Things I have learned in Denver

1. Avacadoes for every meal. And I mean every meal.

2. Before coming to Denver, buy "public transportation for dummies". You'll need it. And don't ask the locals for help. They don't know which way is North and which rail system runs where. There are three forms of public transportation on the 16th street mall. The first is the free mallride buses. They go up and down 16th street in a loop of sorts and stop at each block to let people on/off. The second are the rail systems. Today is day three and after asking (literally) like 6 locals and getting all different answers, we found a lady who works for the railsystem and got some help. See why I said to buy the book? I bet you won't find the same nice lady who helped us...so buy a book. The third way to get around are buy hopping on the bike taxis. They pull little carts behind them and literally may travel in herds. And I mean herds. Yesterday we were nearly ran over by a giant pack of these bike taxis. They were pulling people at an incredible rate of speed and the people were squealing with excitement. One poor boy was pulling 2 guys and each guy had a girl on their lap. I think it was a wedding party. They were pretty excited to sit in a cart and have a guy on a bike tote them around. Anynow, listen to #1 and buy that book....and a compass.

3. Everyone smokes. It's really disturbing. I don't take for granted that I live in a county where almost everything is smoke free and I rarely even see someone smoking in their car. Here...EVERYONE smokes. A LOT of kids. Which leads me to my next point.

4. The homeless smoke. Does that even make sense? No, no it doesn't. And on top of that, there are A LOT of homeless people. Probably passed 6 on each block. It's sad. Most of them have mental problems and talk to the wind. A lot of the homeless are kids, too.

5. If you want to make a good living, play an instrument. They're all over the place. Some of them are pretty good, others...not so much. One guy played the trumpet. He knew the first line to "you are my sunshine". That's it. I almost looked at him and said "no...you're MY sunshine." He would've enjoyed that.

6. Speaking of homeless...if you see a one-legged man in a wheelchair on the corner of 15th and California...he's not dead. We checked.

7. Outdoor malls aren't the best when it's pouring rain.

8. Sometimes you'll find a surprise by taking the off-beaten path. I did...REI. It was literally behind the bushes.

9. If you go to the venue at 4pm the day before the U2 show, they'll be doing soundcheck.

10. Denver has over 300 days of pure sunshine a year. When you come, it'll be cloudy.

11. If you see a piece of artwork or a statue...chances are I could turn it in to a great picture pose.

12. We like "hole in the wall" places. I was referred an Irish Pub Restaurant by someone. To protect the names of the innocent, we'll call him Natt. He said it was on 16th street. He couldn't remember the name, so we found one called the Tilted Kilt. We just happenned to pass it as we were out shopping and saw the waitresses. I immediately text Natt and asked if the waitress wore next to nothing and he said "NOOO!!! WRONG ONE!!!" Good to know. Don't go to the tilted kilt. We passed a very old couple who stopped and said maybe they should eat there. I have a feeling one of two things will happen. The old man will either A...see the waitresses and suffer from a myocardio infarction...or B...if he's lucky...he'll love long enough to turn around and walk out. According to Natt...there's another one on 16th street. Maybe they'll find it.

13. Most of the bad weather tends to circle around Denver. Not IN Denver, but AROUND.

14. The Manager at Jamba Juice will give the employee discount to anyone. Just ask.

15. Only go see Bridesmaid if you've emptied your bladder first.

16. Don't wait until baggage claim to plan our trip.

17. If you need to buy a ticket for the railway, the old man in the black jacket is legit. We think.

18. I haven't found Tim Tebow. It's not as easy as you think. I'd say it's not easy to find Bono...but mom did that in Chicago...and shook his hand.

19. It doesn't matter what part of the country that you're in. The news will still talk about the Mississippi River.

20. I remember the video that hit the internet last year about the pedestrian crossing the street out East and was hit...he laid in the road and no one helped him. The sidewalks were filled with bystanders...and still, no one helped. It was awful. But...there are still good people out there. If they think you're dying, they'll give you some coughdrops.