My first solo trip was in 2006, to pilgrimage through Israel, Jordan and Egypt. Though I was by myself, it was a group tour and I had a roommate so it never really felt like a solo trip. In September 2017, I decided to do a proper solo trip to Denver. I went alone, knew no one, did the absolute most with the absolute least, had the best of times… and the worst of times!
I had made up my mind that this trip would be about seeing how much fun I could have without breaking the bank so I started off by flying Frontier Airlines. The return ticket cost less than $100 (out of San Antonio) and while that was easy on my pocket, those bucket seats left me with a back full of regret. I scheduled to stay with a couch surfer my first night and had an Airbnb for my third night but had left my second night open because the plan was to get the nearest Airbnb depending on wherever I found myself at the end of the day.
After landing, I took a train from the airport and met my host at her condo in Upper Downtown. I then dropped my stuff and walked about 30 minutes to Denver Botanical Gardens.
The gardens had a conservatory, themed gardens, a sunken amphitheater, a greenhouse with covered outdoor walkway, cute bridges and you could spend hours walking around. There was also a cafe there for drinks and snacks. Entry was $15.
After faffing about at the gardens, I walked about 7 mins over to Denver Bicycle Cafe to meet up with a group of Couchsurfers. Cities with big Couchsurfing communities tend to meet weekly or twice each month and it just so happened that this was the night the group in Denver met. Couchsurfing is also so much more about community than staying with strangers. The average couch surfer has surfed less than 5 times but we’ve all made friends in our cities and from all over the world through the meetups. I met some of my closest friends in Austin through the Thursday meetups at Whitehorse, after a friend convinced me to go when he heard me saying Couchsurfing was dangerous and for weird, broke people. I was an idiot, I’m sorry.
Moving on, Denver Bicycle Cafe used to be a bike repair shop that also sold craft beers, really good coffee and happy hour foods. They were beloved by the community but unfortunately closed in November, 2019 due to financial issues as a result of gentrification.
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| Photo from bikerumor.com |
I spent the evening chatting and mingling with different groups of people in different circles. One of them turned out to be a solo traveler who had the same itinerary as I did for the next day so we agreed to meet up and explore together. I also met a local who offered to host me the next day when I told her I was planning on winging it and getting a place at the end of the night. It was all so cool, 2 new girl friends, just like that!
When I got home, my host invited me out to drinks so we walked over to (Bannok Street) Garage Bar, pretty close to her condo. These are stock photos because I took no pictures that night after I left the Gardens.
Garage Bar is rumored to be one of the best dive bars in Denver. It used to be a Volkswagen mechanic shop then got repurposed to be a bar without changing too much of the aesthetics. They have ping pong, darts, a few arcade games, cement floors, a patio out back, and they host events.
Day 2
I walked over to Denver Diner to meet up with my new friend. We had breakfast then split an uber to Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater. The ride cost us either $50 total or $50 each either way, we would have been better off renting a car for the day. We got along really well though so we couldn’t complain much.
Red Rocks Amphitheater is exactly that, an amphitheater built into rocks. They host big concerts and events there. The topography makes it hike lover's hiking haven and it is an ideal location to stargaze due to distance from city lights. When there are no events, the park and amphitheater are free to the public.
Afterwards, we took another uber back to the city. Again, please rent a car - after waiting 30 minutes, we only managed to get an Uber driver because they were in the area to drop off a passenger.
We went to the River North Art District popularly known as RiNo. This was quite easily my favorite part of the trip. RiNo is a walkable neighborhood with art galleries, eclectic street art on most of its historic warehouses and delectable food halls like The Source and Denver Central Market.
I went to a dispensary for the first time.
It was also the first time I saw this sign… as of 2023, it is so common it is a yard sign you’re guaranteed to spot when walking through a random neighborhood in Austin. My bleeding heart loves it!
Denver Central Market has food made with locally grown products from various vendors, craft beer and artisan collectibles.
We then walked about 30 minutes to Larimer Square, Denver's most historic block. However, we were too exhausted to explore so we window shopped, grabbed a drink and said our goodbyes. I'm so glad I had someone to spend the day with because as much fun as I had, it was a long day and I would have tired sooner had I been alone. I took an Uber to the new place with the other new friend, took a warm shower the slept long and hard while she went out to Red Rocks for a concert.
Day 3
I had booked a tour via Trip Advisor to go up Mount Evans for $129. The drive up was incredibly beautiful but I had started to feel lightheaded that morning and the drive up seemed to make it worse.
We stopped Lookout Mountain Park for supplies and views.
We then drove over to Echo Lake and hiked a scenic trail to the water.
We stopped at an opening on the side of the road for lunch, covered by the tour.
We had several stops on the drive to enjoy the views, learn about the trees, plants, mountains and lakes. It was all so beautiful.
We finally got to the 12,800ft stop at Summit Lake, Mount Evans. Unfortunately, by this time, I was curled up in the back with what I thought was “just” altitude sickness. I’ve always known I have Sickle Cell Trait but I also had undiagnosed Thalassemia and both of them worsened my exposure to such high altitude. I could barely breathe right, I felt light-headed, was nauseous and fatigued. I wasn't feeling great by any means but knew I would feel somewhat better once we drive down and I still had activities lined up for the day so I wasn’t ready to throw in the towel just yet. I didn’t get to see Summit Lake but the girl in the lunch photo sent me these.
As someone who races sailboats, one of my favorite things to do is to race at different clubs, on different boats and just have a good time on the water with strangers. I had connected with someone on Facebook through the Denver Sailing Association page and she hooked me up. I took a bus for under $2 to meet up with her and she drove us to Cherry Creek Marina for a sunset race.
I honestly don't remember what kind of boat we raced on but they were kind enough to let me work foredeck, my usual position on a J24, and it was overall an incredibly pleasant experience.
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| Crew Selfie |
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| Race Committee |
The race ended sometime after sunset and they hung out at the dock for dinner and drinks. Unfortunately, I was too fatigued and discombobulated from my breathing issues to be sociable so I left the after sail party early to rest and get acclimated to the high elevation and minimal oxygen in the air. I took an Uber to my Airbnb in Aurora (rented a room in a house for a total of $32.76) and rested my big head.
The next morning, I took an Uber to the airport and got outta dodge!
I would say my financial experiment was a success. Total cost would have been about $300, food included, had the tour to Mt Evans not cost $129. Even then, I spent well under $500. The original reason Denver was on my hit list was because I had planned on visiting Austin’s sister-cities to see which ones I could move to once I decided to leave Austin. Denver is a great city, I had a really great time and I see why people love living there. However, it came off my list of possible cities to move to because the elevation was intolerable and I was in no hurry to experience it again. It is a fun, beautiful city though so if you love nature and art, it is worth considering for a visit or a place to live.
*Friends have suggested visiting Boulder when in Colorado and doing the following
- Hike the Chataqua Trail
- Visit University of Colorado, Boulder
- Peak to peak: Drive through Canyon road from Boulder to Nederland
- Head out i70 to the mountains. First stop Idaho Springs, pizza at Beaujos.