I had never been to Colorado and it was on my list for quite awhile. Even when I drove cross country I was still like 45 minutes away from the border–SO CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR. Thankfully one of my best friends decided to move to Fort Collins, so Gabe and I booked a flight to go visit her!
We flew from Portland to Denver, landed at 4 A.M, made ourselves nice little airport
Chillin’ at Sam’s No. 3 waiting for breakffussttt. Psst–travel sweater is a must!
floor beds and then after a quick nap we headed out to explore Denver. We stopped at Sam’s No. 3—apparently they were on Diner’s Drive ins and Dives and known for their green chili burritos. They were massive and delicious but something I highly suggest splitting with a friend…or a neighbor…or the guy at the other table.
After that we went golfing to enjoy the warmth and sunshine. I agreed to be the mature one and be in charge of the drinks and the cart–tough job, but yes, someone had to do it. The sites of the mountains were insanely beautiful and the fact that I finally felt warm lead to a perfect morning. After that was all said and done we ubered to see the Red Rocks, eeeeeeek! Bucket list item happening in 3, 2, 1….
It was somethin’ else. Like how could this place be real?! It was so magnificent and beautiful and I never wanted to leave. Originally we were supposed to come here in the AM and workout but after a long night of travel I was happy with just coming to see the spot (one day I would like to go back for a concert). This amazing piece of art just in the middle of no where, but so iconic and unique– In L O V E. After this we ubered from The Red Rocks to Boulder, mainly so I could just feel cool when I hear Closer by the Chainsmokers. We ate, walked around, and took in the cute little college square. After about an hour there we finally ubered to our friend Steph once she was done with work.
Our days in Fort Collins were spent exploring, eating, drinking, and working out—oh but a dream.
Fort Collins Eats, Drinks, and Activities:
The main square/streets had a ton of restaurants and bars so are the ones that we hit up!
Illegal Pete’s: A better more fresh chipotle. Absolutely delicious and a solid recommendation from Steph. The perfect post workout meal. We took ours to go but the place was hoppin at like 10:00 P.M. on a Wednesday. Definitely more of a bar feel than a typical Chipotle setting.
The Union: Stopped here for a daytime drink and some snax. The weather was so nice so we sat outside and enjoyed the ambiance. The patio was pretty cool–couches, greenery, and even corn hole boards in case you wanted an extracurricular activity while you drank.
THIS ACTUALLY WAS A CANDID OKAY.
The Silver Grill: A recommendation from multiple people for brunch and a great one it was. Known for their large cinnamon rolls, Gabe and I split one.
Steph suggested the meat filled breakfast quesadillas and they were AMAZING. Silver grill, 10/10.
Ginger and Baker: I popped in just for a coffee because Steph said I would love it and she was right. It’s cute farmhouse structure complimented by it’s white string lights equaled instant happiness. They have a little store in front of the house with cute trinkets and stuff as well.
Mary’s Mountain Cookies: Steph brought a bunch of these cookies home when she came back to Ohio last year and they were FIYA. I knew that Gabe would wanna try um and I figured I could take one for the team and enjoy a repeat ;). I think we did a warmed up classic chocolate chip and paired it with a side of milk.
New Belgium Brewery Company: The home of Fat Tire and apparently Fat Tire White (drooling). We ordered a flight for taste testing purposes and it was perfect. They had a local food trunk outside and they also offered tours of the brewery. Their patio looked super cute for a warm night, but this was the coldest day in Fort Collins, so we happily sat inside #freezebaby. P.S. They don’t accept tips so don’t be alarmed when this occurs.
Pinball Jones: An underground (aka you walk down steps to enter LOL) super chill arcade filled w/ pinball machines, old school games, and skeeball. It provides an activity for a fun night out with some low key craft beer.
Horsetooth Reservoir: I’ve seen Steph and all of my other friend’s that had visited FC post this hike, so I was really excited to do it myself. We had big plans to hike all the way to the top until the weather did a 180 an hour before we left wamp wamp. Instead we drove up to a landing point and still took in an AMAZING view.
On our last day we headed back into Denver to be close to the airport, which allowed us to do a little more exploring and catch some lunch. One of my favorite things is to find the best burger in every city, so Steph took us to Tag Burger bar–her fave Colorado boigaa. We order four different kinds of fries so we could taste test them all–duck fat, sweet potato, truffle aioli and parmesan, and green chili (my faves were the truffle aioli and green chili). I went with the Blind in Texas burger (my classic go-to cowboy burger) and it was freaking delicious. Especially when you account for how amazing the fries were this place was bangin’. After this overly healthy brunch we headed to the airport.
Denver and Fort Collins treated us well. We were able to see a little bit of everything, visit w/ friends, and grab another Starbucks cup along the way hehe. I think when I go back to Colorado I’ll attempt to do more hiking and see that side of things 🙂 Next up is the Kentucky Derby and back to the PNW to visit Seattle!
Till next time,
-Lauren