Denver

We last went to Denver in August 2003.

While Britain was suffering with cold

and wet days and the odd flood, Denver

was in the 90s with low humidity, making

it very pleasant, especially for bears.

When we arrived there were tornado warnings for the area, but, as a friendly waiter at the Wolfgang Puck Café (now closed) told us, tornadoes rarely affect the city, and the worst we had was a little heavy rain. Being a big tourist place, there were many buskers and beggars, as well as back-packing students, around, and constantly being pestered for money was a bit annoying. Generally, however, we felt safe, even late in the evening. Denver is near the Rocky Mountains, and you can see them in the distance. In fact, it's not far to get to them. Obviously, Denver can be very busy in the winter when people come for the winter sports. A highlight is the Colorado History Museum, but the Art Museum is worth a look, especially the top two floors and the singing public toilets. The galleries, museums and library are all near each other, as are all the theatres and concert halls. We were lucky enough to see "Say Goodnight Gracie", a play about Burns and Allen starring Frank Gorshin. The theatre complex was next to our hotel, the Hotel Teatro. Getting around is easy. Everywhere you would want to see is within walking distance, and there is an eco- friendly bus service down the mall hat is free and runs every minute or so during the day. There are many fine restaurants in Denver. You can have a good meal with excellent service without spending too much. Highlights included the Palomino Grill and the Vespa dipping restaurant (both now closed). There are many good day trips from Denver. We took the bus to Boulder, Mork and Mindy country, one Saturday. The main mall, Pearl Street, was busy. Plenty of people were sitting in cafés and bars, enjoying the pleasant weather. There were street entertainers, boutiques and galleries to visit, or a short walk takes you to Boulder Creek where you can watch the people on large tyres as they float past.