There's nothing like spending time with a close friend in a new city and seeing new sights together.
For the last 2 days of my trip to visit Dasha in Denver, I saw psychedelic art, celebrated her birthday with more of her friends, and explored some iconic parts of the Denver area.
We visited the Natura Obscura art exhibit, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and checked out a little western mining town called Golden. Read on to hear about and see all that we did before I departed back to New York!
Morning Stroll and Cafe
The morning after our night out on Tennyson Street, Dasha and I woke up leisurely and decided to take a stroll through Denver.
We walked through a beautiful, springtime Denver neighborhood to one of her favorite cafes for a much-needed hangover brunch. The walk there along North Ogden Street included picturesque homes with blooming flowers in their yards and along the sidewalks.
At Corner Beet, an artsy vegetarian cafe and juice bar, we had a delicious meal. This was the perfect way to start our day!
I know Dasha loves this spot because she takes visitors there all the time. It's great finding places like this where the food and atmosphere are equally awesome!
Once we were cured of our hangover, we met up with Ursula and Anneka to check out a popular local art exhibit.
Natura Obscura
The art exhibit is interactive and is located at the Museum of Outdoor arts in Englewood. The name is deceiving, as the exhibit is, in fact, indoors! But one installation does feel a bit like you are in a mystical forest.
Natura Obscura is like walking into an interactive blacklight poster that collided with Alice in Wonderland that collided with the cosmos. The installation includes 5 separate rooms.
There are forest creatures, inspirational quotes, and hidden messages revealed by an app the staff connect you to before you enter.
There are tons of set displays perfect for that #soinfluential instagram shot.
Rather than explain Natura Obscura, it's really something you just have to experience. The following are a few more photos I took to help illustrate the experience some more.
There was also a whole separate section—one of the museum's permanent installations called Time Machine and Cabinet of Curiosities and Impossibles. The doorway to this area mimics a working, antique time machine.
On the other side are displays of fantasy-like antiques and artifacts that make you feel like you're in a world where fairy tales are a part of real history.
Attached to this area was also a few separate interactive areas featuring sound and light interactive installments and a movie about the universe.
Outside the museum, there are a bunch of neat art installments and sculptures. All of them were really unique and fun to pose with!
I loved the Natura Obscura exhibit and the museum's other permanent installments. They are all worth seeing!
Residents of and visitors to Denver, Colorado have only a few weeks left to check out Natura Obscura. Tickets are $10-$20 depending on the day of the week or if you purchase in advance or at the door. Be sure to check it out before it closes on December 29, 2019!
Birthday Dinner & Game of Thrones
In the evening, we all met up with a few more of Dasha's friends at the 9th Door. This is a Spanish tapas restaurant in Denver.
This place also had a really artistic vibe to it. I love their red chandeliers and other light fixtures! The food was great, too!
After her birthday dinner, Dasha and I met up at her friend Kate's place. Kate made a cake for Dasha, which we ate while watching Game of Thrones!
All three of us are huge fans of the show and the 2nd episode of the final season aired while I was there. It was such a great episode to watch together—as we were all shocked by many moments which led to us pausing and discussing.
I love watching great shows with people as obsessed as I am!
Red Rocks Amphitheatre
The next day, Dasha, Ursula, Anneka, and I went to check out the iconic Red Rocks Ampitheatre. This was my last day in Denver. We managed to see a lot and still get me to my evening flight on time.
Red Rocks was built into the gorgeous red rocks of the area west of Denver near Morrison, Colorado. The rocks are perfectly placed to create epic acoustics for musicians and artists to perform on stage. The theatre seats almost 10,000 people on tiered seating rising up from the stage and nestled between tall rock outcrops.
It's truly a wonder to see in person!
We were there on a foggy day after a bit of rain. This added to the beautiful drama of the place.
The Colorado Music Hall of Fame is there inside the trading post. We walked around there to learn more about the history of Red Rocks and the famous artists who performed there, from the first in August 1910 to all of the more recent, recognizable bands and performers.
Golden
After exploring Red Rocks, we went into the town of Golden for some lunch.
This historic town was once a mining camp during the gold rush and was named after Thomas Golden, a miner from Georgia.
The town is proud of its Western roots!
We only had time for a quick lunch, so we sat at the bar at Old Capitol Grill & Smokehouse. My smoked turkey sandwich with apples and cranberry walnut bread and a side of mac and cheese totally hit the spot.
In Conclusion
Dasha drove me straight to the train station which I rode to the Denver airport. I made it in time for my flight home, feeling very fulfilled by my time in Denver. We did not waste a minute of time. I had a wonderful diversity of experiences all while spending time with one of my best friends for her birthday.
I can't wait to visit Denver again—especially to hike more with Dasha. Stay tuned—'cause I'm definitely going back in 2020!
