Since I've Been Here--Personal Faves: Food

Since I've been in Denver, I've taken in some of the coolest sights, eaten some of the best food, enjoyed some of the best live music, and more. I'll take a few posts to share some of my personal faves in different categories. Here are just a few of my personal favorites in food, in no particular order:

• Maggiano's. I know this is a chain, and they're not just in Denver. However, they weren't in Oklahoma, and this is probably the best Italian food I've ever eaten. Plus, they give you a ton of it--a full order of pasta can last you for days! They have two stores in Denver--one downtown, and one in the Denver Tech Center (DTC) area. Downtown has a bit more atmosphere, but in my experience, DTC gives you more food. :)
• Large Marge's. A little dinky storefront on Kipling Street in Wheat Ridge, but no place better to get authentic Philly steak sandwiches. Except maybe for Philly. :) The owner is from Philadelphia and knows her stuff.
• Sam's No. 3. Also downtown, on 15th and Curtis, this is a historic restaurant/cafe that's kept up with the times--hard to describe, like you're in the past and the present at the same time. I've yet to have a bad meal there. Try the hot turkey sandwich. MMM! Also, the best chocolate shake I've had so far in Denver. (Although, admittedly, I try not to have too many shakes these days.)

Next: favorite sights. And I'll probably also post on my favorite coffee shop hangouts at some point.

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Use the 1800Flowers Coupon Code for special discounts this holiday season

Okay, I'm getting used to this place now. :) One of the first things I did when arriving in Denver (having nothing to do with sightseeing and everything to do with surviving) is look around for work. I have done a lot of flower delivery for extra money over the years, so I thought I'd check and see if any of the flower shops needed someone.

What I'm learning is that the landscape is changing (pun intended) in the flower biz. Local florists, especially here in Denver, aren't just off unto themselves anymore. For one thing, Internet services like 1800Flowers.com have caused them to shift and adapt. One of the major florists in town, Veldkamps, actually lists 1800Flowers.com above its own name to highlight the fact that they work with 1800Flowers.com to deliver fresh, timely arrangements. So it's not just local anymore. Everything's getting interconnected.

Flowers are a great holiday idea, both for Thanksgiving and Christmas--and it seems more and more folks are finding that out. (I delivered flowers Christmas Eve last year--I know what I'm talking about. Sheesh!) If you like that idea, you can get a discount by using 1800Flowers.com coupon codes.

And if you have them delivered here in Denver--chances are they'll be coming from Veldkamps.

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The Amazing Magical Exploding Mayonnaise

We should have remembered this from trips to Denver before.

When you come to Denver from a the lower plains, there is a surprising drop in air pressure because of the altitude. You don't really notice it driving the miles and miles across the open Kansas prairie, because the climb is so gradual.

But let's just say that when you leave Oklahoma and arrive in Denver, any sealed bottle or tube you bring with you on the trip--like, say, hand lotion, or mayonnaise--is going to have more air pressure inside than outside.

And that means, when you open it the first time after arriving in Denver, you should keep a safe distance.

So after a 12-hour trip, we we stayed the night in a hotel before signing our lease the next day. Since it was late, we decided to make sandwiches from the stuff we'd brought in the cooler, rather than go out to eat.

All was well, until WildChild decided we should have mayonnaise on our sandwiches.

Apparently, it is a Denver tradition that when you first open a bottle of Oklahoma mayonnaise there, you should have it not just on your sandwich. You should have it on everything. And the Oklahoma mayonnaise apparently knew this, because it honored the tradition. As WildChild opened the flip-top lid...POP!

Want to know what's even more funny than the magical exploding mayonnaise? The fact that we kept forgetting about opening sealed containers for the first time, and having to clean up mess after mess. Not everything exploded like the mayonnaise. But there is something both astounding and annoying about opening a small tube of hand lotion, and having to watch helplessly as almost the entire tube's worth oozes out onto your hands.

If you were born and raised here, you probably don't even know what I'm talking about. If you migrated to Denver like we did, you probably know exactly what I'm talking about. And if you are thinking to move to Denver (which is a great place, and you really should come)...just remember about the mayonnaise.

Or better yet...just leave the mayonnaise behind and buy it new here.

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And the Colorado Skies Said Hello

Well, we're here. :)

While we're still finding the carpet underneath all these boxes, let me take a moment and tell you how the Colorado skies welcomed us.

After driving all day on the Kansas plains under a dull mix of clouds and sun...almost as soon as we crossed the Colorado border, the skies came alive with activity and color.

As we drove westward, the southern skies grew brilliantly blue, but the northern skies filled with a huge, dark thunderstorm, backlit by the golds and reds of a magnificent sunset. We watched for over an hour and a half, barely able to keep our eyes on the road, while the colors shifted and changed. As the southern end of the storm covered over the sun in front of us, the sun's rays shone gold and white around the edges of the clouds, while illuminating the rain below the cloud with a deep red hue. As the sun set, we could see the lightning striking the plains. We thought the storm would move past us.

It didn't.

Just before the southern tip of the storm caught us, we could see the dust kicked up as the rain hit the dirt of the plains miles away. It didn't look like much right in front of us, but then the torrents came, and I found myself yanking the wheel to keep the crosswinds from blowing our rental truck off the road. For 15 minutes or so, we drove through this, even while seeing the blue skies on the other side. When we passed it, we stopped at a gas station to regroup, and looked back on the storm as the last rays of sun illuminated the spiked cloud tops.

But the show wasn't over yet. As we drove the last hour into Denver, scattered thunderstorms (not as big as the first) dotted the plains and created black silhouettes against the gathering purple dusk. Where you could see the sky, it was deep and clear. At one point, I noticed the clouds were backlit again, this time from behind me. I looked around behind me through the side window; the light was from a brilliant full moon shining through an opening in the clouds.

It was completely captivating. Almost everything you can see in a sky, we saw in the space of about three hours. It left me feeling like the Colorado skies were giving us a show, to welcome us.

I've been here two days. Every time I look outside, I am captivated by something in the sky. I don't think I'll ever get tired of this.

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Just Be Patient...

We're loading up the truck today to move to Denver!!!

Tomorrow, we're going to Denver!!!

The next day, we're moving into our new place!!!

So I'm not posting right now!!!

Be patient...I can't do too many things at once!!!

:)

Back in a few days to talk Denver...for real.

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If You're Wondering Why I'm Not Posting...

...it's because I'm packing. :)

Next week: DENVER!!!

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See? It's Just Stuff Like THIS that Makes Me Want to Move Here

I found this article on Yahoo! today that lists Denver as one of America's 10 Best Places to Grow Up. It also mentions that Denver is one of America's safest larger cities.

I know I can't wait to grow up here. :)

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