Beautiful "B" Day

Saturday, February 27, 2016, four friends embarked on an adventure to Downtown Denver. What struck me as odd was that our activities all seemed to begin with a "B." Read on for our "B" day.

BLUE BUS

The Boulder Flyer, a large blue bus picked us up at 88th and Sheridan to take us to downtown Denver for $1.30. It was modern and comfortable and we arrived at Union Station in about twenty-five minutes. A huge surprise greeted us when we arrived. I had not been to Union Station for about ten years and I would not have recognized the brightly lit station for the drab, old-looking, plain building it used to be in the past. No longer did it look like a train station but instead it resembled a gargantuan living room. Couches were scattered
around; easy chairs, tables, lamps, and plants.  The restaurants and novelty shops are along the edges of the large room. Outside, I got the feeling of being on vacation in a foreign country. I did not recognize anything and many of the buildings around Union Station are new. Mobs of people wandered around, happy and cheerful. I do not know if it is always like that but yesterday there were tourists, Red Wing hockey fans in red, Avalanche persons in blue and burgundy, other persons in town for sports events, and theater going persons. It was exciting to be among so many fun-loving people! We got on the Free Shuttle that would take us to the Ellie Caulkins Opera House.

BALLET

We had tickets to see Alice In Wonderland ballet and even though I am not a ballet fan, I had agreed to see the ballet because my friend kept posting neat pictures on Facebook. I am so glad she insisted because once the huge chandelier slid up into the ceiling and the music started, I was mesmerized. The dancing, the brilliant colors, the costumes, the sets, and the music were excellent. How Alice grew into a giant and how she was shrunk into a tiny Alice were cleverly done using brightly colored doors. A caterpillar turning into a huge butterfly was spectacular as the wings shimmered in black, blue and turquoise. Dancers on a long table were entertaining in their multi-colored costumes. The rabbit and Alice danced around on their toes and he would raise her high above his

head as well as join her in some of the dances. The witch in black and red with her silly husband was a fantastic dancer. Not knowing the moves in ballet I just knew that the splits were done in the air, legs were stretched to their limit, there was graceful leaping and coordination was next to perfect! The ballet had humor and the amazing thing is that not a word was spoken!

BIG BLUE BEAR

In front of the convention center stands a big blue bear. Yesterday there was either a girls' volley ball or basket ball game because I saw many in shorts, knee pads and numbered shirts. I wanted a photo of the blue bear without anyone in it but with so many persons milling around I was unable to get a clear shot. The
bear is gigantic and even though it has been around since 2005, I did not have a picture of it. It stands forty feet high and has become a Denver icon!
 

BOVINE METROPOLIS THEATER

As we walked a few blocks to get on a shuttle that would take us back to Union Station we happened to see a building that some creative person had painted. The mural made the wall of the building look better than the other walls in the alley. The unusual wall that had caught our eye made my friends encourage me to take a picture. We were curious about the creative artist who made the wall look appealing among the other drab walls! I did find out that The Bovine Metropolis is a improvisation theater.

BURGERS 

Our stomachs told us we were hungry and we looked around for a place to eat that would not cost us an arm and a leg. We settled on a place outside of Union Stations called Hopdoddy Burger Bar and it was crowded and noisy. I decided to order a burger and a coke even though I do not eat a lot of meat and I never drink soft drinks.The waitress was helpful and friendly but  forgot my coke which I
didn't really need, yet, I did enjoy my burger and fries. One of my friends ordered wine and it was brought in a can. I had never seen wine in a can before and the picture of the gorilla did not make it look too appetizing either. She did not like the taste of Moscato and ordered another white wine. I thought it was interesting that by changing two letters in the wine can, it would be my last name! We all enjoyed our burgers, our chatting, and trying to think of another outing that would be as much fun as what we had just experienced.

BUS

We arrived at Gate 19 to catch the bus that would return us to our cars. We got on the bus about five minutes and asked,  "How lucky are we?"   We got off on the opposite side of the highway and had to "hike" a ramp to get from the east side of the highway to the west side. We were puffing and huffing by the time we reached the west side where are cars were parked. We said farewell,  headed to our own homes feeling happy and content after a perfect beautiful day.

To end my blog, I am using a Hebrew word that impressed me on the Timeline at Union Station. 

Mizpah: 

May God be with you until we meet again