Day 1

fly to Denver + Denver sightseeing

am getaway adventure The first day of our Colorado ramble turns into quite a travel experience.
Last evening a massive wind and rain storm roared into our area bringing down many trees. One massive tree crashed through power lines down the hill, cutting off electricity to the neighborhood. Live power lines and tree limbs lay across the road. Police and fire shut off the street. From our cul-de-sac there’s no way out!

We wake to still no power and finish packing by available daylight. The road is still blocked but a kind neighbor, with a private alley out to the main road, opens her gate and away we go! At OAK airport we join the sharing economy with a new service FlightCar. This San Francisco startup allows free parking near the airport if we agree to let them rent our car to other travelers passing through. (Kind of like Airbnb for cars.) We drop off the car, they drive us to the airport and we are on our way.

The adventure continues to unfold. Our 1-stop flight is overbooked. We are offered free tickets to take a later non-stop flight from SFO which arrives in Denver at the same time as our scheduled flight. We have exactly 50 minutes to make this connection! Yes we say, grab our free ticket vouchers, dash outside to a waiting car and driver for a free, very fast transit between airports. Obviously Grand Prix trained, at very high (barely legal) speed, using every freeway trick in the book, he gets us there! We make it to the plane and grin into our seats. Will our luggage find us in Denver? Time will tell.

 950 miles

6 pm arrive Denver International Airport (DIA)
Located some 27 miles from downtown Denver, DIA is BIG: 53 square miles. Bigger than the city limits of Boston, Miami, or San Francisco – and twice the size of Manhattan. And confusing. Although our baggage arrived on a different flight we find it. We’ve reserved a shuttle to downtown but finding the departure point is challenging. But all will improve in 2016 when the East Rail line, a 22.8-mile commuter rail transit, will operate between DIA and Union Station. The tented airport buildings foretell the lighthearted young vibe of the city.

7 pm check in The Curtis – a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel
30 minutes from DIA to downtown in the shuttle. Our hotel, is very mod/trendy and beautifully located.

8 pm sightseeing + dinner Sam’s #3 Diner
Unpack/set up quickly, then head out for a get acquainted walk through the neighborhood. We’re hungry – luckily just one block away we find Sam’s. This bustling iconic eatery has a gigantic menu that takes a half hour to work through. Unable to decide we take the waiter’s suggestion. The after theatre crowd has the place hopping so our order takes forever. Food finally arrives and we are astonished by the quantities being served! Food is freshly prepared, kinda ordinary but nutritious! And the price is right too.