Boulder's Pearl Street Mall Is Already In Summer Mode

I drove up to Boulder this past Friday afternoon and walked the length of the Pearl Street Mall, which seems to be well into summer mode. There were people of all ages walking around, having a late lunch on an outdoor patio, or just hanging out, enjoying the afternoon sun. Although school is out for the year, there still seemed to be a lot of University of Colorado students walking around, no doubt choosing to stay in Boulder for the summer. Good choice if you can afford it.

The photograph on the right shows the patio of the Bohemian Biergarten, which describes itself as a Czech-style place serving a wide variety of beers and traditional eats. A number of years ago, my friend Stuart worked in Boulder, and at the time suggested we should drive up and check out the place. We still haven't done that yet, but have dined at Post Chicken and Beer, right next door, which also has an outdoor patio, and pretty good chicken and beer, too. So many places and so little time.

I was happy to see that the buskers were out and about, performing their acts for the crowd. One of the best ways to spend an evening in the Denver area is to head to the Pearl Street Mall on a Friday or Saturday night, walk around, people watch, and enjoy all the free shows. And if it is during the fall, you can start the day by attending a University of Colorado football game, having a beer and gazing at the Flatirons between plays, and afterwards walk downtown to the mall, enjoying the sunny autumn weather. Of course, these days, with Coach Prime (Deion Sanders) in charge of the team, good luck getting a reasonably priced ticket.

Boulder is famous, of course, for being weird, and is often described as "twenty-five square miles surrounded by reality." It is ringed by 43,000 acres of open space, and contains 300 miles of greenways, trout-filled creeks, and bike lanes, not to mention being located directly under the Flatirons. Residents can simply walk out of their homes and hit the hiking trails. The city has many beautiful Victorian homes, but also what are locally referred to as "trophy shacks," small, humble cottages that provide a simple lifestyle, but cost a bloody fortune. And that, of course, is the big problem with Boulder. It is very very expensive, and most people cannot afford to live there. But what the heck - it is just a 40-minute drive from my condo in Denver, and for at least a few hours, you can experience what it would be like to actually live there, which is good enough for me.