Almost two weeks ago, we spent most of the weekend in our next hometown, Denver. It all began several months ago when we found a concert to attend, another NOLA band! From there, things just magically fell into place!
Let's begin...
Chris bought our concert tickets at the Fillmore Theatre for Galactic and Robert Randolph & the Family Band. We were already fans of Robert Randolph and it was his band that drew my attention. I assumed they were THE band, but soon realized they were opening for another band, Galactic, with whom we were completely unfamiliar. No worries ~ I hit the library to get my hands on their CDs! Immediately, we knew they were our kind of music. Eclectic, to say the least! And a true New Orleans treasure...I was sold right then & there!
I receive email deals (Groupon, Living Social, etc.). A few I look at, most I delete b/c we aren't into needless spending. One catches my eye, about a bed & breakfast in Denver. We have stayed at many B&Bs over the years and they are one of our favorite ways to enjoy a short getaway. This one, for reasons unknown to me, perhaps I am more psychic than I give myself credit for, I don't delete this email.
Because our concert is going to run very late, we decide it will be best to stay in Denver for the nite. I remember about the B&B email, so I check out their website. Looks like a place we would like. I check the map and see that it couldn't be more perfectly situated near the Fillmore Theatre! Serendipitous!!
We talk it over, I tell Chris how it's only blocks from the theatre, we look at the descriptions & pics of the rooms. I send an email to ask which rooms are available for March 8th (I couldn't get the online reservation system to work with me!). Almost immediately, I get a response. Nice!! We again look at the website, armed with which rooms from which we can choose. I call the B&B to make our reservation and chat with Tina, who is very professional and remembers that she had just been emailing with me!!! Great!!
This little getaway is also going to be a sort of belated birthday celebration for Chris, so we need to have dinner somewhere. Well, wouldn't you know, also within walking distance, and right between the B&B and the theatre to be exact, is Hamburger Mary's! We have dined at one in Chi-town, so we knew it wouldn't disappoint.
This plan is just coming together like clockwork, right?? I then remember that our new friend, Mark, who is an old college pal of my cousin, Kyle, might like to join us for dinner and/or drinks. I send him a text and he quickly responds in the affirmative! Sweet!!!
And, let me not forget, that VooDoo Doughnut is close and open 24/7 now! Might we make a post-concert run for some sugar-filled doughy bundles of heart-unhealthy goodness? Hmmm....
March 8th arrives. We get our fitness in, get showered & packed, kiss the girls and head out into the sunshine-filled, albeit chilly, day. We know we will be about an hour early for check-in, but we can always park there and stretch our legs.
The Queen Anne Bed and Breakfast is located in Denver's Uptown neighborhood. I head into the B&B to see where it would be best for us to park. I am quickly informed that our room, The Tower Room, is ready and we can go ahead and check-in a wee bit early! Great! I get instructions on street parking out front and run to tell Chris the good news. We can unpack a bit before heading out to discover the environs, rather than making a couple round trips.
The Queen Anne is 2 homes, both old, side by side. One house is rooms, the other is suites. The décor of the common rooms is simple and tasteful. The dining is one large communal table, not always one of my favorite ways to eat.
Our room is on the 2nd floor and is just as pictured on the website. We have a large bed, a loveseat, large armoire and a wooden desk & chair, all seem to be antiques. Our bathroom is big, with a long vanity. Our room is located below the turret, so we get to enjoy a bay of windows, which are opened for us to help cool the room. We also open the bathroom window and lower the blinds (the Colorado sun is hot, even on the coldest days!). As we are getting things unpacked, Chris notices there is no TV. Huh, guess we didn't notice anything about that online, but it didn't matter as we would be spending very little time, other than sleep, in here. I mention it here, tho, for anyone who is thinking of considering a stay. However, there is so much to do in Denver that I doubt the boob tube would be missed! They do have free wi-fi access!!!
Queen Anne offers a side table in the dining area with coffee and hot teas. It is also the place where, from 5:30-7PM, Happy Hour cheeses, crackers and Colorado wines are served!!! Free wine ~ it did help tip the scales in selecting these accommodations, I'm not gonna lie!!
Our bed was super comfy (upon which we finally arrived after 1AM, which because of the time change became 2AM!). I don't sleep well away from home, generally, and here was no exception. But it is a very quiet place, considering it is an old home, which could easily be filled with squeaky steps and creaky floors. We had breakfast at 9, which meant we would awake about 7/7:15 to shower. I did sneak down, during the 8 o'clock breakfast folks, to get me some coffee. My throat was super dry from the concert and I needed the caffeine jolt having gone to bed so late and not getting much quality shut-eye.
When it was our appointed breakfast time, we descended the stairs to partake in the community dining experience. The side table was filled with cereals, yogurt and some bite-size baked goods (tho, not homemade...from Costco, but still delicious) and the coffee & teas. We shared a small plate of baked goods and our own coffees before the real meal was served! A veggie quiche with some kind of yummy bread and a serving of sliced bananas and strawberries.
The food AND the conversation with our fellow B&B-ers was a true delight!!! There were four other couples that eventually came to the table and all, but one, were talkers! We learned about Frontier Days in Cheyenne, Wyoming! Topics discussed ran the gamut! We stayed for what felt like hours, as in after the 11 check-out time, but discovered it was 10:30 when we had returned to the room to collect our things.
I would stay here again and do give it a strong recommendation. As a matter of fact, I sent a text to Kyle to let him know, as he & his girlfriend, Stacy, will be making a quick visit in May (for my birthday!!!).
We felt energized and ready for whatever the rest of our day held.
Which will be continued in another post....
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