Denver, Colorado

Denver holds a special place in my heart. This is where I was born and raised and lived until I was 18 years old.

●Denver is nicknamed the Mile-High City because its official elevation is exactly one mile above sea level.

●Denver ranks as the 27^th most populous U.S. city at 600, 158 people according to the 2010 census.

1.       Union Station: Trains stop in Denver at historic Union Station, where travelers can access RTD’s 16^th Street Free MallRide or use light rail to tour the city.

2.       Casa Bonita: One of the nation’s top ten roadside attractions. The famous pink tower façade is 85 feet tall. The restaurant boasts over 52,000 square feet and seats over 1,000 guests. The restaurant features strolling mariachis, flame jugglers, a 30 foot waterfall with cliff divers, puppet theater, a haunted cave, an arcade, a magic theater and endless sopapillas.

3.       16^th Street Mall: Built in 1982, the Mall is a tree-lined, pedestrian promenade of red and gray granite that runs through the center of Downtown and is lined with outdoor cafes, historic office buildings, skyscrapers, shops, restaurants and retail stores.

4.  City Park: The park is 330 acres and is located in east-central Denver. The park contains the Denver Zoo, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Ferril and Duck Lakes, and a boathouse. City Park is the largest and most notable park in Denver.

5.       City and County Building

6.       Capitol Building: The building is composed of Colorado white granite. It was built in the 1890’s and in 1908 they used 24 karat gold to plate the dome. The gold plated dome commemorates Colorado’s Gold Rush days, and the early pioneers and miners who helped build Colorado. The Colorado State Capitol is open to the public Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

7.       Coors Field: Coors Field is the home field of Major League Baseball’s Colorado Rockies. It is named for the Coors Brewing Company of Golden, Colorado. While most of the seats in Coors Field are dark green, the seats in the 20^th row of the upper deck are purple. This marks the city’s one mile elevation point. It is by far the highest park in the majors.

Laramie, Wyoming

I went to college at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. It was definitely a big transition after having lived in Denver because Laramie is a lot smaller. However, this quaint town was a fun place to live. There was always something going on at the University and Medicine Bow and Vedauwoo are close if you like the outdoors.

●population: 30,816 at the 2010 census

●at an elevation of 7,165 feet

●41 miles West of Cheyenne, WY, 113 miles North of Denver, CO

1. Medicine Bow (Snowy Range): This mountain range is about 30 miles West of Laramie. There is a ski resort, hiking, canoeing, etc.

2. Wyoming Territorial Prison: The prison was constructed in 1872, running as a Territorial Prison until 1890 when Wyoming became a state. The building held notorious outlaws like Butch Cassidy, Dan Parker, Clark Pelton, and Ellijah Canary.

3. The University of Wyoming: land-grant university with 13,657 students

4. Ames Monument: The Ames Monument is a large pyramid designed by Henry Richardson and dedicated to the Ames brothers. The brothers garnered credit for connecting the nation by rail upon completion of the United States’ First Transcontinental Railroad in 1869. The Ames Monument marked the highest point on the transcontinental railroad at 8, 247 feet.

5.  Vedauwoo: Rock climbing, hiking, camping…an assemblage of weathered granite slabs, boulders, and cliffs covering 10 square miles, about 16 miles east of Laramie.

6. Happy Jack: Mountain biking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing…

7. Lake Owen

8. Laramie Greenbelt: Laramie River Greenbelt Park is spread over 5.75 miles.

9. Downtown Laramie

10. Rogers Canyon

11. Laramie Plains Museum

Los Angeles

●population of 3,792,621 in the 2010 census: most populous city in California

●the most diverse of all the nation’s largest cities

●known as the “Entertainment Capital of the World”

●divided into over 80 districts and neighborhoods

1.       The Getty Center: The $1.3 billion center is known for its architecture, gardens, views overlooking Los Angeles and museum consisting of paintings. The center draws 1.3 million visitors annually.

2.       The Griffith Observatory: The construction started in 1933. Since the observatory opened in 1935, admission has been free.

3.       The Hollywood Sign: The sign is situated on Mount Lee in the Hollywood Hills. “HOLLYWOOD” is spelled out in 45 foot tall and 350 foot long white letters. It was originally created as an advertisement in 1923. It originally read, “Hollywoodland” and was used to advertise a new housing development.

4.       Santa Monica Pier: The world-famous Santa Monica Pier offers a variety of entertainment and shopping such as an amusement park, aquarium, carousel, specialty shops, and restaurants.

5.       Pasadena City Hall: The hall was completed in 1927 and serves as the central location for city government in the City of Pasadena. It cost $1.3 million and rises 6 stories.