Day 21: Estes Park to Denver

Day 21: Estes Park to Denver
I would try and help everybody, because the game was so easy for me. It was just like walking in the park.
Willie Mays

Pics: Fitness center at Holiday Inn, Denver bike program stand, art in and around MCA and DAM (note Butterfield horse and Theodore Waddell cow abstract as seen on our Montana trip).

Breakfast from pastry spot, must be known for its pies cuz the pastry stunk. Coffee from Starbucks, total of two, $11. Sunday NYT, priceless (okay, $6 at Starbucks).

Arrive in Denver and head to Museum of Contemporary Art, start with lunch on the roof: hummus and accoutrements (excellent) and a ham and spinach cheese, two limonatas, $16. Lots of large installation pieces, the big one: Christo sketches of the project of the covering of the Arkansas River, we should all meet in Salida in August, 2013 (GREAT PASTRY, two reasons to be there).

Then move a few miles to the Denver Museum of Art where we only visit the three contemporary floors in the recently Daniel Libeskind wing (we’ve seen a quite a few of Daniel’s buildings in the last few years, this guy is prolific and loves those angled walls and floors). Very impressive collection, clearly some locals gave a lot of good pieces.

Check in to the Monaco, a Kimpton Hotel, which is pretty obvious once you’re here. Great room, DB is a frequent stay member and gets us upgrades regularly. The valet parking for the night exceeds the total paid for parking, laundry, and meds on the entire trip.

Dinner at Rootdown, the second converted gas station we’ve eaten in on the trip (bonus points: name the town and restaurant of the first gas station conversion). We have the $52.80 meal, the waitress knows right away we’re from out of town when we ask why this is the $52.80 meal (DUH: it is the MILE high city). Oh, and that’s the price for two three course meals. We are so out of practice, we order the full thing and only realize afterwards that this is a lot of food…a lot of really good food!!

Starters: Sweet Potato Falafel (great), Beet Salad with cana de oveja cheese
Mains: Pork chop and spice battered tofu (also great, better than the pc)
Desserts: Banana and Nutella crepes, Croissant bread pudding and sour cream ice cream (not near as good as Mezze)
Drinks, wine, $122.