Visited & Approved in Breckenridge CO

This was my first time in Breckenridge & my first time skiing on a mountain.  Although I’m from Minnesota & pretty used to the snow – huge mountain tops & death-defying chairlifts were never a common occurrence.

I thought I wouldn’t have a great time in Colorado.  I wanted to be home alone for my birthday, watching Netflix, eating popcorn, drinking Topo Chico – in silence. For hours & hours.  (Might sound miserable to you, but a dream come true to me.)  The thought of a chairlift taking me UP a mountain?  Not a dream come true.  But, Wafiq’s family came to the States & I absolutely couldn’t ignore trying to meet up with them.

A few days into the trip I was so grateful I went.  Like I said in my previous post about my birthday, I had an emotional beginning of the year.  I finally sat down & reflected on the past year.  All kinds of emotions came to the surface.  Luckily, being in Colorado felt refreshing.  The snow made me feel at home.  (I can run, but I sure can’t hide from my snowy roots.)  To my surprise, I was able to appreciate being there.

Wafiq kept complaining about being out of breath due to the altitude & asking if it was bothering me.  It felt exactly the same as my daily anxiety.  Short breath is my reg breathing cycle.  Can’t breathe?  What’s new.  I’m glad he got a taste of it.

I can’t say I’m an expert at Breckenridge since it was my first time visiting, but the town is freaking cute.  Obviously, there’s a huge mountain.  But also a little city.  Wafiq’s fam said the “ski town” is a lot bigger than other ski towns they visit where they typically have to drive into a city to find so many shops/restaurants.

There were a ton of boutique shops with LOCAL pieces for purchase, which I loved. And I found a shocking amount of restaurants that were diet-friendly: gluten-free, fresh, dairy free, vegan, ect.  I love visiting cities like that, makes the trip so much easier.

The only bummer was the fucking lift ticket to get up the mountain, $180/day.  When you’re only sort of interested in skiing you can’t help but categorize that amount into a new pair of denim via your mind.  If you spend the whole day riding the lift I suppose it makes sense.  Wafiq’s fam said that’s higher priced than a lot of others? Shiiiiii I remember going skiing in Minnesota as a kid and I think we paid a painful $34?

Visited & Approved in Breckenridge Colorado 

The Crown Coffee:  We went twice.  You can order a french press for your table.  Super cozy, a creative menu, open late, card games available.  Everything you’re looking for from a warm winter coffee shop pit stop.  I was told to ask them to make a Cortado as a latte 🙂

Cool River Coffee House:  A little coffee shop that’s off the main street so you have to actually look for it.  It must be a hidden secret all the cool people know about because it had pretty consistent traffic.  Again, their food was diet friendly & the coffee was delicious.  Big windows, great seating.  We ate breakfast there & also got some work done…

Kaleidoscope Boutique Shop:  This little boutique shop is tucked away off the main street so you might miss it if you don’t look hard enough.  They’re always changing their inventory as they emphasize stocking new, unique pieces.  Ever changing, like a Kaleidoscope, get it?  I believe everything is local, or that’s their goal.  I absolutely loved their products, from the jewelry to the purses to the greeting cards. The woman that worked there was also incredibly light & welcoming too. I bought all my things from this one spot.

Piante Pizzeria:  A locally owned & operated VEGAN pizzeria that’s won awards against the best!  I wish I had time to go here, I didn’t.  I stopped in after eating a burger & the restaurant still smelled almost too tempting to pass, even on a full stomach.  Totally interesting, right?  I hope this is the future.  Vegan Pizza is the ONE thing I can’t find that tastes as good as the original mozzarella, gluten crusted pizzas.  I may have to go back just for this.

Empire Burger:  If you’re looking for that all-American, can’t go wrong meal… Empire Burger is a perfect spot.  Delicious burgers, great staff, brought me my basic burger request with no issues.

*Other places recommended to me: The RMU Tavern for live music & ValleyGirl boutique for shopping.

Needless to say, I came back to Austin feeling refreshed & relaxed which is exactly how I wanted to bring in the year.  I’m a huge fan of small, cute towns & want to try squeezing a trip or 2 of them into the year – we’ll see.  I also love my little home & Netflix a lot too.

Have a great week & be thoughtful

Xx

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