LIKE A LOCAL
SKI TRAIN: Take the Winter Park
Express all the way from Union Station, in
Downtown Denver, direct to Winter Park
Resort. This spectacular ride is probably
the longest ski-in, ski-out in the world,
with great views of the Rockies from the
observation deck. winterparkresort.com
MILE HIGH CITY: Denver is nicknamed the
Mile High City because its elevation is exactly
one mile above sea level (that’s 5,280ft, which
is more than 800ft higher than the top of Ben
Nevis). The altitude means exercise is harder,
the sun burns fiercer, golf balls fly farther,
and alcohol goes straight to your head.
ON THE ROAD: Jack Kerouac lived in the city
and wrote about it in his Beat Generation
classic, On The Road. Soak up some of that
local literary greatness at My Brother’s Bar,
where he, Allen Ginsberg and Neal Cassady
would often hang out. The decor has barely
changed since the 1960s, but the burgers
have improved. mybrothersbar.com
EAT
CASA BONITA: How about some
cliff diving with your burrito? This Denver
institution — which can seat more than
1,000 diners — pairs family-friendly Mexican
food with actual human beings flipping and
spinning off a 30ft recreation of the Acapulco
cliffs. Only in America. casabonitadenver.com
LINGER: If you think having dinner in a
former mortuary sounds creepy, you’re dead
wrong: not only does this global street food
restaurant have a menu to die for, it also
has one of the coolest rooftop bars in town.
Dishes inclue potato masala dosa from India,
Korean barbecue tacos and Thai sausage mi
krop (crisp noodles), served with edible black
ants and crickets. lingerdenver.com
THE FORT: One for history buffs
and carnivores, this full-size replica of a
19th-century fur trading outpost serves
up authentic recipes resurrected from
the diaries of Colorado’s early settlers,
trappers and pioneers. The menu features
meaty classics such as buffalo sirloin, elk
medallions and grilled quail. thefort.com128 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel
DENVER