Earlier this month, a work trip took me to Denver, Colorado. I had never been to the Mile-High City and, although most of my time was to be spent inside at a conference, I was excited to explore a little in my down time. This post is a likely a little hodge-podgey and definitely photo heavy.

The conference was held at a hotel not too far from Union Station. I’m a sucker for beautiful historic train station buildings and I love that this station house is now mixed use, with cute shops and cafes inside.

Tucked behind Union Station is the Millennium Bridge. This footbridge has a unique structural design and connects the LoDo (lower Downtown) area of Denver with Commons Park, along the South Platte River.

One of the conference sponsored dinners took us to Larimer Square, Denver’s most historic block. The old brick buildings and the hanging market lights created the most lovely atmosphere for an evening walk. Tomayo sits at the very end of the street. It’s rooftop patio offers views back down the Square. (The drinks and food weren’t bad either!)

I had a few hours to kill before heading to the airport at the end of conference, so I wandered a bit farther from the hotel. All throughout Denver are delightful public art pieces. I discovered that the public art program was established in 1988 by an order that mandates 1% of any capital improvement project over $1 million enacted by the city of Denver will be set aside for the inclusion of art in the design and construction of the project.

My final stop was the line of food trucks for lunch at the Civic Center. The Colorado State Capitol Building (gold dome) and the Denver City & County Building (white columns) face each other, with a lovely grassy park between them. It was a relaxing place to grab a meal and people watch before taking a taxi back to the airport.

I know that I barely scratched the surface of what Denver has to offer. I wish I had enough time to enjoy a hike in the nearby Rockies or catch a show at Red Rock Amphitheater, but I’ll just have to wait until I return!