Travel Guide: Aspen, Colorado
Travel Guide: Aspen, Colorado
Hi guys! As many of you may already know from my Instagram, I recently took a trip to Colorado to visit my boyfriend. It was my first time in Colorado and it really didn't disappoint! I got a bunch of questions from you guys about why I was there, what I did when I was there, and I also got questions about my boyfriend Nick and how we met and all of that. I thought I'd sit down and write this post and take the time to share all that info with you guys! I'll definitely be sharing a bunch of pictures that I took along the way and some outfit details, too!
It had just snowed the day that I arrived in Aspen so the roads and the trees looked extra beautiful because of that! This is the road on the way to Maroon Bells which is actually closed in the winter. You could only get there by snow shoeing or snowmobiling. It was still such a pretty ride to take though!
Jacket: J.Crew || Jeans: Citizens of Humanity || Sunglasses: Ray Ban || Boots: Ugg || Sweater: Loft
Downtown Aspen is so pretty! It has so many shops (a lot of higher end stores that I typically wouldn't shop at) and Nick and I walked around for quite a while and just checked out the scene and what was there. We ended up eating lunch at The Red Onion and the food was delicious!
Top: Madewell || Jeans: Citizens of Humanity || Booties: Nordstrom || Sunglasses: Ray Ban
Nick and I went to Krabloonik in Snowmass Village on one of my last days to check out the dogsleds! It was so cool to see the dogs go out on their sleds and to see all of the cute dogs they have there! We went also went into the restaurant afterwards to get a drink. We didn't end up eating there but they say their food is really good! It's in a cute little log cabin and I'd say it's a must see if you ever visit Snowmass.
Sweater: J.Crew || Jeans: Citizens of Humanity || Scarf: Free People || Boots: Ugg
So I think my favorite part of our trip was when we rode the Silver Queen Gondola to the top of Aspen Mountain. Unfortunately I am not much of a skier (not opposed to it I just haven't skied in years!) so if I was going to get to the top of the mountain, I needed a way down that didn't require skis or a snowboard lol. I did some research and saw that I could still get to the top of the mountain even if I wasn't a skier! Anyways, Nick and I rode the gondola up to the top of the mountain where they had an area where you could get drinks, food, and get warm! We took some pictures (see above) and warmed up by the fire inside. We also got some hot chocolate and Nick bought himself a new hat (thanks for your votes on my Insta stories btw!). I would say if there's something you MUST do while you're in Aspen (besides skiing or snowboarding), it would be to ride the Silver Queen Gondola to the top of the mountain. The views on the ride up and down are beautiful! And the views at the top are also amazing. Well worth the $35!
When we got down to the bottom of the mountain we saw a fun looking restaurant/bar called Ajax Tavern. They had a DJ and it was such a fun atmosphere! If you're looking for a fun spot to hang after getting off the mountain, try Ajax Tavern! We had a lot of fun :-). The drinks were definitely pricey though, but I think you'll find that anywhere you go in Aspen.
OK so the ONE negative part of our trip - we went to dinner in Aspen one night to a place called L'Hostaria and we really did not have the best experience. Nick ended up writing the LONGEST Yelp review because he was so upset! We really got treated poorly and we felt like we weren't even customers there! However, I must say that the food was yummy. (Maybe one day I'll share his Yelp review with you guys because it is PRETTY funny lol).
Sweater: || Jeans: Hudson || Booties: Nordstrom || Sunglasses: Ray Ban
On my last day we went to the outlets to do some shopping. We came across this beautiful spot on our way and decided to stop and take some pictures! Side note: Nick lost his wallet and we didn't realize it until we got all the way back to where we were staying! We drove all the way back to the outlets (almost 2 hours away) and the wallet was still nowhere to be found (whoops!) but we didn't let that ruin our last day together! We ended up going in the hot tub at the Air b&b we were staying at and then just hanging out together the rest of the night!
OK so now I'll get in to the details about me and Nick. If you don't care about this part, just skip it!
Nick's Sunglasses: Ray Ban
Nick and I have been together for 9 months now (tomorrow is actually our 9 month anniversary!) and it's been great so far! We met back in March and neither of us were looking for a boyfriend/girlfriend but now we wouldn't trade what we have for anything! Nick was a bartender at a restaurant that I would go to occasionally (I started going A LOT more once I was interested in him lol). I had a boyfriend previously for 6 years and we had broken up in December of 2016. This is part of the reason why I really wasn't looking for another serious boyfriend - I wanted to just focus on myself and be happy with myself.
That quickly changed when I met Nick - I can honestly say that I was instantly interested in him. I'm very shy (you guys may not know this about me) so I never really made it too obvious that I was interested in him. HOWEVER, I must say that I continued to go into the restaurant he worked at and sat at the bar basically EVERY. OTHER. NIGHT. He claims he had "no idea" I was interested in him but I mean come on, if a girl comes into your bar that often, she's interested, am I right???
Long story short, we eventually exchanged numbers (thanks to one of my best friends lol) and started hanging out outside of where he worked. Again, we both didn't expect anything to come of this but I'm a firm believer of what's meant to be will be. I was hesitant at first to open myself up to him and allow him into my life but he's truly been amazing and he deals with a lot with me and I'm so thankful for that. We always say how we wish we had met sooner but then we realize if we had, we wouldn't have been ready for each other. He's a really sweet, genuine, and caring guy and I feel so lucky to have him in my life!
^Us at Ajax Tavern!
Now as to why he is in Colorado and why we're in a long distance relationship - Nick moved to Colorado in November to work at a resort in Snowmass Village until April. We had only been together for 5 months at the time that he left but we both knew that we wanted to stay together and try to make it work. It's definitely been hard but it's definitely worth it. The past week that I got to spend with him out there in Colorado really solidified our relationship and proved that we can get through anything (knock on wood). He should be back in April so the next few months will feel LOOOOONG and I'm definitely counting down the days until he gets home.
There ya have it! A look at my travel guide to Aspen, Colorado! I hope you enjoyed!
Thanks for reading!XO, Lauren
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