Boulder Bound
Hey guys!
As promised, here is my post about my day in Boulder! If you've ever watched one of those 'Day in My Life' videos on youtube, this is going to be that same format (where I'm essentially walking you through my day).
My day started at 8:30, with me waking up and getting ready. Since I knew I would be gone most of the day, I decided it would be best if I packed a bag, as well. After packing I was then dropped off at the light rail station to take the train into Union; the first leg of my trip.
45 minutes later the train pulled up to Union Station, the last stop on the E rail. I got off and quickly ran into some stores to look for gifts. My plan was to then take the B line to a place called Westminster, where my friend Shannon would then get me. However, because Westminster is 45 minutes from Boulder, and the train from Union to Westminster is only 10 minutes, I decided to look into other options of getting there. I found out that actually below Union is an entire bus system. For $4.50, one way, I was able to purchase a bus ticket that would get me right to Pearl Street in a little over an hour! With this in mind, I quickly made some side stops at stores hoping to pick up a gift for my friends. At one of the stores I was able to find a really nice mug for my friend Eric. It's a very simple, white mug which looks like it could almost hold soup in it. The mountains are in the background, drawn linear, and right below them is the state name.
After picking up the mug I went back to Union and waited for the bus. When it arrived, I quickly board it and got comfy, under the assumption it would take at least an hour to get to Boulder, which is normal travel time. Just my luck, this wasn't the case and the bus ended up getting to Boulder in 30 minutes flat.
Meanwhile, I'm texting Shannon keeping her in the loop of whats happening and where I am. As she was finding a place to park, I was sitting on Pearl Street enjoying the shops. If you've ever been to Pearl Street, you're probably familiar with the street performers and local shops. However, if this post is your first ever exposure to the college town that is Boulder, then all of this might seem a little overwhelming. However, I will say that Pearl Street, essentially a long street of shops, restaurants, Colorado stores, and street performers, is not all that bad. Granted, some of the performers were a little too much (like the man who, literally, wore a dog suit and barked for a good hour at people) the street itself is very nice. Here are some pictures I took after we met up. Notice that there's still dozens of Christmas lights still strung up!
When Shannon and I were walking, we ran into a bookstore which specialized in astrology, mysticism, and psychics ability. I was immediately drawn to the store, because in big, bold letters, the door said, "Psychic Readings Inside". We walked in, Shannon not as excited as I, and quickly located the psychic. A little backstory, but I have, for years, wanted to see a psychic. The idea of someone telling me the kind of future they see me having, who I should watch out for, and talking to 'relatives' is very intriguing to me. Furthermore, I knew this was something I needed to do. If I didn't do it now, then when would the opportunity come again? Looking into the woman's corner of the store, I asked if I needed to make an appointment, to which she quickly told me 'No, no, come right in.'. I sat down, Shannon joining me, and we began the session. She told me she does a form of 'Qi Gong' and can talk to animals as well as people who have passed away.
Right off the bat she asked me what I wanted to know. I told her I'm most concerned with my future, and started with a simple question of, "What do you see in regards to school? I just started college." I kept my questions very vague and simple, as a way to limit how much she knew about me. She told me things like how I would change majors and that I'm very smart, but what I'm studying right now will not last. This shocked me, but didn't come as much to a surprise, as many students end up changing majors. However, she told me I would be doing more stuff with numbers and nature. She suggested geology and engineering, which was very interesting because I've never been interested in rocks, or math, for that matter. I then asked more general questions, from friends to relationships, and she was very descriptive with each answer. And then, at one point, she looked at me and went "Someone in your family just died. Grandmother?" I saw Shannon turn to me out of the corner of my eye, probably in shock, and I replied with, "Great, actually." The woman nodded and explained why she said grandmother, and continued with telling me what she was reading. After that, she asked me what else I wanted to know and was eager to tell me what the next year would have in store for me.
Overall, the reading was something I'm glad I did and will take with a grain of salt. They are fun things to do, but not something I will live my life by. It's an experience I'm glad I got, and I would do it again, but only to compare readings. Two would be enough for me.
Once done, I spent a lot of my time looking for gifts for people. I also was drawn to some beautiful Boulder (and Colorado) sweatshirts, but I ended up holding off. As much as I want some Colorado apparel, I knew there were more important things I needed to buy. Also, is it bad I wanted to buy some CU Boulder merch? I mean you can't blame me, I did almost attend Boulder.
After walking around for a bit Shannon and I stopped for lunch and then drove to CU. One of our little inside jokes is 'SKO BUFFS' which has now, appropriately, been rephrased to 'SKO BOWS'. Because of this, we eagerly drove to the campus in hopes of getting a picture in front of a buff. Here's me after I hopped up onto his plaque.
A tour group also witnessed all of this go down, so I'm now curious as to the impression the kids got of the campus.
After our pictures with Ralphie (the name of the buffalo) we then drove to Chautauqua.
Chautauqua is a long hiking trail which leads right up to the top of some flatirons. For those of you unfamiliar with that term, a flatiron is a steep and sloped rock formation. At Chautauqua there are three of them one can hike, but of course there are some all over Boulder. Here is a picture I took of them, I'm actually very impressed with how it turned out!
Do you see the flatirons? How about the long trail of people in the lower corner? Shannon and I attempted hiking it, but after 50 yards, and no gloves, we realized it was near impossible. But don't worry, I'll go back in the summer and hike it.
After Chautauqua we spent a little more time on Pearl Street and then, once the sun had set, we drove to Flagstaff.
At night, on the edge of either a hill or a flatiron, there is a huge star lit up that the whole town of Boulder can see. According to Shannon, the star is very famous, with a good view of the city, as well. Driving up the rock, we parked and tried to scale the star. As slippery as it was, and really, everyone was slipping we made it up to a stable part of the ground and took some pictures. Here is what the ground looked like from where I sat, and below that is a picture of Boulder from the car.
And then, because we weren't done yet! We drove down frat row and got some boba tea at Lollicup. After the boba Shannon drove me to the Flatirons mall, where we walked around until we decided it would be best if we dropped me off at home.
Exhale. Jeez, this post turned out longer than intended. I'm glad, because I had a lot of fun. As for today, I'm meeting with some girls and talking to them about college.
Enjoy the weekend, guys! Talk soon.
Until next time,
Aislinn
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