To all of those Central Pennsylvanians that have seen the fare sales to Denver, and heard their friends and family talk about Denver, I am here to tell you, Denver is worth the trip. I am on a 6 day journey to 3 of our new and returning destinations from HIA, and my first stop was Denver.

I arrived around 5pm local time at Denver International Airport. Before too long, I was on a local train to Union Station in Downtown Denver. The trip takes 37 minutes, and costs roughly $10, and you get to see so much of Denver from your window already!

When I arrived at Union Station, I was about a 5-minute walk from my hotel. There are many hotels in the area to choose from. Being a weeknight (Monday), I noticed the town was very quiet, but a very nice way to get acclimated to the city itself. Denver is a very clean and safe city and never did I feel otherwise.

What I also noticed was the number of people riding bikes, scooters, and electric scooters. Uber and Lyft have both invested in the market and placed electric scooters all over the city that you simply scan with your app and go! They cost about $1 to start and $0.15 a minute after that. If you are wondering, I took a 40 minute trip around town cruising down the sidewalks and bike lanes as fast as 13mph for a mere $7. This truly allowed me to see more of Denver in a shorter period of time.

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However, back to Monday night. Based on recommendations, I traveled out via an Uber to a restaurant called Acorn. The food was amazing, and the bar area opened up to the outside where you had a gorgeous view of the sunset over the Rocky Mountains.

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Tuesday morning started with some “scootering” around town, visiting the 16^th Street Mall, Peet’s Coffee Shop, and then the Visit Denver office to get some suggestions on where to go!

I next made my way to the gorgeous Red Rock Amphitheatre (again, used Uber). What. A. Sight. This venue has 5-7 concerts a week and the views are just amazing. This was also a hot spot for the fitness enthusiasts. Up and down the steps, and back and forth along the stone benches. I’m not sure if there were more tourists, or people exercising.

After leaving the amphitheatre, my Uber took dropped me off at the Convention Center, where I met the famous Blue Bear. Poor guy, not sure why they won’t just let him inside, it gets pretty cold here in the winter! For those convention planners in the area, Denver has a great facility!

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From there, I took off on my 40-minute “scootering” adventure. I took time to see the Capitol Building and stand on the 13^th step which is the mile high point above sea level. There was also a food truck festival going on today not far from the Capitol Building called Civic Eats.

After that, I visited Larimer Square which was a chic little area with cool restaurants and shops, and happens to be Denver’s oldest and most historic block. Then finished up with a walk over to Union Station. This place, is not your average train station. With posh restaurants, creameries, and a massive bar, Union Station is a notch above the rest.

Side note, don’t forget to stop in to Rockmount Ranch Wear. This is where the first cowboy shirt with snaps was made. So if you are looking for some western gear, this is your place!

Next, I headed over to Tivoli Brewing Company, which is Colorado’s oldest brewery, and now a part of Metropolitan State University’s (MSU) Brewing Program, so a “learning brewery” of sorts. The brewery is connected to the Student Union Building, so the place was full of students studying for their final exams, or celebrating that they were over.

Lastly, I took off for “RiNo,” (no not the cute hamster from the Disney film Bolt) also knows as “River North.” This neighborhood could be described as hipster and eclectic. I ate dinner at Los Chingones with a view overlooking the town. Food was great with pork belly tacos and authentic quesadillas. The neighborhood is known for its graffiti art, and it did not disappoint. Every couple steps I was treated to another mural just as fantastic as the last.

My time in Denver has come to a close, however, but I leave you with some more photos of my short time in Denver. The title of this blog post says it all, stay here, play there. You can stay at one of many hotels in the downtown area (which is rotated at a 35 degree angle from the rest of the grid of the city per the guy that cut my hair today) and then take a scooter, Uber/Lyft, rent a car, take a tour to one of so many national parks, hiking trails, red rock amphitheaters, landmarks, neighborhoods, etc. There is so much to see and do in Denver. Frontier Airlines flies non-stop to Denver from Harrisburg International Airport 3 times weekly on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.