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If the name of this place reminds you of the Boston landmark, you’re on to something. It was named after Steuben’s, a Beantown hot spot from the 1940s well into the ’60s, known for jazz, big band shows, and parties. Steuben’s in Denver aspires to all that. The restaurant serves American comfort food like meat loaf, chicken and waffles, milkshakes, and lobster rolls in a retro-groovy diner setting. The formula has proven so successful that another location in nearby Arvada opened in 2016.

Clyfford Still brought new energy to the art world after World War II with his large-scale, color-splashed paintings, and is considered one of the most important American artists of the 20th century. Though his influence on the Abstract Expressionism movement was at least as important as that of contemporaries Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko, Still eventually broke all ties with the art world after moving to a farm in Maryland, and following his death in 1980 a huge collection of his work was sealed off completely for more than 30 years. His is widow donated his pieces to the city of Denver in 2004, and in 2011 the Clyfford Still Museum opened, housing 94 percent of his life’s work, including some 825 paintings on canvas and 1,575 works on paper, as well as sketchbooks, journals, and his library—in a museum considered one of the best examples of contemporary architecture in the city.

Opened in 1891, the city’s oldest hotel is a throwback to a bygone era. Individually decorated guest rooms combine old-fashioned details, like claw-foot tubs and antique wood headboards, with modern amenities like USB ports and Bose sound systems; other nods to the past include vintage brass keys with tassels and a second-floor writing desk with functional typewriter (rest assured the front desk will stamp and mail your letter faster than the Pony Express). Inspired by a bar on the Queen Mary, the Art Deco Cruise Room was Denver’s first drinking establishment to open after Prohibition; today it’s known for its collaborations with local distilleries and classic cocktails. Follow them up with the confit chicken pops at the Urban Farmer restaurant, or call it a night and wake early for a honey exfoliating scrub or chocolate-ginger wrap at the on-site spa.

The first hotel to arrive in Denver‘s up-and-coming River North Art District (RiNo), The Ramble brings even more style to the increasingly trendy neighborhood. Accommodations in the 50-room boutique hotel feel both design-forward and homey thanks to antique Persian rugs, a cool color palette, and rich textures. Personal iPads make room service orders easy, and the mini-bar is stocked with carefully chosen snacks (gluten-free vegan protein bars, organic peanut butter cups). As notable as the rooms themselves are, the drinking and dining offerings—all provided by acclaimed New York bar Death & Co—are the real story. For those many days of Denver sunshine, grab a seat in The Garden, an open courtyard space. An intimate 20-seat bar with a cocktail tasting menu overlooks the lobby restaurant, where dinners feature small bites as well as family-style fare. And at the event space Vauxhall, a dedicated bar will host events like film screenings—and, of course, Broncos game viewings.

With more than 125 years of history under its belt, the Brown Palace Hotel is one of Denver’s quirkiest landmarks. It was the country’s first fireproof lodging—built with terracotta floors, cast-iron railings, and onyx paneling but no wood—and though it has welcomed every president since Teddy Roosevelt, save Calvin Coolidge, it also hosts grand champion steer from the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo as they take a victory lap through the lobby each year.


Given its Italian Renaissance–style architecture and frontier legacy, English afternoon tea has become an unexpected institution in the hotel’s soaring nine-story atrium, with imported Devonshire cream, an exclusive blend of Assam-Ceylon tea, and live piano music. And instead of bottled Evian, contemporary-skewing guest rooms are stocked with natural artisan water from a well more than 700 feet underground.

Regular tours are offered to those who wish to uncover hidden details of the past—don’t miss the 26 stone-carved animal medallions that are perched outside seventh-floor windows.

Being in nature is being in my happy place. The US’ National Parks provide plenty of unspoiled nature. The Rocky Mountain National Park is huge, beautiful and abundant with wild life. It’s a pleasure to go and make all your senses happy. If you have kids, it’s even better. Running in fresh air, checking out the wildlife is bliss for them. This particular shot was on the Trail Ridge Road. A portion of it was closed and this is as far as we could go by car.

Don’t expect butlers, room service, or even a receptionist at this six-room lodge set at nearly 7,800 feet in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. Owner Christian Keesee vacationed in Green Mountain Falls as a kid. When the New York–based art collector saw the town falling on hard times, he stepped in to restore this 19th-century lodge and start an arts festival. Keesee decorated the Outlook with works from his private collection, including original pieces by Kate Carr. The steep switchbacks of the six-mile round-trip Catamount Trail take hikers through a wildflower meadow. Modern and midcentury furnishings decorate the Outlook Lodge, where a backyard fire pit is perfect for s’mores.

Starting from where Mapleton Avenue transitions into Sunshine Canyon, this beautiful ridgeline trail runs 1.3 miles up the southern spine, gaining nearly 1,200 feet to the 6,800-foot summit of Mount Sanitas. This is a moderately difficult trail, but it has a number of level spots that make for nice places to rest. And since it follows the ridgeline, it almost always has a great view overlooking the town of Boulder and out to Denver, especially once on the summit. For a gentler stroll, hit the wide Sanitas Valley Trail or cruise along the lower, but also scenic, Dakota Ridge trail, all accessed from the same parking lot.

We are exploring Cheyenne Mountain Zoo on a 24-hour getaway to Colorado Springs. Its brochure proclaims they are “America’s Only Mountain Zoo,” but that only goes part of the way to describing the uniqueness of this place. In only a couple of hours, my daughters and their friends get to feed giraffes, pet a wallaby joey, hand-feed a loud flock of cockatiels and budgies, and get incredibly close to a trio of mountain lions, just a window’s thickness away. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo: admission is $17.25 adults ($5 extra for the Mountaineer SKy Ride), $12.25 ages 3–11. The zoo is located just west of The Broadmoor, open 9 a.m. –5 p.m., tel. 719-633-9925.

It’s one of those buildings that you walk by all the time, yet have no idea what goes on inside. What does go on inside? Well, plenty. The Navarre Building was a bordello, fancy dining club, and jazz hot spot, and is now an art museum housing one of the best Western Art collections in the country. The Anschutz Collection is now open to the public three days a week. Go absorb some culture, and be sure to ask about the secret tunnels that used to shuttle “ladies of the night” to and from the Brown Palace hotel across the street.

Housed in Hangar 1 at what used to be Lowry Air Force Base on the east side of Denver, the Wings Over the Rockies Museum devotes more than 182,000 square feet to everything flying-related, including space vehicles, historical military uniforms, modern and classic aircraft, and flight simulators. In addition to exhibition space, the museum offers an extensive calendar of special events like its Cine-Talk Series (which shows films that feature flying or space travel), the weekly Little Wings Club, Cockpit Demo Day, regular workshops and lectures, and a hugely popular annual Holidays at the Hangar.

High above Vail Valley, atop Beaver Creek Mountain, is the oasis that is the Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch. You can’t beat the hotel’s ski-in, ski-out access, but a major makeover at the end of 2013 means the hotel offers even more perks. The new look (think rustic lodgepole pine beams and huge stone fireplaces) was inspired by the great lodges found throughout America’s national parks. The work of Colorado artists can be found throughout the hotel. In addition to a new restaurant called Buffalos, there’s the new Bachelors Lounge that caters to wine and spirits lovers and cigar connoisseurs. Stylish guests with an expense account can outfit themselves in fancy new gear sold at the outpost of the alpine shop Gorsuch. My favorite perk is returning to the hotel at day’s end and being greeted with a hot cup of cocoa.

For those of the sporting lifestyle with discerning taste, this local boutique houses European brands of elegant and decadent alpine chic wear. There are very rare finds, from rich leather blazers embellished with horn detailing, to handmade, embroidered Austrian cashmere ski sweaters. It also dabbles in mountain lifestyle décor with furnishings, dishware, and fixtures to outfit any house in to the ultimate Colorado ski lodge.

In the heart of Texas Hill Country, on a serene section of the Colorado River, the famously luxurious Lake Austin Spa Resort might be just half an hour from Austin’s city center, but it feels miles away from anywhere, an oasis surrounded by ruggedly beautiful wilderness. And that’s intentional: the destination spa caters to every need and whim, offering a daily calendar of outdoor activities and educational talks and classes and serving healthy and locally-sourced cuisine. Spa treatments are not included in the rate—which, it’s worth noting, starts at a three-night minimum stay—but use of the spa’s three pools and other pampering facilities are, and it’d be a shame not to sample at least one of its more than 100 natural treatments.


But the best part about the resort is that, once you’re there, no one cares what you do. Take advantage of the packed schedule and spa offerings, or just claim a poolside lounger, take a walk along the lake, or read a book in the fragrant organic garden. Relaxation means something different to everyone, after all.

Telluride is blessed with several great coffee shops, but Steaming Bean is special for its world-class loose-leaf teas. Sure, you could come in for the home blend, the local organic roast, the daily drip, or the French press. You could enjoy the peanut butter bagels or the blueberry Belgian waffles. Or you could even drop by late in the day for some homemade limoncello, a vodka affogato, or a Rock and Rye. But what locals return for again and again are the Steeping Leaf earl grey and the magnolia oolong, both of which embody the phrase “good cuppa.”