As I was scrolling through photos on my camera roll this morning and trying to delete photos to make more space on my phone, I came across pictures from a few travel experiences this year that I would really love to document before the memories become too fuzzy or fade completely. One such experience was a 3-day weekend trip to Denver and Boulder in early April of this year.

HC and I flew together to Denver on an early morning flight and we checked in to our Airbnb prior to noon on Saturday. We stayed in a budget friendly but chic and tastefully decorated room in a shared house with the host. The mattress was the most luxurious one that I've slept on in any Airbnb rental and felt like thick memory foam, making it a terrific place to relax after long days of walking. There was a polaroid camera available for guests to capture a selfie and then sign their names and leave a message, a unique guestbook of some sorts. We browsed through the stack of polaroid printouts of other guests from various regions around the globe which was a pretty interesting activity.

Airbnb rental, hosted by Andy


Day 1, Downtown and Arts District on Santa Fe
Shortly after checking in to our Airbnb rental, we made our way downtown and walked around Capitol Hill and the Golden Triangle. The weather was phenomenal with clear blue skies and a light breeze. Denver Art Museum, Firefighter's Museum and other small galleries are located around this area. After giving ourselves a walking tour of the neighborhood, we went up to Peaks lounge at Hyatt Regency to get a bird's eye view of the city. As you can see, the sun was beginning to set and dip below the mountains surrounding the city in the distance.

We enjoyed a couple drinks and a slice of cake as we watched the sky changing colors and slowly dimming.
                               Peaks Lounge, Hyatt Regency

In the evening, we hopped on an Uber and ate dinner at a hippy and colorful casual fast food Indian restaurant. The menu options were simple but tasty and nutritious. According to the servers, the cuisine and cooking style originates from southern India which is the home of the owner, Biju Thomas.

Biju's Little Curry Shop
We opted for the coconut chicken curry combo bowl as well as the spicy vindaloo chicken. We noticed that this little restaurant closes by 9PM most days and 8PM on Sundays so be sure to plan for that if you intend to grab a bite here!

We chose a cinnamon roll flavored crepe and had a seat at the outdoor patio beside the neighboring establishment, Zephyr Brewery. Live music drifted out from inside the brewery and created a very mellow but cheerful atmosphere. There was also a fun selection of board games and word games available for patrons. We engaged briefly in a low key game of Boggle, while a group of college students played a game of giant Jenga which was also supplied by the brewery. It was hysterical and entertaining to watch!

Day 2, Excursion to Boulder
Boulder is conveniently accessible from Denver even without a rental vehicle because there is an express bus on a fairly frequent schedule that travels between these two cities.
It was not difficult to find several hiking trails nearby after getting off the bus. The trails were easy to walk with mild incline and after an hour climb, we had a nice view of the peaceful city. By the time we made it back down, we had worked up significant appetites and finding something to fill our stomaches became the next essential mission.
Mountain Sun Pub & Brewery
At the recommendation from a local, we stopped at Mountain Sun and ate an immensely satisfying meal of deli sandwiches, fries, and cocktails. Sometimes the simplest things are also the most fulfilling! After the late lunch, we explored the stretch of shops on Pearl St. These included artisan crafts, coffee shops, ice cream parlors, second hand clothing stores, bookstores, and other miscellaneous shops. My favorite was Boulder Bookstore, which had a great selection to browse through. A laid back afternoon, overall!


Day 3, Red Rocks Amphitheater and back to the airport
Red Rocks Amphitheater is about 10 miles west of Denver and worth a visit even if no concert performance is scheduled. It features an impressive open-air stage surrounded by huge boulders and rocks on mountainous terrain. There are also some trails in the vicinity for interested hikers.
Several individuals seemed to be regular locals who were engaged in intense workouts such as running up and down the steps or jogging around the amphitheater. It was truly a phenomenal landscape to take in and felt like a powerful reminder of how insignificant our individual problems might be in comparison to the majestic earth.
Additionally, located at the visitor's center of the Red Rocks Amphitheater is a Performers' Hall of Fame which is free admission. Inside, you can take a self-guided tour of the history of the Amphitheater and all the renowned musicians who have performed there through the decades.

The venue was a fantastic last stop to wrap up our weekend vacation and left us wanting to return to explore additional trails of the glorious landscape!

This post is archived under Food, Travel

Lately, I have developed a fondness for indoor plants which then progressed into a bit of an obsession. This is a pretty big deal for someone who killed a roomful of my grandmother's houseplants in Toronto when she asked me to care for them for a month while she travelled to Taiwan. I either completely forgot they existed or my mind did not acknowledge the fact that these were living things - either way, I did not remember to water them or check on them at all for several weeks. She came home to wilted and shriveled brown plants and did not appear all that surprised.

Luckily, I do remember to check on my own beautiful houseplants now, almost 10 years later. In fact, my plants are probably suffering from a case of over-attention and indulgence. I've been trying my best not to hover over them, constantly check their leaves/dirt, and water them too often. I also purchased a moisture meter to stop myself from wanting to water them unnecessarily.

Left, lovely bushy basil.          Right, minty Medusa.

One of the reasons I have finally been able to add houseplants to our indoor space is that we moved over the summer and now have an apartment that has large windows with ample bright light and plenty of window ledge space.

This post is archived under Hobbies, Plants

I spent some time tonight re-reading translated poetry by Hafiz, a Persian lyric poet who is just magical with his words and always has a special message to convey. The translator who does this amazing work is Daniel Ladinsky. These are a couple of my favorites:

"I caught the happy virus last night
When I was singing beneath the stars.
It is remarkably contagious -
So kiss me."

"Ever since happiness
heard your name,
it has been running
through the streets
trying to find you." 

This post is archived under Education, Poetry, Random thoughts

My first impression as I exited the airport and boarded a CTA train to our hotel located downtown was that this city looked oddly familiar, despite it being my first venture to Chicago. I spent most of the ride gazing intently out the window trying to determine why, until it occurred to me that the city landscape very much resembled Toronto, my hometown!

Anyways, the weekend was a whirlwind of random activities, museums, parks, excessive food and shopping, and getting hopelessly lost. Exactly as a vacation should be, right?

I thought I'd share a few of my favourite moments below. Be prepared for a deluge of food snapshots!

View from 360 Chicago (formerly John Hancock Observatory)

My friends and I were tremendously excited to try the Starbucks evening menu. Yes, of all places. See our before and after photos below.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken Skewers, Bacon Wrapped Dates with Balsamic Glaze, Truffle Mac & Cheese, Chicken and Roasted Tomato Flatbread, white wine (can't recall which one).

Next up, this is at Weber Grill. We have Beer Can Chicken with Garlic Mashed Potatoes on the left and Grill Roasted Crab Cakes on the right. Great place for a late night meal! This place was situated directly across the street from the Starbucks where we had ordered our evening dishes--so we avoided any additional walking in the cold blasting wind.

Below we have Gyu-Kaku, Japanese BBQ Dining.

We ordered the Samurai Course for 4 people. (http://www.gyu-kaku.com/menu/il_ch/ch_course.pdf) I couldn't resist ordering some add-ons of spicy cold tofu and a tofu kimchi soup. Making s'mores on the hot plate was the perfect ending to the meal!

And of-course, can't come to Chicago and not enjoy some deep dish pizza. This was a spur of the moment restaurant choice at the recommendation of an H&M sales associate but I believe the name of the place was Pizano's.




Here is a view of the skyline from outside the steps of the planetarium. Gorgeous spring weather but rather windy, with sharp gusts of air.

Wrapping up a night at Navy Pier. Unfortunately, we arrived shortly before closing time so much of our time was spent simply admiring the landscape outdoors. I was very glad that I had bundled up.



Our final day in Chicago, we cabbed over to see the beautiful Millennium Park. I am not ashamed to say we huddled under the bean with other tourists, admiring our own fish lens reflections.

I will wrap it up at this point but hope you've enjoyed the quick peek into our weekend getaway. It was an excellent break from work, classes, and school assignments. After all, what's life without a little balance of work and play?

This post is archived under Chicago, Food, Travel

Location: Chicago, IL, USA

This post is archived under Beach, Travel

Location: Santa Monica, CA, USA