Work-cation

Who thought before my two year anniversary working for BAE that I'd be given the opportunity to travel for work. Hurricane season always brings this opportunity but I didn't think I'd have the chance to go. If anything is certain, my expectations were blown. I certainly wasn't mentally prepared. It was a ball of frustration, but by the end of it I think I spent it well.

Once hurricane season rolls around, the company prepares to send about five of us out to our Denver, Colorado office. A place I just so happened to have been wanting to travel to for the past year. In fact, my pinterest was laden with pins for boutique hotels and outdoor outings to last about three days. The optimum amount of time I think I personally need to enjoy any destination in the United States.

I won't get into the details of the madness of getting to the tech center for work or setting up in the office. I'll even spare you the madness of working Colorado time with barely to no support from my home Florida office. Let's get to the joy of the story.

I was DETERMINED to spend some uplifting time in Denver no matter how short it was. I wasted no time. After my last day of work, I went to have dinner at this amazingly delicious restaurant in Larimer Square, otherwise known as Downtown Denver. Cholon is a high end Asian restaurant. It's on the corner of the street with large doors but when you walk in who cares about the doors. My reservation had me in at a time where it wasn't packed but there were enough people that you didn't have to worry that there being no people there because the food was bad. Through low lights and a busy kitchen my waiter arrived. He was very knowledgeable and adequately accommodating. He assisted with my whine selection and guided me through the menu. It was a small menu that I didn't totally understand, but part of going to a restaurant like this is to experience something new. But I was hungry so I decided to go with the safest most obscure selection. I had steak skewers as an appetizer. I could have sworn that the cow that that meat came from must have been sitting in the back of the restaurant on a throne being fed with the finest grass shipped from Japan. That juicy morsel melted in my mouth time and time again and I knew I was in the right place and I made the right choice that night. The appetizer did trump the entree but the entree of sticky rice and chicken was satisfying as well. I springed for dessert and it was some sort of raspberry dollops of sherbet garnished with a soda foam. I wasn't even bothered by the texture, it was so amazing. I could have ended the night right there but you know what, I DIDN'T.

Cholon 16th st Denver

Next stop is something I actually have NO pictures for. So sorry but I was having too much phone to whip out my phone. I went to Voicebox only ten minutes away from the restaurant. The hippest karaoke room scene I have ever been too. graphic art on the walls and the kindest staff around. The bar served sake and all the regular drinks of course. I ordered and they gave me a room even though they were closing. I always have fun singing but that night was The BEST. Kudos to Voicebox.

I wouldn't have been able to sleep that night from excitement even if I had planned to. I planned to go to the Red Rocks to see the sun rise. A full hour away. Sleeping is for the weak so why do it. 4am I headed to Waffle House, one of my favorite places and on the road again I was.

My uber driver winded up the mountains finally and I got to see the expanse of the state. In the hugh of blue the rocks stood majestically. It was freezing though, so I could barely wait for sunrise to come. Unfortunately the clouds covered the sunrise almost completely. But the hike I took made up for it. Take a look.

Going on thirty minutes of sleep I still felt I had to see as much as I possibly could. So I took a ride to Boulder to a college town near a popular mall. Built with boutique stores and stone pavement. It was nice while it last because my energy was running low. But when I look into the air, I realized that I was surrounded my mountains. Nothing like what I could have experienced in Florida. Grateful to have gone. But I was ready for the hour ride back. A good nap was coming my way.

Saturday morning I had breakfast at the hotel restaurant. Disgusting as I thought it would be but I wasn't worried about it. Once a few hours went by I went back downtown to shop around properly. I found out that 16 street mall is quite vast and rather New York like. Way too many young homeless people if you ask me. I got a ride from the side of the Forever 21 to the Denver Botanical garden. It was only $12 and beautiful. I thought I'd be disappointed. If anything I was disappointed that I would have to leave sooner than later to get to the Cherry Street mall in time for lunch and buying my mom a gift.

I'm happy to say I was pleased to do everything I wanted to do while I was there and still make it in time for my flight at 5pm. I somehow don't think I'll be volunteering for the away team again though. I'm Denvered out.