It’s fun discovering new things to do in a different city! Last weekend in Denver was all about food and the arts.

Chedd’s Gourmet Grilled Cheese
That’s right–they serve only grilled cheese. Pick from over 30 kinds of Wisconsin cheese, a dozen types of bread, extra meats or vegetables and condiments, and they’ll grill it for you! Yummy! Why don’t we have something like this in Michigan?

The BCT = bacon + smoked cheddar + tomato + baby spinach on cracked wheat

Denver Art Museum
They had a whole floor dedicated to American Western art — something I’ve never learned about before.

Favorites:
Charles Marion Russell’s tiny (adorable!) detailed watercolor illustrations in his letters to friends
Frederic Remington’s famous Bronco Buster, the bronze statue that’s been reproduced over and over using different techniques
Albert Bierstadt’s large landscape of Estes Park, Colorado

Outside the museum, the 35-foot Big Sweep keeps the city clean.

Buckhorn Exchange, est. 1893

How about a rattlesnake appetizer? Fried alligator tail? Rocky Mountain Oysters perhaps? For dinner, try some buffalo or elk.

It was disconcerting to see the hundreds of animals on the walls!

Leadville or Bust, an 1880′s style Burlesque Show

Burlesque is a humorous theatrical entertainment involving parody and sometimes grotesque exaggeration.

By the 1880s, the genre had created some rules for defining itself:
* Minimal costuming, often focusing on the female form.
* Sexually suggestive dialogue, dance, plotlines and staging.
* Quick-witted humor laced with puns, but lacking complexity.
* Short routines or sketches with minimal plot cohesion across a show.

- Wikipedia

Another great Denver spot:
Piatti Locali, Cherry Creek – Fresh Italian food with a local focus