Wino Wednesday | Dom Perignon at the Brown Palace Hotel

This week has truly been an adventure in wine, the most memorable being the Dom Perignon Brunch at the Brown Palace Hotel. It has been a long time since I have felt "invited" to take my time and enjoy the atmosphere, live music and friendly company at a meal - by which I mean staying longer than an hour. Sadly, gone are the days of 5 hour social dinners and multiple course affairs.

The Brown presented a beautiful spread. One particular treat that caught our fancy was the hot chocolate rum. Served in shot glasses it was like sipping traditional Italian Hot Chocolate, incredibly thick in consistency with the added twist of spiced Bacardi Rum. My dad got the recipe - I'll post it for you sometime later. Wouldn't that be a great treat by the fire at Christmas time with Peppermint Schnapps instead of rum??

Best yet were the bottomless flutes of fine champagne. I may have had three. Or was it four? Haha, nevertheless, should you find yourself looking for a high society experience in Downtown Denver you simply must stop by the Brown. The hotel's architecture is gorgeous and has a fascinating history representative of Denver as a whole. So even though this wasn't as much a feature on wine as Wednesdays are supposed to be, its an homage to one of the greatest Champagnes out there! Did you know that the Brown Palace Hotel does a champagne pyramid to celebrate the start of the holiday season? Definitely on my calendar this year!

So in the spirit of popping corks & the clink of glasses, I bid you "Cheers!", "Salut", and "Prost" and leave you with three things:

• Thou shalt not limit the beauty of Champagne to Weddings and New Year's Eve.
• Aren't these Andy Warhol designs for Dom Perignon brilliant?
• As it is mythically reported, Dom Perignon said "Come quickly, I am drinking the stars!" when he first tasted Champagne. What a perfect image that conjures!

Playing Catch-up

I have been a busy little bee lately. Sorry about my long absence! So much has been happening lately, I don't know where to start. I guess I'll feature each of my recent adventures in regular posts this week - it'll help me collect my thoughts more easily.

As for now, here's a little something that has peaked my interest lately, Downton Abbey is a fascinating British Edwardian Drama miniseries. I love the wit and polite banter between characters (especially when they're really insulting each other!) And the web of love triangles and drama! (not to mention the costumes)

My folks came to town this week and we did so much around Denver! I'll post about our Dom Perignon Brunch at the Brown Palace Hotel tomorrow for Wino Wednesday. Following that I'll post about a day trip to Colorado & Manitou springs with my mother.

Other fun Denver activities we did:

The Molly Brown House is beautifully restored, and she's such an aspiring and philanthropic leader!

Visited St. John's Anglican Cathedral. Such beautiful architecture, though the liturgy isn't entirely adherent to the BCP but none-the-less a great candidate for a home church here with a large choir and young adult population. They label themselves as "progressive" so we'll have to see where this goes.

Wino Wednesday

Oh. My. Gosh. I HAVE to go here sometime.

Les Sources de Caudalie, a wine therapy spa, located on the grounds of the Grand Cru Smith Haut Lafitte vineyard in Bordeaux. You not only drink wine (with high Parker ratings), but you soak in wine by-products and get massaged and pampered by other wine by-products. Merlot body wrap? Yes, Please! Sauvignon massage? Double yes! Oh, and the crushed Cabernet scrub sounds divine as well.

The spa is also outfitted as a premier hotel with hot tubs, pools and two great restaurants with two star chefs. Where do I sign up?

The Expat in Me

Sometimes I wonder why I can't fully express my strong desire to live abroad and become a part of British culture (not permanently, but at least for several years at least.) I know a good part of it is because the History nerd in me romanticizes much of it, but after one year living in England, I'm still not dissuaded. The desire courses in my veins and re-inspires me every now and then.

I came upon this portion of C'est la Vie in which Suzy really seemed to capture some of those similar feelings I have on the matter. In lieu of France, read "England".

In America's large population, it's harder to find your way and to make your own place. I had often felt lost in America...if you are not young and rich and hot to trot, you are invisible.

As an American who stepped into this new world, I think I was able to adjust more easily than some because I have always had an interest in history and a passion for a way of life that is all but gone from the United States. My university degree is in history; my favorite books are historical fiction and historical biography. I am truly interested in how life was lived int he past, which, believe it or not provides information for daily life in modern France.

I have a personal theory that many of the Americans who like living in France share an inner craving to return to a way of life from times past; they don't mind that many things in France don't work... that France is behind the times in just about everything. They prefer the slow pace and the social structure of another era. The trade-offs are worth it. Sure, these expats have mobile phones and computers and enjoy modern modem life, but they are also offended by the hustle and bustle of a world of yield management, crime in the home as well as on the streets, drive-by shootings and corporate unaccountability without employer loyalty for the working guy...

It's my bet that expats also like the challenge of things being a little bit harder within the structure of their lives; they are as tough as pioneers and can take the stress of doing business - and living life - in a different code. They like the rules and the manners; they like the quaint thinking that passes as marketing in France. They like a country that is about bad television and good magazines and even better conversation.

SATC Fashion Inspiration

For a little fashion inspiration today, I never get tired of SJP's outfits from SATC (especially II).... I tend to turn to this series when I'm looking for classic and contemporary fashion inspiration. Some of the outfits, I admit, are a little too cutting edge for me, but there's always something good to be taken away from one.

I love, love, love her opening Halston dress!

Shoes: Christian Louboutin, Dress: Halston, Necklace: Solange Azagury-Partridge, Sunglasses: Mykita

Dress: Halston, Bag: Christian Louboutin, Shoes: Christian Louboutin, Bracelet: Jimmy Choo

This is my favorite SJP Dress tops. Probably because it reminds me of the romantic glamour of the early 20th century...

Dress: Ralph Lauren, Bag: Hermes, Boater: Albertus Swanepoel

Dress: Lanvin, Necklace: Stephen Dweck, the Perfect Man: Chris Noth

Did you know that the costume budget for SATC2 was reportedly more than $10 million???

Other fun things for today:

German Shepherds that love playing with soda water.

SATC2 re-inspired my desire to travel to Marrakech, Morocco.

Just a little less than 1 month before the folks come back to Denver for a visit! I've been playing hostess in my head quite a bit, so there should be some fun posts coming after they're here. Oh, and I finally got my new camera battery in the mail! Yaaaay for not as many google image pics on my blog!

Organize Your Library

I normally am so serious when I organize my library by either author or genre - though I don't go so far as Dewey Decimal system. Well today I felt a little creative and decided to organize my books by color. The thought must have remained in my subconscious after watching this really fun video several months ago.

I have just enough books to fill my fireplace mantle, plus organizing them by color looks neat, organized and stylish. It's a great statement piece in lieu of any artwork. Looks like I need more brighter green and blue books...

Most designers I see tend to organize in the following pattern: white, creams, tan, brown, red, yellow, green, blue, purple, gray and blacks. The color system is best for visual people, or those with a photographic memory - otherwise you might spend a good while looking if you have more than 50 books.

BTW, I was leafing through an old magazine and stumbled on this adorable DVF retro bikini. (minus the ghastly shoes) Who wouldn't feel like Marilyn Monroe in this piece and a pair of classic Wayfarers.

Goodness, does this picture make me long for the Cali beaches and our family's annual summer retreat to Carpinteria. It's no fun being a grown up at times. Something new called responsibility & work, sheesh...

Lo-Do

The nice thing about having two part-time jobs is getting random days of the week off as your "weekend." This week for example, I work through Memorial weekend and yesterday, Wednesday, was my day off. I actually liked having a weekday off - I had a greater sense of productivity and adventure because the world was awake and open for business.

So yesterday, I ventured to Downtown Denver, more commonly referred to as "Lo-Do." My time was limited however (partially due to unpleasantly high parking costs), so I restrained my wanderings to 16th street. You know what's amazing?? They have a free public transit line that runs all the way up and down 16th. It definitely helped make my time more efficient, though I do prefer to walk outside and soak up the culture around me. It'll take a couple more times for me to fully figure out the vibe of Lo-Do, but for my one brief visit it showed great potential.

I have the unfortunate habit of comparing every major American city I visit to the wonderful experiences I had in European cities such as London, Oxford, Paris and Vienna to name a few. Perhaps I need to revisit some cities like San Francisco, Chicago or NYC and experience them anew through the eyes of an independent adult without parents or siblings around (college years don't count - you're still somewhat dependent at that point and still growing in many ways). Well then, I guess Downtown Denver was my first foray into my beginning adult metropolitan experiences. Though I technically live in Denver, I'm on the outskirts of the city limit and its more suburban than anything with mass amounts of traffic, big box stores and chain restaurants. Lo-Do offers the things I look for living in a big city: privately owned businesses with unique themes, a higher class and quality of living than you find in Target or Walmart, and the sidewalk population is a blend of modern commercialism with indie and artsy threads woven throughout.

On this first visit I patronized a couple of unique establishments. Wines off Wynkoop is a small wineshop that you can only access by alley-way. I felt so "in on the know" walking back to the shop doors. Bonus, Wednesday happened to be a special discount day - save 15% off domestic whites when you buy 2 or more! Next door, past the alley, is the Tattered Cover Book Store. It reminded me so much of Blackwell's in Oxford! The place is so characteristic of a family owned bookstore with well worn hardwood floors, a mix of used and new books, leather furniture just begging you to sink into with a hot Mocha Cappucino. It's a good thing I don't live anywhere nearby, otherwise I'd be spending hours relaxing there. I simply must bring my camera next time to take some pictures of my own & share with you all! They also have a really great line-up of events and visiting authors on a regular basis.

Both of these stores show what makes small privately owned businesses so characteristic of downtown areas. In order to stay in business, they have to work incredibly hard to attract new customers and retain loyal customers with different promotions, events or rewards programs. They don't have the automatic clientele loyalty to a brand such as Starbucks, Barnes & Noble or Beverage More may have, so these small businesses make up for it in other ways. In all honesty though, its those personal touches and going the extra mile for the customer that makes me so much more loyal than to any chain store.

So I'll have many more small business experiences to share with you next time I go Lo-Do. What are some of your favorite unique downtown shopping experiences?