A Holiday Trip: Denver

Denver, the Mile High City, is known for its sweeping views of the Rockies and the broad array of outdoor activities in its backyard. Surprisingly, even though Ivy went to college in Colorado, neither of us had spent really any time in Denver. We decided to book a spontaneous holiday trip to Denver to see what all the hype is about. We can now confirm that this city was built for foodies, beer and wine lovers, and outdoor enthusiasts!

Here are some of the best places we discovered over our quick weekend getaway…

xxx Ivy & Eve

P.S. We want to give a shout out to Hotel Monaco Denver for being such an excellent host!

EAT

Snooze $$ - When Ivy was doing her undergrad in Northern Colorado, the local Snooze quickly became her go-to brunch spot. We highly recommend their Bloody Marys and the pancake flight (3 pancakes), which you can select from an array of sweet and savory pancakes. Although the menu is continuously changing, we suggest ordering the red velvet, sweet potato, or the pineapple upside-down pancake if they are on offer. 

Denver Central Market $-$$ - This is probably our favorite place we discovered on the trip. Denver Central Market is a fantastic food hall with all kinds of great vendors from Curio - bar, Culture - meat & cheese, Tammen's - fish market, and High Point Creamery- ice cream! We noshed on tuna/salmon poke bowl, cheese and charcuterie, and washed it down with some tasty house rosé!

beast + bottle $$$ - This place is big on farm-to-table cuisine. The menu was full of perfectly crafted entrees, small bites, and tasty cocktails. We LOVED the chicharrones served with a yummy creamy red pepper dip!

Marczyk Fine Foods $-$$$ - This grocery store is located just across the street from beast + bottle. They have a wonderful selection of cheeses, meats, and bakery goods. This is the perfect spot to stock up on goodies for your outdoor adventures or even a picnic!

Venice $$$ - If you are looking for an Italian restaurant with an amazing wine list, choose Venice. It is also located across the street from Union Station. 

Mercantile $$ - Located in the Union Station, Mercantile is part coffee shop, part bakery, and part casual restaurant. They serve tasty sandwiches, salads, and delicious Bloody Marys! We recommend getting anything that will include their house-made pickles. SO GOOD!

Buckhorn Exchange $$$ - Our Dad heard about this place and has wanted to go for years, so he sent us on a mission to test it out for him. We are SO GLAD he did! The Buckhorn Exchange is Denver's oldest restaurant and is a registered National Historic Landmark. The walls are covered with taxidermy animals, old photographs, and other "wild west" memorabilia. They are known for their top-notch steaks and a few more unusual dishes. We started out the night with the rattlesnake queso - warm queso dip topped with rattlesnake meat and a 1/2 order of their rocky mountain oysters (deep-fried calf testicles). Growing up in horse country, we have had our fair share of these delicacies, and we can tell you these were some of the best! Finally, we shared the giant buffalo prime rib and washed it all down with some cold Colorado brews! Fantastic!

DRINK

Forest Room 5 $ - This hip but under the radar bar is a great place to start your evening. Grab a beer or cocktail inside and head out to their side yard for fire pits, a little stream, and even a tipi. We loved its laid back feel and the quirky western films playing in the restrooms. 

My Brother’s Bar $ - This is Denver's oldest operating bar, making it a must-visit. Just down the road from Forest Room 5, this almost secret bar is perfect for your late-night hangouts. We ordered a pitcher of beer, fries, and onion rings, but we hear the cottage cheese is worth ordering! 

Terminal Bar $$ - Located in Union Station, during the day, Terminal Bar is packed with people coming and going via bus or train. After hours it turns into a super cool lounge. After all the restaurants and shops close, The Great Hall turns into seating for the bar.  

Ratio Beerworks $$ - Right down the street from Denver Central Market, this brewery is the perfect place to enjoy your delicious lunch. We ordered their carrot beer, and it was seriously good! 

Infinite Monkey Theorem $$$ - This urban winery has a really fun laid back vibe with a variety of wines on tap, in cans, and in traditional bottles. Grab a glass, take a seat, relax, and repeat! 

PLAY

Christmas Market (free) - During the holidays, Denver hosts an adorable traditional German Christmas Market with booths offering everything from German-made ornaments to giant pretzels! Grab a mug full of mulled wine or hot cocoa and peruse the shops at your leisure. 

Parade of Lights (free) - This once a year (two nights in a row) parade is definitely worth watching before you head out to dinner. The parade begins at dusk, and each parade float and entertainer is covered in glowing lights. This is a fun event for all ages. We liked the fire dancers the most! 

STAY

The Kimpton Hotel Monaco $$$ - We called this place home for the weekend and loved it! The hotel lobby and rooms are beautiful. They have a great restaurant and bar attached, extremely attentive staff, and its location is in the center of downtown, within walking distance of everything Denver has to offer. We can't stop saying great things about this hotel. 

We got into Denver at 5am, and were able to check into our room even though check-in is usually 4pm! One of our favorite parts of staying at the Monaco Denver was the daily happy hour in the lobby daily from 5-6pm. At happy hour, they poured two wines and served a rotating beer on tap. Each drink came along with a little snack. One night they served meatballs, which were divine! We loved that the Monaco Denver thinks of the little details like a "hydration station" in the lobby and even complimentary hand warmers for the chilly Denver evenings! We can't wait to go back!

Happy Holidays!

Killer Day Trips from Manchester, England

Last summer on our England adventure we spent a week stationed in Manchester City (see our Manchester trip here). With Manchester as our home base we had a lot of great options for day trips once we were satisfied we had explored Manchester enough. First up was York, which we featured on the blog a few months ago (read article here).

Liverpool

The second place on our day trip list was Liverpool. Neither of us had ever gone, and seeing as it's the birthplace of the Beatles, we knew we couldn't miss it. The train from Manchester to Liverpool was super simple and under an hour long. The only thing we planned was an afternoon tea at Panoramic 34. 

This was a perfect way to start our day in Liverpool as we got to enjoy one the best afternoon teas we have encountered all while enjoying the Liverpool cityscape! Each table in the lounge had binoculars so you could get a closer look at the sights from the 34th floor! Simply spectacular!

After stuffing ourselves with the delightful sandwiches and cakes, we took a stroll along the Liverpool waterfront. The Port of Liverpool is where many people from all over the UK and Ireland boarded ships to migrate to America. Recently we even found out that our 4th great-grandmother migrated to America and left from Liverpool's port to head to the New World back in 1854. Really cool right!?

Liverpool has a lot of great museums, the Tate Modern museum being one, but since we were limited on time, and the fact that Ivy is not the biggest fan of museums, we didn't make it. (Funny, since museums are one of Eve's most favorite things - so much so that she works in one!). Instead we visited the Museum of Liverpool and later the Beatles Museum. Eve plans to come back another time for some serious museum hopping.

Then we wandered over to The Beatles Story- Liverpool. We like the Beatles, but to be honest we are not diehard fans. Don't get us wrong, we love "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and all that, we just grew up listening mostly to country music. The museum is one of the few in the UK that charges admission (£15.95) so make sure you really want to go.

Tip: Be sure to take the audio tour guide because without it the whole museum is pretty pointless, we repeat POINTLESS. The gallery guide didn't suggest them and the museum itself is a fun visual experience, but without the audio you miss most of the history behind the band. Definitely take the headphones.

Chester

The third day trip on our list was Chester. Chester is a very old Roman city rich in history. The only thing we had planned here for the day was a ghost tour that evening (Ivy loves ghost tours) so we spent most of the day leisurely exploring this little city. 

 Since it was a beautiful warm day we spent most of it wandering the streets and walking the Roman walls surrounding the city. 

Cheshire Cat along the wall

In the afternoon, we spent some time in the Chester Cathedral. Founded as a Benedictine abby in 1092. This cathedral is a wonderful place to soak up some history, architectural beauty, and faith. There was a military service that day as well so the whole cathedral ground was full of people!

Cool stained glass windows inside the cathedral

Colorful doors

After walking the some of the Roman wall and visiting the Cathedral, we stopped at Dinky Donuts for some sweet treats! Literally a hole-in-the-wall shop built right below the clock tower, they serve up some of the most delicious creamy ice creams we have ever tasted made by Cheshire Farm Ice Cream. Eve got the boozy Rum 'n' Raisin, Ivy got the classic Strawberries and Cream while P-man, Eve's BF, got donuts. YUM! 

Later, we grabbed coffees to recharge at Jaunty Goat Coffee. We would recommend coming back for breakfast or lunch or even a bakery item because their menu and bakery case was drool worthy!

After coffee we wandered the lovely antique shops Chester has to offer. We love visiting antique shops in Europe because they have so many more old objects to peruse and purchase. Once we had our fair share of shopping, and P-man was ready for a break, we wandered into a wine bar called Taste at Corks Out. With a few dozen wines on tap it was the perfect place to take a break before heading to the ghost tour that evening. We even saw a local wine from our hometown Monterey County, Hahn!

After sipping on some tasty rosé, we headed to Town Hall, where we met our guide for The Original Ghost Tour of Chester. The tour took us around Chester's most haunted buildings and other locations of hauntings. Since Chester was an old Roman fort, the sinister stories and tales of hauntings date back to the 1st century A.D.! Chester claims to be one of the most haunted cities in England and we don't doubt that claim after going on this tour!

Overall we loved visiting both Liverpool and Chester. They are manageable day trips from Manchester and are a great way to get a sense of local history in a short time. We do plan to visit both cities again to explore more!

xxx Ivy & Eve