One word says it all – Aspen

Aspen promanade; image from flicker by ccharmon

Aspen‘s heritage dates back to the 1800′s when it was originally a silver mining town. Shortly after the mining rage was over, ranching became the main activity. It wasn’t until the 1940′s that skiing came to town and, as they say, the rest is history.

What we did:

She said:

This is the view from our table while dining at Restaurant D19. The restaurant was wonderful and we had the best table located in the corner of the terrace. We had a great time people watching, but didn’t see any notables- darn!!!! We did watch a couple of birthday parties and preschool children in their bathing suits and playing in the fountains shown in the picture. This was a very popular spot.

We arrived a couple of days before the Dalai Lama, and the town was not too crowded. We walked up and down the streets looking for t-shirts for Bill’s daughters and brother. It really is a fun little town not to be missed on anyone’s road trip.

He said:

We only spent a few hours in town, but they were most enjoyable. As a first time visitor, it was exciting to see just what all the hoopla is all about. Aspen is all about seeing , and being seen.

The road into Aspen from Glenwood Springs goes past the local airport. For such a small town, the population is just under 6,000, there were more private jets parked at the airport than I’ve seen in any of the major airports across the US. Its these visitors and part time residents that create all the people watching buzz. Should you decide to spend more than an afternoon in town, be prepared to shell out some serious $$$. Everything – from lodging to meals to shopping – is, by design, very expensive!

After strolling through the main shopping area – it is quite nice, but no place for me beyond the obligatory tee shirts – we began to search out a place for lunch. Restaurant D19 is the perfect spot to people watch. But be prepared for an “Aspen” sized bill. Lunch for two, with wine, will approach $100. My flank steak salad was one of the best I’ve ever had and I would be very surprised if, during a return visit, D19 was not on our agenda.

Since it was summer and we didn’t plan on golf or any outdoorsy stuff, we headed back out of town after a very enjoyable, albeit short, visit.

P.S. Anyone see “Secrets of Aspen” – the VH1 program about the snotty, bratty “ladies” of Aspen? It should have stayed a secret!!!

Category: Aspen, Colorado, Mountain, United States, what we did, where we ateTags: dining in aspen, people watching in aspen, shopping in aspen |