Sister time in the Mile High City

I haven't posted in a while, and I definitely need to get back to it. Life has been crazy - taking the bar exam (my nemesis), overscheduling myself (what else is new), and working a ton.  Last weekend I got some much needed R&R by meeting my sister in Denver for Sisters Weekend 2013. 

I went to Denver in 2008 for work but have never spent any time there otherwise. We decided Denver would be a fun spot and met there late on Thursday night. Friday morning I forced myself to get up early and go for a run. I was slated for a 12-mile training run, but with my fatigue and the altitude I only ran about four before calling it a day. When I was in Denver five years ago it was summertime and about 100 degrees. I blamed the heat then for my difficult run. Even though it was cool and perfect running weather, It turns out the altitude was the real challenge. My lungs were on fire!

The view from the Colorado Capitol Building. Breathtaking - literally.
After my run we headed out to explore downtown Denver. Our hotel was right near the 16th Street Mall, the fantastic pedestrian mall that runs right through downtown. It is a fantastic mix of shops and restaurants. We did a lot of shopping damage during our three days in town. There were so fabulous shops near 16th Street and also in Larimer Square a few blocks away.

Shopping on the 16th Street Mall
This weekend was about several things: sister bonding, shopping, cocktails and food. The food in Denver was AMAZING. We ate at some really fabulous restaurants including The Kitchen, Rioja (home of the best brunch ever) and Tom's Urban 24. Not only is Denver a foodie town but it has extremely creative cocktails too. My husband and I are Moscow Mule fans, and I've never seen those at a restaurant in Lansing. They are everywhere in Denver, and I even bought some copper mugs so we can make them at home (which we already have - several times).

We also discovered Larimer Square, a fantastic neighborhood downtown with more shops and restaurants (Rioja and Tom's Urban 24 were there). There were also chic boutiques and people everywhere. I fell in love with Fiona, a Golden Retriever at Equipement de Vin, a fabulous store in Larimer Square (where I purchased my copper mugs). The owner is from Michigan, and she was encouraging me to move to Denver. I should've asked her if she and Fiona were hiring.

Snuggling with Fiona
We were there for two and a half days, and I think we shopped in every store downtown and probably sampled most of the cocktails. Thankfully we were walking a lot, and we could burn it all off. Again I fall into my old pattern of falling helplessly in love with a vibrant city and wanting to move there. This was is made more fun because my sister fell in love with it too. We could all move there - how fun would that be?!?

The Jones sisters out on the town
It was a fabulous weekend and exactly the getaway I needed after a stressful month. Now the big question remains - where to for Sisters Weekend 2014?

  

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