Mile-High City, Denver CO

My very first flight overseas was the British Airways London - Denver flight, which means that the first place I have ever been to in the United States of America is Colorado. From Europe, you can also reach Denver straight from Frankfurt if you fly with Lufthansa.

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DIA

Denver International Airport is the biggest airport in the USA by total land area, and third in the world. It is also one of the busiest by passenger traffic and its runaway is the longest in the USA. Of the many airlines that come and go, Frontier has its hub here. From the outside, you can see that the roof has a shape of a bunch of upsidedown white cones. It is like that because of the snow that falls every year. It is also new that a train connects the city to the airport in only a few minutes, the only way you could reach the city prior to this service was by car.

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Denver or...

Denver is called "Mile-High City" because its elevation is exactly one mile above sea level, which is something like one thousand six hundred nine meters. This elevation is measured at the fifteenth step of the Colorado State Capitol. The elevation is also marked in the Coors Field Stadium, where a row of seats is colored in purple. Another nickname that the city had over the years is Queen City of The Plains because of its importance in the agricultural economy of the area.

Big city or not?

The city of Denver itself counts six hundred and fifty thousand inhabitants, although the metropolitan area is much bigger, counting over three million people. The city is divided into neighborhoods, which are very different from one another. The center is full of skyscrapers, through which there is the Sixteenth Street Mall, which a long street full of shops. There is also a bus that drives through it and it is free to catch it.

I have been to Denver many times during my stay in the calm Greeley located one hour away, because I wanted to see people, to sightsee and go to concerts and things like that. My very first time was during the baseball season and so I went to Coors Field to see the Rockies play. Then I went back to Denver in December, prior to Christmas, and I found a very cozy atmosphere. Full of people going around shops, a lot of people eating in restaurants and lots of lights brightening the city up. My American family and I rode a carriage and by doing so we saw a lot of decorations and monuments with Christmas lights on.

The Union Station is not as big as a Central Station in Europe, there are just a few trains coming in and out of it, so now it is more like a place where people get-together and shop. One of the trains that comes to Denver departs from Chicago and goes all the way to the West coast. I remember that when I asked what the price was to go to Chicago the lady told me that it was more than one hundred dollars and an eighteen hours ride. Since I could not believe the lack of trains that there is in the Western part of the USA, I took a picture of the television with the information:

What to do

I have eaten at many restaurants in the city, from Maggiano's Little Italy to Smashburger, The Cheesecake Factory, Casa Bonita, and Voodoo Doughnuts. I could not go inside the Colorado State Capitol because when I went it was closed. Another fun thing to do in Denver is to see plays and shows of any kind. I believe I went to the theater three times and to two concerts in the city. The Pepsi Center is amazing and a huge venue for singers to come and play. The nicest place to see, which I did not have the chance to, is Red Rocks Amphitheatre. It looks amazing and it is basically an open door venue which appears literally in the red rocks.

There are parts of the city that are very nice and others that I would just avoid, but overall it was always good to just go there for a day and see people walking on the streets, since anywhere else the first mean of transport is the one and only car.

I have been also to the Zoo and the Museum. I went to the Zoo in July but they told me that it is beautiful during Christmas. This city just has a lot to offer and I love it because there are a lot of different kinds of things to do and see, it is like a little New York. What is also unique to Denver is that while you walk around with your Starbucks coffee in your hand, you can see the Rocky Mountains in the back, between one building and the other.

While I was there there were also German Christmas markets and an ice skating ring which was extremely cheap, like two dollars for half an hour!

Good or bad?

I think that Denver is a good deal for everyone. If you like big cities, you are in one. If you like the nature, you can drive a few minutes and find yourself already somewhere nice. Also, in Colorado, there are a lot of hikes and ski slopes. What are you waiting for? Book a flight and enjoy the Mile-High City with your own eyes!

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If you are now in the process of fixing an itinerary, remember to include:

• Coors Field & Pepsi Center;
• The Zoo;
• Museum of Nature and Science;
• Denver Art Museum;
• Sixteenth Street Mall;
• Colorado State Capital;
• Red Rocks;
• Lakeside Amusement Park.

- Cristian

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