Tuesdays with Tom: As Cool As The Rockies
For several years, I’ve heard about people both visiting and permanently relocating to Denver, Colorado. I used to joke that the Centennial State was “Millennial Mecca” due to its rising transplant population and early adoption of favorable marijuana policies. Like Nashville, it’s one of those cities where the secret is fully out and it’s a must-see destination for American travelers. And yet despite knowing many people and having some family that lived in the Aspen area, I waited until I turned 29 to finally make the trip to the state. Ladies and gentlemen, we are BACK with another one of my patented travel tales! I treated myself to a new experience for my birthday and I’ve got plenty to share.
I’ve come to learn that most airports are not close to their downtown metropolitan areas, which makes sense given the amount of space they need. With that said, it does feel like Denver’s airport is exceptionally far away from its city. Not only that, but this is by far the largest airport I’ve ever seen. They have gates that go from 1-99 and there are three different terminals. That’s about 300 gates by my count and you need to take a train to get to each terminal. It’s a fitting experience because the first thing you need to know about Denver is that everything is a pretty long drive away. But I’m not in a rush for once and I took a leisurely, long train ride from the airport to a nearby train station. I was picked up by my newly married friend Andrew LaCour. He’s a recent Denver transplant who graciously is allowing me to use his wife’s car so I can get to my first stop on this Colorado rendezvous. That location is Boulder, a city roughly 30 miles northwest of Denver. By sheer coincidence, the week I arrived Boulder was named the No. 1 city to live in in the United States. It’s the home of the University of Colorado and many more pleasant things. I arrived on a serene Wednesday evening to take it all in.
If you’re going to visit Boulder, I recommend spending your evenings on Pearl Street. That’s where my Airbnb was and the location was ideal for downtown excursions. There is a stretch that’s blocked off from car traffic and paved with bricked roads for citizens and visitors to enjoy a leisurely stroll through town. You’ll see a bevy of shops and restaurants, street performers and homeless people who don’t have a care in the world. I settled on West End Tavern for my first meal. It’s been around since 1987 and a friendly bartender gave me a quick history on the place. I enjoyed chatting with him as much as I enjoyed my beef brisket sandwich that he recommended. I sat next to another gentleman who revealed he graduated from Lyons Township High School and has lived in Boulder for 28 years. We were all enjoying the NBA Finals Game 4 featuring the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns for a time. Unfortunately, our experience was rudely interrupted by a deranged idiot wearing a kilt and sporting a Rip Van Winkle-length beard. We’ll call him “Crazy” because he certainly wasn’t sane. Anyway, Crazy started off his visit by yelling at a woman for ordering “well whiskey” as her drink. He later apologized for bothering her, which would become a theme in the 25 minutes I was subjected to his bullshit. Crazy liked saying outlandish things, apologizing for bothering people and then immediately continuing on another unsolicited rant. I never addressed him directly, but he talked to me as if I was an old friend. I eventually asked for my check and the bartender had written an apology on the bill and suggested a place with “less unwanted conversation.” I had a nice laugh about that. If not for Crazy, I could have stayed at West End Tavern for a long time. It’s been awhile since I got buzzed off two beers, but the altitude is no joke in Colorado. Between Crazy’s antics and my unexpected buzz, I decided to head home and watch the rest of the game at my Airbnb. This studio apartment didn’t quite live up to the pictures, but it was solid and in a great location. The Bucks won this game and I went to bed to rest up for a big day.
Thursday I woke up around 7 a.m. Mountain Time and had breakfast at Snooze A.M. Eatery a few blocks away from my place. I had a great egg white omelette there that would provide necessary fuel for my hike at Mount Sanitas Trail. It’s part of the picturesque Flatirons Mountains that provide the irreplicable backdrop for Boulder. According to the All Trails app, this 4.2 mile hike is a must-do in Boulder and “offers beautiful views with enough challenge to get you sweating.” I’m in pretty good shape and I was up for the challenge, but admittedly I didn’t know how the altitude was going to affect my performance. I was thoroughly impressed with the many people going for runs on this trail and bringing their dogs. Even though I grew up with Bernese Mountain Dogs, they would have never been able to handle this trail. It’s a straight uphill climb with lots of difficult, rocky terrain to maneuver. Kudos to these dogs for being way tougher than any of mine were (sorry, Mom, but it’s true). The Internet description proved to be exactly correct. I thought I’d reached the summit several different times, but I never considered quitting. The peak is about 6,800 feet and I was quite satisfied with myself for getting to the top. And of course, I took a few photos for the gram. I hate myself for even typing that, but I’m no liar! This hike is well worth your time if you’re in decent shape.
After Mount Sanitas, I committed to replicating the full college student experience in one day despite it being the middle of July with almost no students in sight. First stop, The Sink, a local restaurant and bar that’s been around since 1923. The buffalo fried cauliflower and BBQ beef sliders were delightful. This place reminded me of some of my favorite Chicago dive bars. It was grungy, decorated with intentional graffiti and the staff was just the right amount of sarcastic and friendly. I went around lunch time, but I bet this place transforms at night. Then I took a stroll through Colorado’s impeccable campus. I thought Mizzou was nice, but Colorado probably has it beat from an aesthetic perspective. I can see going to school here would be pretty great. But nothing prepared me for the shock of learning that they have a fucking BOWLING ALLEY in their university student center. For $3 a game, you can bowl and drink beer right on campus. I couldn’t resist bowling even though I was by myself. Go ahead and judge me, but I’m proud of the 104 and 138 that I bowled in that alley. Two bored students watched as I gleefully rolled balls down the lane for about 30 minutes. The taps weren’t open that day, but if I had had this in college, I would have abused the privilege.
Here’s a quick list of famous Colorado alumni: Chris Fowler, Jim Gray, William Mooney, Trey Parker, Robert Redford, Matt Stone, Dalton Trumbo and Steve Wozniak. Somehow, my uncle John Braniff didn’t make the list. Ironically, he wore a kilt to his wedding, but it was for a good reason. Crazy would have loved an invite. Let’s get back to the trip. Of course I had to visit the football stadium. Folsom Field has a maximum capacity of about 53,000 people, but unfortunately the team hasn’t given them much to cheer about over the years. They did win a national championship in 1990 and they were infamously involved in one of Missouri football’s worst moments ever (shoutout to the 5th Down Game). Unlike my Oregon trip, the stadium was closed to spectators and I could only look through the gates. The only unique thing about this old building is that they have classrooms inside of the stadium for students. I bet that would have been cool.
After bailing early the previous night, I wanted to Boulder a fair shot on the last night. I warmed up with a few cocktails at Bitter Bar, which is not a reflection on the attitudes of the staff. They were very nice and I ordered “The Tin Man” if only to appease fans of my 2005 performance as the character in The Wizard of Oz. From there, I transitioned to Press Play, an arcade bar that is worth killing some time at. I did pretty well at the Rampage game and skee ball. Then I went to Pearl Street Pub, which is as divey as it gets and met some friendly students. I complimented one of them and their Air Jordan Hares and they gave me some intel on student life. My final stop of the night was The Attic, an entirely upstairs bar that is likely the most popular student bar in town. Please, don’t try their signature drink. It’s called a Fat Albert and it’s nothing but Kool-Aid and McCormick’s vodka. That’s a big NO THANKS for me, but the guy I ran into there loved it. This young man’s name was Conor and it turned out he went to my high school for a few years. He just finished playing club hockey at Boulder and he immediately added me to the hockey friend group for the rest of the night. I have to say, these guys were a breath of fresh air after I spent most of the two days with modern day hippies and people way too mellow for my liking. I felt like I’d really lived a lot of Boulder life in just one day. And the best part was I finally adjusted to the altitude.
I said goodbye to Boulder and returned my Jeep to Mr. LaCour in Denver in the morning on Friday. Unlike him and my other friend, Andrew Martin, I did not have to work that day. So I linked up with another friend and fellow reader Sydney Oberholtzer for a few hours. She is also a recent transplant in Denver. It was fun catching up with her and reminiscing about our many escapades in the past. Check out her podcast The Set Up Series by the way! This is probably a good time to mention that the cost of living in both Boulder and Denver is skyrocketing by the day. With so many people moving here, the property values are growing higher than the Rockies themselves. All of my friends rent and you’d be shocked how much some of the places they live in would go for on the open market. I also got firsthand experience of what it means when someone lives “10 minutes away” from someone else in Denver. Sure, it could be 10 minutes if the traffic is alright, or it could be 30 if it’s not. It’s not possible to live here without a car.
Coors Field is considered one of the best ballparks in Major League Baseball. Between it’s unforgettable views and modern layout, it’s become a favorite stop for sports fans across the country. I specifically planned my trip around a homestand so I could catch a Colorado Rockies game there. The timing is perfect because Coors Field had just hosted the Home Run Derby and MLB All-Star Game a few days prior to the game. With the high altitude, Coors Field is one of the best hitter’s parks in the game. I loved this year’s derby and imagined myself sitting in the left field bleachers and catching a home run ball. By the time we arrived, the Rockies were already losing 5-0 in the first inning. They would need as many home runs as they could get. We were pretty close to catching a home run ball from the opposing team, the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers are the defending champions in baseball and the Rockies aren't. It appeared to be close to a sellout crowd thanks to the flock of Dodgers fans in attendance.
Since I wasn’t rooting for either team, I simply enjoyed the beautiful scenery and hoped for a fun time. I got both, specifically in the middle of the game, when a cameraman spotted my incredible dance moves and put me on the jumbotron. LaCour was not present at our seats for this and became very jealous of our screen time. Prior to that, C.J. Cron on the Rockies launched a grand slam that went over our entire outfield section. We were convinced it was a 500 foot bomb, but apparently it wasn’t quite that long. The Rockies lost 10-4 and we couldn’t have cared less. I haven’t been to every baseball park, but Coors Field ranks high on the ones I have been to. If you go to a game, you’d be wise to hit up a place like View House or The Giggling Grizzly for some drinks before or after the game. We did both. It was there that I linked up with another friend from childhood, Connor Halline and his twin brother Chris. I grew up with both of them in Riverside and I can’t remember the last time we were all in the same room before this. We also reunited with a college friend named Kyle Fitzpatrick. Despite being an eclectic mix of groups, we all got along great and enjoyed catching up. This is about as quintessential of a downtown Denver experience as you’ll find.
For my last full day, our group got into a car and took a drive out to Echo Lake Park. Let me tell you, I highly recommend having a full meal before attempting this 10,000+ foot hike. It’s a fairly long drive (about an hour and change depending on traffic) and nestled upon a very high hill. Between our excursion the previous night and my lack of food, I was working pretty hard to muster up appropriate energy for the hike. But we powered through a good chunk of it and engaged with some breathtaking nature. If we had been well fed, perhaps we would have finished the loop. Instead, we turned around about halfway through it. It was still a pleasant journey and eventually, we did eat in the cute, Western-saloon-esque town of Idaho Springs. You could kill a few hours here if you’re close by. I felt a lot more energetic after the meal, which for me was a rice bowl with steak and vegetables. Their house, blood orange IPA wasn’t too bad either.
We reconvened in the evening at a sports themed restaurant called Choppers. This place is probably a few steps up from a Buffalo Wild Wings with some Denver flair. The main event of the night is Game 5 of the NBA Finals. The Bucks got off to a big lead in the first quarter and then watched the Suns take it right back by halftime. We noticed one man wearing a Suns shirt at the restaurant and there didn’t appear to be any Bucks fans in sight. This is Denver after all. But none of it mattered as the entire place became enthralled with the riveting game. The deciding play came when Bucks forward Jrue Holiday improbably ripped the ball out of Suns point guard Chris Paul’s hands, and then lofted a perfect alley-oop pass to Giannis Antetkounmpo for a dunk. Choppers erupted with cheers watching all of this. I will always remember being in Denver for this game. It was pretty cool to see. You could do a lot worse than Choppers for a night of food and sports.
We had a farewell lunch the next day at Fire on the Mountain, a local wing haven that served us well. I said my goodbyes to the LaCours and we made one more visit to Washington Park to watch Andrew and Morgan’s dog, Frankie. This was by far the easiest trail I’ve walked and thankfully, it was the last. But I can say very confidently this won’t be my last trip to Colorado. It may have taken me too long, but now I know what to expect and I was thrilled to be there this time. It was a week full of reconnecting with old friends, making new connections and experiencing things I rarely get to see where I live. It’s a pretty damn nice place to live. Maybe that’s why it’s so expensive to own a house here now.
Tom’s Thoughts of the Week
It’s been a few weeks since Loki ended on Disney+ and I’m still buzzing about the show. Compared to its predecessors, it’s clearly the best Marvel TV show that’s been made to date. It told an engaging story from end-to-end, with awesome actors and thrilling spectacles. It also will have serious ramifications on the future MCU movies, which is something that hadn’t happened in previous shows. But above all else, it was a purely enjoyable and thought provoking show every week. Credit to the creative team who put it together and Tom Hiddleston for delivering a fantastic performance as the title character. At this point, you’re either in on Marvel stuff or it’s probably too late to catch up. For those who are in, I hope you liked it as much as I did.
One show I’m beginning to feel lukewarm about is Dave. I loved the first season last year on FXX and Hulu. So far, the second season isn’t up to par with the debut. While I respect the show for tackling difficult topics, they’ve done so at the expense of the main character’s likability. Simply put, they’ve made the character of Dave Burd a relentless narcissist who regularly does idiotic things. I’m not saying Lil Dicky is a flawless human, but I’d like to see more of the things we love about that character in the show again. For whatever reason, it’s just not as funny as the first season was. I’m hoping they can end on a strong note with the final three episodes of this year.
Congratulations to the Milwaukee Bucks for winning this year’s NBA Finals. They defeated the Phoenix Suns in six games, something that I predicted to go the other way in this publication. The Bucks were written off several times during this postseason run. They were down in every series they played, including notably against the Brooklyn Nets. They were quite literally an inch away from losing to those same Nets. Then, it looked like Giannis Antetokounmpo was going to miss the rest of the playoffs with a grisly knee injury. Not only did Giannis continue to play, he just finished one of the greatest Finals performances we’ll ever see. Particularly, his Game 6 performance is something I will never, ever forget. It’s weird to say this considering the Bucks are a division rival of the Bulls, but I’m happy for the franchise. Anytime you win a championship it’s special and they’ve waited five decades to win this one. There are few athletes as likable as Giannis and his journey to this moment is one of the most unlikely in all of sports. In a league where seemingly every top player demands a trade to an elite coastline city, Giannis remained committed to Milwaukee every step of the way and rewarded their faith with an NBA title. Good for Giannis and Milwaukee should be very alive the rest of this summer.
A few weeks ago, I wrote about the Fast & Furious movies. In the piece, I mentioned that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Vin Diesel have an infamous feud. Recently, Diesel has been vocal about his so-called impact on Johnson’s acting in the movies. Well, The Rock isn’t having any of it. In an interview for his upcoming movie Jungle Cruise, he said that he “laughed hard” upon hearing the Diesel quotes. He also said that he won’t be returning to the future Fast & Furious movies, which is news to basically everyone? Who do you believe? Look, we’re all thinking about it. I’m going to go ahead and SAY IT. The Rock would kick Vin Diesel’s ass. It wouldn’t be very close! I hope they settle this feud like real men. Now’s a celebrity match I’d pay to see.
Finally, out of nowhere talks emerged that Texas and Oklahoma were exploring a move from the Big 12 to the SEC for all sports programs. If this sounds familiar, it’s because this happened exactly 10 years ago with the same schools. At the time, Texas and Oklahoma were pretty close to pulling the ripcord on the Big 12 conference, moving to the Pac-10 with four other schools and forming a new Pac-16 superconference. It didn’t end up happening, but a consequence of this move was Missouri and Texas A&M leaving the Big 12 for the SEC. Now, we’re talking about the same thing in a different swap of conferences. There’s little reason to do this for anything other than money. In layman’s terms, everyone in the SEC, including Oklahoma and Texas, would gain financially from this move. It would effectively kill the Big 12 and likely spark another round of conference realignment across the country. But most importantly, it would strengthen what’s already the superior conference from a football perspective as we head towards a 12-team playoff format in college football. And as a Missouri fan, I find it highly ironic that the same schools that bullied us out of the Big 12 are now doing everything they can to join the conference we left it for. I hope it doesn’t happen, but I am powerless to stop it. As Thanos likes to say, it is...inevitable.