Boulder During The Holidays

I spent an afternoon and evening up in Boulder this week, and was very impressed with all the holiday decorations along the Pearl Street Mall and West Pearl Street (where the hippest of the hipsters seem to hang out). I was also impressed with the large number of people having dinner and/or drinks outside, even after sunset and the steep drop in temperature. Since indoor dining has been banned for the foreseeable future in Colorado due to the coronavirus, outdoor dining is one of the main ways restaurants can survive during these difficult times.

In addition to outdoor dining, I also noticed a brisk business in takeout orders, too. Of course, the main reason I noticed this is because of all the cars pulling in and out of the parking spaces in front of the restaurants and shops, which played hell with getting a perfect, highly artistic photo. A small price to pay if its helps local businesses to survive. Of course, I gave up on the idea of taking "perfect, highly artistic" photographs many years ago, so it all worked out.

The city has really outdone itself this year with the Christmas lights. I suspect this was done to help cheer everyone up during this year of coronavirus, social unrest, and political upheaval. I find myself especially drawn to the blue lights, which I think are particularly colorful. As the old Elvis Presley song goes, it will be a "blue, blue blue blue blue Christmas." A perfect song for a time of pandemic.

Boulder is a beautiful city, located right up against the Flatirons, which can be seen in the background of the photograph on the right. Thanks to being the home of the University of Colorado, it has a fun, youthful vibe. It is surrounded by a greenbelt that separates it from the rest of the Denver metro area, which has resulted in some of the most expensive home prices in the state. But you can always drive up there in a little over half an hour from Denver, and pretend to be a local for the day, which is both enjoyable and much cheaper than trying to live there.