so, tell me about the following:

Mt. Evans - worth it?

The Curtis - decent hotel? I can get a good deal using points. Parking sucks though, but I imagine that's an issue anywhere downtown.

Mt Evans is ok, but usually very crowded. My favorite mountain day drive in the summer is to go up 70 to the turnoff to Leadville, then go south to the turnoff for independence pass and go to the top. Then turn around, come back down and drive to Buena Vista and take 285 back to Denver. It's a great view of a lot of the big peaks in Colorado and you'll avoid a lot of crowds and traffic by doing it that direction.

Don't know the Curtis, so can't really say much about it, sorry. Staying downtown is great though since there are so many bars and restaurants to try.

Mt. Evans is crowded and touristy, but the views really are spectacular. Here's one.

http://i.imgur.com/s2oQuAG.jpg

My wife stayed at the Curtis for a bachelorette party a couple years back and describes it as "trendy and fun." So there's that. It's directly across from the theater complex and half a block from my favorite diner in Denver - Sam's No. 3. Can't tell you much more about it, though.

Spent a few weeks in town about five years ago. Was thinking of taking a job in Littleton and living in Parker. LoDo is a lot of fun and energetic. My favorite restaurant in the area is The Fort in Morrison. Lots of game you can't easily find anywhere else. Bison steaks, pheasant, quail, etc.

I think I saw that place on tv last year...kind of like a cabin inside?

I know something you should do. Bring a flamethrower and rape house. Also smelt that Elway statue down.

Yes, very much. Nice view of the metro area too. It's up on a hillside in the foothills. Make a reservation. Worth the visit.

Yes and yes. Both are very good. Rent a car with power, though, if you're going to do Mt. Evans. As much power as you can get.

Hi Denver folk,

I will be flying into Denver Saturday June 8th and departing Mid-Day Monday June 10th.

My night is full on the 8th, but I will be getting there around 10 am that day. On Sunday June 9th I would like to go on some kind of day hike within maybe a half hour to hour drive of Denver at most.

What areas do you recommend for the hike, and what kind of cool stuff can I do in the city on that Saturday during the day?

I just need to be at The Oriental Theater by 7pm on Saturday.

The best thing to do in Denver is leave Denver and go do fun shit in the mountains.

Rain Man could probably use someone to do some yard work on Saturday afternoon. And maybe you can walk his cats on Sunday.

Yes, that's precisely what I want to do and am asking for advice on.

First off, do you mean June instead of July for all this? July 8th is a Monday.

Aside from that, can you give me an idea of how "big" of a hike you're looking to do in terms of how much time you're looking to spend and how strenuous you're looking for? Hikes can pretty much range from a walk in a field to climbing a 14er around here. :)

Also, how much time do you have on Saturday, and are you renting a car?

Go to mount Falcon if you want a good workout, and/or South Valley Park for a beautiful hike close to the city. Both are in the foothills close to Denver and can be done in under 2 hours.