48 hours in Denver

Two days is definitely not long enough to explore a major city, but we did our best. We hunkered down in Downtown Denver and explored by foot, trying to get the flavor of the mile-high city.

Lodging
We stayed at the Curtis Hotel, a cool modern place where the motto is "Stay Happy!" We kind of missed the intimacy (and the breakfast!) of the Boulder B&B, and it was kind of party central (in a loud, drunk voices in the hallway sort of way), but it was cool and walking distance to all points downtown. They also have a lovely martini happy hour every day.

Dining
On a very cold morning, we set off to find breakfast, heading in the general direction of the Denver Art Museum. It was a Sunday and downtown was really dead. And it was really cold. We circled the Museum and just as we were about to give up and walk back toward the hotel, we saw a breakfast beacon called Dozens. It smelled of crispy bacon and dark roasted coffee. It also had a long line. They told us we could wait for a table across the street (more on that below). When we finally did have breakfast it was so worth the wait - I believe I had some sort of eggs benedict dish and a small pot of French press coffee. Bliss!

The place where waited for our table is Pint's Pub, an awesome smelly old English pub that claims to have the largest collection of single-malt scotches outside of Scotland. Easy to believe from seeing the selection. It was a great place to wait on a cold Sunday morning, with terrific bloody marys and steaming coffee. The restaurant called when our table was ready - and we actually put them off to hang out at the bar longer. We even returned later in the day for some microbrew and potato chips. Good stuff.

Nice microbrews and a lovely old dartboard can be found at Breckenridge Brewery.

Out on the town
There has been much to-do about the new Libeskind-designed Denver Art Museum. I can't say I think its unusual architecture provides the best way to view art - with odd angles going to and fro - but from the exterior it's certainly a beacon. And the Museum's exhibitions and collection were small but impressive; of course we went straight to the modern and contemporary galleries, where a stunning Anish Kapoor piece greeted us. The Museum also offers unique and clever ways to engage visitors; just walking down a hall from one gallery to the next is fun, with opportunities to sketch or write poems about your experience. They also have a pretty terrific web site, with lots of interactivity.

You can find all more than you thought you'd ever know about the "Unsinkable Molly Brown" at the Molly Brown House Museum, the grand old home where Molly raised her kids before becoming a jet-setting feminist (or, rather, ship-setting?). And then there is the lovely Colorado state capitol, with a top painted in 24k gold (it's true - this is mining country, and the gold rush is legendary!).