Denver, Colorado: July 2021
"I did something this last week that I've always wanted to try, and it was awesome: Solo Travel. I went to Denver, CO and did so much. I met incredible people, sank my teeth into the best food and stayed in a hostel for the first time. I talked so much that my voice was raspy for two days afterwards, and I talk for a living. Do things that scare you and do it your way. One of the best trips I've ever taken, until next time." 🗺️ July 2021
That blurb pretty much says it all. It's been an adult-lifetime goal of mine to solo travel. I'm fortunate to have amazing people in my life, and I love adventures with them, but there is something truly self-liberating about flying solo on an flight (or car, boat, plane, take your pick). I'm writing this almost two years after this trip, but this was one of the most impactful trips I've ever taken. After two years of implementing more travel every year into my life, I've learned that now more than ever, we're not meant to get up, go to work, watch Netflix and wake up to do it all over again. Not me, not anymore. If you haven't solo traveled and have contemplated it, take it from someone who didn't have much travel experience at the time, you can do it. Just don't look like a tourist and you'll be fine.
What an insanely beautiful place. From the natural environment to the city built by man, this is such a
cool place. I stayed in a hostel for the first time and what a great idea. I understand the hype, get on the bandwagon, we have snacks and cool stories. I stayed at Hostel Fish and this place still makes me so happy. While keeping with traditional hostel fashion on a community kitchen, couches, etc. there was a bar about ten feet from the check in counter where anyone could hang out, get to know each other and share lives. I ended up spending a good amount of time here (not for the reasons you'd think) getting to know the most amazing people. One of which I ran into while eating breakfast one day. Another whom I spent almost my whole trip with and still follow on Instagram. We'll come back to that later.
My first night I go down to the hostel bar and end up meeting a few other solo travelers just looking to get to know other folks. The multi person conversation is so much fun, several of which staying at the hostel, some are locals and some that just wanted to hang out at this cool bar that night. I get invited to go with them down the street to some bar to grab a drink. I go and it's a great time. We play pool and my team loses badly (probably my fault), but it's an awesome night. Everyone is so friendly and willing to talk about anything. Spontaneity is amazing.
Morning's here and first stop, bright and early at 7am is the legendary Red Rock Amphitheater for a massive gathering of group yoga. Mind you, I know very little about yoga, I'm not your standard white girl. Luckily, my utterly fabulous cousin is a yoga professional and introduced me to the basics. It's not part of my daily life, but this was the coolest collective experience I've ever had. Who knows how many hundreds of people (maybe a thousand) in one place, there for some kind of reason, whether it was about yoga or not. I couldn't believe how many people were there. The energy was exciting and soothing at the same time. Some things you just can't say with words.
Funny enough, I get a text from Vanessa (one of the people I went out with the night before) who swings by the amphitheater afterwards and wants to check out the area like me. We wander around checking out the lower level museum of the amphitheater and end up spending the next two days together. The mountains that emerge from the ground that form the theater are amazing, like shards of land from mars thrusting their way through the ground towards the sky and creating art on earth. What started as a solo trip to partially get me out of Arizona for a few days during the summer, somehow turned into the best balance of travel independence and companionship. It's been a while, and this was before I started documenting my trips, but I remember us driving all around town, stopping at tons of places including thrift stores and eventually scootering around downtown. Vanessa tells me about this speakeasy she's looking to try called Retrograde, which is in the back of an ice cream shop in what feels like a "soho-y" part of town. You had me at ice cream.
To this day I don't know how I managed not only balancing my phone with Google Maps, preventing my hat from flying off my head (bad choice I know) while riding an electric scooter through the streets of Denver, hoping to eventually navigate us to this place. At this time I hadn't been to many speakeasies, so we go through the front door and look for a way in. We ring a bell at the entrance which is through a kitchen cooler door into this teeny tiny, funky speakeasy where everyone seems like they're mellow villains in a noir film (the red light definitely added that effect too). We grab a few seats at the bar and everything on the menu looks awesome. There's maybe a dozen chairs total in this place, counting the barstools wrapped around a U shaped counter. The bartender is nice enough though he has one of those looks on his face like a Batman kind of character with a tragic backstory. Like friends that have known each other for years, we take one another's obligation insta pictures with our drinks and talk through the night. Little do I know that this won't be the first time we share a drink.
As I'm writing this, I'm realizing that alcohol has been a main character in the story, so I'll move on. We have drinks that don't include slowly deteriorating our organs, don't worry. Which brings us to tea time. At some point, during the next day, as I'm nearing the end of roaming each corner of the city, I learn about a tea house Vanessa's wanting to try. I'm not much of a tea person, but this trip is all about new experiences and getting outside the box, or mug in this case. This tiny hole in the wall whose name escapes me is painted lightly with a soft rose colored aura, tile floors, glass cases towards the back of the shop with petite desserts and sandwiches, decorative teapots, dainty frames along the wall and cute little tables. Should you ever think you're too big for tea time, you're wrong. Take it from me. we munch on an entire spread that the shop offers for about $60 including a personal pot of any flavored tea we like, finger sandwiches, pastries and tons more. Each setting comes with what my novice mind can only explain as an entire personalized tea set to use during lunch. Everything was so tasty.. The English are doing something right. I feel a little bad for the whole tea party fiasco.
Don't worry, at some point I do actually do some solo part of this solo trip, including scoping out the Denver Botanical Gardens. This was such a next level place. It looks like something that the characters of Star Trek found on a new world. That's how beautiful it is. Between the metal sculptural structures, waterfalls and endless types of vegetation, it feels like you're on another planet almost. I could've lived in this place. I liked it so much I even bought a magnet, which I never do. I happily lose track of time and ponder the meaning of the universe in this galactic garden, including a massive spherical greenhouse for tropical life. I even come across little lunar bunnies, who may have just been bunnies... They're out of this world cute though.
I also end up meeting Vanessa and a friend of hers at the Milk Market for some awesome mac n cheese, exploring the Mile High Flea Market which I learn is the largest most popular free market in the state, with so much more. I'm a big fedora girl, so wandering this massive village of local vendors and 5x10 ft shops, people make their livelihood in so many forms. I walk down every aisle not even knowing where to begin. As I go, this incredible stall catches my eye that has these exquisitly painted fedora type hats. I love a good hat and knew I had to have one of these. A Hispanic whom runs the stall and tells me she paints everything by hand. there are, I shit you not, HUNDREDS of these hats in stacks, racks and shelves all over the tent. I take way longer than originally wanting to in choosing one and settle on a white hat that barely fits my big head of hair with orange flowers carefully painted on. She charges $20 a head, but I feel like it's worth way more. It will be to me.
Oh, did I mention I somehow managed to be in town during the MLB's All Star baseball game? Since it's in town, there's some local street market happening a block away from the hostel which grabs my attention later on. At one point, there's a Deep Eddy's trailer bar (yeah, you read that right) just camped out on the side of the street. I didn't know about it either. But hey, go sports! I only snapped a pic and called it a day, but it was way cool. It was a nonstop, filled to the brim three(ish) days in a new place, and I'm coming back for more.
Denver taught me how to open myself more than I've ever thought possible.
Thank you so much. I hope to be back soon.
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