I have been here 12 days now and still no job! Wahhh L But I have been spending a lot of time on the internet searching for jobs! It is starting to feel like an extended vacation which isn’t a bad thing, but I would prefer to be spending my time productively and earning some cash. Plus Boulder doesn’t have that much to offer – it isn’t a big city. I have decided to write down what I do I in my planner, so that I’ll remember when I write my blog! Here’s are some highlights from the last week:
Saturday
I finally took my bike out and went to the farmers’ market. It’s only about a 5 minute ride and 95% on a bike path (no cars around). After being spoiled by Madison’s farmers’ market, I suppose I was a little disappointed. Compared to most cities’ farmers market I’m sure it is great, but it took me less than half the time to go through it than it would to go through Madison’s. There were a lot fewer bakeries for sure. Something that they had that Madison doesn’t are food stands to buy breakfast or lunch items.
Sunday
I visited Chautauqua Park, which is a popular trailhead for dozens of trails. I just started walking with a few trails in mind that I wanted to go on. At first it was quite populated, but the father I got the less people I saw. I had no map, but luckily there were maps posted every so often. It was a little nerve racking when I had no clue where I was or how far I was from my car and I started to worry that I would run out of water (I ended up having plenty left over), but after hiking a little over 2 hours I made it back. To most people this probably doesn’t seem a lot, but to me it seemed a lot longer than 2 hours and I’ve never really done any hiking before. All of the trails are so beautiful and have wonderful views of the Flatirons and the city.
That night I went to a CouchSurfing mixer at a restaurant downtown (if you don’t know what CouchSurfing is, look at my post from September 21, 2011). There were probably about 12-15 people, but I only had the chance to talk to about ¾ of them. Most people are relatively new to Boulder. One guy I talked to considers himself a veteran of the group and has only been in Boulder since January! Only two people in the whole group were actually from Colorado. In addition to me, two other guys had moved to Boulder within the last week.
Monday
I decided to do more exploring on my bike and took the Boulder Creek Path through Central Park, which had some of “interesting” people but also some nice benches along the creek. After going about 15 minutes I felt like I was getting out of city, so I turned around.
That evening I met with a girl, Elisabeth, for coffee who messaged me though CouchSurfing. She is from France and is a nanny for her cousin this summer. She was really fun to talk with and we discovered we have a lot of the same interests. We are hoping to go to some festivals and events together throughout the summer.
Tuesday
As soon as I went outside in the morning I could smell the High Park forest fire, which is near Fort Collins (a little over an hour from Boulder). I had my internship during the day, but that night the CouchSurfing group met for trivia night at Harpo’s, a sports bar. Even though I probably new less than a quarter of the answers, I had a lot of fun. After trivia was done, a lot of people where leaving Hapro’s and I noticed that about half rode their bike and half drove. It was kind of an “only in Boulder” moment!
Wednesday
For lunch I biked to Buchanan’s Coffee Pub on University Hill known as “The Hill.” It is located on the other side of the CU campus from where I live, but this neighborhood is where a lot of upperclassmen and graduate students live. It is especially popular because it is where all the bars are located.
Thursday
After a lazy morning, I went to Moe’s bagels and Vic’s coffee to read a book I started a few days before. It is called Without Reservations and is written by a woman who spent several months living independently in various European cities. I really love it so far!
I stopped at a store called Candy’s Vintage Clothing. It had a ton of great items, including costumes, but I didn’t buy anything since right now I don’t have a need for any vintage clothes.
Then I went for a short 50-minute hike in Chautauqua on the McClintock trail. It is probably one of my favorites because it isn’t too steep, has great views and is partly shaded.
Friday
I met another girl through CouchSurfing for lunch, who also brought along her friend. Katie, Megan, and I went to a cheese shop, Cured, which has sandwiches, and shares the spaced with Boxcar Coffee. While I didn’t have the coffee, Katie and Megan said it was extremely strong and flavorful (it didn’t quite look like normal coffee).
Saturday (today)
I had an interview for a job at the Longmont Farmers’ Market (just under a 20 minute drive) at 8:00am and then I walked around the market, which was probably a little smaller than the one in Boulder. After sleeping for a few more hours, I went to Chautauqua and hiked for a little over an hour.
Right now I am at Trident Booksellers and Café on Pearl Street, a block from the pedestrian mall. When I walked through the pedestrian only part I noticed there are several street performers – more than on State Street in Madison. You could easily spend hours on the four pedestrian blocks going into stores and watching performers.
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A few months ago I bought a book called The Insiders Guide to Boulder and Surrounding Areas. I read it cover-to-cover and hi-lighted places I wanted to visit. I then created a checklist in Word, called “Boulder Bucket List.” I have taped it up in my bedroom and look at it for ideas of things to do. Below are some images of the list. I had to scribble some things out because they closed.
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