Life in Denver, Colorado has a few, minuscule differences when compared to my hometown of Denver, Iowa. Denver, Colorado: The Mile-High City. Population: 682,545. Starbucks: 60+. Denver, Iowa: The Mile-Wide City. Population: 1,841. Starbucks: 0 (Sorry Pumpkin Spice lovers, you’ll have to feed your addiction elsewhere). Life in the Mile-High City is a rush. Each day is filled with commotion and excitement, and there is never a dull moment. If you consider spending a semester or summer at Wartburg West, which I highly recommend you do, here are a few tricks and tips that should make your hectic life a bit less crazy and help you to get the full experience.
Adventure Opportunities
Denver has no shortage of exciting
things to do. I personally enjoy anything having to do with the mountains. I
hiked up Mt. Elbert, all 14,439 feet of it. Just be prepared to put on your big
boy/girl pants, as it can take over 7 hours. I had the opportunity to go
rafting, soak in a hot spring, and see the stunningly beautiful Hanging Lake.
There are even some mountains where no hiking is required. Mt. Evans (14,265) has
a road that goes almost all the way up, stopping only 120 feet below the
summit. If you plan to make this incredibly scenic drive, make sure you don’t
have a weak stomach, and plan go early, as the top portion of the road closes
after Labor Day. All of these opportunities are available to you with a little
research and effort on your part.
Sustainability
In Denver, you’ll have the
opportunity to experience conscious, sustainable choices from people and businesses
that are seemingly non-existent in Iowa. The Alliance Center is one example of
a leader in sustainability, with a Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED) v4 Existing Buildings Operations and Maintenance Platinum rating
(Trust me, it’s a big deal). The free buses on the 16th Street mall
are fully electric. Protected bike lanes crisscross around downtown. The
dinners at St. John’s Cathedral have almost always zero landfill waste, with
everything, including utensils and cups, being completely compostable. I had an
amazing time volunteering with Scraps, a biking startup that picks up compost
for those who otherwise wouldn’t have access to it. There is a community of people here that
understand the need to choose more sustainable resource management if we want
to transition into cleaner, better 21st century. If you’re
interested in becoming more involved with sustainability, Denver is a great
place to do so.
Good Eats
Nearly any big city will have plenty
of cuisine options, and Denver is no exception. There’s Indian, Thai, Haitian, Ethiopian,
homemade burgers, nearly every style of pizza and more. In the summer months,
there are food trucks that line up and down Civic Center Park for lunch. Here
are my top three picks for restaurants I enjoyed while in Denver.
- 5280 Burger Bar: This place is right downtown on the 16th Street mall, and the short walk is definitely worth the food. Their burgers are super fresh, and all their condiments are made in house. There’s even an ice cream shop right next door, all homemade. (They even have Nutella ice cream!). My favorite burger is “The Ring of Fire”. Be warned, it lives up to its name.
- Liang’s Thai Food: This little inconspicuous food cart is a bit difficult to find, so just look for the long line. It’s set up at the intersection of Tremont Place and the 16th street mall. The prices are reasonable, and the food it made fresh in front of you. Drunken Noodles with basil? Yes please! Just expect a pretty long wait in line, as everything is made to order and I’m not the only one who knows how good it tastes.
- Bada Bing Grill: This place is a little out of the way of downtown, and would require a drive. However, it was a great place to stop when my family and I were headed out to a Red Rocks concert. The El Greko pizza was amazing and super crisp, with really fresh mozzarella cheese. Definitely stop by if you’re in Arvada.
Music Scene
This is one area I wish I would have
been more involved in, as I only went to one concert. However, some of my
fellow classmates really took advantage of this opportunity and saw 5-6 shows.
There are many venues here that attract big name artists. The Ogden, Bluebird,
Fillmore, and Gothic Theaters are some of the big ones. The best venue by far
was Red Rocks Amphitheater. I know that everyone already recommends seeing at
least one show here, but seriously, do it. There isn’t a bad seat in the house.
So c‘mon my fellow Wartburg Knights. Take the jump and come out to Denver. I can promise it’s #WartburgWorthIt.
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