Urban Thought Collective

Not to bite off “Soufflés in Saigon’s” territory (he writes a tight travelogue), but I just spent an amazing little romantic weekend in Denver, Colorado of all places and in the spirit of our new President-Elect thought I’d spread the wealth around by sharing it with you all.

The back story is this; some guy I hardly know though my brother’s FBI background check on him came up clean, invited me to Denver for a few days and because I had absolutely nothing better to do I said cool.

Up ‘til now Denver had only been the place I fly into on my way to Vail (in a vain attempt to teach an old dog the new trick of snowboarding), but I’m here to tell you the city is worth a visit in it’s own right, especially if you reside on the West Coast. It’s a quick two-hour flight (give or take), United has flexible flight schedules and while not a steal, the tickets are decently priced (I confess I didn’t pay for my ticket which may have something to do with my perspective of what is decent or not, but let’s not quibble).

This past summer Denver played host to the historic Democratic Convention. I had an opportunity to go but passed and I’m regretting it big time now. I had been under the ill informed assumption that the Mile High city was going to be mad corny and flying into D.C. for the inauguration just sounded way sexier. But now I’m hearing three million people were thinking the same thing and are expected to crash the Chocolate City for the big event. That is the Truman inauguration (the largest swearing in thus far, don’t ask me why), The Million Man March and King’s March on Washington COMBINED. Can you imagine trying to find a bathroom in all that mess? No thank you. Which brings me back to my “yes, more please” weekend in Denver.

Score one for HIM—he came inside the airport to get me. Love that. The terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the security measures it has spawned has really killed the romance of airport comings and goings, but FYI–the Denver airport offers convenient and cheap short term parking which at least gives someone the option of going that extra mile to impress.

For me, one of the downfalls of traveling is having to lug my laptop (never leave home without it) and heavy cargo bag through the airport, but that was not to be my fate because just like that last scene in “The Officer and Gentleman” when Richard Gere unexpectedly shows up and swoops Debra Winger into his arms, HE unexpectedly showed up and swooped my bag up off the conveyor belt so my freshly manicured hands could remain that way. I totally and completely superficially fell in love with him at that moment. Trust me on this one fellas–it’s the little things…the little things that count big.

Score one for Denver—impressive restaurants.

Beatrice & Woodsley – The food is good but the portions are small, super small, so go for the romantic woodsy atmosphere, sophisticated wine list, and signature warm bread baked daily on the premises and the coolest bathroom I’ve ever seen (yes, I’m raving about the all glass bathroom).

HE invited two other couples to join us which was another good move on his part. Even though I superficially loved him, I still didn’t know dude all that well and having other people around helped us ease into the getting to know each other game. While the guys and I were all about the same age (I tend to date guys a few years younger than me just to keep things interesting) their female companions were…well, let’s just say they didn’t know what PMS was because well, they were Pre-Menstrual.

When homegirl to my left told me she was a model, I wasn’t phased, she was a dead ringer for Brooke Shields. When she told me she was a sophomore in college, I almost snorted the robust cabernet I was imbibing all over my winter white sweater. To her credit, she was a delightful girl, thinking of majoring in Mass Communications. When she heard I was a published author, she practically pissed her pants declaring me the “coolest chick ever!” How could I not find her delightful?

Homegirl to my right, also a model and though I’m really trying to be a believer and supporter of all things in this new age of Obama-ism, this declaration threw me. I mean, she was cute, in that third runner-up Prom Queen sort of way, but I’m not running out to buy the latest issue of Vogue because her mug graces the cover. Hell, I would probably pass on taking home a free Target catalogue with her mug on it. She was cute as I said, but not exactly memorable.

What was memorable about her was her “walk of shame” story. In case you don’t know, a “ walk of shame” is when, in your heels and itty bitty black dress, mascara smudged around your eyes like a raccoon and bra tucked in your purse, you attempt to creep back home after a night of drunken revelry or a sexual tryst and are caught by someone you know. Turns out this just happened to her the night before, and while she was quick to say it was alcohol related, no one believed her, especially her date. Poor thing.

What I found so remarkable was that I too, back in the day, experienced a few walks of shame of my own, but I had the decency to in fact be ashamed or at the very least embarrassed, but she acted as though it was something to be proud of like a Girl Scout badge she’d just earned (cooking, sewing, hoing, you know the drill).

Later HE told me I earned big brownie points because I survived the pre-pubescent twins. I told him that I bought my first pair of Calvin Klein with money I earned babysitting. Piece of cake. Score one for me.

Cherry Creek Grill - Located in a pretentious part of town but the menu is anything but. Prime rib sandwiches, chicken and spinach enchiladas, veggie burgers and a macho salad, I’m still dreaming about (juicy roasted chicken, avocados, chunky montrachet—tangy goat cheese, and freshly made cornbread croutons). It reminds me of one of those old school “Mad Men” two martini lunch kind of places with its dark wood paneling, big rust colored leather booths and jazzy tunes piped in from over head speakers.

HE had invited a friend and business associate to join us for lunch, which again I appreciated because I got to see him talk shop. You can learn a lot about someone by watching or at least hearing about their work. While I’m reluctant to give away too many personal details about HIM, I’ll just say that some of what he does professionally overlaps with some of what I do professionally and so I didn’t only listen in on his conversation, I actually contributed a thoughtful idea or two.

We were equally impressed with each other on this outing so that makes the score: Him — 2 , Me – 2, Denver –2

Stay tuned for more of my Dating in Denver series… and Happy Thanksgiving.

Cherry Creek Grill, 184 Steele Street, 303-322-3524, www.cherrycreeknorth.com, $$

Beatrice & Woodsley, 38 S. Broadway, 303-777-3505, www.beatriceandwoodsley.com, $$

Tamara T. Gregory is a writer/producer/traveler. Happily single (yes, there really is such a thing), she is an expert on the dating game. Her debut novel, Passport Diaries, is an LA Times bestseller and is soon to become a Hollywood motion picture. The book is available at www.passportdiaries.com. Gregory’s X…WHY blog is exclusive to Urban Thought Collective.