The beautiful mountainous landscapes in Boulder, CO are seriously breathtaking. I feel as though living in a place like this would make me want to grab my skis, take up yoga, or go for a day long hike. Jane is here to fill us in on her favorite things about this city. I've never been and my list is already fairly long!
Hello all you lovely Simply Irresistible readers! It's Jane from
In the Pink and Green and I'm thrilled that Lara is allowing me to talk about my current hometown--Boulder, CO!
I've only lived in Boulder for 5 months, but from day 1 it's been a really amazing place to live. I had never been to Colorado before my husband and I packed up and moved here this summer, but now I totally get why so many people migrate here and I absolutely love living here. Probably the biggest reason is that one minute you can be here:
And then ten minutes later you can be here:
The city sits right at the base of a group of mountains known as the Flatirons, and you can see them from pretty much everywhere in Boulder. There are tons of different hiking and biking trails five minutes from downtown, and people here are very active and in to the outdoors.
The heart of downtown Boulder is an area known as the Pearl Street Mall. It's a series of pedestrian only blocks filled with many unique shops and restaurants, as well as fantastic people watching.
Boulder has a lot of interesting restaurants, and the food scene here is very focused around using local and organic ingredients, which I love. Some of my favorite spots to dine are:
Trattoria on Pearl: From the street, this just looks like any average Italian place, but they actually have an amazing special called the Power Lunch where you get fresh made salad or soup, your choice of pasta, AND a glass of wine for only $10. No joke. And their pasta is delicious, very authentic and flavorful. It's a great spot to sit outside and people watch.
Snooze: Boulder's new hot spot for brunch that is totally worth the wait. The restaurant has a great modern retro vibe, and they serve red velvet pancakes. Need I say more?
Flagstaff House: Set up in the Flatirons over looking Boulder, the Flagstaff House has some of the most incredible food I've ever eaten, fantastic service, artful presentation, and definitely worth the splurge if
you're looking for a romantic atmosphere. If you're looking for a
really nice meal with great views of the city, this is your place.
Larkburger: This is place is kind of like Boulder's (better) version of Shake Shack in NYC. Their amazing burgers use all-natural ingredients, all of their silverware and cups are compostable, and the restaurant is 100% wind-powered. Plus, they have unbelievable Parmesan truffle fries.
The style in Boulder is very casual; everyone here is very active and their clothing reflects that. People are more concerned with having high-end, high-performance outdoor clothing versus designer fashions, and overall it's just a very laid back place. That being said, some of my favorite places to shop are:
Savvy on Pearl: Great little boutique that carries everything from Tom's shoes, up and coming clothing lines, and darling accessories.
MomentuM: An awesome and socially responsible shop that carries beautiful handmade, fair-trade goods from around the world. The best place in Boulder to get a unique gift that you can feel good about giving.
Prana: People in Boulder wear yoga clothes everywhere, and you can find some of the cutest ones here at Prana. In the heart of the Pearl Street Mall, this is the brand's flagship store, and they've got pieces to take you from downward dog to out to dinner. Plus, the best part of this store is that they have a yoga studio underneath the store and they offer 3-5
free yoga classes every single day!
The best coffee in Boulder is a tie between
Ozo Coffee Co. (top) and Folsom St. Coffee Co. (bottom) I can't make up my mind because they are both terrific.
We've had lots of out of town visitors since moving to Boulder, and in addition to showing them the stuff above some of our favorite places to take them have been:
Rocky Mountain National Park: About an hour from Boulder, RNMP is a great place to hike, see wildlife, and take in the beauty of the Rockies.
New Belgium Brewery Tour: Fort Collins is located about an hour north of Boulder, and the free tour at New Belgium Brewing Co is a lot of fun (and you get to sample five different beers!)
Explore the ski towns: Boulder is only a few hours from some of the nation's best skiing including Vail, Breckenridge, and Aspen.
If I had a free day you'd find me walking my dog (Boulder is very dog friendly!), taking a yoga class, getting frozen yogurt at
Ripple, browsing at the
Boulder Book Store, buying produce at the
Boulder Farmer's Market, getting margaritas at
Rio Grande, then having a picnic in Chataqua Park.
My favorite things about Boulder are the weather (300 days of sunshine baby!), the natural beauty, and the
University of Colorado. The campus is beautiful, it gives the city a great energy, there are a lot of intelligent, involved people in the community, and there is always tons to do.
In 3 words I would describe Boulder as...active, natural, and breathtaking.
While I adore life in Boulder, if I could move anywhere tomorrow it would definitely be either Paris or Florence. The food, the art, and the fashion are so inspiring, and I would love to spend my days sitting at a little café
and wandering the beautiful streets. My husband and I backpacked around Europe last summer, and I'd absolutely love the opportunity to move over there for awhile and do some more exploring.
But for now, I couldn't be happier in beautiful Boulder, Colorado...thanks again for having me Lara!
And if you missed some of the past cities - check them out here:
0 comments:
Post a Comment