Today Was Better

Thanks again for all of the encouragement from yesterday's post. Today was one of those great ones thanks to a tad more sleep, a fixed washing machine, a thrifting surprise (see above), a quick DIY, a lovely dinner at home, and excitement about a 31st birthday and a four day weekend! 

We're hoping to get up to Denver this weekend for a change of scenery and a little adventure. Consider this your personal invitation (if applicable) to leave the name of your favorite restaurants, must see vintage shops, well-stocked record stores, or local coffee shops. I'm compiling a list this time! 

Brett told me he wasn't as excited about turning 31 as he was turning 30. I told him he gets better looking every year. 

-Rachel

Comments

[Katie Canavan]

If you have time, visit Fancy Tiger, an amazing craft store!

[beetree]

So glad today was better for everyone...and what a cool suitcase to boot!!! Isn't it amazing what a difference a good night's sleep can make? Have a fun trip!

[sarah cass]

i second fancy tiger! there's tons of other cute stores on broadway as well (on the same street). you might also enjoy mod livin' (on colfax). as far as restaurants, if you're into veggie/vegan food, watercourse and city o'city are the places i have to go every time i'm back to visit, and if you like thai, visit tommy's thai on colfax! el taco de mexico has cheap, giant, and yummy burritos. tons of good record stores (wax trax (on 13th downtown) and twist & shout (colfax) are my favorites, and there is tons of good thrifting, especially if you venture out onto federal and sheridan, and down colfax in the other direction past mod livin'. flossy mcgrew's on south broadway is also a really fun vintage and costume shop. when you drive by, you can't miss it! if you're into books, you have to visit tattered cover. have fun!

[Tove]

LOVE the bag:)

[Barnicles]

glad things are better. my boyfriend just turned 31 too, he still gets ID-ed for alcohol and cigerettes though! Scotland is really bad for that.

Have a great trip!

Barnicles

[Jess T]

You should check out SAME Cafe. It stands for "So All May Eat". It's a "pay what you can" place that serves really delicious food to all kinds of people. We ate there on vacation a few years ago on vacation and were so impressed with the concept and the food!

[Little Lady Tara]

IRONWOOD, which is just tad bit south of Fancy Tiger on the other side of the road on Broadway. It simply put- is my mecca!! Amazing home decor/plant/inspiration/art store with the most adorable & loving owners. Also check out Beatrice & Woodsley for dinner, it's in the Baker (Broadway) neighborhood as well! :)

[Mac]

"You get better every year." I love it! I'mma start writing that in birthday cards!

[Brie]

Coffee Shop: The Market - incredible house-made pastries and the best baristas around.

Fancy-ish Restaurant: Il Posto - delicious, seasonal, menu changed daily, great service.

Hole-in-the-wall Restaurant: Lao Wang Noodle Hose - I think you'd really enjoy this place (if you like dumplings), the elderly couple who own it are the hosts, waitstaff, cooks, and dish crew. Go for lunch to be sure they don't sell out of dumplings, be prepared for a wait, and be sure to order the xiao long bao!

Bar: City O' City - Super hipster vibe (Belle and Sebastian on the radio, cute girls with top knots and big glasses as your waitress, great vegan options) and great beer. Be sure to try a beer from Great Divide Brewery. I'm partial to their Samurai rice ale.

Whew! Sorry if that was a bit much. I moved to Missouri from Denver last year and I miss it so.

[Kristy]

There's a Lollicup on Colorado (Not sure of the street but its on their site) if you like bubble tea :D Its on the same street you go down to get to the Natural science museum.

[HK]

We loved the Rackhouse Pub when we were in Denver last December!

[Denise von Minden]

I say go to Fancy Tiger and then hit up Walnut Room for pizza & Sweet Action Ice Cream! That's one of our favorite ways to spend an afternoon! Also Twist & Shout and Tattered Cover are fun and then you can drive up the road for Steve's Snappin Dogs or Mezcal!

Have a great time! We love taking a day to explore Denver!!

[Kay]

Loved the Evil Bean coffee shop downtown around Market Street. Fantastic sandwiches too!

[Jessi]

We were in Denver in December and loved, loved, loved Shells & Sauce. Also a fan of Snooze, Vesta Dipping Grill, Osteria Marco...

[UrbanBirdandCo]

The I Heart Denver Store in the downtown pavillions!!! It's ALL local and handmade stuff from pretty amazing artists/designers!

[Sarah]

Pablos on 6th and Washington is a GREAT coffee shop and pretty centrally located. Stella's on Colfax and Milwaukee-ish is my favorite restaurant in town (Italian food), and they have pizza, which is always a hit with kids. If you're looking for something a little more affordable, Le Central is on 9th or 10th and Broadway and is "affordable French", about $10 per person for brunch. Super accessible food as well.

Like everyone said above, Fancy Tiger is awesome.

[Melodie Ann]

My love and I always try to make it to Paris on The Platte. It's a local cafe and bar, open until 1 and 2am. We always love making it feel like our regular Denver spot.

[Anna Z]

I have only visited once. But Jelly was a delicious (kinda hipster) breakfast cafe. The wait was like 45 minutes but totally worth it. And if you like local beer, Wynkoop Brewing Co. was delicious. Food and beer. And we also loved renting the bikes from Denver B-cycle. It's great riding and docking and picking up another bike and docking it again. A fun way to experience downtown. And there's a bike trail along the river downtown which I loved too!

I honestly would love to move! Denver is beautiful.

[Kara Bivins - Vorwald]

The above comment by Sara Cass gets my second vote on everything she said.
If you only have time for a few stores then a must to check out is Fancy Tiger ( on broadway) tons of vintage (also on broadway) and I for one also love Flossy McGrews. (further down on broadway on your left). Kilgore for books. Peppermint Botique! So so cute! Food choices - Szooze cafe is great for breakfast, vegan/vegetarian pizza City o' City. Coffee at Leela's (by 16th street)

[Mary]

The Savory Spice Shop is a must-do - it has the most amazing bulk spices (who knew you could buy dried hibiscus petals!) and is an utterly charming store. They have a few locations around Colorado so you might already be a frequent visitor, but the Denver store is on Platte St.

[Amanda S.]

I would like to recommend Rootdown, if you haven't been there already, that is. Their food is amazing, not to mention their decor is to die for. All of their bathrooms are decorated differently. Pretty much the whole thing rocks, and there is a great view of the city.

[Amanda]

Lots of people have been giving you great suggestions.

Coffee- Crema on Larimer
Food- The Market in Larimer Square, City O' City.
Shopping- South Broadway neighborhood, tons of great shops by Fancy Tiger, Buffalo Exchange, and my favorite vintage store Boss

For the kids, it's always fun to go to REI and then hang around by the river.

[Jen N.]

I love the Fancy Tiger area on Broadway - especially since they opened a new store and the Goodwill next door is great! I also love another area a little West of downtown off of Tennyson and 41st. Tomte/Vital Industries is a great hand-made local artist shop and there are fun store and coffee shops to hang out up and down Tennyson.
Jen

[Brittany]

I have this bag's twin!

[Julie]

You guys should head to the Denver highlands neighborhood! Check out Root Down, Duo, or Linger for awesome dinner spots! Then head to Little Man Ice Cream for dessert. The shop building is a giant old milk can. :) Straight out of Pushing Daisies. You would love it!!!

[Megs]

Root down and linger are both great! However you might want to make a reservation if you go to either of them. Steubens is also really good. The cherry cricket has really good burgers but more of a bar setting. My favorite thrift store is the goodwill on leadsdale but go early because it gets picked over. The arc thrift store on broadway is also a really good one!

[K Vondra]

Haven't been back in awhile and REALLY want to try the Denver Biscuit Co. the next time we visit. I LOVE me some biscuits!

[Jo Ellen]

Hi, Rachel. I'm Ruthie's friend here in Denver, CO. Glad you're making it up to the beautiful city! I've thought a lot about some family friendly suggestions for you. You are absolutely being steered in the right direction to hang out on So. Broadway. I've not been to Fancy Tiger since they've expanded but the Goodwill IS great. You can spend WEEKS in the antique shops along broadway so be warned! But Sweet Action Ice Cream should be a good break. I hear Mile High Thrift on Sheridan is the way to go...I live near the Goodwill on Leetsdale that has been mentioned and it is good - and also on the way to Wings Over the Rockies airplane museum. Fun for grown ups and kids but A LOT less crazy then the Zoo or Children's Museum on weekends (save those two for a weekday - trust me). Another fun family adventure is the Botanic Gardens. Make sure you check out the children's area on top of the parking garage. Word to the wise - many of the restaraunts listed are not especially family friendly (well, at least not my rambunctious family anyway) and some take weeks for a reservations (root down for example). That's not to say they're not good, but maybe better suited for a night when you have a sitter. Just my opinion. One of the best kept secrets is the view from Peaks Lounge in the downtown Hyatt. Walk around with the kids to see the Big Blue Bear at the Convention Center and then grab a drink early/or watch the sunset from Peaks Lounge. Kid friendly since it's a hotel and I promise you the best view of the front range. Oops! The secret's out now!

[sarah welsch]

I just recently went to denver for a family reunion, and we went to a place called Tom's Diner that is just that, a diner with amazingly good food and service, and cheap prices! And i mean cheap cheap. But not bad food cheap.

[Kate]

Rachel, this is Kate Ferguson, we went to OBU together. I'm now married and a mama of 3 and we live in Denver! I just saw you moved to Colorado Springs. We live downtown. If you end up coming up this way, let me know and I would love to either show you around town, or just give you some recs!

(definitely YES to Root Down for Brunch, but you should prob make reservations) And Fancy Tiger (right next to our Buffalo Exchange), you'll definitely love it. In fact, it's on South Broadway which has lots of wonderful little boutiques. Also Hutch and Spoon, Pinche Tacos, Tattered Cover and right next to it is Twist and Shout for great cds/records, Hazel and Dewey (CUTE!!), City o City...I could go on.

Would love to hear from you!