Category: Travel

Top Ten Things to Do in Colorado
I absolutely love my home state of Colorado and I think that if you’ve never been to the Centennial State, you should make an effort to stop by sometime. Living here my entire life, I would say that I’m comfortable giving suggestions on what you should come do.

10. The Cherry Creek Mall. The Cherry Creek area of Denver is definitely a more upscale area and it’s always fun to wander around the Cherry Creek Mall. They’ve got a variety of great stores to shop at and some really great food places at the mall and around it. If you get a chance to, you should definitely stop at the Cherry Cricket. They’ve got great burgers and it’s an iconic restaurant in the area.

9. Butterfly Pavilion. If you enjoy seeing bugs and being around them, this is a great place to visit. The Butterfly Pavilion has a large variety of creepy crawlies and cool little bugs for all to see. You can even pet and hold Rosie the Tarantula if you want to. I think the coolest part of the Butterfly Pavilion is the big pavilion where all of the butterflies are actually held. You get to walk into this giant room and you’re surrounded by butterflies. Just be careful not to step on one! They’re literally everywhere.

8. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. I’m going to be honest here and let you know that I have yet to go to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, but I’ve had enough friends go to tell me that it’s a great zoo. I’ve heard the exhibits are great and you even get to feed giraffes if you want! That would be a lot of fun.

7.Red Rocks. Red Rocks is another beautiful place to visit in Colorado. Concerts are held at Red Rocks frequently and in the mornings they even have work-out sessions and yoga sessions if you’re interested. Sometimes, I’m pretty sure they even have movie nights at Red Rocks. Red Rocks is one of the most stunning venues in Colorado and I highly recommend seeing a concert of some sort here.

6. Mesa Verde. I haven’t been to Mesa Verde in a long time but the last time I went, my family and I had a blast. Mesa Verde is a national park and it was the former home of the Anasazi Indians. They built beautiful structures and homes into the rock and what’s left of them is absolutely amazing. Mesa Verde is a place that does require a lot of hiking and even climbing so I would recommend bringing your good walking shoes here. The views are breathtaking and I think you’ll be impressed with all that Mesa Verde has to offer.

5. Denver Zoo and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. As a child, I spent hours on end at both of these places and with them being right next to each other, I felt like they had to be a package deal. The zoo is AWESOME. Not too long ago, they added an Asian tropics complex which is now home to the elephants and several other animals. In the past few months, they also added a sweet new tiger exhibit. Our zoo has a lot to see and exploring the zoo is a fun way to spend the day. The Museum of Nature and Science is also a lot of fun with a variety of exhibits ranging from dinosaur bones to a bunch of animal exhibits to a fun health and discovery zone and much more. Every so often we have special exhibits which travel around the nation and those are a lot of fun to go through. In the past we’ve had special exhibits on the Mongols and Genghis Khan, the Mayans, pirates, and most recently Vikings.

4. The Denver Botanic Gardens. There’s a lot of pretty places in Colorado and I would say this is one of the prettiest. The botanic gardens are home to a HUGE variety of plants and exhibits. The gardens are all gorgeous and this is a fun place to relax and take a scenic walk. I think the rainforest dome and building is the coolest, partially because some of the plants are so big plus there’s a cool tree house to scope out the area.

3. The Denver Center for Performing Arts. The Center for Performing Arts hosts a variety of shows from big shows off of Broadway to symphonies to operas and also ballets. The complex is beautiful and the theaters themselves are pretty as well. Definitely see a show if you come to Denver.

2. Boulder, the Flatirons, and the Pearl Street Mall. Ok, Boulder can get a little weird, I’m gonna warn you. For the most part, Boulder is pretty great though. I would recommend spending time walking around the Pearl Street Mall which has a good variety of shops and places to grab some food or a sweet dessert, like the Cheesecake Factory. Boulder is a beautiful city in that our mountains are literally right by Boulder and the view is absolutely gorgeous. If you have time while in Boulder, you should try and squeeze in a hike to Chautauqua Park which is absolutely beautiful.
1. Garden of the Gods. Garden of the Gods is the most amazing park in the state of Colorado, well at least in my opinion. The landscape is beautiful and the rocks themselves are magnificent and gorgeous. I would recommend walking throughout the park and if you do this, make sure to bring lots of water, good walking shoes, and a jacket, just in case the weather takes a turn. Also, bring your camera or phone to take plenty of pictures, because you’ll definitely want to take pictures.
Truly, this is just the tip of the iceberg in all that you can do if you visit Colorado. If you’re interested, you could also visit the Capitol building, Mile High Stadium, Coors Field, and really the list goes on. There’s so much to do in Colorado and I hope you come to see the beautiful Centennial State! 🙂
July 2, 2017
Reflecting on My Trip to D.C.

As I sit in the airport and wait for my flight back to Denver, I’d like to reflect on my experience back in our nation’s capital. I am exhausted!! For those of you who didn’t know, I attended Envision’s Presidential Inauguration Leadership Summit for five days beginning this past Wednesday.

A lot of people have been asking me how I was able to attend this leadership conference, so I’ll answer that first. Back in 6th or 7th grade, I attended the Junior National Young Leaders’ Conference (JrNYLC) in Washington D.C. Because Envision is tied to the JrNYLC program, I was invited back as an alumni for the leadership summit and inauguration. My mom came with me to D.C. and she was attending the “Parenting the Future” program that was a part of Envision’s program.

When I arrived on Wednesday, I was greeted by Envision staff at the airport and then taken to our hotel which was the Marriott at Wardman Park. It was one of the nicest hotels I’ve EVER stayed at. The desserts we got to have for lunch and dinner were the bomb and the rooms were absolutely wonderful. The other scholars and I got to get to know each other and then we were broken up into our delegations for change, which were smaller groups of students sorted into interest of things like education, medicine, national security, etc. I was in the “Cure for the Future” delegation and we focused on our healthcare system and curing the diseases of today. In our groups, we had to create a solution of some sort to reform the healthcare system or work on creating cures and funding for certain diseases. For those solutions, we had to propose our ideas in an essay and create a short, persuading presentation. Wednesday was a very long and busy day.

Early Thursday morning, we got up and headed to George Mason University to listen to a great lineup of speakers including Paul Begala and Tucker Carlson. After a yummy Chick-Fil-A lunch, we got to hear Mr. Ziauddin Yousafzai and Malala Yousafzai (via satellite). Their messages were extremely powerful and motivating and it was really moving to be in the presence of such brilliant, successful, and great leaders. The most influential thing I learned that day was from Malala who told us all to never stop dreaming big. Malala also said to never be afraid to fight for what you want. Others won’t fight for you, so you have to take care of yourself. That night we got to go to bed a little earlier, and that was great because Friday was going to be a looooong day.

Inauguration day. My roommate and I had to wake up at 3:30. AHHH! It was so early and everyone was so sleepy. We got up so early because we had to eat breakfast and get on our buses by 4 or 4:30 so we could get the program’s buses as close as possible to the National Mall. The program had made a deal with the Secret Service to get our buses out by 7 am and the ride there was long so it was important to leave early and get there in time! Once we arrived at the National Mall, we had to walk for about a mile. It was still dark as this was happening but as we got closer to our security checkpoint, the sun was rising and we were passing by the Washington Monument as this occurred and it was absolutely stunning. It was definitely a cold morning but it wasn’t so bad that I was wearing like ten jackets. I was bundled up for sure, but I wasn’t a walking marshmallow. Once we got through the tight security checkpoint, we were in the National Mall and got to go to our warming station at the National Natural History Museum.

We had about an hour to explore the museum and refresh and then it was time to head out for the inauguration. At about 10 am, the inaugural ceremony began and it was amazing and so special to be a part of something so monumental and important to American and world history. There wasn’t that much protesting or violence as the inauguration took place and the place was definitely packed! I did attend President Trump’s rally when he came to Colorado and looking back on that, it’s amazing to say that I’ve been in the same place as our president twice. Right after Trump gave his inaugural address, we headed back to our buses and got a chance to rest back at the hotels. A nap was well needed!

The next day, Saturday, we were back at George Mason University to listen to round two of the speakers, which included: General Colin Powell, Spike Lee, Governor Martin O’Malley, Carly Fiorina, and Abby Wambach. All of the speakers had interesting and meaningful things to say, but General Powell’s words stuck with me the most. He said that it’s okay for people to dislike President Trump but it’s not okay to disrespect him. Trump is our president now and people need to accept this and support him. We want him to succeed because we all live in this country. We need to be united. Everything is going to be okay for our country. We just need to trust that what happens will happen for the best. After a wonderful day at George Mason University, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the inaugural gala Envision had planned for us.

The gala that night was held at the Air and Space Museum and was opened exclusively to our program. My friends and I got all dressed up and danced the night away. We also got to explore the museum while we were there and it was awesome getting to have an actual dance at a national museum. Because many of the people in my group were having early flights the next morning, we all said our goodbyes that night and went to bed.

And now here we are today on Sunday. I’m chilling at IAD with my mom and we’re waiting for our flight home. I really don’t want to leave D.C. There’s so much history and excitement in the capital of our country all the time, and it’s something I absolutely love. This is definitely not the last time I’ll be in Washington D.C. I hope to be back soon!

January 22, 2017
An Adventure at Disney California Adventure

After a great day at Disneyland before, California Adventure was the next thing my family and I would tackle. Disney California Adventure was an amazing overall experience. There was so much to do and see and my family and I got through most of it.

My aunt, uncle, mom, sister, and I arrived at Disney California Adventure around 9:30 or 10 in the morning and decided to get to Cars Land first. Cars Land was so well created and made my family and I feel like we had just stepped into the movie. It was so cool! Of course we had to do the Radiator Springs Racers ride and so we walked that way first. The wait may be been about two hours but it was well worth the wait. The ride was so cute and it was fun to travel through Radiator Springs and then win the race in the end. It may have been rigged but that’s okay. After that thrilling ride, we got our picture taken with Mater at the Cozy Cone Motel and then made our way towards Paradise Pier.

Paradise Pier is home to many enjoyable boardwalk games, Ariel’s Grotto (a restaurant), several rides, and the World of Color show. We decided to walk around and see where we would be eating later tonight, which would be at Ariel’s Grotto. Allyson, my sister suggested that we ride on Ariel’s Undersea Adventure which was a ride in a seashell through Ariel’s journey. There was no wait which was great and the ride was also very cute.

Once we finished that, Allyson and I led everyone to Hollywood Land where we got to go to the Animation Academy, meet Anna and Elsa, and then attend the Animation Academy and draw Zero from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Frozen is my favorite Disney movie, so of course we had to meet the royalty of Frozen. Anna and Elsa were very sweet and Anna even gave my sister and I a hug! The Animation Academy drawing class was a lot of fun because we got to draw with an actual Disney artist and he complimented my sister on her drawing which was awesome.

Meeting Anna and Elsa!

After visiting the Animation Academy, we found a place to grab some really good hot dogs for lunch and then headed back to Disneyland to get on a few rides we missed yesterday. We ran into Cinderella on the way back to Disneyland and got to meet her and take pictures with her of course.

The next thing we did was walk over to Adventureland to get some Dole Whip and also take the Jungle Cruise. Before we got to California, I heard a lot about Dole Whip and how amazing it was. Everything I had heard about it was true. It was so refreshing, light, and delicious. My family and I were able to enjoy the beloved treat while waiting to get on the Jungle Cruise which was also an enjoyable and interesting ride. Our tour guide for the boat trip was hilarious and the animatronic jungle animals looked so realistic and were fun to watch move around.

Dole Whip… It can only be found in Hawaii or at Disneyland

Once that was over, we walked back to Fantasyland to walk through Pixie Hollow, rode the Monorail, and do the Alice in Wonderland ride. While the Monorail didn’t go around the whole park, it was cool to be in it and see as much of the park as we were able to. The Alice in Wonderland ride was very cute and fun.

This was one of the caterpillars to ride in for the Alice in Wonderland ride.

And of course, to finish out our time in Disneyland, my family and I had to do Splash Mountain. The line had been terribly long all day and we knew that the ride was popular so we decided to get Fastpasses earlier in the day so that we could come back later in the day and get in line, wait for a short amount of time, and then ride Splash Mountain. That ride was my favorite out of any ride we’d been on. It wasn’t jerky or ridiculously fast like the Matterhorn, but it had enough speed and drops to be thrilling, enjoyable, and worth everything. I got soaked on the ride, and that probably happened because I sat up front in the log.

Splash Mountain

On the way back to California Adventure, we did a quick walkthrough of Sleeping Beauty’s castle and then made our way back to California Adventure to get to our reservation at Ariel’s Grotto in time.

We made it to our reservation with plenty of time to spare and we were even able to get in like ten minutes earlier than our reservation because we checked in early. The food was wonderful. We were served a three-course meal, which started with a choice of soup or salad, then an entree, and it finished with dessert. The salad was a strawberry, pistachio, and feta cheese salad, I picked their fire-roasted corn cakes as my entree, and then for dessert there was a lemon frosted madeline, passion fruit creme brûlée which was to die for, and then a mocha chocolate pastry. I somehow managed to eat it all and I was satisfied with the food and the service. After dinner, my family and I were given our tickets to the preferred seating at the World of Color show. World of Color is a show at Paradise Pier that involves fountains and lots of water and pictures and clips are projected on water. We purchased the package deal of dinner at a specific restaurant, which for us was Ariel’s Grotto, at California Adventure and preferred seating access to World of Color. We got to stand right up near the water and see the show from a very good spot. Even though we got somewhat wet, the exciting light show, reflection of Disney movies and pictures on the water, lasers, and flames kept me happy and entertained throughout the entire show. It was a wonderful experience and that like no other and I would definitely do the package deal again to get such good seats for World of Color.

The best part of the meal. (I forgot to mention that we were celebrating my sister’s birthday as well as mine and the restaurant gave us cupcakes for it.)

That was a great way to end our last day at the Disneyland Resort and I know that will definitely be going back in the future. Disneyland really is the happiest place on earth and I’m so glad I had the chance to go.

Walt and Mickey on Buena Vista St. at Disney California Adventure

I’d also like to add, Happy Father’s Day to all dads out there. Thank you for everything you do for us all. 🙂

June 19, 2016
A Day at Disneyland

Disneyland, the happiest place on Earth. This past week, my family and I were able to go travel to Anaheim, California to spend two days at Disneyland. Those two days were some of the best days of my life, ever. My family and I had so much fun, ate plenty of good food, had a lot of fun on the rides, and were able to make some wonderful memories. I was disappointed that my dad wasn’t able to come with us because he had to stay and watch our dogs, but we were still able to get stuff for him and fill him in on the entire trip. Anyway, here’s my experience at Disneyland.

Thursday we decided to stay at Disneyland the entire day. That was a wise decision because there was so much to do! Being there in June, I was worried that the lines would be terribly long and it would be hot and humid, but it wasn’t too bad for either of those things at all. It was overcast both days and the temperature was cool but still comfortable enough to wear a tank top and shorts. We waited in the security lines for about ten minutes and then headed into the park.

I had seen plenty of pictures of Disneyland before but none of them compared to being at Walt Disney’s creation in person. After walking around Main Street for a little bit, my family and I found our way to Sleeping Beauty’s Castle and the little area in front of it where Walt is holding Mickey’s hand. We definitely took lots of pictures and then headed to Tomorrowland.

We decided to go on Nemo’s Submarine Voyage first and that was a cute, fun way to start our experience out. After that, we decided to head to the Matterhorn in Fantasyland. I did not like this ride at all. Some people might enjoy a fast, jerky, extremely loud ride through a mountain while you’re being followed by an angry yeti, but I don’t. I didn’t get sick but I was disappointed with how that ride turned out. My family and I were getting kind of hungry by now, since it was around noon and so we found a little shop that sold giant turkey legs and corn on the cob. I had a giant turkey leg and it was delicious but kind of greasy. I needed help finishing it because there was so much turkey! Once we were satisfied with food, my aunt, uncle, mom, sister, and I travelled to It’s A Small World, which was super cute and a nice, relaxing ride compared to the Matterhorn. Then, we did Storybook Land which was a little boat tour through a land where a bunch of the castles and settings from Disney movies were displayed. That ride was also fun. We made our way back to the Sleeping Beauty castle to get on Peter Pan’s Flight which was a ride following Peter on his trip from London to Neverland. This ride was a joke. We waited in line for an hour and a half for a less than two minute cheesy experience. I probably would have enjoyed this ride if I was younger, and it was still really cute, I was just irritated that waiting in line for almost two hours wasn’t really worth the wait.

Finding Nemo’s Submarine Voyage

It’s a Small World

Entering the whale from Pinocchio at Storybook Land

While I may not have enjoyed that ride, the next three rides my family and I did after dinner were wonderful. For dinner, my family and I ate at Café Orleans in New Orleans Square. I’ve never been to New Orleans, but according to my aunt and uncle, it really reminded them of the actual city. The food at Café Orleans was delicious and the service was great. I ordered their “Crescent City” salad which was amazing and the pomegranate lemonade was really good too. With full stomachs, the five of us adventured to Pirates of the Caribbean, which is also in New Orleans Square. This ride was well done, exciting, and overall a great experience. The next one we did was Haunted Mansion, which was not scary at all, and it was really cool. Finally, we ventured to Adventureland and decided to tackle the Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye. There was a long line for this ride, but our hour wait was definitely worth it. A majority of the ride was computer generated and it was so cool! While the jeep moved quickly and we did make a few sharp turns and sudden stops, this ride was awesome and so much fun.

This was my salad and it was probably one of the best salads I’ve ever had.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye

After a long day of rides, churros, other delicious foods, long lines, pin trading, and crazy Disney fans, my family and I called it a day and headed back to our hotel which was walking distance from the park. We must have lucked out with the weather and wait times on most of the rides. The reported wait times for the most popular rides we went on were anywhere from 30-90 minutes and with the exception of Peter Pan’s Flight and Indiana Jones, we were in line 20 minutes at most. The cast members at Disneyland were all very helpful, welcoming, and sweet. Our first day was a little hectic and overwhelming at first, but overall it was a great first day at Disneyland. Disneyland really is the happiest place on earth. 🙂 The next day we would check out California Adventure, and I will share my experience from California Adventure next week.

June 12, 2016