Tourist First: Colorado: Denver, the Mountain Capital

Monday, May 2, 2022

Colorado: Denver, the Mountain Capital

The Denver Art Museum's striking new building is near the heart of downtown.

We drove from San Diego to Denver in April 2022 to join Jane's sister (from Long Island, New York) for the fourth birthday of her granddaughter. Our nephew and his wife, both lawyers, moved to Denver from New York years ago and love living there. The mile-high city seems made for people who enjoy skiing, hiking, biking and other outdoor activities.

We spent most of our time there visiting with family, enjoying our nephew's cooking and getting reacquainted with his daughter. We did, however, do a bit of exploring: an art museum, a wildlife rescue park, and a walkway along the South Platte River.

Here are some photos:

Victor Moscoso's psychedelic rock posters get prominent display at the Denver Art Museum.

"Prickly Pair Chair, Gentleman Style" is
the Mexican artist Valentina Gonzales
Wohlers's tribute to the prickly pear cactus.

An elevated walkway, more than a mile and a half in length, allows visitors to see
a variety of animals that have been rescued from failed zoos, illegal collections
and other circumstances. The Wild Animal Sanctuary is in Keenesburg, Colorado,
about 45 minutes east of Denver. No breeding is done here; these animals (lions, tigers,
bears, foxes, wolves and even camels) are allowed to live out
their lives safely and without abuse.

We watched the bear on the right swimming in a pond. It eventually came out
to romp with the larger bear.

Another of the many bears at the sanctuary.

White tigers were perhaps the most photogenic animals there.

Pedestrians on their side of the South Platte River in downtown Denver. The other
side has a similar pathway for bicycles.

A bridge support on the South Platte.

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Argentine Patagonia

They are called what they look like: Mexican hats. They occur naturally in the highlands above the town of El Calafate. The water in the distance is glacier-fed Lago Argentino. An hour's drive east of El Calafate, near the headwaters of the lake, visitors can hike on the Perito Moreno glacier and take a boat ride among icebergs that have fallen off the several glaciers in the Parque Nacional des Glaciares. El Calafate is basically a summer (Nov. to Feb.) tourist town, and there are a number of hotels at all price points. We stayed at Esplendor El Calafate, a very stylish hotel with a full restaurant and bar. The South American picker-upper drink mate is available at breakfast. The hotel is an uphill walk from the commercial area, but that's not much of a drawback. Click on the photo to visit the Esplendor online.

Dominica

Probably the greenest island in the Caribbean, in terms of color and ecological awareness, is Dominica, just north of Martinique. It was named by Columbus, who sailed past it on a Sunday. The island nation is one of the poorest in the Western Hemisphere, but it is rich in friendly people and natural attractions, including a boiling lake, hot and cold waterfalls, a parrot jungle and hill after hill of dense green jungle. There is also a cable-car ride through the jungle canopy (http://www.natureisland.com/AerialTram.html). I wrote about Dominica years ago, and much of that article is still relevant: http://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/26/travel/winter-in-the-sun-an-island-where-less-is-more.html?scp=2&sq= Unfortunately, one of the hotels I mentioned, Petit Coulibri, has since closed. Fortunately, there's still a wonderful eco-resort called Papillote Wilderness Retreat http://www.papillote.dm/), four acres of lush gardens, hot-spring-heated soaking pools and modest cottage rooms.

Palm Springs

Palm Springs, Calif., is a great destination for nature lovers -- Mount San Jacinto State Park is a wonderful gondola ride (shown above -- click on it to visit its website) away, and Joshua Tree National Park is a short drive away. It's also a great destination for naturists; there are several major clothing optional resorts in the area -- and for fans of Mid-Century Modern architecture. For a dose of mid-century style, stay at the Orbit In (http://www.orbitin.com/), which does ask that you keep your clothes on.

Pompeii

If you're driving from Naples to the Amalfi Coast, and it's hard to imagine anyone who wouldn't want to visit the Amalfi Coast, you should plan to spend a night in the modern city of Pompei, adjacent to the ancient city of Pompeii. Above are the murals depicting an unknown ritual in what's called the Villa of the Mysteries in Pompeii. If you can, devote most of a full day to exploring the site. Afterward, you'll want a good hotel. Click on the image for info about Hotel Amleto, a small and friendly hotel in the heart of the new town and an easy walk from the ruins.

St. Vincent

This is one of the "rooms" at Petit Byahaut, an isolated (access by boat only) eco-resort on St. Vincent, the largest island in the country of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Bequia, mentioned above in this column, is one of the Grenadines. The photo above is of the living deck and doesn't show a relatively enclosed area that had a real bed. Did you notice I said "had"? That's because the place has closed. To read about the property in its heyday, click on the image for a New York Times article I wrote. The article has a link to a slide show with more images of the resort.