I don’t know about you but when I plan to take a trip to a new place, I make sure that the area has all the essentials. I went to this so-called city, which I would not name for my own protection (you never know what people can do to defend their hometown), and I had a lousy time to say the least. There’s nothing to do in the place, the food choices are limited, even Mother Nature was not able to get any good reaction from me. I should have just slept in my room and felt revitalized after eight hours in dreamland.
There is no need to point fingers even though that’s the last time I agreed to my friend’s suggestion for out-of-town locations. Besides not being talked into going to a non-descript place, I learned a valuable lesson from that experience. I created a checklist of an area’s must-haves.
On top of the list is a first-class hotel. Call me a spoiled brat or a pampered socialite but I think that a good accommodation can go a long way into setting the right mood for relaxation. Vacation in the woods seems like an oxymoron to me. It is not a downtime when you are worrying about mosquitoes and wild animals. Thanks for the offer but I’ll stick with hotels.
Coming in on the second spot is a restaurant. Okay, scratch that. What I meant was a lot of restaurants. No matter how delicious the food is or how lovely the atmosphere is, if you are going to eat your breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the same restaurant, chances are you’ll be dragging your feet the next time you need to eat your meal, more so if you plan to stay in the place for more than two weeks. One of the reasons why I like traveling is the opportunity to taste different cuisines. Other than sightseeing, I love the idea of a gastronomic adventure.
Scenic views and impressive architecture are obviously in the list. If all I need is a good place to stay with a wide selection of restaurants, I might as well stay home and avoid the hassle of packing and unpacking my luggage. A change of sight is sort of hitting two birds with the same stone. It is an enjoyable way of reliving the place’s history and they make great postcards.
To end the list, the location should have a shopping center and/or convenience store. Give me a break. Consider the fact that I did not put it on top of my list. That makes me a regular traveler and not at all a shopaholic. There are times when you forget to bring something and only a convenience store can solve that for you. Also, where else can you get a keepsake for your trip? Pictures are okay, they are great actually but souvenirs are more fun especially if the locals handcrafted them or made them from local products.
The first place I went to after rounding up my checklist is Lower Downtown Denver or, as it is known to many, LoDo. The name already sounds chic and it builds up any tourist’s expectation of a hip neighborhood. The best part is that the place lives up to its name.
I stayed at Oxford Hotel and I had a grand time with the hotel’s amenities with its perfect mix of old yet tasteful furniture and high technology equipments. Another selling point of the hotel is that restaurants are on the same block which brings me to my second must-have. LoDo has seafood restaurants, as well as steak houses, and pizzerias. The area has 70 plus restaurants. Five days was not enough to fully embark on a gastronomic adventure. Works of architecture and picturesque views, as well as shopping centers, are not scarce in Lower Downtown Denver. The place ticked all the things on my checklist.
If you like history, culture, convenience, and escapades, check out LoDo. You would not regret it.
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