Stage 1: Denver

I arrived safely in Denver on Friday evening, just before sunset in the downtown area. I stayed in a backpackers in the main (slightly dodgy) area of town, a few miles down from the central Denver area. The place is called the Hostel of the Rockies and was pretty... er... interesting. I walked in the the place smelled like about 10 cats lived there in a small area. I never found the cats and the smell never went away either. Not the way forward.

The place is very run down as well, its a really old building in the original part of town so I guess it's what can be expected for $20 a night. At the least the linen was pretty clean, and no bedbugs which is always a good start. The staff were really friendly an helpful at any rate, which made for a slightly more pleasurable experience. I also met some pretty cool guys from the US and England, who had a wicked sense of humour and good political knowledge, so the conversation and back to back episodes of Monty Python and South Park kept me entertained.

I headed out for dinner before the sun set completely to a diner on the corner of Race and Colfax called Pete's Kitchen. It's been there since 1942 and is a popular landmark in Denver, attracting everyone from celebrities to old couples who have been there for the full 60 years! The food was not as good as they made it out to be, but maybe I am just sick of American food in general. It's worth a visit.

The walk home was a bit scary so note to those planning to visit Denver not to wander around Colfax at night.

Heading down to Florida today (Saturday) after a 5am start and a long flight via Houston and over 2 time zones.

Also over carrying the boardbag around.

posted by Cat Murray @ 03:31