everyone we came across) was hospitable. According to Omar, "just because men speak doesn't mean they are trying to get a piece of  leg". My sister actually recorded this conversation on her vlog. It was pretty funny.
4. Their juke music is something I would listen to. A lot of the other music played in the shops we passed by was worship or gospel music I am familiar with!

Must Do's"
1. Try a beach excursion, but purchase them at the beach or on the port! It was way cheaper!
2. Try a Kiss on the Lips. They are addicting.
3. Ask about their culture and language. I wish I could learn Patwa.

First time's for me:
1. Going to the beach in the Bahamas. I've been before, but I didn't go to the local beaches. How beautiful.
2. Jet skiing. This was the highlight of my trip. Even though my cousin and I fell off, we scared our family, and I freaked out because my cousin can't swim, it was the BEST part.
3. Drinking out of a coconut. I tried to eat it. Raw coconut is very...interesting!