Current mood:	full
Current music:	Pat McGee Band, "Runaway"
Entry tags:	i want to ride my bicycle, i'll eat pretty much anything, ithaca is gorges, rocky mountain high, wine snob and proud of it

Things to Do in Denver When You're Big Red (Part II)
I slept in a bit this morning, but not as much as I'd have preferred. I had to take care of some business, the rental of a road bike. With the help of the intarwebz and a lovely front desk attendant named Christina, I found The Bicycle Doctor, a quick cab ride from the hotel. Given the dual challenges of my not having removed and brought along my own pedals (the kind of cleat I have on my shoes is a bit out of fashion these days, except on some types of mountain bike), and most bike shops that do rentals being outside the actual city of Denver (and me without a car), this was my only option, and I'd thought I'd have to rent a hybrid. It worked out that they had just finished building a couple of Legato 3.0 bikes this morning, and they're just about as close as hybrids get to road bikes, narrow tires and all. After raising the seat a bit, one of them was nearly a perfect fit. So I rode the city bus back to my hotel (Denver's buses have those cool bike racks on their fronts, something Ithaca has had for many years and I wish New York City would adopt as well, but that'll likely never happen).

On the recommendation of the Westin's concierge, after wandering the Tabor Center and Larimer Square areas for a little while, I stopped by Osteria Marco for a late lunch. The gnocco frito (fried cheese crisps) were light and rich, and the Classic Italian panini (sopressata, salami, peperonata, and robiola) was outstanding. A mellow Montepulciano accompanied them brilliantly. I also got through another chunk of "Limitations," the Scott Turow novel. On the way back I picked up a small piece of Oreo fudge from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, and a Chai latte from the Starbucks in the Westin's lobby.

It snowed a bit during the day, but more to the point it started getting rather cold and windy. A few of the other Cornellians in town and I had seriously contemplated a trip via light rail out to the Denver University campus to watch a Denver vs. Quinnipiac men's lacrosse game at 7:30, but I decided tonight wasn't a good night for sitting outdoors. If it had been Cornell in a playoff game or something, that would be another matter, but with tomorrow's bike ride, I didn't really feel like risking my health. Instead I took it easy in the hotel, and wandered up the 16th Street Mall for dinner when the time came.

The 16th Street Mall is a pedestrian commercial district, much like the Ithaca Commons, but a great deal longer and apparently somewhat more successful in meeting its aims. All lit up:



Upon my check-in yesterday, the man at the front desk had recommended Rock Bottom Brewery to me for local flavor, but when I arrived tonight there was a considerable wait. So I wandered a little further, and on a side street I found Los Cabos II, a Peruvian restaurant of some local repute. The mixed seafood ceviche special I had was extraordinary, and just the right level of spicy/piquant for my taste (and for my stomach, which at this point in my life gets picky about such things after a certain hour of the day). The stew-style beef main course I had was decent enough, though a little disappointing given that I'd hoped to have pollo a la brasa (one of my favorite foods since I discovered Flor de Mayo in my old neighborhood seven years ago), but their rotisserie machine was on the fritz. I finished "Limitations" at about the same time I finished dinner; it's a nice, light read, with some fun twists, but not up to Turow's highest standards.

I'm going to try to get to bed at a reasonable hour tonight, because Alicia from TNT is picking me up at 8am. I hope it's a little warmer tomorrow morning than they expect it to be... I brought my cold weather riding gear with me, but it's only effective to a point. Between the cold and the altitude, I really hope I don't embarrass myself and the New York City TNT chapter on the ride!