La Dolce Vita....Colorado style

K found us a sweet package deal to Aspen*, including 3 nights in a very upscale hotel, the Viceroy at Snowmass Village.  When we checked in on Friday afternoon I was indeed impressed.  The lobby had this very elegant contemporary "fire and ice" display:

We arrived at our "room" on the 6th floor (right below the penthouse) to find that it was actually a suite:

*pardon our mess*

Even our  TV menu was personalized:

The clincher, however, was this bath.  It measured 15' x 18'....HUGE:

We spent many happy hours (OK, maybe I exaggerate) under the shower rainhead:

I honestly think 4 or 5 people could have comfortably fit in this shower.  (There must be some mighty kinky folks in Colorado!) The shower was stocked with bottles of designer body wash, shampoo, and conditioner which were also available for purchase from the hotel boutique for $40 each.  (We passed.)

Every morning we put on our fuzzy robes and sat on our balcony, sipping espresso (her) and juice (me).  We also found a German bakery in town and stocked up on a few pastries....yummy!

Mr. Homebuilder here was impressed with the quality of things, too...Poggenpohl European cabinets, Viking, Wolf, & Bosch kitchen and laundry appliances, (2) LG flat screens, see-thru gas fireplace, granite tops and honed marble floors....all top quality stuff.  I wasn't expecting to see this in a hotel!

Valet parking, a concierge of course, an elegant restaurant and bar....it couldn't have been nicer.  Now are you ready for the price? This was regularly a $650 per night room / suite, but we got it for $77 a night.  All I can figure is that Kelly must have sounded SUPER sexy over the phone when she signed us up!  *wink*  :)

S

* "Aspen" is sometimes used generically to include the town and resort of Aspen, and also the nearby area that includes the resorts of Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, and Snowmass Village.  We stayed in Snowmass, but spent most of our time in Aspen proper.

Colorado High

We're back from Colorado, and I still can't wipe this silly grin off my face.  It was SO cool, both literally and figuratively.  We flew from Dallas to Aspen via Denver with no hitches (United), arriving there about 1 pm.  Since our hotel check-in wasn't until 4, we decided to make the drive to Independence Pass, along the way passing snowdrifts on the side of the road still 12' high:

There was a photo spot a few hundred yards from the parking lot and I made a beeline for it....and discovered the thin mountain air.  Within 50 yards I began to feel dizzy, and recognizing what it was, stopped in my tracks and regained my balance, then slowed my pace.  I (K too) had a mild headache the rest of the day, but after that we were sufficiently acclimated.  Isn't this view breathtaking?....

All along the drive up we kept passing snow runoff headed towards the Roaring Fork River:

We eventually found a turnoff where we could check out a small tributary up close and personal.  That's where K dipped her foot in the river and pronounced it freezing cold.  Umm....Lover....it's snowmelt!  This was of interest to us as 2 days later we had reservations on a whitewater rafting trip down the Upper Roaring Fork.

Yes Sweetie, you...in there!

Later that day we checked in to our room at the Viceroy at Snowmass (more on that in another post), then went out for a nice meal and at 9 pm, a walking Ghost Tour of Aspen.  It was fun, and the only time all weekend that we had to wear our jackets.  The rest of the time it was cool, but sunny and calm.  (Pixel Peeper...nightimes, low 50's; daytime, upper 70's.)

The next day we drove to Aspen Highlands, then took the shuttle to Maroon Bells, probably the single most-photographed mountain(s) in all of Colorado:

We hiked around the lake towards the mountain, seeing deer and a beaver dam along the way, finally turning back as the last bus of the day left at 5 pm and we didn't dare miss it.

That's enough for now.  I'll share more later.  :)

S

Exhausted

We're at the Aspen a-port, exhausted, hugely satisfied, and dreading the return to the real world. Doing all the typical tourist stuff...sightseeing, hiking, rafting, etc, has flat worn us out, but at least we made the most of our time. We can sleep on Dallas time. I'll share details later.

Hope y'all have been behaving yourselves.

S

Advice for a successful life

To be sure of hitting your target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target.  Works every time!  :)


S

Today's paraprosdokian

We never really grow up.  We just learn how to act in public.

Countin' down the days....

....until vacation.  What it lacks in quantity (4 days, just 3 nights) it more than makes up for in quality (Colorado).  I am SO ready for some cooler weather, even if it's just for a few days.


Today I went with K to her yearly oncology follow-up exam, which turned out to be an all-day affair.  She received an "all clear" which I know is a load off her mind, so now we (she) can go on vacation without any worries.


K is washing our travel clothes tonight and I'm...umm...letting her.  :)


Camera batteries are charged, loose ends at work have been tended to, and the dog sitter is standing by.  Get a few bucks tomorrow from "the machine what spits out the cash", and I'm outta here.


Later everyone.  


S

One issue resolved, and another pops up....

Yesterday's situation (see previous post) with the obstinate building inspector has been resolved.  He reviewed the info I brought him and agreed I was doing things per code.  He did want one more bit of documentation, which he admitted was a simple CYA (Cover Your Ass) exercise on his part.  It just never ends!  This is why I have so little use for bureaucrats.... except those whose names start with "D" and end in "orrie".  *wink*


Seriously, when I hear city managers whining about budget shortfalls, and how are they ever going to make ends meet, boohoohoo, I have very little sympathy for them.  I honestly believe we could reduce the size of government by 25% or more and not miss a beat, that's how much dead wood there is.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now my new, more personal issue:  Last week our apartment management sent crews around to enter our apartments and change our smoke detector batteries.  (Told ya I don't lift a finger here :)  When K came home mid-afternoon for her lunch and to let the dog out she found the dog IN THE BATHTUB! That was apparently their way of getting her out of their way.  How long was she there?...10 minutes?...3 hours? Why did they leave her in there when they were through?  She went to the office to complain, and when I got home later I went and complained, too.  They promised it would never happen again.


This week they notified us they were sending crews around to freshen the paint on our exterior doors, and that if we would prefer to be there to call and set up an appointment.  Remembering the stink from the week before, I made an appointment for 4 PM today.  I got home well before 4 and our housekeeper told me some maintenance guy just let himself in an hour earlier and she shooed him away.  


Back to the office I went to complain.  "Does an appointment mean nothing to you people?  I can't lock my dog up...she doesn't even have a crate.  That's why I prefer to be there."  Then the manager told me she confronted the employee  involved in the dog-in-the-bathtub incident (borrowed from a sister complex elsewhere), and he denied everything.  I told her HE LIED, that my dog literally could not jump into a bathtub.  She's too old and too small.


I will not tolerate a liar.  No more Mr. Nice Guy here.  I'm writing to the parent company and complaining, and if he gets fired, then my position is he fired himself by his actions and his lying.


Rant over.


S