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Sunday, March 31, 2019

Historic Hotel Boulderado


Last week was "Spring Break" for public schools in our area of Colorado, which meant our four grandchildren did not have school. When that happens, grandparents are often "on call." Our son's oldest children--our grandboys--were treated to a special Harry Potter event for a few days at the YMCA of the Rockies by our daughter-in-law. The YMCA of the Rockies is a fun family accommodation and activity center in Estes Park, Colorado, that I've blogged about in the past...click here to read that post and to see the giant elk stag we saw in town on our visit. It is located a short distance from beautiful Rocky Mountain National Park, so it is also a wonderful place to begin a family trip to that park. We only had to babysat one day for our youngest granddaughter, who was too young for the Harry Potter event, as our son was able to take care of her the rest of the time by working from home.
Meanwhile, our daughter was attending a work-related conference in Boulder, Colorado, that was taking place at the historic Hotel Boulderado.  We were babysitting our oldest granddaughter while our daughter was away and also her father was on a trip. Since Boulder is not far a drive from where we live we decided to drive up and also stay a night in Hotel Boulderado, so we could have dinner with our daughter and show our granddaughter where her Mommy was working last week. I always wanted to spend a night in this historic hotel and this was the perfect opportunity!




Hotel Boulderado is located at 13th and Spruce Street, in downtown Boulder, Colorado. In the early 1900s, Boulder was a Western frontier town growing into a small city and the Boulder City Council worked to raise the funds to build Hotel Boulderado, Boulder’s first luxury hotel. It opened its doors on New Year's Day in 1909. The hotel is listed on the National Register for Historic Places as well as Historic Hotels of America. It features 160 rooms and suites, 8,000 square feet of meeting space, and three restaurants and lounges.



As soon as we walked into the beautiful main lobby I knew that this was very deserving of its special historic ratings, and I very excitedly wanted to explore it more!


A close up of the amazing imported Italian stained glass canopy ceiling over the hotel lobby.


Hotel Boulderado was designed by local architects of the time, William Redding and Son.  The five-story brick building incorporates both Italian Renaissance and Spanish Revival features and follows a trend of open court hotels started by the Palace Hotel in San Francisco.  The lobby floor consists of intricate 1908 mosaic tile and the wood trim and staircase is elegantly carved cherrywood.


As we were checking in with luggage we rang the bell to take the original 1906 Otis elevator in the lobby.  Next to the elevator was the elevator's interesting history.


Hotel Boulderado has 160 modernized guestrooms and suites, and my husband and I were fortunate enough to stay in one of the historic 42 that retain a taste of Victorian extravagance with modern amenities. Our granddaughter stayed with our daughter in a more modern but equally elegant room in one of the hotel's wings.


After unpacking, we went out of our room to explore more of the hotel. We did not have to go far as there was a mini-museum right outside a corridor of our room.  There were display cases with Victorian-era artifacts, one of which were ladies' fans...


Please click on to enlarge

...with this fascinating "The Language of the Fan"  description.



There was also a vintage icebox and description, which made me smile, as my parents often called our refrigerator an "ice box" when I was a child and I sometimes slip and call it the same, much to the hysterical delight of my children who then call me "old."


Vintage fire extinguishers were also on display in a beautiful antique hall stand.



More discoveries that we made were an antique organ, Victorian-era furniture, a peek at the top side construction of the lobby stained glass ceiling that was visible through an interior window, and many accent tables holding fresh flowers and plants.


Unencumbered now by luggage, we had fun walking up and down the grand five-floor staircase! 



We found more vintage hotel memorabilia on display in the lobby...



...including this fascinating water fountain that dispensed glacial water from the Continental Divide!  Of course, we all had to take a taste from the fountain. It was very cold and delicious water with a slight mineral after taste.  It seems historic hotels in Colorado all had their own water source, as the historic Brown Palace in Denver, has its own artisan well that is located 750 feet below ground to deliver water to all their rooms. You can see my post how I celebrated my 60th birthday at an overnight stay and formal tea at the Brown Palace on this link.


An antique cash register on display in the lobby.


While our daughter attended a meeting my husband and I took our granddaughter out to walk over a couple blocks to a pedestrian mall on Pearl Street.  As you can see, this part of Boulder retains much of its Victorian charm. 


In fact, this nearby Victorian-era, Queen Anne style, private home was used as the location shot for the 1978 to 1982 TV show "Mork and Mindy" That show lead to actor Robin Williams fame.  (This photo was taken on a different visit to Boulder we made last summer)


We knew our granddaughter would enjoy Pearl Street and she did, especially playing on a boulder playground,  posing with some art sculptures and enjoying an ice cream cone!


An interesting boulder on Pearl Street in Boulder.


Later that evening, we all had a delicious dinner in Hotel Boulderado's Spruce Fish and Farm Restaurant, where we also dined for breakfast the next day.  I am a seafood lover, so I had the special Seafood Paella for dinner, and the Eggs Benedicts with Soft Shell Crab for breakfast. Both were fabulous!



 Our brief stay at Hotel Boulderado was over--our daughter had a busy conference schedule for the rest of the week--and it was time for us to head home.


Our drive back to the Littleton area was filled with gorgeous views of the Flatiron Mountains and other front range foothills.  We enjoyed our visit to the Hotel Boulderado, and I hope you did too!

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I'm linking this post to the following blog events:

Amaze Me MondayMosaic Monday, All SeasonsBlue Monday,  Through My Lens MondayHeart and Soul Link UpInspiration Monday, Blogging GrandmothersHearth, and Soul Link PartyYou Are the Star Blog HopGood Random FunNature NotesGrand SocialTravel Photos, Photo Tunes, Happiness Is Homemade, Something Old Is NewTuesday TreasuresOur World TuesdayRuby TuesdayTuesdays With A TwistWordless Wednesday on a TuesdaySay Cheese!,  Party in Your PJ'sWordless WednesdayNanahood WWOh My Heartsie Girl's Wonderful Wednesday, Your Whims WednesdayWednesday Around the WorldWonderful Wednesday Little Things Thursday,Thankful ThursdayThursday Encouraging Hearts and HomeThursday Favorite Things,  Pretty Pintastic PartyFriendship FridaysFriday Photo JournalSkywatch Friday, Pink SaturdaySaturday CrittersOver the MoonHappiness Is HomemadeWandering Camera


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Sunday, March 24, 2019

Natura Obscura and the Cabinet of Curiosities



My husband and I, and our daughter and granddaughter, recently attended an intriguing temporary exhibit inside the Museum of Outdoor Arts (MOA) in Englewood, Colorado, called Natura Obscura” which covers approximately 5,000 square feet of the Englewood museum. MOA designed and produced it with Prismajic, a Denver group that creates immersive environments.  (All photos and photo collages will enlarge if clicked on)


Natura Obscura means "Hidden Nature." The exhibit was years in the making, created by over thirty artists.  Natura Obscura is a surrealist walk through the forest, that combines art, sculpture, and the latest in virtual, augmented, and digital technologies. 


Before entering the exhibit we were asked to download a special app. Once inside we could activate the app over carved wooden symbols to read more information about the exhibit and in some areas "see" more features that were hidden otherwise.


We were also given small blacklight flashlights to use, which illuminated many of the structures inside and revealed quotes about nature.


One of the interactive features was a hall of mirrors and sound that changed colors and graphics and also had different moving images on screens that were activated as we walked by.



In another room, we were able to swing under a sky filled with clouds, birds and owls "flying" overhead as a thunderstorm approached.


If one took the time to walk slowly through the Natura Obscura exhibit, really look around and use the blacklight flashlight and app then the experience was magical.  It required the use of our imagination and senses. The more we explored, the more we discovered.  It was our first time participating in an interactive art exhibit and we really enjoyed it!


A permanent exhibit in the Museum of Outdoor Art, called  "A Cabinet of Curiosities and Impossibilities" was also included in the Natura Obscura admission price. Originally developed in 2010 by Lonnie Hanzon, MOA’s Cabinet of Curiosities and Impossibilities is a whimsical immersive exhibition showcasing the talents of various artists in a collaborative installation revealing unique stories, ephemera, and radiant displays.  

 I have always been fascinated by the Victorian era habit of saving and displaying natural specimens, fossils, artifacts, and oddities, and I have my own cabinet of curiosities on Pinterest, so I was very intrigued to see what would be included in this exhibit!



Again, in this exhibit, the more we looked around the more we saw...



...and there was so much to see!


There were many detailed exhibits, many of them fairy tale oriented...


...like this collection for Cinderella...


...or this one for Little Red Riding Hood.


One of our favorites displays was of Alice in Wonderland


At the bottom of the cabinet was a little door--the size of a shrunken Alice who drank the magic fluid in the story. When my granddaughter opened the door and peeked in she saw a small garden scene and another door into Wonderland!   It was the perfect detail to surprise and enchant a young child!


Click to enlarge this photo collage to read about the interesting history behind this antique clock in the exhibit


All in all, it was a fun afternoon exploring both Obscura Natura and The Cabinet of Impossibilities and Curiosities!

Here is some information if you are in the Denver area and want to see the exhibit:

Location:
Museum of Outdoor Arts
(INDOOR Museum location)
Englewood Civic Center Building, 2nd Floor
1000 Englewood Parkway #2-230
Englewood, CO 80110

Open January 11 – and now extended to September 29th, 2019

Monday- Closed
Tuesday-Wednesday: 10am to 6pm
Thursday: 10am to 9pm
Friday-Saturday: 10am to 10pm
Sunday: 10am to 5pm
*The event will close promptly at the posted close time. Please allow yourself enough time to enjoy the installation.

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I'm linking this post to the following blog events:

Amaze Me MondayMosaic Monday, All SeasonsBlue Monday,  Through My Lens MondayHeart and Soul Link UpInspiration Monday, Blogging GrandmothersHearth, and Soul Link PartyYou Are the Star Blog HopGood Random FunNature NotesGrand SocialTravel Photos, Photo Tunes, Happiness Is HomemadeTuesday TreasuresOur World TuesdayRuby TuesdayTuesdays With A TwistWordless Wednesday on a TuesdaySay Cheese!,  Party in Your PJ'sWordless WednesdayNanahood WWOh My Heartsie Girl's Wonderful Wednesday, Your Whims WednesdayWednesday Around the WorldWonderful Wednesday Little Things Thursday,Thankful ThursdayThursday Encouraging Hearts and HomeThursday Favorite Things,  Pretty Pintastic PartyFriendship FridaysFriday Photo JournalSkywatch Friday, Pink SaturdaySaturday CrittersOver the MoonHappiness Is HomemadeWandering Camera


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Monday, March 11, 2019

Rosenberg's Bagels and Delicatessen in Denver



When friends in Colorado ask me what I miss the most about not living in New York City, I always tell them that besides family and friends that still live in New York the thing I miss the most is the diversity of the food available in New York City. I'll admit that I am a "foodie" and love to eat and will try almost any cuisine. New York City had a plethora of large and small independent restaurants with almost every cuisine of the world. When we moved to the Denver suburbs we sadly found mainly chain restaurants in our area which were not very enticing. However, as Denver grows in population--over 100,000 people moved to the city in the six years that we've lived here--more independent and unique restaurants have followed. My husband and I look forward every February to the annual Denver Restaurant Week promotion where hundreds of Denver’s top restaurants offer multi-course dinners for three tasty prices: $25, $35 or $45.  We try to pick a few new places to visit each year and have many now that are our favorites, many with international cuisines.


Recently, My husband and I and our daughter visited a deli in the Five Points neighborhood of Denver, which is one of the oldest neighborhoods and one of the fastest growing for Denver in both redevelopment and population. We were there on another errand but realized as lunchtime approached that we were close to Rosenberg's Bagels and Delicatessen, located at 735 East 26th Avenue, Denver. It was a place we heard about but haven't had a chance to visit up to now. Living most of our lives in Brooklyn, New York, we love bagels and all its usual accompaniments and we heard theirs were the best in Denver!



We were not disappointed!

Owner Joshua Pollack was born and raised in the suburbs of New York City. After graduating from high school, he took his love for food and family west, to study at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he met his wife, Kara, who helps him run the deli. Joshua missed classic New York City food and decided to open his own bagel shop and deli, naming it after his mother, Karen Rosenberg Pollack.  Joshua figured out how to replicate the taste of New York City water that makes his daily fresh baked bagels one-of-a-kind in Denver.  They are both soft and chewy--the perfect NY style bagels! He also has fish smoked and cured in house, delicious salads, high-end coffee, pastries and oh, so much more!


Rosenberg's had the look and feel of a New York Bagel shop, with some seating in the back of the store. As we looked at the bagels we immediately felt our gastric juices flowing and our stomachs announcing it was time to eat!  Rosenberg's is open 6AM to 3PM Tuesday through Sunday and has a good variety of bagel sandwiches for breakfast or lunch on their menu--view menu here.


My husband ordered the "Wings of Pastrami" bagel sandwich (photo upper left in the photo) which was shredded pastrami omelet, melted three-cheese blend, served on with his choice of an onion bagel,

I had the "Leo" which was scrambled lox, eggs, and onions, with plain cream cheese on my choice of a whole wheat bagel (photo lower left)

Our daughter had a pumpernickel bagel with a plain cream cheese "schmear" (photo lower right)

My husband and I also shared a Black and White cookie--so good! (photo upper right)  Years ago I posted a New York Times recipe for Black and White Cookie on this linkYou can not be a native New Yorker without having eaten a Black and White cookie at least once in your life!


Rosenberg's also sells a variety of homemade cream cheeses and salad spreads (click on the photo to enlarge)...


...fish such as gravlax, smoked salmon, kippered salmon, sable, smoked sturgeon, smoked whitefish, creamed and pickled herring, and seasonal smoked fish.



 They also sell knishes, kugels, assorted cookies, and other pastries...


...and freshly baked rye bread, and challah loaves and rolls...


...as well as New York style pastrami, corned beef, turkey, habanero bacon, maple smoked bacon and ham. 

Since Jewish kosher dietary laws prohibit the use of pork products and mixing meat and dairy products, Rosenberg's also has another location at 942 S. Monaco Parkway in Denver that is strictly kosher and offers fish and cream cheese spreads, but no meat. Their hours are Sunday-Thursday: 7Am-3PM, Friday: 7 AM- 4PM
and Saturday: Closed.


Of course, we did not just eat bagel sandwiches at Rosenberg's--we also bought a baker's dozen bagels and plain cream cheese to take home with us. What a treat!


Meanwhile, Colorado has had a very cold and snowy winter so far. These deer who paraded through my backyard one day all were wearing their heavier winter furs.



When we drove past the Coors brewery in Golden, Colorado, one day there was lots of steam rising up into the frigid air. 


The Colorado front range has had its share of snow, but the high Rockies has had record-breaking snowfall this winter with avalanche danger the highest it has been for many decades. Sadly, some deaths have occurred from avalanches, including a young man helping to remove snow off a roof in Crested Butte. March is usually Colorado's snowiest month and it can snow well up until June. As you can imagine, many of us are hoping spring weather comes sooner!


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I'm linking this post to the following blog events:

Amaze Me MondayMosaic Monday, All SeasonsBlue Monday,  Through My Lens Monday, Heart and Soul Link UpInspiration Monday, Blogging GrandmothersHearth, and Soul Link PartyYou Are the Star Blog HopGood Random FunNature NotesGrand SocialTravel Photos, Photo Tunes, Happiness Is HomemadeTuesday TreasuresOur World TuesdayRuby TuesdayTuesdays With A TwistWordless Wednesday on a TuesdaySay Cheese!,  Party in Your PJ'sWordless WednesdayNanahood WWOh My Heartsie Girl's Wonderful Wednesday, Your Whims WednesdayWednesday Around the WorldWonderful Wednesday Little Things Thursday,Thankful ThursdayThursday Encouraging Hearts and HomeThursday Favorite Things,  Pretty Pintastic PartyFriendship FridaysFriday Photo JournalSkywatch Friday, Pink SaturdaySaturday CrittersOver the MoonHappiness Is HomemadeWandering Camera

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