#158 - The Brown Palace Adventure

​Reasons to Stay
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These are the reasons I've always wanted to stay at the Brown Palace, in Denver.

The Age!  125 years

The Odd Name

The Crazy Shape

The Rich History

The Great Location

The Old World Glamor

The Modern Luxury

Why Not Stay?
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We couldn't afford it. The rates were out of our range, when we made our plans for a summer Colorado trip.  But on June 15, we stopped in for a drink at the classy, Churchill Bar. 

The Book Paves the Way
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We didn't spend the night, but we had drinks and ended up meeting the talented, Chef Kasper from the hotel's Palace Arms dining room. My Dining Blog link below, tells how my silly cookbook helped introduce us. It also explains how Kasper's generosity and enthusiasm lured us back, to spend a night at The Brown!
​http://www.thebethlists.com/diverse-dining-list/dining-surprises-at-brown-palace-hotel

A Week Later
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A week after our evening at the bar, Don and I altered travel plans and headed back to Denver. This time we actually had reservations at The Brown. Chef Kasper was able to get us a rate we could afford. My Denver friend Martha, even offered to drop us off to avoid the $37.00 valet parking fee. 

Once Inside
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Even though we had seen the grand hotel a week earlier, I walked through the revolving doors like a giddy child. Before checking in, I paused to sample water from the ritzy water fountain. The hotel was actually built on an artesian well, so there's a reason for the fancy fountain.

Going Up
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I love historic hotels, when they make me feel like I'm stepping into one of my favorite classic movies. The escalator and retro elevator did the trick. If only I'd been wearing a hat and carrying a train case. Then I would have paused for sure, to make a call on that classic, house phone, near the escalator. 

Ship Tavern
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We didn't have a meal or a drink in the Ship Tavern, but I took a good peek. 

From the street, I could see the lovely stained glass and model ships in the windows. I studied the impressive way the tavern fit into the "rounded point" of the flatiron building. I learned that there's a reason for the hotel's shape. It's because it was built on a pie-shaped plot of land. Now, I don't know why there happened to be a pie-shaped plot of land.

Red & Blue

If only we'd had more time! I would have loved to have had a drink, sitting on one of those nautical stools! What a fun mix of old world wood and patriotic colors.  

The Atrium
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I took this photo of the Atrium, a week earlier, not knowing we'd be returning. The gold and marble was just as impressive on the second visit.

Looking Up
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It was much busier on Friday afternoon at check in. It was fun to watch the first time visitors arriving and smiling upward at the skylight.

The colorful glass was glowing above 8 stories, but I heard there are actually 9 stories.

Evidently there is something up there, besides sky.

Climbing
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After we checked in, I took a hike as far up as I could go. It was a good way to burn a few calories before our dinner reservations!

I should have taken a close-up photo, to show the decorative iron panels on the stair and balcony railings.

There are 700 panels!

​Arches on the Second Story

There's probably a name for the second story with all the fancy arches. If I'd had a lot more time, I could have studied all the intricate designs on the  panels. I heard there are a couple that are upside down. You'd have to be pretty observant to notice that.

Tea Time
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From the highest floor I had a good time observing the afternoon tea that was still going strong.

I was too high up to eavesdrop on the conversations.  But it was fun watching and listening to the voices and  clinking tea cups and piano music, swirling around the open space.

​Our Room

I was excited to find our room on the 6th floor. Kasper had made it clear he could reserve any kind of room, all the way up to the Presidential Suite. We weren't sure what kind of rates he would be able to get us, so we assured him we would be delighted with a basic room.

​Room 626

Our room was spacious and lovely.  I really have no idea where this ranks in their line up of accommodations, but we couldn't have been more pleased. Don and I spent a lot of time shaking our heads and grinning at our good fortune. We were getting the Brown Palace experience, for about the same price as 2 nights of valet parking!

The Windowsill
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The classy remodeling made it a little tricky to remember we were in an old hotel.  

But a glance at the triangular shaped wooden windowsill, made it clear we were inside the iconic flat iron  building.

I love that!

​Downtime 

We didn't have a whole lot of lounging time, but there were cozy robes and comfy sitting spots and a wonderful shower for freshening up.

Surprise!
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Don was getting dressed when we heard a knock on the door. He dashed into our very large closet while I answered.
​What a decadent treat!

This was one more gracious gesture on the part of Kasper! Luckily our dinner reservations were on the late side and our Denver friends weren't arriving for a little while.

Enjoying with Friends
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By 6:30, the Atrium atmosphere had gone from Tea Time to Jazz & Martini Time. My college buddy Martha and her hubby, taxied over to join us for drinks and music.

Double the Fun
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It was so much fun having Martha and Bill to share our giddiness. They live in Denver and have experienced some fun at The Brown before. In fact the piano player, recognized Martha from last December, when he recognized her theatrical flare and managed to get a "White Christmas" performance out of her. It was the wrong time of year for that, but we did some dancing.

Dinner Time
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By 7:45, we our friends had headed home and we were headed into the elegant Palace Arms for our reservations. There were other diners when we arrived, but by the time we finished our 6 courses of food, the place was dramatically quiet.

From Salt Block to a Bag of Jams
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The Dining Blog shares more about our extraordinary meal, prepared by Chef Kasper. These photos show how we began and ended... with crisp vegetables, served on a cold salt block and a gift bag full of jams and breads made by Kasper himself.   What an amazing evening.

What's Notable?
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I started this write up with a list of all the things that made me want to experience The Brown. The name, history, glam, age, shape and location did indeed make the stay fun.  But the real memory will always be about the people who helped us enjoy it!
Kasper made our stay possible! Then he made it unforgettable, with his feast and sharing! Martha and Bill arrived to cheer us on and they will be who we turn to in later years to ask, "Did that really happen?"

The Brown Palace is a dreamlike hotel, all on its own. The people will be what made this historic hotel experience notable!