ChairHouse

Ask me anything   All things East End, Boulder CO

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    Events of Interest: Part One – the first half of the year

    The nationally famous events that take place in Boulder make this a destination city.  The location of the Chair House makes accessing these events easy.  Consider attending one or several of these in winter or spring:

    Conference on World Affairs:  For…

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    — 1 month ago
    Renting Bikes in Boulder

    Visiting Boulder triggers a desire to bike, given the great bicycle paths we have here and the fact that cyclists seem to have more clout than walkers or motorists.  However, not everybody can pack his or her bike into the suitcase or shove it in the…

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    — 1 month ago
    Browsing for Books

    Given the abundance of coffee shops in Boulder, there is nothing like cuddling up with a good book if you’re sick of fishing the Internet on the omnipresent free Wi-Fi found everywhere.  Luckily, Boulder is home to some fantastic local bookstores, all…

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    — 2 months ago
    In Search of Spirits – Beer, Wine, and More

    Although the ChairHouse is so close to Pearl Street that it’s hard to resist going out for dinner and beverages, sometimes it’s just nice to stick close to home – the ChairHouse, and eat and sample great beer, wine, and other cocktails at leisure.  For…

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    — 4 months ago
    Need Groceries?

    Sometimes it’s just nice to kick back and cook at “home” in the Chair House.  Fortunately, there are plenty of grocery store options nearby:

    Whole Foods:  The nearest Whole Foods Market is at 2905 Pearl Street.  Offering a variety of organic fruits,…

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    — 5 months ago
    In Search of Beer? Another view of breweries

    If you’re looking for somewhere to drink good craft beer – or any beer, you’ve come to the right place:  Boulder.  Known nationally for its diverse craft breweries, Boulder offers a number of places where you can sample their wares in addition to other brews.  Fortunately, there are a good number of options near The Chair House.

    Among the most popular in the Pearl Street Mall environs is Mountain Sun, located at 1535 Pearl Street (go south one block to Pearl, then west toward the mountains).  Always “hopping”, their beers have won awards nationally and internationally.  The West End Tavern (925 Pearl Street) not only has good beer, but great whiskey, bourbon, food (try the wings!) and a rooftop terrace with a knockout view to the Flatirons.  New on the scene is West Flanders (1125 Pearl Street) with a decent selection and good food.  If you love Irish music or anything, the place to be is Conor O’Neill’s (1922 13th Street), a traditional Irish pub with weekly Irish music and The St. Patrick’s Day celebration!  Then there’s the Lazy Dog Sports Bar and Grill (1346 Pearl Street), which is exactly what it sounds like and also has good beer.

    If it’s specifically great beer you want and you’re willing to go a little farther than Pearl Street, there are the homes of the craft brews themselves.  Avery Tap House’s tap-room (5763 Arapahoe – just beyond the Diagonal Highway) is open 11am – 11 pm and draws people from all over the country to try their twenty annually bottled brews.  Having just celebrated its tenth anniversary, Oskar Blues Brewery (1555 S. Hover Rd.) is well worth the trip to Longmont.  You can taste the beers, tour the brewery, and check out the range of events they offer.  Back in Boulder and into the foothills, Upslope Brewing Co. (1501 Lee Hill Rd. #20) offers Pale Ale, India Pale Ale, Brown Ale, and craft lager in aluminum cans (“better for you and the environment”).

    These are just a few options – basically, not finding good beer in Boulder is about as difficult as not seeing a spandex-clad cyclist.  It’s not going to happen.

    — 5 months ago
    Boulder Breweries

    Did you know Boulder has 9 breweries and counting?

    Let’s start with the closest to the ChairHouse:

    Mountain Sun is just around the corner on Pearl between 15th and 16th.

    West Flanders is a new player in the brewery game and also on Pearl St. We’ve been once and enjoyed the beer.  We need to get back soon to taste-test the food too!

    These next 3 are grouped near each other around 55th and Arapahoe:

    Avery

    Fate

    Wild Woods Brewery

    And a few more:

    Twisted Pine has a newly expanded taproom.

    Upslope is another favorite and is in North Boulder.  We like to get there on the Skip bus. Take it all the way North on Broadway.

    Boulder Beer

    Asher is an all organic brewery but probably the least notable for taste, in our opinion.

    — 5 months ago
    Walking to CU

    The easiest and least expensive way to get to the University of Colorado’s campus is by foot.  Head out the door and walk south on 17th Street.  The road passes Pearl Street, heads downhill and parallels Boulder High School, then curves uphill.  It’s a fair steep hill, so be prepared.  That fortress you’ll see at the top of the hill is Mackey Auditorium, where many of CU’s concerts take place, and all of the keynote speeches for the Conference on World Affairs occur.  Seventeenth turns into College as it rounds the curve; when you hit Starbucks, you’ve gone too far.

    You can access a map of CU’s campus here.  Key buildings include Folsom Stadium (footballs games and graduation), Old Main, the oldest building on campus and home of CU’s Heritage Center, Norlin Library, Norlin Quad, and Hellems Auditorium, which encircles the stage area where the Colorado Shakespeare Festival takes place every summer.  Don’t forget the Coors Events Center on Regent Drive, home of the basketball games.  Events and games can be found on the home page.

    Parking on CU’s campus is expensive and heavily monitored.  The best place is on Euclid Ave, where there is a parking structure next to the University Memorial Center.  Or you can catch the Skip bus on Broadway (a few blocks West) and ride to campus.

    See you at CU!

    — 5 months ago
    Quest for Breakfast

    Your mother always told you that a good breakfast was the start of a great day. Well, right at your doorstep, you have numerous options for coffee, breakfast, and brunch places that mom would approve, and are unbelievably good.

    If want to grab coffee/tea and pastry and go, that’s easy.  Walk one block south to Pearl Street to The Cup (1521 Pearl) or around the corner to The Laughing Goat (1709 Pearl, and the hip place to be).  If you are a Starbucks soy milk four shot caramel latte addict, the cure is on the Pearl Street Mall (1427 Pearl). Woody Creek Bakery and Cafe (1207 Pearl) is two blocks west (toward the mountains) and has more seating, coffee, tea, quiche, pastries, and more.  The Trident (940 Pearl), is among our oldest establishments, has a used bookstore, and has the highest octane coffee in town.

    Now, onto real breakfast.  Foolish Craig’s (1611 Pearl) is rumored to have the best Eggs Benedict (among other things) in Boulder.  Even better, if you were out rocking at Red Rocks until the wee hours, Foolish Craig’s serves breakfast until 5 pm.  Just east is Snooze(1617 Pearl), out of Fort Collins with an elegant menu including gourmet pancakes, lattes, and liquors.  For a ye olde historic atmosphere, Q’s in the historic Boulderado Hotel (2115 Thirteenth) offers excellent breakfast and brunch.

    Going farther a-field to the east, you can’t beat Le Peep (2525 Arapahoe) for fresh ingredients, friendly service, and style.  The Buff (1725 28th Street) earned a visit from President Obama and has been voted best breakfast place in Boulder. Finally, The Village Coffee Shop (1605 Folsom) offers a funky diner experience among Boulder’s most regular breakfast fans.

    You and mom will both be happy.

    — 5 months ago
    Hiking and Biking Nearby in Boulder

    Boulder streams with rabid cycling enthusiasts, so if you plan to hike or bike around Boulder, it couldn’t be easier.  First, the City of Boulder offers an extensive bike path system.  To access the system from the Chair House, just head out the door to 17th Street and take a left.  Seventeenth flows downhill and intersects the trail at Boulder Creek.  You can’t miss it – multitudes of latex-ed bodies hovering over handlebars whiz by, along with ordinary folk who walk, bike, skateboard, or push strollers at normal human speeds.  For more information about biking around Boulder, including rules and safety tips, click here.  For a map of the bike system, which extends across the city, into CU, west up to Four Mile Canyon, south to South Bolder and Beyond, and into east Boulder, click here.  Tip: if biking, wear a helmet!

    Some great hikes lie within easy distance of the Chair House, if you want to leave!  The easiest to access is Mount Sanitas, (go north two blocks on 17th, then west on Mapleton, which takes you straight to the trailhead), which received its name (“Mount of Health”) when the old Boulder Community Hospital was an asylum for people suffering from tuberculosis.  It’s still a healthy hike, and you have a choice between going straight up the mountain (easily accomplished within an hour) or up the Sanitas Valley Trail.  Or you can go south to Settlers Park on Boulder Creek, and again connect to the bike path.  For information on the myriad of trails surrounding Boulder managed by the Open Space and Mountain Parks department, click here.  Or you can take a look at BARTCO’s (Boulder Area Trails Coalition) maps here.

    Another very popular hiking destination is Chatauqua.  Founded in 1898, this Chautauqua is the only remaining Chautauqua west of the Mississippi.  Like its sisters out east, the park is dedicated to a combination of cultural and education events held in its Community House, and healthy activities, experiences on its extensive trail system.  To get there, head south on 17th Street to Canyon.  The go west (toward the mountains) on Canyon to Broadway, south on Broadway to Baseline (the 40th Parallel), and then west again up to Chautuaqua at 900 Baseline.  Parking can be dicey on gorgeous days, so you might park in the neighborhood nearby, or take the bus.  For an RTD schedule and maps, click here.  You can catch the bus downtown at the RTD bus station at 14th and Walnut.  Happy hiking and keep an eye open for mountain lions and bears!

    — 5 months ago