This is not to say that I did not love Denver in some ways, I did. Under the right circumstances I believe Denver would be a great place to live. The cities in this country are becoming almost uninhabitable. The city policies are to blame, making travel to these areas undesirable.

As a tourist, this is coming from an outsider, who just visited the city for three days. My eyes are peeled when I travel to get a feel for what to write about. I will

I may say something that a local will disagree with and I respect that. Here are my pros and cons of Denver as seen through the eyes of a tourist.

Five Reasons Why I Love Denver

I figured I would start on a positive note and give the reasons why I love Denver. These are in no particular order; they highlight the good things that stood out to me. The below list highlights the pros and cons of Denver, starting with the pros.

#1 Reason I Love Denver: The Food

The reason I lover Denver is the food. Anyone who reads my site knows all I talk about is eating, Denver had great things to eat, especially meats. I love game and it was plentiful throughout the city. buffalo, rabbit, elk, yak, rattlesnake (not sure if this is game) are available in various forms throughout the city. When a restaurant knows how to do wild game right, the “gamey” flavor that could be off putting is not as pronounced. The most popular spot for game is the historic Buckhorn Exchange, I had a wonderful buffalo steak in this establishment and some not so wonderful bull testicles.

Game is not the only thing that Denver is great at, I cannot mention the pros and cons of Denver without discussing the on point Mexican scene. I mentioned this in my last post here, but it bears repeating. Denver produces some amazing Mexican food, especially while using green chiles in its dishes. I may just be hungry as I am writing this, but the city is worth visiting for the green chiles alone. If you visit Denver, hit as many Mexican spots as possible. Food, (especially Mexican and Game meats) is one of the main reasons I love Denver.

#2 Reason I Love Denver: Nature

Denver is a city located extremely close to plains and mountains. This gives the area a beautiful look and feel. Surrounding the city, the mountains provide a gorgeous backdrop, they are exactly what I want to look at when I enjoy a beer. I love nature, where I am currently living in Charlotte there is not the same type of environment. Denver on the other hand is surrounded by it. In a 15-minute drive from the center of the city you can get to the foothills. In an hour and a half drive you can visit the Rocky Mountain National Park, it looks extraordinary, full disclosure I did not visit it this last trip, but I will go back just to experience it. Hiking, biking, exploring are all simply better when you are this close to nature. Call me a tree hugger, but I love the outdoors (love to eat what lives in the outdoors as well, hence my obsession with game meat).

# 3 Reason I Love Denver: The Denver Zoo

Man, I must have lost my mind, talking about a zoo as to why I love this city. Let me tell you two things, first there is nothing wrong with a 44-year-old man walking around a zoo by himself. Especially at 9:15 am with a beer in his hand. That is not creepy at all, so all you highfalutin parents out there can kiss my…. Secondly, this zoo is amazing. I usually do not like zoos, I hate seeing animals in cages. This zoo gave the creatures plenty of places to roam, which made me feel a little better for them. The variation of animals was great (I know that is the point of a zoo, but this place had everything).

Hippos, lions, gorillas, spider monkeys they were all there, I felt like a child again. Of course, children do not drink before 10am, but I digress. To make things even better they had Dole Whip which is tasty. It is like the Denver zoo was making up for the trips I lost due to the virus that shall not be named. I was supposed to go to Disney, where Dole Whip is everywhere and South Africa where they have terrifying animals. Yes, it was not the same as either, but at least I got a taste of what I missed. The Denver zoo was one of the highlights of my trip and is highly recommended.

# 4 Reason Why I Love Denver: Plenty of Ways to Get Intoxicated

Maybe this is both a pro and con of Denver, but who does not like to chemically forget the world when traveling, I know I do. Denver has a lot of legal ways to do so, the three they are famous for are beer, whiskey, and Pot. Let me start with beer. Denver is consistently ranked as one of the best beer cities in the country, I included a link if you want to read more. If you desire a hoppy IPA (since that is all American breweries make) Denver is the place to go. If whiskey is your thing than I would recommend Stranahan’s whiskey. Spend the $30 and take the hour-long tour, you will find it is well worth your money.

The real advantage of Denver is that it is one of the few states to legalize pot (for fun). Walking into a pot dispensary was wonderful. I felt like Charlie walking into Willy Wonka’s shop, if Charlie loved being baked. The variety was not as huge as I would have liked, I do not smoke, so I settled on an edible. It put me in a great place, they said it helped with energy, but the only fuel it gave me was enough juice to destroy a burger in under 3-minutes. I know the legalization will make its way throughout the country, but as of now, us residence of southern states, need to travel.

# 5 Reason Why I Love Denver: Indie Shops/Areas

When discussing pros and cons of Denver, a pro is their love for independent places. I do not know if Indie is the right word, it is those hipster spots that pop up in every city. Denver has great ones. First there was the Tattered Cover bookstore. An independent establishment that somehow survived (and thrived in) the Amazon apocolypse. I found the store charming, but they were not fully open because of “the disease”. There is also the RINO arts district in the northern part of the city. I really liked this area as well, although it felt like the most hipster place in one of the most hipster cities I have visited.

My inner bohemian came out, because I enjoyed the art on the buildings and the feel of the neighborhood. This is where the Denver Central Market is located as well, and I am a sucker for food halls. I am not saying this was an amazing food market, but it did the trick. The only place I ate at in this market was the High Point Creamery, do to circumstances that shall not be named, they were only seating people outside. Since it was 90 degrees, I opted for ice cream to go.

Those are my five pros, when measuring the pros and cons of Denver. As you can see, I did love Denver in some ways. Unfortunately, the city rubbed me the wrong way in others. I will continue with my pros and cons of Denver and discuss some of the cons, and why I hate Denver (but not really).

Five Reasons Why I Hate Denver

The great food and indie atmosphere of this city was counterbalanced by some negative things. I would not say I absolutely hated Denver, but there were certainly things that I did not like about this city. What is so frustrating much of it could be avoided with a competent government. Below are the five reasons I hate Denver (or more accurately, things I did not like about the city),

#1 Reason I Hate Denver: The Homeless Problem

Maybe I sound cold hearted, but there is a threshold of how far you should let the problem of homelessness get out of control. I do not hate homeless people and understand most of them are going through bad times or mental illness. The way Denver allowed them to take over their city is harmful to both the residents and homeless themselves, not to mention the tourists.

You pay good tax money for a park and cannot bring your children because they are doing drugs in the middle of the day. Trying to walk down the street is a treat. Who allows entire tent cities to be formed on sidewalks? Most of the homeless are either mentally impaired or abusing substances. You can smell the pot as you walk by their tents. I saw three fights between them, I was also screamed at and told to go back to Mexico (for the record I am Italian).

A city should not allow its taxpayers to fear for their safety because they are trying to be “woke”. If you allow homelessness to run rampant, you will lose both your tax base and tourism. In terms of pros and cons of Denver, homelessness is certainly a con.

#2 Reason I Hate Denver: Destruction of Property

Another con on the pros and cons of Denver list is Denver allowed looting and destruction of property. Part of Denver looked like a war zone. Protesting is fine (although I do not think most of the people give a damn about the cause, they care about looking virtuous). What is not fine is trashing your own city. It is not fine to pull down every statue around the capitol building and smash random windows, what point are you trying to make?

Buildings were trashed, windows boarded up and statues torn down. The city officials did nothing to stop this, at least it seemed like they did not. Who wants to visit a city that has been ransacked? The events were not political protests; this was criminal behavior. Unfortunately, the same is going on throughout the United States, but I did not realize it was so prevalent in Denver.

#3 Reason I Hate Denver: Thin Air

Ok, moving off my soap box for this pros and cons of Denver article, onto something that cannot be prevented. I certainly had trouble with the air. It was nothing major, but two factors contributed to this problem being exacerbated. First, I walked everywhere and although I am in good shape, when you walk 35K steps a day a difference in the air will have an influence on you. Secondly, we are in strange times where we are to wear masks whenever entering a building. The thin air plus mask usage led to a lot of discomfort for me.

There were times when I was excessively thirsty, in addition I got tired way sooner than I usually do when traveling. My sleep was disturbed, which is a symptom of altitude sickness. It was nothing major and I am sure after some time my body would adjust, but it played a factor in my energy levels. To prevent any side effects, make sure you are hydrated and have some Aleve on hand.

#4 Reason I Hate Denver: Punk Hipster Kids

Alright back to my crotchety old man mindset. Denver is a young city, population wise. I was told the average age was around 36, making me the town elder. This partially explains why they had such terrible riots. I do not have a problem with young people, it is just the blatant rudeness they showed on my trip. Three times I am walking and someone with a scooter almost crashes into me. Once I dove out of the way. Did I get an apology? Of course not, not one of them even stopped to look if I was ok. I like scooters, but they are being driven by kids with no consideration for other people.

Then I had the truck full of kids with a flag on their car just lapping the city blasting their music. All they wanted was attention, it was sad. I could not sit outside and enjoy a beer because every 10-minutes they would ride by. Of course, there was also the smell of pot drifting in the air. Not just in some places, it was everywhere. There are edibles for sale people, you do not need to smoke at 8:30am, keep the air clean. Most of these people just do not have consideration for those around them.

#5 Reason I Hate Denver: Strange Weather

Weather can be either a pro or con of Denver, depending on your experience. Another nitpick, and I am sure I did not spend enough time in the city to get a good feel for it, but the weather in Denver is odd. I went in the middle of September, coming from Charlotte I was looking forward to the cooler temperatures. Especially since the city received a snowstorm a week earlier. Well, to my disdain it was 90 degrees every day. Walking was already somewhat difficult because of the thin air, add to that the heat, it was bothersome.

The thing that really annoyed me was the wild temperature swings. It would be 55 degrees in the morning then jet up to 90 in the afternoon. Yes, it was a dry heat, I am not sure why people say a dry heat is better, it never is. Like I said this is probably more my experience than others, but it something that irked me when I was there.

Conclusion: Pros and Cons of Denver

Those are my pros and cons of Denver; my goal was to give an honest assessment of my trip. Would I go back to Denver? Certainly, most likely I may spend more time in the surrounding parks than the center of the city, but I would return. It is my hope that the city gets cleaned up a bit. If you are a local from Denver, let me know what I got right and wrong on this list.

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From an outsider looking in, what is Denver known for? Denver, Colorado is known for its breweries, a great selection of meats, a younger population, and its beauty. These are just a few of the things that Denver seems to be famous for. Not to be forgotten, Denver is also known for its green chilis and excellent Mexican food. This list is not all inclusive, but it is what stood out to me.

Denver is a interesting city, but I was mixed about it overall. Maybe it was the fact that I travelled alone (a bit too soon) or some of the negative things that were highlighted because of the times we are in. Let me save that for a later post and discuss in more depth what Denver is known for.

Denver is Known for Its Beauty

At least on the outskirts, Denver is a beautiful city. It could be just me, I love the mountains, even if I did not visit them directly on this trip, they were all around me. Denver is near the mountains, but not in them so you get the benefit of being able to visit this city without all the hills on the streets.

The landscape is extremely beautiful, especially if you can get to a rooftop bar. If you desire to get a better look the obvious solution would be to go to Rocky Mountain National Park. If you are visiting from out of town you need to rent a car or take a tour. The park is about an hour and a half out of the city.

You do not have to travel an hour and a half to enjoy the mountains of Denver, the closest mountains (or really foothills) are about 12 miles away from the city. You can also visit Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, which has hiking trails as well as roaming buffalo (those are separated). This is only about a twenty-minute drive from Denver Center City. The proximity to the mountains as well as its abundance of nature makes Denver known for its beauty.

What Food is Denver Known For?

This is where I can almost say I am an expert, if you have read this blog before you know how much I eat. Denver was no different. I tried and I tried to consume everything the city had to offer. Luckily there are things in this town that help increase your appetite, I will get to that later. I would say Denver is a great eating town, I am not sure if it falls on my list here of my favorite food tourism cities. I would not hate you if you included it. Below is what Denver is famous for in terms of food.

Green Chilis/Mexican

Being from the east coast I did not realize just how bad are Mexican food is here in Charlotte. Most of the people I spoke with (who never visited the city) did not know Denver was such a hub for Mexican food. To say I was pleasantly surprised is an understatement. From my first bite of the free salsa I could taste the difference. The Mexican food from Denver to Charlotte, or even New York is not comparable.

Green Chilis take their dishes to a whole new level. If you go on the outskirts of town, they are grilling them fresh on the side of the road. Every Mexican restaurant has a bunch of dishes with green Chilies. When they add pork to it, you can put these chilies on a shoe, and it would taste amazing.

My personal favorite Mexican restaurant in the short time I visited Denver was La Loma (linked their website here) close to center city. The menu has a slew of items that include green chilis, you can also add them to any dish. I am a sucker for old lady recipes in restaurants. When I saw Grandmas famous green chili, I had to try this spot. If you are asking what is Denver known for, green chilis is on the top of the list…of course there is a more famous food.

Rocky Mountain Oysters

I did not see these in a slew of places, and I am starting to think they may be more of a novelty then a staple. Rocky mountain oysters are bull testicles for those of you who do not know. Not to be confused with the ones on Fire Island in New York. When served, it is best, they are somewhat fresh, (who likes the taste of old balls) and deep fried. I had mine at the famous Buckhorn Exchange and let me tell you… they were just OK.

My Opinion…

It was not even the guilt or disgust of what I was eating, I am just not a huge fried food guy (except with Chicken). I heard someone got them grilled, which sounds just awful also. I think my real issue with these, besides the fact that I was eating testicles, was they had a real organ like taste, almost like a gizzard. Try as I may I have never been able to enjoy organ meat. Rocky mountain oysters may be what Denver is known for, but they are not my cup of tea.

Game Meat (Meats in General)

Besides eating the testicles of an animal, the selection of creatures to eat seems endless. Given the areas proximity to the mountains and plains there are a lot of options which we do not see that often here on the East coast. At the Buckhorn Exchange I had a delicious Buffalo steak. Not gamey, like it is so many times, it was perfect. I know we can find buffalo here, but it’s never the same level of freshness and rarely in steak form.

I also had a great rattlesnake and rabbit hot dog. Well, the meat was great, spiced well, I was not crazy about the topping I chose (curry on a hot dog…is not wonderful). When in Denver swing by Biker Jims Gourmet Dogs for a selection of unusual hot dogs. I also had the mystical jackalope hot dog, which means I could have been eating anything from pig to possum.

Elk, beef, rabbit, duck and especially lamb are delicious in Colorado. It may be the best place for meat in the United states, although Texas may disagree. When going to Denver have as much game as possible, I do not think you will be disappointed.

Denver Omelet

I would be remiss if I did not mention the Denver Omelet in this part of the post. It is the only omelet I know named after a city, so I should at least touch on it. I had an extremely nice meal at The Delectable Egg, a place not too far from my hotel in the center of the city. For those who do not know it is an omelet with ham, cheddar cheese, bell peppers and onions. Nothing groundbreaking. Was my Denver omelet better than others I had, I am not sure…but admittedly it was damn good at the Delectable Egg.

What is Famous For: Beer

Denver has more breweries than any other city in the United States. I thought Charlotte had a lot of breweries, but it cannot even touch Denver in terms of volume. Needless to say, I drank a lot of beer when I visited. I hit many breweries, my favorite was the Great Divide Brewery, which is about three blocks from Coors Field. I had a good lager and the atmosphere was perfect.

Another great place to grab a drink is Tap Fourteen, which is a rooftop bar (not a brewery, but full of local beers). The atmosphere was what I really enjoyed about this spot. Admittedly, the customer service was lacking. The bartender was good, but when I walked in at exactly 11:00am the guy acted like I stole his first born. Still it had a great feel to it and a perfect view. Overall, I found it to be a really nice place with a good selection of beer.

I liked the beer a lot in Denver. My problem with breweries is they are extremely similar. Whether in Charlotte, Denver, or Asheville everyone has the same lineup of beer. A lot of IPAs and other hoppy products and a few weird flavors like grapefruit or strawberry (I do not consider those beers). They may finish it off with some subpar pilsners. Do not get me wrong I like a brewery now and then, but give me a whiskey any day of the week. I would say above all Denver is known for beer.

What is Denver Known For: Legalized Marijuana

While we are talking about getting F-d up, let us talk about the legal drugs. As a libertarian I am all into the legalization of Marijuana. If you like pot and you are not hurting anyone, well then get baked. My stance changed a bit (but not really) after this last weekend in Denver. Denver is known for having a younger crowd who like to smoke. My problem is that at times it is all you can smell.

Maybe I am turning into a crotchety old man, but when I go for a peaceful walk at 8:00 am I do not want to be overwhelmed with the smell of pot (or any smoke). Cars pull up people are high. Walking down the street people are high. I get that it is legal, but a little courtesy and responsibility would allow it to become more widespread. Stop proving the naysayers right!

This is not to say I did not wander into a pot store…I certainly could have! An edible may or may not have fallen in my mouth, which brought me to the sunken place from Stranger Things and making me crave both Ramen and hamburgers. Hypothetically, for the record, I settled on a hamburger from Cherry Cricket. I vaguely remember it being great. All I am asking for is some common sense when smoking or eating…after all aren’t pot heads known for their logical thinking?

Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey

If beer or pot are not your thing let me recommend a tour at Stranahan’s whiskey. It is a bit of a trek so you will need to grab a Uber. I really enjoyed this place. I had an amazing old fashion before the tour and loved the tour itself in which you are given what looks like about 6 shots. One of the highlights of my trip to Denver was Stranahan’s whiskey . I would have stayed longer but I had a date with bull testicles right afterword. To find out more about tour times there is a link in the heading of this paragraph.

What is Denver Known For: Easy Transportation

Maybe this was just my experience, but I felt like Denver was incredibly easy to navigate. First, leaving the airport you can catch a train to center city. The cost is $10.50, and it brings you directly to Union Station. The train and tickets are right outside the Westin hotel.

Once you get there you can walk the 10 blocks to your hotel like I did. I was only carrying a small backpack, so it was easy. Or like an intelligent person, go to the 16th street mall and take the free bus that runs up and down the street. Just jump on and off and it takes you almost to the capitol building.

Of course, there is always Uber or Lyft for those hard to reach spots. Those are good options as usual and relatively cheap. I walked a lot, the city is very easy to get around, when the weather is nice take a stroll instead of a car. I averaged around 33K steps a day to give you an idea of how much I footed it.

To Recap….

So what is Denver known for? To consolidate what I said above about Denver is famous for

1. Great Food, like Green Chiles and Game meat
2. Edible testicles
3. Beer, Beer, and more Beer.
4. Legalized Pot in so many wonderful forms.
5. An awesome transportation system (in my opinion)

Those are the main things that I took away from my trip to Denver, but obviously the list is not all inclusive. My flight was so cheap I can see myself flying out again to explore the mountains a bit.

Conclusion: What is Denver Known For

So those are my takeaways from the city of Denver. Did I love everything about the area? No, and I will write another post shortly on the things I both loved and hated about the city. It is a different place, certainly with an interesting feel. It was also my first trip solo since the apocalypse ruined my life. When I once again grab a travel partner, I may return and my view may change. My eyes may open to some different aspect of the city. For now, the above is what I believe Denver is known for.

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