Day 64: Pearl Street and Super 8

I convinced Katie to take a break from packing today (she's in the middle of moving) and join me for lunch on Pearl Street which is within walking distance of her house. We had a delicious lunch at Gaia and did a little shopping at a great boutique called 5 Green Boxes. If I had a house of my own and tons of money I'd fly out to Denver and do all my decorating with items from that place. Once we got back home I took some time to relax and do a little more trip planning as well as catch up on the blog. We decided to forgo Edward Scissor Hands at Red Rocks in favor of a late showing of Super 8 because Katie needed to get more packing done and I was more excited about seeing a new movie. I enjoyed the film, it was refreshingly original but also very familiar at the same time. Overall it was a nice and relaxing day.

Tomorrow: Driving through Wyoming on my way to Salt Lake City.

Day 63: Colorado State Capitol, Lodo, and The Corssmits

Visited the State Capitol today and actually made it in time for a public tour.


Our tour guide was an elderly volunteer who was a little hard to hear but knew his state history. The inside of the capitol is filled with quilts for a local competition.


These are cannonballs from a decisive civil war battle in New Mexico that Grant gave to Colorado when they became a state.


After the tour I drove down to Larimer Square in Lower Downtown (LoDo) to wander around. I forgot to visit the bookstore that Katie recommended but did get a look at the 16th Street Pedestrian Mall, a revitalization effort that seemed similar (although perhaps not as successful) to River Walk in San Antonio.


I then visited the Corssmits for a lovely dinner. Gerrit was able to drop by for a little while as well as Maarten but I missed Peter and his family by a day. It was fun to catch up and particularly interesting to see what I recognized at their home because I think it has been 20 years since I was there last. Their backyard is very different because instead of an empty field now there is a housing development. Afterwards Katie took me out to a neighborhood bar and we had a grand old time.

Next: Bonus day in Denver

Day 62: Golden, CO and City Park in Denver

I was going to finish writing this post but Katie distracted me and now it is late. So in the meantime here are the photos:

UPDATE: Details now filled in.

Went out to brunch with Katie, Jake and two of their friends this morning to a nice place called Jelly. It reminded me a bit of Jam back in Portland.


After perusing a Denver tourism website I decided I wanted to visit the Coors brewery in Golden which is about 25 minutes outside Denver. I was ill prepared for what ended up being an hour long wait in the sun for the bus that takes you to the visitor's entrance. It probably wasn't worth the wait but I had committed so I did it any way. Once inside they give you a audio guide which was pretty corny and maybe self aggrandizing but I did learn a bit about the brewing process.


Most people were far more interested in the tasting room where you get about 20 oz. of beer for free. I tried the Honey Moon Summer Ale under the Blue Moon label. It was good, I'd buy it again in hot weather. They also had a test product called Batch 19 which was a pre-prohibition era recipe. It had a nice floral hoppy flavor without too much bitterness. It might be released nationally later this year. The last one I tried was the Colorado Native made with all Colorado ingredients. It was too hoppy for me, plus I still I had to drive back to Denver so I didn't drink very much.
I booked it back to Denver without poking around Golden very much to meet up with Katie and Jake at Domo, an unusual and delicious Japanese restaurant.


Then we drove over to City Park for Jazz in the Park. It is a free concert series that occurs every Sunday in the summer. As Katie explained, mostly it is an excuse to hang out in the park and barbeque things. Most people don't really pay attention to the performers. We certainly couldn't see them from where we were sitting.


Cory and Amelia got there when the concert started, about a hour before we did, so we joined then for the remainder of the event and then got some ice cream nearby at a place called Lik's afterward. I got some horchata pecan ice cream that was really tasty and refreshing. Once back at home I got into a really interesting conversation with Katie and ended up not having time to post!

Next: State Capitol and visiting with the Corssmits

Day 61: Boulder, CO

Katie had a class in Boulder this morning which means I got to sleep in and meet her there in the afternoon. Jake was kind enough to drive so I didn't have to know where I was going today. We met Katie and her friend Roni at the Farmer's Market, which unfortunately was just closing, (again?! really?) and walked around for a bit and got some lunch at Felafel King.

I found Waldo near the creek in Boulder. The water was really high and fast.


Then we picked up Roni's dog Tucker and went for a hike in the Chautauqua park.


These are the Flatirons.


It was a nice hike but hot out and I had a little trouble with the elevation. Or I'm still really out of shape.
The hike back down took us through the grassy base of the mountains. Pretty stuff. After a bout of indecision we landed on dinner at Murphy's which serves a bit of everything. I had saltimboca which is always delicious. Cory and his girlfriend Amelia came up to meet us so that was fun as well.

Tomorrow: Downtown Denver and Jazz in the Park.

Day 60: Kansas to Denver

The last half of Kansas was pretty flat and felt like it took forever to get through. The different crops- wheat, corn, soy, etc. made for varied colors in the landscape so it wasn't completely boring.

Some golden wheat fields.


Over the border into Colorado I was greeted by a threatening cloud but it didn't produce any precipitation.


Once in town Katie and Jake took me out for fancy pizza at Proto's. Katie is posing with her pretty Tiramisu.
After dinner we walked over to the confluence, a park where the Cherry Creek and South Platt rivers meet. There were some people playing with fire poi across the way.


We wanted to meet up with Cory for a drive-in movie but we didn't finish dinner in time so it's a nice lazy evening with Katie and her cat who requires daily doses of drugs.

Tomorrow: Boulder, CO

Day 59: Not in Oz

Left Saint Louis and started the trek to Denver today.

A scenic rest stop near Boonville, MO.


Stopped in Kansas City, MO to try some Kansas City BBQ at Arthur Bryant's BBQ. The meat was good and the sauce was vinegary with just a smack of mustard flavor. Everything came with slices of white bread, I don't know if that's a regional thing or unique to the establishment.

Flint Hills area of Kansas. It was actually really pretty. I think I haven't reached the endless corn fields yet.

I've stopped for the night at the Salina, Kansas Ramada Inn. It is massive, empty, and creepy. I feel like I'm in a zombie movie or The Shining or something. But at least the internet is pretty fast.

Tomorrow: Denver!

Day 58: Central West End, Clayton, and Ted Drewes

I'm was not running on all gears today, I think I might just need a break from sightseeing or driving. So I didn't get very much done today. I asked Jim and Judy to point me in the direction of an historic or interesting neighborhood to walk around and they gave me directions to the Central West End. I walked along Euclid Street and stopped at the neighborhood bookstore, Left Bank Books for a while. Then I stumbled upon the St. Louis Cathedral Basilica.

I did not recognize it from the outside but once inside I recalled seeing the epic mosaics last time I was in St. Louis. Judy told me it took the craftsmen 3 generations to finish tiling the interior. That sounds about right, it is floor to ceiling mosaics all around.


Then I stopped in Clayton on Wydown Street to see the old houses. There were so many distinctly German houses and all of them incorporated brick.


After dinner Jim remembered that I must visit Ted Drewes before leaving St. Louis. It is local fixture that you are supposed to eat while sitting on the hood of your car. They serve a soft ice cream like substance and concretes which are like blizzards or milkshakes except you can turn them upside down and not risk losing anything. I tried the brownie concrete. It was very large so I now have a delicious stomach ache.


Apparently this is what it looks like when it isn't very busy. We actually weren't in line long, the servers are very efficient.

Tomorrow: Driving towards Denver, most likely stopping in Salina, Kansas.

Day 57: St. Louis Art Museum and Blueberry Hill

Judy took me to the St. Louis Museum of Art today. It is under construction so the whole collection is abbreviated and jumbled up but I think it was a good thing, I got to see everything before completely tiring out.

Outside the main entrance.


Judy wanted to go there to see the special exhibition of the last remaining 1820s Mississippi River panorama, which is like an old timey powerpoint presentation. It is a giant scroll painting that would be rolled along one scene at a time. A doctor/amateur archeologist commissioned the panorama so we could present and narrate his work along the Mississippi as a traveling show. Until now it has been too fragile to show to the public but the museum decided to restore it and let the public watch them do it. In this photo they are in the process of lowering it down in order to move on to another section.

The museum really had a bit of everything, I especially enjoyed the early 20th century decorative arts. They also have a small collection of armor and weapons that were truly exquisite. I don't know if I've ever seen such ornate guns before. These are some examples of 16th century armor. They only weigh 40 pounds!After the museum we stopped by a landmark restaurant/concert venue called Blueberry Hill. I tried some fried raviolis (a regional specialty) and some Heileman's Old Style because one of my ancestors started that brewery so I thought I ought to try it. I liked it better than Pabst..


Back at home I got a chance to dip my toes in the pool and then had a lovely homemade dinner with Jim and Judy. It cooled down in the evening and was so pleasant we were able to eat outside!

Tomorrow: We shall see.

Day 56: Columbus to St. Louis

Just more driving today. I stopped right outside Indianapolis for lunch at a place called Stone Creek. It was very Olive Garden-ish but with more of a classy steakhouse vibe. Good salads.



Leaving Ohio.


In Illinois, (or was it Indiana?) .


I know this was Illinois. Lots of farmland, reminded me of the Willamette Valley. Apparently they have been having record spring rainfall in this part of the country as well.

I arrived at Jim and Judy's at 8pm, right when I said I would. That must be a first.

Tomorrow: St. Louis art museum, and maybe visit a glass studio as well.

Day 55: DC to Columbus

Strictly on the road today. It took forever to get out of town today because The US Open was occurring nearby and created at lot of traffic. I also had to stop at Trader Joe's because who knows the next time I'll see one.


I think this was in Maryland or Virginia. I don't know, I passed through at least 5 states today (Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio). I was excited to see trees and hills again. It almost has a tropical rainforest look to it.

A truck stop in Maryland. Once I was in Pennsylvania cute little colonial towns with old brick churches started popping up but I didn't get a chance to stop and take a photo.

As I headed into Ohio it started getting dark and I got caught in some nasty thunderstorms. It would rain so hard my fastest wiper setting still wasn't fast enough to maintain visibility. It was a little unnerving but on the upside now I don't need to get my car washed.

Tomorrow: Onward to St. Louis.

Day 54: National Cathedral and Union Station

Andrea has had a crazy busy work week so she needed to sleep in today. Not one to miss a chance to sleep in, I got up just a little bit before she did- around 2pm. So we had to scratch a few things off the list of possible activities today.


We started at the National Cathedral, run by the Episcopalians, which apparently has some crazy gargoyles on top of it such as Darth Vader. Unfortunately you can't really see them from the ground.

It's very beautiful inside and the newest looking large gothic church I have ever seen. There were fantastic details everywhere. There is an observation deck on top of one of the towers but it closed before I got a chance to go up.


After that we hopped on a bus that went through Georgetown on our way to the Eastern Market. It was closing right as we got there so I didn't get to see much but did have time to grab an Arnold Palmer and a maple glazed pastry. The market looked like a cross between Portland's Saturday Market and Pike's Place. From there we walked by the Supreme Court (above) and the Capital to Union Station.
Union Station is very grand inside and out. After that we went back home to change and have some seafood at a neighborhood place called The Tackle Box. I had some grilled blue cod that was great and Andrea had a Connecticut style lobster roll which looked fantastic in its simplicity.


Then it was back downtown to a bar with dozens of beers on tap where I could sample some local brews. I liked the Flying Dog white ale and good old Yuengling. We walked by Andrea's favorite frozen yogurt joint assuming it would be closed and were delighted to discover it is open until midnight so we got some. We intended to go see the monuments at night but ran out of time. Andrea has an early morning flight tomorrow and the earlier I hit the road the better.

Tomorrow: driving towards St. Louis, probably stopping for the night in Columbus, OH.

Day 53: More Museums and DC neighborhoods

Started my day at the Renwick Gallery of American Craft. It was right up my alley. There were ceramics and silver and glass, all of the mediums I like the best.


There was also large room filled with paintings in one of the oddest gallery arrangements I've ever seen.
Next I went back to the Museum of Natural History and checked out the Dino bones, stuffed mammals, more geology, and a human evolution exhibit with some awesome bust sculptures of what they think early humanoid species looked like (Neanderthals, Homo erectus, etc.)


I had a couple hours until closing time so I was able to mosey on over to the American History Museum. I saw Julia Child's kitchen, the ruby slippers from Wizard of Oz, the original muppets made by Jim Henson, the first ladys' inaugural gowns, some Stradivariuses, ephemera related to various American Presidencies, and this statue, which is the original Washington Monument. I think it's pretty hilarious because it makes him look like an Roman Emperor. The public at its early 1800s unveiling thought it was indecent because he's half naked.


Once I closed out the museums, Andrea met up with me and took me on a neighborhood tour on our way to dinner. The sunset was quite dramatic. We tried a fancy-ish Turkish restaurant called Meze. I got the expensive tasting menu because there was no way for me to decide what to get otherwise. After dinner we walked over to Dupont Circle and sat by the fountain for a while. The temperature was perfect and it's a nice place to just sit a watch. Now to decide what to do tomorrow...

Tomorrow: Eastern Market, National Cathedral, Georgetown maybe? and trying some local beers.

Day 52: Smithsonian Art and Natural History Museums

I didn't set my alarm last night so that means I got up really late today. Andrea recommended a great lunch place near the mall called Teaism which I was going to visit between museums but since I started so late I went there first. I got a grilled chicken and quinoa salad that had a fried squash blossom on top. There was a farmers market outside the restaurant that I enjoyed perusing before heading over to the first museum that I stumbled across which was the National Gallery of Art.

I liked this random courtyard inside the museum. I saw a few of the temporary exhibitions: Italian Master Drawings from the Wolfgang Ratjen Collection: 1525–1835, The Gothic Spirit of John Taylor Arms, and From Impressionism to Modernism: The Chester Dale Collection. Those were all on the ground floor. I didn't realize there was a second floor with twice as much stuff right away so I sailed through that just before the place closed.

The Natural History Museum was open later so I went there and started on the top floor. I didn't even see the whole top floor before it closed. I first saw some amazing nature photographs from an international photo contest. Then I saw some animal skeletons like this Spider Monkey.


Then I checked out the minerals and gem collection. There was some magnificent jewelry on display (most of which has been donated over the years). What I loved about a lot of it was the list of owners over the year. A couple of pieces were gift from Napoleon to his wife and all of the massive emeralds had belonged to at least one Raja.

The mineral collection was equally exciting, lots of the specimens were just plain cool looking.


It poured while I was at the museum but luckily avoided getting caught in it. I have a better photo of myself in front of the Capital but this is funnier and does a better job showing the building. I took the Metro back to Andrea's neighborhood and we picked up a pizza from what she assures me is the best place it town.

Tomorrow: Back to the Museum to see the rest of it and a night on the town.