Denver/Jackson Hole Review
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Hey everyone! Welcome back to the blog, and hope the American readers had an amazing Labor Day weekend! While most people typically peacefully enjoy their Labor Days at the beach or on a lake as the weekend marks the end of the summer and wearing white clothes seasons, I spent it in one of the liveliest, most over-the-top, craziest places in the US: Las Vegas.
I clearly understand why people who take four-day trips there get burnt out so quickly when they go. However, the two-day trip was perfect (besides some of the rain), and I was able to get my fill of walking the strip and seeing all the famous casinos that I’ve always heard about watching movies or UFC fights like the MGM Grand, the Bellagio, Caesar’s Palace, and more. What was also perfect about Vegas was that it forced me to register my new debit card and put more cash in my wallet, which turned out to be extremely useful when I had to pay in cash to get my tire plugged.
Looking towards this weekend, I could not be more excited as my favorite activity is back in full force, with a full slate of high school, college, and NFL football to watch for the first time in what feels like forever. I’ll be rooting for my New Orleans Saints in full force, but will also hope Tulane superstar Tyjae Spears gets some love in his first NFL game against his hometown team. I could go on for way too long, so enough of this, and let’s get to the review!
Overview
As always, let’s start with a quick description of both Jackson Hole and Denver by yours truly, Chat GPT:
Jackson Hole, Wyoming: Nestled in the Teton Range's shadow, Jackson Hole is a valley renowned for its stunning natural beauty and outdoor recreational activities. It serves as a primary gateway to two of the country's most famous national parks: Grand Teton and Yellowstone. Known for its world-class skiing, rustic charm, and rich wildlife, Jackson Hole attracts adventure seekers, nature lovers, and those looking for a retreat into the wilderness.
Denver, Colorado: Often referred to as the "Mile-High City" due to its elevation of exactly one mile above sea level, Denver is Colorado's vibrant capital and most populous city. With a unique blend of urban sophistication and outdoor adventure, it's no surprise that Denver is rapidly growing in popularity. From its bustling downtown filled with arts, culture, and a thriving culinary scene to its proximity to the Rocky Mountains, Denver offers both city luxuries and natural wonders in abundance.
Activities: 8/10
Favorite Activity: Red Rocks Concert, Meow Wolf, Hiking, Music on Main (in Victor, ID)
The most notable and probably best activities that both Denver and Jackson are best known for are the incredible hiking you get during the summer and skiing you get during the winter. What’s particularly unique about this is unlike every other major US city, people have something fun and exciting to do in the wintertime rather than just be cold and miserable. In fact, many people I met there look forward to the cold when it’s prime slope season (was a first for me being from the South). Furthermore, the mountains outside Denver hold what is quite possibly the coolest music venue in the entire US, the Red Rocks Amphitheater, where I had the chance to see Bastille and Duran Duran perform. If you’re an outdoorsy person, you’ll absolutely love what Denver and Jackson have to offer, and if you’re not, there are probably better destinations out there for you.
Outside of that, Denver also boasts five professional sports teams the Rockies, Broncos, Nuggets, Avalanche, and Rapids (Yes…the MLS counts as a major sport now cause I can’t look at ESPN without them talking about Messi right now), which is incredible for a sports fan like myself. Slight side note, but although it’s not my all-time favorite stadium, Coors Field, the home of the Rockies, had by far the prettiest view out of any stadium I’ve ever been to (makes sense tbh).
Lastly, one thing I want to note that isn’t necessarily exclusive to Denver, but is one of the only places you can do this is Meow Wolf. It’s an immersive art experience that quite literally makes you feel like you’re in a completely different place. There are four locations in the US currently in Denver, Las Vegas, Santa Fe, and Grapevine, TX. If you ever happen to be in one of those areas, I highly recommend you check them out; one of the coolest art installations I’ve ever seen (video review here).
Landmarks/Neighborhoods/Areas: 7/10
Most Iconic Landmarks: Red Rocks Amphitheater, Antler Arches
In terms of landmarks, Red Rocks Amphitheater was easily my favorite of the trip cause I really think the venue is that cool, even though it rained at the concert I went to. I’d also say that Mile High Stadium and Coors Field being located right in the heart of the city make those stadiums landmarks similar to how the Superdome and Smoothie King Center are to New Orleans (I do love stadiums in cities). As for Jackson, the Anter Archers are probably the most notable, and am still baffled how someone was able to build them. In both of these places, the mountains can also count as landmarks due to how prevalent they are.
As for the neighborhoods and different areas of the city, I’ll stick more to Denver as Jackson isn’t really big enough to have many different areas to explore (although I do recommend going to visit Victor, Idaho where my brother and I stayed for the trip. Overall, especially compared to the last four cities I visited, I didn’t think the different neighborhoods in Denver offered a unique vibe to them. For example, if you asked me to name neighborhoods/areas in DC, I could begin rattling them off like the back of my hand, but couldn’t do that in Denver, so I won’t be giving this the highest score.
Food: 7.5/10
Favorite Restaurants: Bacon Social House, Jackson Drug, Little Man Creamery, Avanti F&B
Local Delicacy: Green Chili, Breweries
Alright…whenever I am giving these ratings, I try to make sure that I address any biases I have (for example: I did visit Chicago during the best time of the year to visit Chicago, and never experienced their terrible winters). Arguably my biggest bias ever will appear here as I never really tried by far the best food & drink aspect about Denver & Jackson: breweries. These two places (and this area of the country in general) are definitely best known for their homemade local adult beverages which, as someone who doesn’t drink, never tried (I’m soft…I get it). Thus, I have to base this rating solely on the food alone.
Overall, the food in Denver never really wowed me. Although they did have solid Mexican food due to a large Latino population in the city (to my surprise tbh) and a local favorite in Green Chili, no distinctively local dish really took my socks off. However, there were a few places in particular that I am putting on my list as must return to if I’m ever back in town.
If you’re looking for breakfast, Bacon Social House serves incredible strips of bacon (naturally) as well as some fun and delicious pancakes (also shoutout to the other Southern folks I happened to sit next to…fun chatting). If you’re looking to satisfy a sweet tooth, The Little Man Ice Cream Co. in Denver has some of the best Ice Cream I’ve ever had in my life. There’s also an upscale food court kind of a place called Avanti F&B that is incredibly fun with a nice rooftop to enjoy the sunset on. Lastly, I have to give a shoutout to my friend Becker for telling me to go to Jackson Drug up in Wyoming, which has an awesome setting as well as great sandwiches and an immaculate huckleberry milkshake.
Nightlife/Social Scene: 8/10
Favorite Venues: The Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, Tap Fourteen
So far during my travels, I can confidently say that my favorite late-night establishment I’ve gone to was Coyote Joe’s in Charlotte, NC (shameless plug here) known for its country music, line dancing, bull riding, and more. Naturally, this made The Million Dollar Cowboy Bar in Jackson another one of my favorites with saddle barstools, a dance floor for line & swing dancing, and a taxidermy bear that is only 1 of 2 on record for being killed by a human with their bare hands (pretty punny if I do say so myself). Also have to give a shoutout to Music on Main in Victor, Idaho, for hosting one of the most fun concerts I’ve ever been to.
Denver also has some fun places to go out to, most notably around Coors Field in downtown Denver like Tap Fourteen (side note, but seems like some of the best places to go out in major cities are around the baseball stadiums. Doesn’t apply everywhere though i.e. NYC). Similar to the last section, I was not able to experience the totality of what nightlife had to offer in Denver or Jackson as I didn’t go to many breweries, but I guess I always miss the true nightlife experience wherever I go as the permanent DD (or as my friends and family call me, Wuber).
History & Culture: 8/10
Although the East Coast cities have a much deeper and longer history than almost every other city in the US (New Orleans is one of the exceptions cause it’s an awesome city), Denver and Jackson have roots in the Wild West period of the US. In Jackson in particular, you can still very much see these roots with a plethora of country music venues, cowboy hat shops, and even a theatrical play of a western with blanks being fired in the air in the middle of downtown:
Denver today still has some of this Western grit to it, but is much more progressive than its Jackson counterpart, and also completely fits the stereotype of being a “chill” city. However, both Denver and Jackson are similar to Savanah in that they have an interesting mix of conservative roots (southern roots in Savannah and Wild West ones in Denver & Jackson), yet have a large liberal (not in the political sense) crowd present as well. Additionally, while I wasn’t outwardly looking to get engrained in the weed culture Denver is somewhat famous for (I knew tons of kids who went to college in the region who were fans of Mary Jane. I tend to prefer the song), I honestly didn’t think it was as prevalent as I originally suspected.
Natural Beauty and Outdoor Spaces: 10/10
This one is absolutely a no-brainer for me, and I will gladly die on the hill that no other major metropolitan area in the US can compete with Denver in terms of natural beauty and outdoorsyness. First, the city itself had plenty of parks and recreational areas to visit, walkthrough, etc. However, what makes Denver really stand apart are the incredible mountainous areas just outside the city to the delight of the hikers and skiers that attract tons of people to the city. Even just driving to Boulder, Colorado for the weekend gave me a view of the mountains that made me believe no city had a prettier view driving 10 minutes outside the city than Denver.
Similarly, Jackson offered much of the same, with both the Grand Teton mountain range just north of the town and the incredibly large Yellow Stone National Park just a few hours away. You can get one of the prettiest views you’ll ever see even simply walking around in downtown Jackson exploring all the restaurants and shops they have to offer (since it’s so much smaller than Denver). Besides New Orleans in terms of a food score, this is the easiest 10/10 I will ever give.
Transportation: 7/10
The last four cities I stayed at before Denver (DC, NYC, Boston, and Chicago) all offered arguably the best public transportation in the country with their train systems that are commonly used by locals in the area. Thus, living in Denver, which is a much more expansive city, for the entire month and having to rely on a car to get around anywhere felt different (but not in a bad way, I enjoy driving).
However, I will note that the traffic in Denver was surprisingly pretty bad. My trips to Planet Fitness to work out were always met with traffic whether I went at 5 PM (which is expected with rush hour) or 1 PM (much less expected). Although I love the extra time I gained to listen to podcasts, it always was kind of a bummer when a trip to the gym would sometimes take two hours out of my day (1st world problems, I know). Furthermore, although every city I’ve been to says they have some of the worst drivers in the world, Denver genuinely hosts some of them as during a single trip to Boulder, I passed by four people who had rear-ended a car in front of them. I will give a bonus point to Denver though for having the prettiest view when driving out of the city.
People: 7.5/10
When I was a young warthog (as Pumba would put it), my family took a vacation to Telluride, Colorado. During the trip, my parents joked about how easy it was to spot the local Coloradans from the tourists because all the locals were in shape due to the plethora of outdoor activities they partook in, while the locals were, to put it politely, more representative of the general American populace. Denver is the same way (for the most part) with everyone being in *relatively* good shape.
Also, the people, in general, were incredibly nice (would say thank you when holding a door or would sometimes say hey when passing by on the street), and in stereotypical Denver culture (as mentioned above), chill. However, this stereotype does include people that many would consider “granola,” which is not necessarily a bad thing but is something that I, as a Southern sports lover, do not particularly vibe with (to the UVA fellas and Steve, y’all don’t fall under this category).
Overall: 7.9/10
Denver and Jackson stand as havens for those with a love for the great outdoors, boasting pristine skiing in winter and invigorating hiking in summer. Nestled among Denver's mountainous backdrop is the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheater, a venue that melds music with nature's majesty. Beyond its natural allure, Denver also pulses with urban energy, evident in its passion for professional sports and the enchanting Meow Wolf, an immersive art experience. While both cities hold onto their Wild West roots, Denver exudes a more progressive vibe. Jackson, on the other hand, captivates with landmarks like the Antler Arches and offers proximity to nature's marvels like the Grand Teton range and Yellowstone National Park. Denver's culinary scene shines, especially with its robust Mexican offerings and specialties such as Green Chili. The nightlife, though anchored by renowned breweries, spans a spectrum of experiences from intimate bars to lively venues. However, Denver's sprawl means reliance on cars, often leading to unexpected traffic snarls. Nonetheless, Denverites exhibit a distinct healthy and relaxed lifestyle, a testament to the abundant outdoor activities at their doorstep, and while their friendly demeanor is universally acknowledged, the city also has its share of folks who fit the "granola" stereotype.
Thanks for reading! I’ve been a busy traveler over the last week, and it’s not stopping any time soon as I’ll be traveling to Austin this weekend to attend the Permissionless conference. I already know what I’ll be writing about next week, so hopefully that will allow me to get ahead on the blogging before I spend all my time next week developing business as someone working in business development (aka socializing, partying, etc.). Until next time folks…ciao!
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