Mile High Magic

Denver Colorado is called the "mile high city" because it sits at 5,280 feet above sea level. And although the altitude sometimes gets to us, we consider Denver to be a magic city. It has the perfect combination of western heritage and urban sophistication. It also has lots of fun and historical things for a visitor to do.

 Denver's famous "Clock Tower" was built in the early 19th century and has been renovated to it's current glory. In the winter there is a small ice-skating rink in a park just below the tower where we like to go to play.  Check out the skating cowboy!!!














One of the other great historic buildings in Denver is the Union Station. First built in 1881, it's current renovation has made it an architectural gem with lots of the original details - check out the chandeliers - but also lots of modern touches. It currently houses restaurants, stores, bars and the Amtrak office.

     I did say there were "bars" in the Union Station, right?  Well the Terminal Bar is my favorite. It is housed in the original ticket office and you can sit on old train benches with brass foot rails and sip a drink while you look out of the old ticket windows. All of the drawers, cubby holes, and brass fixtures are still in place. It's easy to picture the train travel from 1881 till now [well, maybe it's easier after the first drink!].



  Here I am, ready to sell you a ticket to Omaha or finish my cosmo.... whichever!

NO - more PAII

 This year the PAII [innkeepers] conference was held in NO [New Orleans]. So of course my client Elizabeth Padilla and I had to go - duh! I know you just think we went to New Orleans for the food, fun, music and sightseeing but you are wrong. We went to the PAII conference to take classes, talk to fellow innkeepers, network and see new industry trends. Well, maybe we wanted to do a little of both.

This is a cooking class I took that was taught by famous New Orleans chef Kevin Belton. I actually did not learn much because innkeepers do not often cook etoufee or jambalaya for breakfast. But we did get to taste his special homemade pralines after we watched him make them. What a treat! He teaches at the New Orleans School of Cooking and if you go, you can take classes 6 days a week.

This is networking at its best - IIN is a group of Interim Innkeepers. I am a member and it is always fun to meet fellow innsitters at these conferences, catch up, tell stories and get new tips. Because we interim innkeepers are scattered all over the country the PAII conference is a good chance to meet.

       


 Networking is even more fun when there is a "masquerade ball" for all the innkeepers. In the traditional New Orleans style there were lots of folks in masks and green, gold and purple were the predominant colors. Elizabeth and I shopped for our feather boas on Bourbon Street and then got to wear them at the party . FUN!

 Of course we did also do a bit of sightseeing. We strolled the parks, ate bignets, visited the cathedral, shopped for trinkets and even got to hear a little bit of jazz music.
                                         Such fun with the Innkeepers in New Orleans!

                                       What's your favorite thing to do in the "big easy"?

We're Nutty!

I know we are a nutty family but every year for the last 30 years our family has had a tradition of going to the Nutcracker Ballet as part of our holiday celebration. We used to always go to Oregon Ballet Theater in  Portland but now that our daughter lives in Seattle we see the magical, whimsical version done by the Pacific Northwest Ballet .

This year was an especially magical year for us to see the Nutcracker Ballet because of course we got to take our little granddaughter Eleanor. She loved it - watched the stage and clapped when everyone else did. The PNB Nutcracker was designed by Maurice Sendak [the author of Where the Wild Things Are] so it is a more fanciful interpretation of the traditional ballet.

   This is one of his rat kings...  and obviously my grand-baby is a little nervous but she is safe in granddad's arms!

















 

   I just love this tradition - I love the Nutcracker Ballet and I also love an elegant evening out with my family. It's a great way to start Christmas!


Happy Holidays to all of you!



                                                           

Cowboy Culture

Contrary to popular opinion, Denver is not just Cowboys and Stockshows. The "mile high city" also has a lot of fine Cowboy Culture and when we get a chance we visit as much of it as we can. The Anschutz Collection of Western Art  is housed in this stately old home. Across from the Brown Palace Hotel, the house has a bawdy past but is now fully refinished to be a lovely showcase for Mr Anschutz's collection. The front of each floor is left intact as a period "parlor" but the interior is a lofty and modern space with floor to ceiling paintings hung in the 19th century "salon style". An amazing array of art including Bierstadts, Remingtons, Russells, and O'Keefes. WOW!






This is the famous Klaus Von Oldenburg statue in front of the Denver Art Museum. And look who is visiting DAM with her grandparents! We were here to see the incredible display of Cartier jewelry. It's a world exclusive exhibit called "Brilliant" that encompasses 75 years of stunning jewelry and other ornaments. Most of the jewels are original and real. The show also gives a historical overview with many interesting insights into the people for whom the pieces were created: kings, queens, maharajahs and movie stars.

For outdoor art, the Denver Botanic Gardens has an exhibit of Chihuly blown glass. Most of his pieces are wild and crazy like the chandelier above my baby's head. But at the Botanic Gardens the art blends with the flowers, plantings and water features. Some of it is surprisingly lovely and peaceful. It's a real treat to wander around and enjoy it all.

Now for true Cowboy Culture try Urban Cowboy at the Mile High Station. This is a fund raiser for Brent's Place, and it involves lots of food, drink, swing dancing and mechanical bull riding. OK, we did dance - we did not ride the bull!!

            So there you have it- the brief overview of Cowboy Culture in Denver. Check it out!

So Continental

As Interim Innkeepers, Kirk and I get to cook many different styles of breakfast - each inn is different and we serve the same breakfast that the owners of the inn would serve. Most B&Bs serve a plated hot breakfast each morning alternating between a "sweet" and a "savory" entree. We do four course candlelit breakfasts, grab as you go breakfast bags for early travelers and everything in between.




   But more and more B&Bs are going continental which is what we are currently providing at the Dove Inn . As more guests are becoming more health conscious, a breakfast of granola with fresh fruit and eggs seems better than waffles with syrup and bacon. Even PAII [Professional Association of International Innkeepers] suggests that continental is the way to go!





Of course there are a few tricks to a really tasty continental breakast:
1] Great homemade Granola [I can not give you Elizabeth's recipe, darn!]
2] A yummy fresh Pastry for those who do want to splurge
3] Lots of good fresh Fruit
3] The "perfect breakfast Egg" [this is a recipe I can share with you]

 

The MacKaye Harbor Inn Perfect Egg:

                               Start with 6 good quality brown eggs,
                               Bring to rolling boil, boil for 3 min,
                               cover and sit in hot water for 10 min,
                               ice water bath for 5 min -Perfect!

                         So good and good for you!

                                                      Now, let your guests ENJOY!
                                                    What is your "healthy" breakfast?

The Rockies Rock!

   Kirk and I both think the Rockies ROCK - no we do not mean the baseball team!

  For the last month we have had the Rocky Mountains as our backyard and I thought we could share a few of our favorite spots with you. I mean we share them with our guests all the time, right?

  This is one of my special pic-nic spots on the road to echo lake - Panorama Point. It's just a short hike but from there you can get views up to Mt Evans and down the valley toward Pikes Peak with the Rocky Mountains spread out for miles - WOW!







 This beautiful stream is Echo Creek also on the way to the lake and you do not even have to hike to it - just right on the road. When our guests want a scenic drive, we always send them this way. It's just really beautiful especially in the fall.

 Now, this is Red Rocks Park, right near our inn, with a stunning short hike. Well, the hike is short if you do not spend too much time climbing on the rocks like Kirk does. The path meanders through some amazing rock formations with views of the Rockies in the background.

  You know I am all about the pic-nic, and this is one of my favorite lunch places - they even provide tables, napkins, bathrooms and an amazing view! What more could you ask for? All I have to provide is cheese, crackers, chicken salad, grapes and iced tea. Gotta love it-

    One of our absolute favorite spots in the Rocky Mountains is Enchanted Mesa. It's a great hike. You can do anything from 3 to 13 miles [well, I never do 13 but you could] of stunning scenery. It really ROCKS!  So next time you visit the Rocky Mountains - try K&Ks favorite spots, ok?


 

BOO to You!!

  One of the great things about being a professional innsitter is that we get to spend the holidays in different places each year. This year we spent Halloween at the Dove Inn in Golden Colorado - such FUN!! The city blocks off the downtown area and encourages businesses such as our B&B to offer treats to little ghouls and princesses in a safe area. It's like a parade past our door and just a treat for us to be a part of it this year. Check out Kirk in costume giving candy to this family...








There were lots of scary, funny, adorable, elegant and interesting little people, demons, frogs, butterflies, monsters, queens, superheros, lions, firefighters and witches out this Halloween.

                                                  But our favorite is  this little pumpkin-
                                             Our Granddaughter Eleanor -Isn't she sweet??
           

                                                                Happy Halloween!!!!