The Glass House Retreat
Follow
  • TGHR Blog
  • Heart & Soul Inspirational Speaking
  • Music
  • Card Readings
  • Videos
  • Events
    • 2-5-17: : TGHR Day Long Retreat
  • Testimonals
  • Contact
  • About Maggie
    • About TGHR
    • How TGHR Came To Be
  • 2015 Facebook Posts
    • 2015 January FB
    • 2015 February FB
    • 2015 March FB
    • 2015 April FB
    • 2015 May FB
    • 2015 June FB
    • 2015 July FB
    • 2015 August FB
    • 2015 December FB
  • 2014 Facebook Posts
    • 2014 January FB
    • 2014 February FB
    • 2014 March FB
    • 2014 April FB
    • 2014 May FB
    • 2014 June FB
    • 2014 July FB
    • 2014 August FB
    • 2014 September FB
    • 2014 October FB
    • 2014 November FB
    • 2014 December FB

Colorado - Come Take A Trip With Me!

8/1/2014

4 Comments

 
Picture
Signature Rock ~ Garden of the Gods State Park ~ Colorado Springs, CO
WARNING: this post contains a lot of words and a lot of pictures. Each picture can be clicked on to be seen larger. Yes, it's worth it. Those of you who like the down and dirty posts will roll your eyes with THIS one. Aren't you glad I only do this once in a while...

When you go away for a long weekend, it is always fabulous if you are traveling with someone who you actually CAN travel with. That is the case with Trish and I. We hadn't spent any significant time together in well over 12 years. And yet, it worked. Beautifully!

Here's what WE did in case YOU ever want to copy us.

First: find a concert you want to attend at Red Rocks. In our case it was Mary Chapin Carpenter and the Indigo Girls with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra.

Next, have Trish do all the planning.

Then, show up - she'll pick you up at the airport!

We stayed in Lakewood, CO at a Homewood Suites. It was perfectly situated for everything we wanted to do. Breakfast was included. It was pretty good except for the morning they ran out of butter. If they ran out of coffee it might have turned tragic. And the hot tub was broken which was actually really sad.

It also helps if other people have been to where you're going and have ideas. Check out whatever they suggest.

We started out FRIDAY morning at the Garden of the Gods National Park in Colorado Springs. It was magnificent. The photo above is from the "Signature Rock." It has many signatures, but of course the yin yang is what caught my attention.
Picture
Picture
From Colorado Springs we headed to Manitou Springs where we had lunch at the FABULOUS Good Karma Coffee Lounge & Deli. Bright, comfy, cozy, farm to table deliciousness. Excellent service. THE perfect place to take a break.
Picture
image: Good Karma Coffee Lounge & Deli
Friday night we took the Lite Rail, $8.00 round-trip, from Lakewood to Denver.

Denver at night is VERY different from Denver during the day. There is a significant homeless population. There seems to be a lot of young men - probably under 30, many in tie-dyed shirts, cargo shorts, no shoes and dreads. We saw one woman - she was with a guy.

We found Jane's Mother Ship on our walk. Purple Power in Denver.
Picture
We walked the 16th Street Mall up to the Brown Palace Hotel where we had dinner at the Ship Tavern.

The Brown Palace is the oldest hotel in Denver. It is quite glorious. Gorgeous, one of a kind decor. The main lobby reminded me of The Plaza's tea room. I wasn't surprised when I saw they served high tea.

Beginning with Teddy Roosevelt in 1905, every President has stayed at the hotel with the exception of Calvin Coolidge. When The Beatles stayed there in 1964, they set up the main lobby as triage for all the girls who were fainting! One enterprising person from housekeeping cut up the bed linens into 6" x 6" squares and sold them. OH (!) if only eBay was around then!

The Ship Tavern gets an A for atmosphere. They had a wonderful group of talented entertainers singing, of all things, SHOW TUNES with an accompanist on the piano. The food gets a C - it was only EH. The price is stupid. I will give that a D. BUT, we can say we came, we saw, we ate. 

On SATURDAY we headed to Boulder. I. Fell. In. Love. What a magnificent city. I experienced a little bit of everyone I love in Boulder.

I called Bella from the car and told her to check out UC Boulder immediately.

I saw Peter there.
Picture
One of THE first shops we saw the the Lighthouse Bookshop. Well now, my therapists practice is called the Lighthouse Retreat & Wellness Center. Naturally, I saw THAT as a sign to go in!

We spent a good bit of time chatting it up with Hazel, the manager - who recognized my Intentions Bracelet the second I walked in the door. I bought a hand carved, beautiful, serene Buddha.

When we left we put away our purchases in the car and I stopped dead in the street when I saw The Hobbit poster. It brought back special memories of days gone by. 

I sent my mama the picture of the Wild Woman with a note that I was thinking of her.

The Voodoo Hair Lounge was just exactly the right thing to send to a friend of mine.
Picture
Boulder boasts the Pearl Street Mall. We enjoyed going into numerous art galleries and boutiques.

We ate at the Lazy Dog Sports Bar & Grill because it had a marvelous rooftop restaurant. The food was delicious. Wes, our server, was an adorable young man who moved to Colorado from Germany a year ago. He was military raised so it was interesting that he had no accent.
Picture
I was wiped out after Boulder. We made the executive decision to eat in that night and just rest. We had a lovely selection of cheese and crackers and apples and grapes, and of course, wine.

On SUNDAY, we headed back into Denver to see it during the day. We hooked up with Rick - originally from Queens - for a Pedi-Tour. Rick took us about in his pedicab and he took the pictures. We absolutely saw things we would NEVER have seen and/or found otherwise.

[All photo credit in Denver goes to Rick Kanner.]
Picture
Picture
Rudely picking it's nose.
We decided to get dinner from Jason's Deli in Lakewood before we headed out to Red Rocks. Note to Jason's Deli - come to NY.

After a quick shower we headed to Red Rocks Amphitheater to see the concert that started this whole adventure, Mary Chapin Carpenter and the Indigo Girls!

HOLY SHIT.

Seriously.

EVERYONE should see a concert in this location at least once in your life. Bring something to sit on and prepare to tailgate. Two things we did not do. But we now know better!
Picture
That's my new friend Meredith. She too was crying through MCC so I shared my tissues. I told her MCC would play "This Shirt." I lied. She did play "Come On, Come On," and "Ten Thousand Miles," as well as a few others - rounding her set to about an hour.

When the Indigo Girls came on stage the audience became electrified. I would guess it was at least a 60% gay audience - and lots and lots of hetero women with their friends. When they sang "Galileo" the place went nuts. They closed with Jeannie's favorite (not) song, "Closer To Fine" - everyone was on their feet singing along. It. Was. Awesome.

We created a playlist for the trip back to the hotel - getting out of Red Rocks takes a long time so we heard lots of excellent songs.
Picture
Me & Meredith
MONDAY we headed to Rocky Mountain State Park. We saw this along the way. No. We didn't stop.
Picture
When we got to the park, it was 73° degrees, thundering, lightening, and hailing. QUITE the welcome.
Picture
Picture
It cleared up fairly quickly. I cannot even begin to describe how majestic, glorious, breathtaking and astounding this park is. I do not care what your religious beliefs are, there has to be SOMETHING, absolutely something, greater than just me in order to create the wonder that surrounds you at this park. (Trish took 274 pictures here alone!)
Picture
We made it!
Picture
Picture
Picture
Trish on top of the world!
We were blissed out by the time we made our way back to Lakewood. We decided on Chicago style pizza right by the hotel for dinner. Pizza and a Margarita. Life is good.

We left the hotel by 5:00 in the morning on Tuesday and began the reentry to "real life."

The pictures remind me just how phenomenal a time I had.

A good friend. A suite. A bottle of red, a bottle of white. Good books. Cold bedroom agreement. Easy going personalities.

THIS is what makes a great trip. Start planning yours.

xo

Music - come ON! Galileo, of course.
How long 'til my soul gets it right
Can any human being ever reach that kind of light
I call on the resting soul of Galileo
King of night vision, King of insight

http://youtu.be/dI1keSSwdcI
4 Comments
Trish
8/1/2014 11:21:29 am

Wonderful post that comes as close as anything to summing up an amazing four days (I'm not counting Thursday and Tuesday, the days of getting bussed in tiny metal cylinders across this country's sky)! Airport pickup is automatic for travelers recovering from a spectacularly broken arm with a drooping pink suitcase on its last wheels. I am wholeheartedly in favor of making a concert trip an annual event!

By the way, the Girls look so young in that video, which seems appropriate because I'm sure they still feel that young, much as I do, and I'm always surprised to see myself in pictures because somewhere along the line, I aged, on the outside anyway ;)

Reply
Maggie ~ TGHR
8/9/2014 10:37:30 am

We all aged; as was evident by their selves on the stage. :-)

THANK YOU for a most wonderful time!

xo

Reply
Meredith
8/4/2014 06:28:47 am

I'm so glad you had such a great trip! Look me up next time you come out and let's get a glass of wine or two (or three!) :-)

Reply
Maggie ~ TGHR
8/9/2014 10:38:09 am

It was a delightful meeting and of course, I would look you up in a heartbeat! xo

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    Have TGHR blog delivered directly to your email. 
    Sign up below.

    RSS Feed

    Maggie Pinque

    Believer in making dreams come true.
    Intuitive Card Reader.
    Author.  
    Inspirational Speaker. 
    ​Beacon of Optimism.
    Salon Owner ~ beauty from the inside out.

    Picture

    Archives

    October 2018
    July 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    April 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012

    Picture

    Categories

    All
    2015 A To Z Blogging Challenge
    Adventure
    Amazing
    Beautiful
    Believe
    Birthday
    Blessings
    Bliss
    Books
    Brave
    Breathe
    Busy
    Change
    Christmas
    Circle Of Women
    Classes
    Cleaning Up
    Connected
    Courage
    Dance
    Delete
    Depression
    Destiny
    Digital Detox
    Divorce
    Doing It All
    Dream
    Enthusiasm
    Faith
    Family
    Fate
    Father
    Fear
    Fierce
    Fine
    Fly
    Food
    Friday
    Friends
    Full Moon
    Fun
    Grace
    Gratitude
    Grief
    Happiness
    Health
    Heart
    Hope
    Indigo Girls
    Inspire
    Intention
    Intuition
    Journey
    Joy
    Kacey
    Kids
    Kind
    Late
    Laughter
    Life
    Love
    Magic
    Mary Chapin Carpenter
    Miracles
    Mistakes
    Mother
    Music
    New Year
    New Year
    November 2013
    Optimism
    Passion
    Patience
    Peace
    Positive
    Regrets
    Reiki
    Relax
    Retreat
    Reunion
    River
    Rumi
    Saturday
    Serendipity
    Shine
    Silence
    Sorry
    Soul
    Soul Mate
    Sparkle
    Stars
    Start Again
    Strength
    Stronger
    Summer
    Sunday
    Sunshine
    Support
    Surprise
    Surrender
    Tattoo
    Thanks
    Therapy
    Think
    Time
    Toxic
    Tribe
    Truth
    Universe
    Vision Board
    Weather
    Who You Are
    Winter
    Wish
    Woman
    Women
    Wonder
    Worry
    Worthy
    Yes

Picture



Maggie Pinque

Feel free to email me
maggie@theglasshouseretreat.com
Picture