Go West | Boulder Bound

My good friend Laura moved out to Boulder, Colorado last August. My best college girlfriends and I head to visit her this weekend! Travel plans work out nicely so that we all arrive in Denver within one hour of each other. We have so many great adventures and meals planned, I can't wait!

I have never been to Colorado but I have taken quite a few trips out west, absolutely falling in love with every state I traveled to. It all began my freshman year of college during winter break of January 2003. My Dad spontaneously took my sister and I to Park City, Utah for a week of skiing. We stayed in downtown Park City, the namesake mountain ski lift was less than a block away from our Marriott Hotel. We also skied The Canyons, Deer Valley and Snowbird. The Sundance Film Festival was underway, we saw a movie premiere and partook in the fun associated. We ate at all the best restaurants, I remember lots of sushi and fancy three course meals. My Dad really splurged on us that year, it was an unforgettable vacation. I would post some pictures but freshman year of college I was still using disposable cameras. Same goes for that Summer when my Mom took me to Bozeman, Montana. I was captivated by Montana in all her big sky glory from the moment I stepped foot off the airplane. We had family out there at the time, so with them we did a lot of hiking, dancing around bonfires, swimming in hot springs, white water rafting and a road trip south through Yellowstone National Park to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It was simply incredible. I didn't travel back out west until June of 2008 with Adam to Las Vegas, Nevada! We spent 5 amazing days in the "desert" carousing the strip from our home base of The Flamingo Hotel. We also took a day trip to visit the Hoover Dam which is an incredible site to behold.

I flew solo to San Francisco, California in November of 2008 for my best friend Jen's 25th birthday celebrations. I was a Pacific Ocean virgin at 24 years old, so this was pretty cool. 

The epic view from Lower Pacific Heights where Jen lives. She remarked you can rarely see across the bay due to intense fog (of course!) It was a rare and unbelievably clear afternoon.
So there was quite a bit of partying. My favorite bar of the trip was The Makeout Room located in the city's Mission District.

An afternoon spent at Mount Tamalpias with Jen and her roommates was one I'll never forget. The Pacific Ocean vistas meets rolling mountains flanked with massive Redwoods was exceptional!

I had a fantastic morning exploring Alcatraz Island. The history and the jail cells are something else.

Here is what the prisoners ate on March 21, 1963. 

The island itself is also quite lovely. Below is the Agave Trail.
This is the lighthouse and Wardens house (what is left of it.)
I was able to take in some other major city landmarks and sights among various neighborhoods while I was visiting.

Ghirardelli Square

The Transamerica Pyramid

Market Street & Fishermans Wharf via cableccarChinatown

(Which apparently I really loved, I have so many pictures from this neighborhood.)

Wine bar in North Beach

And much much more (Golden Gate Park, Haight-Ashbury, City Lights Book Store, Napa Road trip...) It was an awesome four days!! 

So there you have it. My personal version of "how the west was won." I would love to be able to travel back to these cities and states as I haven't stopped thinking about them since. They all hold a special place, as do the people who were a part of the experience. I also have a strong desire to journey places I haven't been. The possibilities for travel are endless. And with that Boulder, Colorado here I come!