The ASM conference was in Denver this year so, of course, we attended. We also extended our stay so we could visit with our son, daughter-in-law and more importantly, our grandsons. We woke at 3 am on Saturday morning then suffered several tense moments until our cab arrived (late). However, our Nexus cards meant we could take a shorter line through customs and security so we got the gate with time to spare. The flight was not full and the tiny 5 week baby in front of us barely squeaked the whole trip.
We grabbed a cab at the Denver airport and arrived at Geoff's place around 9:30. Melissa was there to greet us; Geoff and the boys were at swimming lessons. They came home and after quick hugs left for a birthday party. I tried in vain to nap as Glen slept.
We had lunch together and then Melissa, Elijah, and Miles played Wii U with Grampy. Later that afternoon, Geoff drove us downtown so we could check into the Westin hotel and Glen could attend the first ASM session. It was late when we finally sat down to supper at The Rock Bottom Brewery. I felt a little shabby in my jeans as it was grad night and all the young people were in tuxes and beautiful gowns.
The Rock Bottom's food was good as was their award-winning beer. This brew-pub began 20 years ago and if the crowded patio was any indication, was still a very popular spot to meet friends. We shared chicken wings then Glen had their Reuben sandwich with slaw while I had their roasted veggie pizza. Both were delicious with their seasonal (spring) beer.
Sunday, we had a leisurely breakfast at Starbucks then Glen headed off to the meeting. I grabbed my camera and began a walkabout. Our plans were to meet under the bear and have lunch together. We'd been to the convention center before when Geoff ran the Denver Marathon so we both knew about the huge blue bear (see photo) that peeks through the windows of this stunning building. This forty foot bear was created by local artist, Lawrence Argent and installed in 2005.
I headed down to the South Platte River then made my way toward the city's centre. Denver is a city of fascinating architectural styles and interesting sculptures. I explored several different areas realizing that walking on a Sunday was probably the safest time to do so. I didn't feel uncomfortable but might have later in the evening.
After meeting Glen 'under the bear', we headed to the shopping street, 16th Street Mall (built in 1982) for lunch and found a nice restaurant called The Paramount Café. Housed in the corner of the historic (1930) Paramount Theatre, its ceiling still retains the 'look' of an old movie house. Originally designed to show silent films, the Paramount Theatre (and yes, it's spelled 're') is a showcase of Art Deco design and it continues to host live entertainment (The Tenors were playing on Sunday). Our server in the Café was a vivacious girl who attended high school in Aurora but loved living downtown. She suggested I'd like their Gyro with chicken which was delicious eaten with a Fat Tire beer. Glen had a burger done 'medium'. I told him it would be ironic if he came down with food poisoning.
I continued exploring after lunch looking for a letterbox hidden in the downtown. Problem was the clue didn't give a tourist any hints so I gave up and asked Melissa for one. Turns out the box's title referred to an apartment building in LoDo, an area of downtown Denver where General William Larimer first settled in 1858.
We met Glen's grad student, Claudia, and former grad student, Tanis (under the bear) for supper. Again we walked up the mall in search of a restaurant that appealed to all tastes. The Hard Rock Café had a waiting time of 45 minutes so we ended up at Earl's. Everyone was happy to eat at this Western Canadian chain. Glen had a steak dinner while I enjoyed their Mexican chicken special.
We were still catching up on lost sleep so were happy to go to bed early that night. Tuesday was to be a busy day for both of us.
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