I spent a couple days in Colorado, USA pondering thoughts of indigenous technology, living off the land, self sovereignty + true refuge. This was my second time traveling since before the COVID-19 outbreak + I decided to road trip through Colorado with my mom. We arrived to Denver as our first stop.
It was my first time in Denver , but the city felt oddly familiar. My second day in the city began with brunch at Sunday Vinyl, which sits right on the Union Station platform in the LoDo (lower downtown) neighborhood. Oddly enough this station gave me a flashback to Rotterdam Centraal in Amsterdam, maybe for a reason or simply because I've been feeling very enchanted with wanderlust (during a pandemic though? Relax Lamiah). SV belongs to Frasca Food & Wine Group, and I was excited to dine in on this fine Sunday morning.
When initially looking for cool nature sites + dining in Denver , the local town of Boulder was on all the Colorado travel guides I found on our beloved Internet. I was intending on dining at Frasca Food & Wine but their hours + my limited availability weren 't in alignment. Instead of dining + hiking in Boulder , I was hosted at SV in Denver + went down to Colorado Springs for a hike the next day.
I don't day drink often, but I will have a brunch glass or two. The two drinks I would suggest from the brunch cocktails are the alpine morning, a cold brew with a milky kick + the herbal gin spritz, the herbal tea drinkers spin on a daytime cocktail.
We had a huge brunch with 4 appetizers + 2 entrees. Of them all I enjoyed the Fig Duck Confit with egg + smoked salmon avocado toast, both of which are a wee bit outside of my typical diet. Nonetheless, they had very distinguished tastes, with the former being extremely rich + great for sharing with your date. Overall Sunday Vinyl was a 10/10 experience, I saw the staff diligently cleaning the environment + we are seated well over 6 ft from other parties.
I have hope that the restaurant industry will make it through. This was my first dining experience in CO, but back home there are so many family owned establishments taking a hit due to Covid. Enjoying an intimate dinner with those I love is one of my favorite pleasures of life and if they came to an end I'd be quite sad, though it'd make more space for dinner parties at home. hmmmm..
The outfit was kept casual + perfect for the nippy Denver air. I wore a mohair sweater my dear Rouje, silk pants are from Baum und Pferdgarten + boots Urban Outfitters.
Just how risky is it to travel right now? Depending where you ask, the answers will vary. A couple weeks ago I flew to ATL, GA for family matters and I took all the proper precautions, flew first class for more space + took COVID-19 test before + after arriving. Thank God, all tests I've taken thus far have been negative, but by no means am I encouraging you to travel all willy-nilly. I am simply saying do what you have to do, but remain cautious and proactive.
I was debating on the trip to Colorado, but went anyway because I felt I needed an escape.
Every time I visit the more scenic + rural parts of the USA, I find myself mourning, in a bittersweet way. Grateful to be in these places, but yearning to know what these lands were like before the harsh crack of settler colonialism 's whip, before industrialism + capitalism imposed themselves. I love places that feel the least touched by society 's hand. It is only in these nooks + crannies of the Earth that I feel an authentic sense of being held tightly + securely in my humanity. With the globe still fighting a pandemic, continued state sanctioned violence here, and abroad... it can all feel hopeless.
Being on these rock formations that are 100- 500 million years old felt like sleeping under a handcrafted quilt made by my great grandmother.
Nature has this way of consoling you. Of holding you and letting you know things will be okay. Why did we ever forsake her glory? The systems in nature are so complex but it seems we thought she was underdeveloped and ours for the taking. Now look at our world. I truly believe nature will outlast our civilization, just as these rocks have. One of the reasons I didn't go to Boulder ,CO to hike is because they are going through terrible fires at the moment, the worst in history actually. There is a balance that has long been off-kilter in nature, of course caused by our society + I am curious to see the ways in which our Great Mother lashes out against our hard heads.
If the pandemic has made me think deeply on anything, it has definitely made me wonder what my lasting + daily relationship with nature is. As someone who is a holistic wellness and naturopathy enthusiast, I cannot help but to dive even deeper into these curiosities in this moment. Just how regenerative is spending 15 minutes breathing in rural air? or eating a fully life giving diet? Or perhaps an hour of slow + steady yoga? These are the questions piquing my interest.
As I deepen into my yoga practice as an instructor, I will always have new opportunities to join me for a moment of rejuvenation + relaxation.
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- XX, MIA