Denver Trip Report

We just returned from a four day trip to Denver - having left on Friday the 23rd and returned on Monday the 26th.

It must be loooow season for business travelers in Denver. Our hotel, the Denver Marriott Tech Center was barren when we arrived on Friday. The 600+ room hotel had no more than 20 cars in the self-park lot when we checked in. Bellboys scrambled to help us with our minimal luggage as you could tell they were dying for something... anything to do. For the most part, the parking lot was barren until Sunday morning when some high school fashion show was taking place.


We visited Denver - Centennial to be exact - for a quick family trip. We chose the Denver Marriott Tech Center so we would have access to a fitness facility and we could earn some points during our stay. The hotel clearly catered to the business traveler and in particular those who may be taking part in a large company meeting or group convention. Adjacent to the hotel was a large convention center with scores of conference rooms and ballrooms. Our room appeared to have been recently renovated and had plenty of space, a typically comfortable Marriott bed, and a nice view of the Rockies.

Speaking of the Rockies, a storm rolled through Denver on our first night. Of course, the local news made it sounds like Armageddon was upon us but we really only received about 2" of snow. Apparently the plains fared much worse and the weather led to a massive pileup on I-70.

We mostly stayed in Centennial so we don't have too many stories to share. On Saturday, we drove south to the Outlets at Castle Rock to look for a few things. Thanks to last year's weight loss, I found that most of my dress shirts looked more like dresses so stocked up on 6 shirts. We also ran by our favorite outlet store - Fossil. If you like Fossil's products or even dig Diesel, DKNY, Emporio Armani or Zodiac Watches (yes, they're made by Fossil), then definitely visit one of their outlet stores.

Our Sunday jaunt was out to Red Rocks, just west of Morrison and Denver. No, there wasn't a concert taking place but a Sunday drive is worth the effort. Lying in the foothills of the Rockies, Red Rocks offers stunning geological formations. The park is open from 9:00 - 4:00 during the winter months and still offers access to a few hiking trails. A trading post and a visitor center offer a variety of information and assorted souvenirs. An overlook sits at the top of the theather so you can look down and see the concert view as well as a nice vista of Denver. For the most part, we just wanted to get out and get some fresh air so we enjoyed it. We later drove south along the foothills and saw scores of other hiking trails and some pretty massive homes.

Monday was mostly spent hanging out in the area. The weather was gorgeous so it was an ideal time to take a walk to some nearby shops. Otherwise, the day was pretty laid back. We made it back to the airport with plenty of time to hang out in the President's Club at DIA. For some reason, the President's Club closed at 5:30 - a ridiculously early time. Nonetheless, our flight was on schedule so everything went smoothly. However, can someone tell me who the genius was that designed the access to Terminal C baggage claim from Terminal E? Terrible terrible design. Really... someone needs to fix the baggage claim set-up for domestic flights landing at Terminal E.