Where To Have A Weird Dining Experience In Denver, Colorado

by Jessica Festa on

What do you get when you mix a 300-pound gorilla, giant skulls, a 30-foot waterfall, battling pirates, ’50s-era carnival games, taxidermy, flamethrowers, a mariachi band and mediocre Mexican food? The Denver area’s kitschiest restaurant, Casa Bonita.

Once you enter, you’ll go through an amusement park-style line system. For some reason, the restaurant thought it would be a good idea to have guests order their food at the door, before waiting in line with a tray for food and then a separate line for a drink. Oddly, you still get an assigned waitress once you sit, to do what I’m not sure. The host will put a flag on your table, and when you need something you raise it.

While the food and service are subpar, what you really go for is the atmosphere. A mix of tacky play land, circus performance and “Alice in Wonderland” surreality, you’ll be wondering what could possibly come next as you pick at your overpriced burrito. During my meal, I saw two pirates ferociously fight over a princess, Olympic-skilled divers flipping into an indoor lagoon, fire eating dancers and a giant ape chasing a safari guide with a butterfly net. I was even serenaded by a Mariachi band. Moreover, I had a caricature drawn, was hit by a pink light saber, wandered over an indoor wooden bridge, got lost in a bubblegum pink tea room and stared out a submarine window at plastic fish bobbing in a milky man-made ocean. Basically, it’s a lot of fun, and worth a few hours just for the shock value. Just make sure to bring your inner child, and a fully charged camera.

Where To Eat Exotic Meats In Denver, Colorado

by Jessica Festa on

Located at 2148 Larimer Street, Biker Jim’s is an unassuming hot dog restaurant serving up a very unique menu. While the crowds of families, couples and groups of friends may look like they’re eating your average beef hot dog, they’re more likely eating elk, duck, pheasant, buffalo, rattlesnake, wild boar or possibly reindeer. They also have a bat burger topped with bacon, avocado and tomato cream cheese.

Hot dogs are $6, with additional costs for toppings. And, we’re not talking just ketchup. Cream cheese with caramelized onions, Malaysian jam and wasabi aioli with caramelized apple are just some of the unique choices you can top your dog with. My companion and I ordered the Alaskan reindeer and bat dog. While the reindeer was extremely plump and juicy with a very spicy flavor, the bat dog was a lot sweeter with a smoky essence.

If you’re in the mood to eat outside, Biker Jim’s also has an outdoor food cart. It’s located across from the clock tower on the 16th Street Mall. You can head over around 10:30 a.m. to get your fix, and they stay until around 3 or 4 p.m.

Best of all, they’re open until 3 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, so you’ll be able to satiate your drunk munchies with some buffalo wrapped in bacon, or a combo dog of rattlesnake and pheasant.

Stunning Aerial Shots Of Cities From Around The World

by Jessica Festa on

Experiencing an unknown city is always exciting. That’s the great thing about travel – it allows you to try new things and explore new places. While wandering through a city on the ground is interesting, it’s also worthwhile to see a destination from a unique perspective you normally wouldn’t get to view.

Below, you’ll find beautiful aerial shots taken above some of your favorite cities. The lit up Las Vegas skyline twinkling various colors against a nighttime backdrop, the grey and intimidating buildings of the Big Apple as seen from above and the glossy and luxurious architecture of Dubai from a bird’s-eye view, are some of the stunning shots captured by photographers.

To see some of the best aerial views of cities from around the world, check out the gallery below.

[photos via Big Stock]

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Bid To Fly The Friendly Skies, Today

by Chris Owen on

The idea of flying the friendly skies in a commercial airplane apparently still has its allure for many. A common dream is to be behind the controls of a jumbo jet, responsible for not just the $100 million aircraft, but also the lives of passengers and crew. Today, one would-be “pilot” will win that incredible experience in a United Airlines simulator training session – if they bid enough award miles.

Put your money away, but get out your United MileagePlus card because the current bid is over 200,000 miles with just one day left to bid.

The high bidder and a guest will fly to Denver on June 1, a day ahead of the training session, with flight, hotel and ground transportation included. Professional instructors will explain how it all works, allow you to pick the airport and weather for your flight and even let you try out the evacuation slide and the slide raft, just in case something should go wrong.

If you win, look forward to a Q & A with airline professionals, learning about safety and emergency procedures, two hours flying time in the flight simulator used to train pilots and a catered lunch.

See more at United Airlines.

[Flickr photo by by curimedia]

Denver’s Union Station undergoing LEED Gold makeover

by Jessica Marati on

The historic Union Station in Denver, Colorado, will soon be undergoing a major restoration project that will turn it into one of the most progressive transportation hubs in the United States.

According to Inhabitat, the project is aiming for LEED Gold certification and will preserve the train hub that connects the Amtrak system with regional modes of transport, like Colorado’s celebrated FasTracks light rail system and local bus lines. The restoration will also include the addition of a 130-room Oxford Hotel-affiliated boutique hotel, a retail center, and six public plazas.

The new Union Station is projected to bolster the reputation of Denver’s LoDo (Lower Downtown) District as a model for urban revitalization. Short for Lower Downtown, LoDo was the first settlement in the greater Denver area and is now one of the most happening parts of the city, with breweries, cafes, galleries, and creative businesses taking over the district’s Victorian and turn-of-the-century buildings. The new Union Station is scheduled to be completed in 2014.

[via Inhabitat; Flickr image via Cliff]