We had an alarm set for 5:30am. But I woke us up at 4:30am.
It was a pretty quiet night all things considered. We are on Colfax Avenue East
which seems to be a major thoroughfare. It is very noisy outside walking it. We
were surprised how little noise reaches our room. But overnight we both were
awakened by sirens and at some point by someone’s footsteps outside. They walked
on past and didn’t bother us though, but we both held our breath. I guess
between the afternoon’s crime scare and someone in the room when we were out
for dinner. We assume it was a hotel employee. We had unwrapped the 2 paper
cups and used them and left them both half full/empty. When we returned both
cups were just gone, not in the trash cans but gone from the room. Since
someone had left 2 new wrapped cups in their places we just shrugged it off,
but it was weird. Even weirder when you consider that we left the room for 7
hours today and when we got back after 2pm, our room had not been entered or
serviced at all. Clay thought maybe if you are staying 2 nights they don’t come
in every day. But that makes no sense if someone entered between 2 and 7pm
yesterday and they have cards all over the room about what to do to reuse your
towels and how they won’t change the sheets everyday unless you insist etc.
Anyway, as I said before, I think the price was right.
Breakfast started in the lobby at 6:30am and although we
were pretty prompt, we weren’t first down. Clay had cereal and I had a waffle.
It was ok. We set off on foot right on schedule at 7am for the US Mint. You can tour it for free, but only with advance reservations. We had
made reservations online for this visit months ago but the only time today that
they had space available was 8am! We took it. But, the bad news was that we had
to arrive at 7:30 on our first day after flying and with jet lag. But we were
ok. It was brisk out walking and the Mint is about another 2 blocks past the
capital building. We were there in about 20 minutes and again were not the
first to arrive. There were 5 people already lined up outside when we got
there. They take security very seriously and we had agreed when reserving not
to carry in anything that could be used as a weapon, which included any
handbags like ladies purses! Since they have no parking, we knew we’d be
walking for the rest of the day without my purse or any other bags! We had
wondered about leaving my purse in the room, thus we were pleased to find that
room safe. We both wore rain jackets (though it didn’t rain on us all day!) and
used those pockets as storage. Plus Clay put an empty string pack in his pocket
and we used that for accumulating things the rest of the day. But back to the
screening, the armed/flak-jacketed guard that came out to check on reservation numbers
off his list told us to expect a TSA-type preflight screening. It was rather
more extensive. Neither Clay nor I got wanded or asked to remove our shoes but
after I handed over my laden rain jacket, I was asked to remove my watch,
bracelet and necklace and put them in a tray to be x-rayed before walking
through a metal detector. This was done in a room alone with 2 armed guards and
we each were only allowed in there individually. Now we know why we were
required to arrive a half hour early. We had a much smaller group than the one
we saw outside waiting when we left but it still took quite a bit of time to
take each person one at a time through the screening process. It was
interesting though and we’re glad we went. We got lucky since they don’t mint
coins every day. Today they were minting pennies, nickels and quarters. There
were a lot of pennies! I love any kind of manufacturing and this was really
cool. The building was gorgeous too. Our group was accompanied by 2 armed
guards the entire time and they made sure we all stayed together with our guide
through each room, including a bathroom check before we left that room! There
was one in front of us and one behind us at all times. We each got a free
souvenir penny as well as a planchet, which is a copper blank that becomes a
penny when pressed. Oh, no photos allowed!
We were within about 5 blocks now of the Molly Brown House
Museum, but it didn’t open until 10:30 and it was only 9:30 or so when we left the
US Mint gift shop. Clay got a t-shirt but they also had some beautiful
coin-faced watches. No one got one of those, but they were very nice! So, we
decided on the advice of our guide, Tom, to visit the Federal Reserve Money Museum. He pointed out that it was free and they gift all visitors a free bag
of shredded money. We found our way back to the free bus terminal that we saw
yesterday and headed there. 16th Street has been converted to a
pedestrian mall with the exception that these free buses run through there. So
we made our way to the Money Museum. They had security and we had to pass our
photo ID through and get a sticker to wear and then go through a TSA-like
screening again to get in. Once inside we just saw a film about the Federal Reserve
Bank system and the Denver Reserve facility in particular and an open room full
of displays. It was a self-guided tour and you could create your own virtual
currency and email it to yourself. It was some fun and we got our free bags of
shredded money, but they only have an online gift shop and you can’t see any
work going on like at the Mint.
There was a stunning building with a beautiful
and tall clock tower across the street that the map identified as D & F Tower. It didn’t look like anything was in there and we didn’t realize until
getting back to the room and Googling it that you are supposed to be to pay to
go up to the observation deck. That would have been interesting. The other
interesting thing here was walking to the entrance to the Money Museum; I
noticed the loud sound of crickets. I asked Clay if he heard it, but he said he
didn’t notice anything. We kept walking and in a couple of places over grates
that seemed to have to do with building ventilation for the Federal Reserve
Building the crickets noise was comically loud. Like when a joke falls flat and
there is an exaggerated silence with crickets. We were both puzzling over it.
When we came outside after our visit and walked the same stretch we found a
marker that said there was a work of sound art there. We both burst out
laughing.
Clay wanted ice cream now. We visited a Good Times. There is
one within 2 blocks of our hotel and it says it serves burgers and frozen
custard. Clay wouldn’t go to the walk up window of the place on Colfax but
since we hadn’t seen anything else he decided to go into the one on 16th
Street Mall. They were making vanilla and Oregon Blackberry when we walked up
so I ordered a single cone and Clay did too. Yummy! We rode the bus all the way
to the end at the Millennium Pedestrian Bridge. It was impressive. I had seen
it in the distance and thought it was either a full bridge or artwork. It goes
over the railroad tracks and has a lot of stairs and a narrow ramp along one
side for pushing bicycles. We didn’t go on it so I don’t know what handicapped
people do to cross it. I also think Clay didn’t take a photo of it, he just
didn’t find it notable for some reason even though he hadn’t seen the bike
ramps before and was impressed by that. We changed buses at the end and set off
back down 16th St.
I wanted to stop at Walgreen’s since I had failed to pack my
cranberry pills. I also wanted to stop at the Hard Rock Café. We got off early
and walked into Amore gelato first. Clay still wanted ice cream. He got a small
cup of Sea Salted Oreo, which just looked like chocolate but tasted like
caramel with crunchy chocolate cookie bits in it. It was quite good. Then we walked
over to a pretzel booth in the middle of the pedestrian mall. There was a woman
inside with 3 balls of dough and one big raw pretzel. I was fascinated and we
stood and watched her roll out 3 more pretzels then wet them and put them on a
baking sheet and sprinkle 2 with salt. Then she put them in a small oven and
set a timer for 5 minutes. Best job ever! About this time a man came past us
and opened the door and went in. It must have been a fairly new operation. He
said they were late opening and that we had just seen the first batch of the
day. I was so excited. I asked lots of questions. He asked me if I wanted a job. I wish!
It was delicious. I like big soft pretzels, but this one was heavenly. Fresh
out of the oven and warm. It was caramelized on the bottom and warm and fluffy
on the top and it was so greasy because she put melted butter on right before
she handed it to me. It was $3 with complimentary French’s yellow mustard. You
could buy all kinds of special or sweet pretzels and different toppings, but
the traditional was great! That was lunch (well that and all the ice creams).
Based on recommendations from some other guests on our Brown
Palace Hotel tour yesterday we have a dinner reservation tonight for Buckhorn Exchange.
It is Denver’s oldest restaurant with CO’s first liquor license. It has been
operating since 1893. Today Clay took a photo of the marijuana shop next door
to Walgreen’s. So, while there is a lot of history here, there is a lot of new
too.
Now I am going to go and put my feet up for a bit before
dinner time. I’ll be back to report on it and its extensive taxidermy
collection I’m sure.
(Clay forgot to bring his camera. He took these dinner photos with his smartphone.)
We’ll probably be early to bed again. We don’t have to get up too early tomorrow though. We check out here after breakfast and leave Denver.
