"Denver A City of Surprises" Denver by deebum25

When my husband told me he was going to Denver for a conference and asked if I wanted to go along early to have a vacation I thought Denver. Hmmm. Snow. Cold. Wet. Yikes. Not being a winter girl I figured I'd grit my teeth and bear it and check the weather religiously. Well the weather was supposed to be in the 70s so I figured it would be a nice break from SC 90s. Turned out to be an awesome mini vacation!

The 16th Street Pedestrian Mall

The day we arrived it was in the 70s into the evening and the weather was actually warmer than it was back home for the 5 days that we were there. Highs breaking records into the 90s which was unusual but from what I've come to understand the temps fluctuate quite a bit. For example it's 93 degrees on Tuesday but a cold front is coming and you'll be lucky to see 70 degrees so prepare for any eventuality!

The 16th Street Pedestrian Mall

Denver is one of the friendliest cities we have ever visited. When we dragged our jet lagged selves into the car rental counter we were greeted cheerfully by an extremely pleasant young lady and that attitude persisted the entire time that we were there. People are just HAPPY in Denver. Happy to be alive. Happy to be recycling and saving the environment. Happy to care about the homeless. Happy to go out to dine. Happy to bike from place to place. Happy to be human. I LOVED it there. Being in Denver makes you feel young. If you're by nature a grouch either get happy or stay home. We managed to hit all the touristy hot spots, the 16th Street Mall, LoDo, Garden of the Gods, the Botanical Gardens, and the Mile High Flea Market and had a great time at all of them. Dining in Denver is a joy. Fresh ingredients, diversity like I've never seen and a population that's just open to all kinds of experiences from Pho Vietnamese to fine Italian dining. I absolutely loved Denver and we're already planning our return.

• Pros:Friendly people with a great and helpful attitude.
• Cons:I would assume that the highways in winter are a real beeyotch.
• In a nutshell:Denver: Could you BE any happier?