boulder recommendations

Hikes (look up via AllTrails)

Mountain Lion Trail & Burro Trail Loop – 5.4 mi
Walker Ranch Loop – 7.9 mi
El Dorado Canyon Trail (entry fee $10?) – 6.6 mi
Jasper Lake via Devil’s Thumb – 9.8 mi
Royal Arch Trail – 3.3 mi – A BOULDER CLASSIC
Anne U. White Trail – 3.2 mi – Easy but pretty, where people go to walk their dogs.
Green Mountain Loop – 6.1 mi – when you get to the top, put out your hand in a cup and make a soft “psh” sound. Wait patiently to see if a little birdy lands on your fingertips, bamboozled into thinking you have a snack.

Restaurants

Jaipur Indian: $15 lunch buffet
Postino: I worked as a hostess here! Ask for Amelia or Melissa and tell them you know me. Great wine and bruschetta boards. Best grilled cheese I’ve ever had (back when I was eating gluten…). Also great for a post-hike beer.
Illegal Pete’s: The Colorado equivalent of Chipotle, but way better. Worth a try.
Dushanbe tea house: Apparently this entire building was imported from Tajikstan and rebuilt piece by piece. Super cool vibes, fancy yummy tea.

Night Life

Outback Saloon: karaoke Weds, Fri, and Saturday! And what a crowd. Very entertaining and fun.
Rayback Collective: cool brewery with food trucks, trivia Tuesdays
Avanti: Cool upstairs view of Boulder. Good drinks, pretty popping.

Activities

Walk around Pearl St shopping mall. Some cute stores, including Boulder Bookstore – one of my favorites! Stop by Trident Booksellers & Cafe to get some work done – rustic vibes & cool books to browse. Other notable mentions include: Apocalpyse for thrifting; Suti & Co. for yummy coffee, Scandinavian pastries & sundry.
Dairy Arts Center – stop by, watch an indie film
Boulder Theater: check out if there are any concerts that pique your interest.
Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art: FREE, cool interactive exhibits. Small, so should only take about 45mins-1hr.
On Saturdays, stop by the Boulder Farmers Market. Lots of fun vendors (my favorite are the organic mushroom farmers) and yummy food (I would recommend the chile verde pupusas).
Ride bikes, skate, or walk along Boulder Creek. You can always post up with a hammock near the creek or go to a park – I like Scott Carpenter Park – to chill and read.
Thrift! God there’s such good thrifting in Colorado. Who would have guessed. If you are ever bored, drive 20 mins to Denver AKA thrifting mecca. Arc thrift stores have sales all the time and are endless in quantity and sheer size.

Nearby excursions

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