IKEA - Portland, OR

Denver doesn't have an IKEA store (one will be opening just south of Denver in Fall 2011) so I had yet to experience the phenomenon that is IKEA. Of course, I'd heard about it but I had never been to a store. About two years ago my sister visited the store in Ohio, spent over four hours there and fell in love with it. So before we started our drive home from the coast we stopped at the IKEA store in Portland, Oregon.

If you have no clue what I'm talking about, IKEA (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/)is is a Scandinavian modern home decor company that has actually been around for decades but opened its first U.S. store in 1985 in Philadelphia.

This place is absolutely huge, so big the have a store map to help you. The top floor is the showroom with a kind of IKEA yellow brick road, leading you through the different departments. You can see already decorated living rooms, kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms or just individual couches, chairs, tables, etc. If you see something you like, there is a special sheet that you can mark what you want and then you go downstairs where another specially marked path leads you through everything you saw upstairs; everything from candles and picture frames to linens and towels to anything and everything you'd need for the kitchen or bathroom. Did I mention there is also a cafeteria? It's Oz at the end of the showroom path, a place to re-fuel before going downstairs to actually purchase the things you might want.

I know IKEA isn't for everyone. It has a real contemporary look and everything is designed to go with everything else so that your living room will match your kitchen, etc. Some of the things I liked and some of the things I didn't. But that's kind of the fun of it.

So, although we already had a fully packed rented standard sized SUV we didn't walk away empty handed. My sister got a set of flatware (she tends to use plastic utensils a lot) for $10 and my Mom got two lamps (less than $25 for both). I didn't buy anything I decided that I have a year to think about what I might want to get and although my home is already furnished, mark my word, when that IKEA opens here next year I will have some items going to Goodwill.

Hammond's Candies Factory Tour - Denver, Colorado

If you have a sweet tooth, this is a place you have to visit. If I had a choice, I'd pick chocolate over a piece of hard candy or a lollipop any day but Hammonds Candies (http://www.hammondscandies.com/) has pretty much everything: candy canes, ribbon candy, lollipops, and chocolates. And what makes it special is it's all hand-pulled and hand made.

I'd never been on a factory tour of a candy maker so I thought this would be fun. And, although it wasn't technically a tour (you stood behind Plexiglas to see into the warehouse where they make the candy) it was interesting to see. While I don't really like to eat hard candy, it's really interesting to see them make it: how it get pulled, colored, and twisted is kind of mesmerising.

I actually had never heard of Hammond Candies until a friend told me about it last year (thanks Christine!) even though it's been a Denver company since 1920. It has apparently move around a bit but is now located in a cluster of warehouses north of Denver. The "tours" are free, include a free sample of the hard candy, and happen every half hour. My suggestion is to go as early in the day as possible. They don't open until 9 a.m. during the week and 10 a.m. on Saturday but they start making the candy at 5 a.m. and there is probably more to see than the 1:30 p.m. "tour' we took. And for those on a budget, they have an Oops Room with discounted candy (nothing wrong with it other than maybe the color didn't come our right or they made too much).

So if you're hunkering for something sweet take a drive up north to Hammonds.

Tea Time

If you’re a tea drinker you might want to stop into a little house in downtown Littleton, CO called The Serendipi-TEA Shoppe.

http://www.serendipi-teashoppe.com/

It’s located in a one-story Victorian house just one block north of the main road. It has a quaint little front room with floral table cloths, doilies, china tea sets and a tea pot covered in an English rose tea cozy. I went there for lunch and had a delicious chicken salad but it seemed as if they were short staffed because we had to wait almost an hour for our food.

I’m sure what they are best know for are their teas. The have an Afternoon Tea that begins at 2:30 p.m. (reservations are required). It includes a pot of tea along with tea sandwiches, mini desserts (the best part of an Afternoon Tea!), fruit and cheese. They you get scones with lemon curd, clotted cream and strawberry jam. If you don’t know what clotted cream is, well it’s really just an English version of butter but better. You also have the option of a Cream Tea which is a pot of tea and scones with toppings.

So if you don’t have a schedule to keep and want a cozy place to meet your girlfriends, this is the place to try. And they also have a gift shop where you can purchase gift items as well as teas and scones.

Santa Fe, New Mexico

I’ve lived in Colorado for awhile and while I’ve seen a lot of the state, I haven’t visited neighboring states very much. One reason is because it takes such a long time to drive anywhere. But recently I went down south to Santa Fe, New Mexico with my Mom and sister for a four day weekend (actually only two full days because of travel time – with good weather, no traffic and minimal pit stops we made it in six hours).

Santa Fe is like any other city. It has hospitals, grocery stores, strip malls, shopping malls etc. But the downtown area is where all the history and action is. This is where you’ll find all the art galleries, museums and trendy restaurants. It’s an artist’s Mecca. Here are some of the highlights:

Loretto Chapel (http://www.lorettochapel.com/) – This little chapel is special because of its spiral staircase (know as the Miraculous Staircase) at the back of the chapel which leads up to the choir loft because it two 360 degree turns and no visible means of support. Legend has it that when the chapel was completed in 1878 there was no way to access the choir loft other than ladder because a regular staircase would interfere with the interior space. So the Sisters of the Chapel made a novena to St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters. On the ninth and final day of prayer, a man appeared at the Chapel with a donkey and a toolbox looking for work. Months later, the elegant circular staircase was completed, and the carpenter disappeared without pay or thanks. After searching for the man (an ad even ran in the local newspaper) and finding no trace of him, some concluded that he was St. Joseph himself, having come in answer to the sisters' prayers. The staircase is extremely beautiful and well worth the $3 admission charge.

Native America Art – Walking along Palace Avenue in front of the Palace of the Governors is where you’ll find the Native Americas selling their wares. Every day Native Americas arrive in the morning to draw lots as to who and where they can set up their ware which is mostly silver and turquoise jewelry. If you don’t get a spot, there is a waiting list and as soon as someone leaves you can set up your stuff. You have to prove you are a Native American to get a spot and you also have to demonstrate that you are actually making what you are selling (I learned this from one of the Native American’s who was waiting for a spot while Mom and Sister were off buying jewelry). The people governoring this are making sure it’s authentic.

The Shed (http://www.sfshed.com/Restaurant.html) – Just east on Palace Avenue is this popular Mexican restaurant. My guess is you’ll have to wait for a table any time you go there. Ours was about 20 minutes but it was worth it for the Cold Red Raspberry Soup. Made with fresh raspberries, Rose wine, line and a hint of sour cream, this unique soup isn’t very sweet but instead more on tart side. We almost had to restrain my Mom from licking the bowl, it was that good.

Georgia O’Keeffe Museum (http://www.okeeffemuseum.org/) – If you like art, this is the place to stop. While Santa Fe has several art museums, its most famous artist has a museum of her own. Georgia O’Keeffe (1887 – 1986) is mostly known for panting flowers, rocks, shells, animal bones and landscapes (if you don’t know her name you probably recognize her work). She came to New Mexico in 1929 which inspire most of her work. The museum opened in July 1997 and has a collection of over 1,149 O’Keeffe paintings, drawings and sculptures in its collection (it’s the larges single repository of O’Keeffe’s work in the world). The O’Keeffe collection changes throughout the year and also shows works from other artists.

Canyon Road (http://canyonroadarts.com/) – Just southeast of the downtown area is Canyon Road, a mile long stretch of road which is home to more than 100 art galleries and studios, many of which are in historic adobe homes (some dating back to the 1750s). Art work ranges from paintings to statues, Native American to contemporary. Many of the galleries also have beautiful sculpture gardens with old leafy trees and fountains. Even if you aren’t an art enthusiast, it’s a great place to see some old adobe houses or people watch as you sit on a bench under the shade of a tree.

Tea and Tablescapes

Today I went to Tea and Treasurers at Tablescapes 2010 sponsored by the Assistant League's Auxiliary of Denver. First, let me tell you what a tablescape is. Tablescapes are basically creatively designed table arrangements or centerpieces that showcase or highlight a specific object or collection. A friends did a tablescape for this fundraising event.

This was definitely not something the girls from Sex and the City would do. It's more something that the Golden Girls would do. But it was interesting. It was held in a Victoria house on the corner of 14th and Josephine just southeast of downtown Denver. For the price of admission you got to see about 20 tablescapes, have tea and a snack, and a look around this beautiful Victorian house. They were also selling arts & crafts throughout the house.

Some of the tablescapes had really neat themes, were really original (one table had a place setting the was identical to the Colorado state flag) and were beautiful. Although my friend's table (an Africa theme) didn't win a prizes from the judges I think it was one of the best ones there.

If I remember correctly, the top price was a table setting that consisted of genuine artifacts from caveman times and was called something like First Dinner. One table that won a people's choice award had a gnome theme. There was Christmas themed one, a Halloween themed table, a table of all Campbell soup items and one that had an all chocolate theme. My second favorite, after my friend's, was a Tinkerbell inspired table setting. It won either 2nd or 3rd place by the judges.

All of the money raised by the Assistance League Auxiliary Denver goes to different charitable projects, like Operation School Bell which gives over 2,000 Denver Public School children new clothes as well as health kits and a new book to promote literacy.

So today was definitely something different and probably not something many people my age would do (without giving out my age, my friend and I were probable two of the youngest people there) but we did have a lot of fun.

Krispy Kreme - Lone Tree, CO

A couple of years ago there was a lot of hoopla over Krispy Kreme coming to Denver (if you don’t know, Krispy Kreme is a donut shop). When the first store opened people were clamoring to get in, cars and people were lined up to get a donut. I was NOT one of those people (although I probably will be one of those people when IKEA opens south of Denver in Fall 2011!). Their specialty, the glazed donut, really isn’t my favorite but eventually I did have one, but it wasn’t directly from their store. Once it got up and running Krispy Kreme started delivering its signature donuts to other grocery and convenience stores. And at the time I really didn’t think there was anything special about this donut.

On Monday (Memorial Day) I was scrapbooking with a friend and decided to make a run to the nearby Krispy Kreme store. I was told that they had more than glazed donuts. They did have the kind I liked, stuffed donuts (crème, custard, raspberry).

Now there are only three of these stores in the Denver metro area (Lone Tree, Aurora and Thornton) so it’s not like Starbucks on every corner. We didn’t know if they would be open because it was late in the day and a holiday. When we arrive there were no cars in the parking lot but five cars in the drive-thru. Yes, the donut shop has a DRIVE-THRU!

While we were deciding what to choose we got a free glazed donut (not sure if they do that all the time or it was a special for Memorial Day) that was still warm from the oven and it was probably the best glazed donut I’ve ever had (remember, I’m not big on glazed donuts to begin with). My friend and decided to split a s’more donut (marshmallow crème filling with a chocolate glaze and graham cracker crumbles on top) and a custard filled with chocolate glaze on top. Both were extremely good.

I like donuts but I don’t really go out of my way (i.e. drive 25 miles) just for donuts. And I kid you not, while we were there they got a call from a woman in Colorado Springs (some 55 miles away!) asking for directions to the Krispy Kreme.

But just a heads up, if you’re in the neighborhood of a Krispy Kreme on Friday, June 4 is National Donut Day!

Country Road Café – Kittredge, CO

So this small building on Highway 74 on the west side of town has been a breakfast café for a really, really long time (I used to go there when I was in high school) but the ownership has changed a lot and this my first visit with the current owners. They are only open for breakfast and lunch and are closed on Mondays.

First thing you should know - it’s really busy on Saturdays. And the reason why is because the food is excellent and the portions are huge! I had the ham and brie French toast. Very good. One friend had the biggest pancakes I’ve ever seen. Not only did they fill the entire plate, they were so fluffy (at least an inch high) and tasted so buttery. Another friend has an Avocado Bacon Wrap with egg, avocado, bacon, cream cheese and topped with hollandaise sauce.

Definitely going back because they have a whole bunch of entrees that are on top of red skin mashed potatoes (they call them Our Famous Smashed Masheds). They also make their own homemade chips (see my blog at http://notebyheather.blogspot.com/ for a story about those).

Prices are reasonable, nothing over $10, just be prepared to wait if you go on a Saturday morning. But it is definitely it.

Buffalo Doughboy Bakery - Denver, CO

This tiny little baker has the BEST croissants in Denver (I can say this because I have had croissants in Paris – the home of the best croissants in the world!). It’s located on the corner of Lincoln and Dakota, just a couple blocks south of Alameda. They sell their croissants to other restaurants and that’s how my Mother and I first tasted them. We had two croissant sandwiches (one with turkey and one with spinach and feta cheese) and both were delicious. They have a wide variety of pastries and sandwiches and everything looked great. There is seating inside and outside but if it’s busy you might not get a chair.

They are closed on Monday and don’t stay open late (until 4:30 Tuesday through Friday and 3 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays) but definitely worth a visit.

Lollicup, Denver, CO

Sometimes you just never know that certain places even exist. Lollicup (http://www.lollicupdenver.com/Place.aspx) is on of those places. It’s kind of hard to find. It’s in a strip mall on the west side of Colorado Blvd., two blocks north of I-25 behind a Village Inn.

The best way to describe Lollicup is that it is a Taiwan slushy/tea café. In addition to teas and juices it also Snow Bubble beverages which are creamy and Slush beverages which are ice-blended. You can get then in a variety of fruit flavors like blueberry, raspberry, passion fruit, peach, mango, etc. or more exotic flavors like sour plum, ginger, jasmine, lychee or red bean.

We got two Snow Bubbles, one was cranberry and one was lavender. With each drink you have the option of adding BoBa balls (made from a mixture of tapioca and carrageenan powder), aka Bubbles, which have the consistence of gummy candies, don’t have much taste, are black, and sink to the bottom of the drink. We go Boba balls (Bubbles) in the cranberry drink. While each drink tasted good, I didn’t understand the point of the Boba balls. They were just chewy bits and came in your drink.

If you want something cool to drink on a hot day, it’s definitely a different cultural experience.

Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, Denver, CO

Did you know that Denver has a contemporary art museum? Not many people do. The city has an art museum, the Denver Art Museum (DAM) with has contemporary art displayed but Denver also has a contemporary art museum called MCA Denver (www.mcadenver.org) It’s located at the corner of 15th Street and Delgany in LoDo.

MCA Denver was founded in 1996 and has a really great three floor building with lots of class and white walls. There are five galleries and they perform in a “rotation sequence” which means every couple of months the old exhibits go out and a new one come in.

My mother is an artist and has wanted to go to the MCA Denver for awhile so my sister and I took her there for Mother’s Day. Two things really stuck out on this visit. First of all, there was hardly anyone there! I think I saw six other people in the entire museum (not including the two staff at the front desk and two volunteer/staff roaming exhibits. The second thing I notice (which may have contributed to the firs thing) is that the majority of the exhibits were small (as in five pieces of works). A lot of the walls were bare. There is so much room for so much more work!

Contemporary art might not be everyone’s cup of tea. One display was a dark room with a small television screen showing the mouth of talking woman reciting the late Irish dramatist and writer, Samuel Becket’s Not I, which is the consists of a woman trying to recount the memory of a tragic breath.

The MCA Denver may not have the money to do any PR or advertising but unless I knew of a specific exhibit I’d want to see, I probably wouldn’t return. This is kind of sad because a city like of Denver should have this type of culture. It seems like there are local contemporary artist that could fill the space, and it’s really beautiful space. Too bad.