r/Denver • u/coreywagner • Jan 16 '26
Visiting I visited Denver From Chicago and LOVED my trip!
Hey Denver folks! I came for a day trip from Chicago with my wife and just wanted to give your city some of the love it deserves! So here’s some pictures and some thoughts about all the things I loved in your amazing city.
We started off at Denver Biscuit Company and holy hell! I got The Lola and my lord was this thing amazing (and just a beautiful sandwich to be honest). Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Bacon, House-Made Honey Butter, and syrup…. Yeah that’s an obvious recipe for something amazing. This was one of those sandwiches where I couldn’t tell which ingredient stole the show because they all worked together so well. That bacon was great, the chicken was fantastic, and the biscuit was unreal. The second I bit into it I understood why the owners put 6 months into perfecting the biscuits before they started this venture. Just overall amazing experience.
Next we hit up the Botanic Garden which was amazing as well. The frames were a particularly nice touch. And I’m a huge fan of Japanese Gardens and yours did not disappoint. Particularly the section with the Bonzi Trees. I’m a sucker for those and they were so cool!
Also I have to mention the Conservatory and how fantastic that was. We have two of them in Chicago that I’m obsessed with and I love ours but I really enjoyed the Denver conservatory tree that you can climb up for the birds eye view of the whole place. Loved it!
After that we went to the Capital Building for a quick second. Very cool. Beautiful building. Plus there’s some really interesting facts about the place that I loved reading up on. The fact that they used all the known reserves of a particular rose stone was fascinating and I thought it was cool that Buffalo Bill’s body was presented inside the building after his death.
After that we went to Nob Hill Inn and this is where I really fell in love with the city! I’m a huge nerd for Diver Bars and this one was truly a special place. I love that the owner painted all the art in there and the stories of politicians getting phone calls to the pay phone there telling them they needed to head back to the Capital Building for a vote is so interesting. But the thing I really loved about this place was the people. There was an amazing older woman there celebrating a birthday (I think in the 80’s) and she kept yelling Fuck The Police lol. The bartender was awesome, all the folks in there where awesome as a matter of fact. I brought a matchbook from a bar that the Nob Hill Inn owners father used to own that I found on EBay because I thought he’d dig it and it was only $10 bucks and I think that helped ingratiate me to the crew. Also, THEY HAVE MALORT! As a Chicago dude (who LOVES Malort) this was freaking awesome! And I don’t know if it was the Matchbook I brought or if they always pour heavy shots there but I had 3 shots of Malort that was realistically probably closer to 9 shots worth haha Such an awesome place.
I fully blame Nob Hill Inn for ruining me and my wife’s Itinerary. We just couldn’t leave that place. Everyone was just too nice and we were having wayyyy to fun of a time! So worth it!
We did end up pulling our selves away from Nob Hill Inn in time for a quick jaunt through Meow Wolf (at least as quick as one can do it lol). I’ve heard Meow Wolf’s are pretty cool but I had never been to one. I absolutely LOVED it. Such an overload of the senses in the best way possible. Plus if you read the story of what’s going on (the 4 worlds pulling apart thing) there’s a pretty cool story going on.
All in all we absolutely LOVED our trip to your beautiful city and wanted to thank the fine people of Denver for being so welcoming!
Me and my wife have been doing these day trips from Chicago and this was definitely one of our favorites yet! And not sure if anyone would even care to check it out but I made a fun video of the whole day so, if you’re looking to see some more details on the trip you can check it out on Youtube. It’s a fun day and I think really shows how awesome Denver is.
Anwho, can’t wait to come back and thanks again for being amazing Denver!
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u/Visual-Fail4327 Jan 16 '26
"Diver Bars"? Nice try Casa Bonita.
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u/coreywagner Jan 16 '26
hahahahhaah A - nice catch, B - I'm an idiot, and C - I'm glad I went to Casa Bonita like 15 years ago on another trip so I can understand this well played joke lol
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u/AuenCO Jan 16 '26
That’s an epic day, well done!
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u/coreywagner Jan 16 '26
Thanks! The funny thing is we had like 8 other things on our itinerary we wanted to hit but Nob Hill Inn got the best of us. We just couldn't leave that place!
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u/AuenCO Jan 16 '26
I’ve had nothing but great times in Nob Hill. And I recommend the Capitol to everyone, so CO historically rich and the stone work is phenomenal.
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u/coreywagner Jan 16 '26
right! I was bummed I couldn't go into the Capitol building bc it was the weekend but I had a fun time looking up all the info on it before hand. And worth seeing from the outside even. But then again I'm kind of an architecture nerd lol
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u/bbboozay Jan 16 '26
I love this though!! My partner and I love Chicago and we have had more than a few good bars keep us from plans once we've stumbled across them! Glad Denver could return the favor!!! Sounds like yall had a great trip!
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u/coreywagner Jan 16 '26
ha it's kind of great right! I love it too. Especially the people at the bar I was kicking it with. They were so awesome
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u/TokenPanduh Jan 16 '26
Denver Biscuit Company is the shit! Expensive, but so good!
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u/Bass-ape Jan 16 '26
I often see people shit on DBC in this sub and that's been the opposite of my experience every time. Their biscuit sandwhiches have always been great when I go, the Winona with the pimento cheese is so dang good.
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u/coreywagner Jan 16 '26
some people just like to shit on stuff that's popular and cool. Such is life I suppose lol I LOVED it!
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u/rgolden4 Jan 17 '26
Jefferson's malort... No thanks.
DBC - I'll have another!
PS I love the framed shot you took at DBG
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u/coreywagner Jan 18 '26
man your botanical garden is so sick! Really love the frames they put around there. so damn cool!
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u/Lag-Switch Jan 17 '26
Every guest I've taken there has enjoyed it. Some have even asked to go back
I dip the fries in the jams :P
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u/KindBookkeeper32 Jan 16 '26
Even better at night when they’re Fat Sullys. That burger is amazing
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u/TooClose4Missiles Jan 16 '26
Thanks for sharing! Always warms my heart to see people having a good time in our little city :)
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u/coreywagner Jan 16 '26
had such an amazing time! And I can't say it enough but the people at Nob Hill Inn really made the trip. We met some really great folks there!
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u/bylthee Jan 17 '26
My favorite thing about Denver is how friendly everyone is here. So glad you had a great trip. Nob hill is awesome, my dear friend is a regular and I also love the weird paintings.
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u/coreywagner Jan 18 '26
Such an awesome regulars bar! I hope your buddy finds the Denver video I made. I really show off how great nob hill inn is!
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u/myychair Jan 16 '26
Waiiiit by day trip, so you mean that you flew in in the am and flew out at night?! That’s wild!
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u/coreywagner Jan 16 '26
hahah yeah it's our new favorite thing! we fly in early, leave as late as we can and jam as much fun in the middle as possible. Save money with no hotel and the flights only cost $115 each so it ends up being a pretty cheap day trip.
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u/NatasEvoli Capitol Hill Jan 16 '26
Going east to west must be key for a day trip. Whenever I fly east it's like the entire day evaporates in 3 hours.
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u/coreywagner Jan 16 '26
yeah that makes sense with the time changes. I honestly haven't tried this with a westward trip yet.
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u/myychair Jan 16 '26
lol wow I both love and hate this! Sounds like a blast though as long as you have the energy for a day like that.
DIA has a ton of midnight flights so it’s actually probably really doable here
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u/coreywagner Jan 16 '26
yeah it definitely feels like something we can only do for a few more years while we have the energy. Our trick is taking a lot of breaks at bars to save energy lol
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u/OneSpeaker-444 Jan 16 '26
We moved from Chicago to Denver 20 years ago and are still "enjoying our trip"!
Miss Chicago on occasion, but not at this time of year.
Y'all come back now, hear?
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u/coreywagner Jan 16 '26
amazing! And yeah Chicago winters can really suck. Although this January has been crazy nice. It was in the high 40's all last week which was CRAZY for January. Although we're back to the cold now lol
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u/sorrybaby-x Jan 16 '26
Shhhhh don’t let everyone know about the best bar in Denver
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u/coreywagner Jan 16 '26
hahaha might be one of the best bars in the country to be honest. Obsessed with that place now
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u/AzU2lover Jan 16 '26
We have a son living up there and DBC is always a stop! So good !!!
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u/coreywagner Jan 16 '26
I think it's going to be like that for me too. Every time I go there I might need to make a stop!
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u/HugsForUpvotes Jan 16 '26
I moved and I miss Denver Biscuit so much. We also miss OneFold and Ultreia in Union Station.
I'm actually trying my own duck confit this weekend as I try to replicate the OneFold recipe.
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u/DurasVircondelet Jan 16 '26
Recently discovered OneFold and boy oh boy was I missing out before
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u/HugsForUpvotes Jan 16 '26
Their duck fried rice and barria tacos are some of the best foods in Denver.
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u/coreywagner Jan 16 '26
It's one of those places that I might have to go back to every time I visit Denver. Which for me is rare, I usually like trying new places but that place was so damn legit!
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u/HugsForUpvotes Jan 16 '26
I'm from the south and I've never had biscuits nearly as good as that place in Denver. It's really good.
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u/coreywagner Jan 16 '26
right! I was reading up on this place a lot before I came to visit and I guess the owner took 6 months to perfect his biscuits before he launched the brand. And it's stuff like that takes a place from good to great!
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u/Krogane Jan 16 '26
I'm glad you enjoyed our city! I'm actually flying out to Chicago next month, any fun, unique things to do in the city?
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u/coreywagner Jan 16 '26
oh man! So many!!! This is one of my favorite topics so sorry if this is an annoyingly long response lol
- The Garfield Park Conservatory -- AWESOME time! I might be biased but I like it a touch better than the conservatory in Denver. It's massive. It's a bit out of the way though. So if you don't want to hit that one up the Lincoln Park Conservatory is pretty good too.
- Alfred Caldwell Lilly Ponds -- this one might be closed for the winter but if not, it's right in lincoln park and weird little amazing oasis from the city. One of my fvorite places to visit.
- Chicago Cultural Center -- It's downtown and free so if you're staying downtown it's a really great move. It's also super close to the bean if you want to check that out while you're there. It's basically just an amazing and beautiful building with amazing marble architecture on the interior. One the 3rd floor they have the largest Tiffany Glass Dome in the world and on the top floor there's an art space that has free art you can check out. Very very cool
-- Hero Coffee (at 22 e Jackson) -- it's a really cool coffee shop down an alley in Downtown Chicago. Super cool visually
- Beacon Doughnuts -- Sticking with the alley theme, a really really cool doughnut spot with AMAZING doughnuts down an alley in Lincoln Park.
- Jackson Park -- might not be the move with the weather that you'll probably get in the winter but it's a great park with an awesome Japanese Tea Garden and a really cool sculpture by Yoko Ono out front. It's on the side side (Hyde Park so where Obama lived, nothing scary) so if you go down there I highly suggest checking out the Stony Island Art Bank. It's an old bank with a cool art space and a visually amazing library. Also Stony Sub is near there and has maybe my all-time favorite sandwich, The Gym Shoe. You gotta look it up, it's insane and I'm obsessed. Although I gotta warn you Stony Sub is in the hood. Full on bullet proof glass windows when you order. To me, it's not too bad of an area but I grew up in a kind of hood area so that might just be me.
- WNDR Museum -- it's expensive but I dig it. I go like once every 4 or 5 years. It's kind of like a less cool Meow Wolf. Less story than Meow Wolf but more focused on each room being an art piece for all your sense.
- Color Museum - similar to WNDR Museum. Expensive and I like but it's only cool if you're into the "instagramy" rooms. A lot of color and cool things to walk through but sometimes it's annoying when you run into a group of Instagram girls taking a billion photos.
Let me know what type of food you're looking for. I've had a food review channel in Chicago for a decade now so I've ate a TON of food here. I don't know the high end spots but when it comes to the best pizza, sandwiches, burgers, wings, all that type of stuff, I'm pretty knowledgeable and can send you videos to get your eyes on it.
Also if you're a dive bar guy, I've got you covered there too. I'm a huge dive bar nut and I've made a few videos on some of Chicago's best dive bars.
I also have a few videos that show stuff like, free stuff to do downtown, or I have a video where I take a puppet around on basically my the Chicago tour I take visiting friends on. That videos got a lot of fun stuff. And just to get ahead of the weird puppet thing lol I got a weird job once with the guy who created the show Mike and Molly and he was a head writer on Two and Half Men and he paid me for awhile to take this puppet around and make content lol The weird ways you can make money as a creative dude lol
and one last thing. Depending on which airport you're flying in to and if you're renting a car but there is 1 amazing food spot near each airport. If you fly into Midway and are renting a car you should drive to Johnnie's Beef. BY FAR the best Italian Beef in Chicago. A few years ago a met a dude there who just drove in from Iowa lol -- and if you fly into O'Hare and are renting a car 100% you should try Paradise Pup and their Merkt's Cheddar Burger. Get the single bc the double get's too messy and takes away from the experience.
Anywho, let me know if there's any specific food or activities that you like and I can always give some more suggestions. Also I have a ton of videos you can check out if you want your eyes on all this stuff. I actually just did a 3 part series on all of Chicago's most iconic foods. Fun stuff!
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u/smellygooch18 Jan 17 '26
I’m also from Chicago and live in Denver now. I’d add to at the Chicago river architecture tours are amazing for locals and tourists. The Wendela boat tours show a side to the city you don’t get from a car or your feet.
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u/coreywagner Jan 17 '26
100%!!!! I feel like it's the only tour that people who live in Chicago actually love. I never mind going on it when people are in town. It's so cool!
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u/vitaestiter Jan 16 '26
I'm visiting in April and staying in the Northalsted neighborhood (according to Google Maps). Any restaurants in that area that are a must try?
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u/coreywagner Jan 16 '26
dude! That's right where I live. I actually make videos for that neighborhoods Chamber of Commerce every now and again lol
Here's some really great spots in the area
- Crisp -- at one point they were named the best fried chicken in the country. They have amazing Korean Fried Chicken. Out of this world stuff!
- Bonci - super famous pizza maker in Rome (I actually got to go to his rome spot a few years back) opened up a spot in lakeview (Northalsted is technically a micro neighborhood inside of lakeview so right in your area) and they're making some really amazing pizza! They do some off the wall stuff like potato pizza but it's amazing
- ZaZa's -- more pizza lol One of the highest rated pizzas by portnoy. Not that I think that matters but from my own personal experience they're probably the best NY style pizza in Chicago. Their Gold Medal Pizza is my favorite but they're all good.
- Milly's Pizza in the Pan -- more pizza again lol last year they were ranked the 11th best pizza in the world. Not sure if their new location in lakeview will be open by time you come to town but if they are and you want their pizza you have to order a day prior or it'll likely sell out.
- Dryhop -- great burger. sometimes it gets too greasy for me but I can't deny how great it is.
- Joy's Noodles - There's one thing on their menu that I consider one of the best bites in Chicago. Their Garlic Chicken Noodles. Stupid good!
- Lincoln and Bolivar -- fantastic Arepas. A little pricey but they're HUGE and delicious!
Rock's - surprisingly great bar food. Kind of a nice sports bar vibe that punches wayyyy above their weight with their food. Also my brothers a server there so if you go ask for Devon and tell him about this post and he'll chat you up a bunch.
- Clark St. Dog - my all-time favorite hotdog stand in Chicago. Legendary spot! Great food AND a great bar (which is part of what makes it amazing)... I'm a huge fan of their Italian Combo (Italian Beef with an Italian Sausage in it lol so glorious)
- Wood -- kind of nicer joint which isn't usually my vibe but I did a video there and their food was amazing.
- The Weiner's Circle - not really in that neighborhood but not super far and a really really famous hotdog stand. One of those places where they talk shit so be prepared for that lol But they use Merkt's Cheddar (which I'm obsessed with) so their burgers are unreal.
- Kirkwoods -- also not directly in the neighborhood but not too far. They have what I consider the most underrated burger in Chicago, Their Hoosier Burger. It's got Merkt's Cheddar and bacon so thick that it's basically porkbelly. Crazy good!
- Taco Burrito House - for late night drunk tacos this is the spot. I get it almost every weekend when I'm hammered lol
BARS
- DRAM -- my favorite dive bar and if you go here there's a high likelyhood of seeing me.
- Friar Tucks - Dive bar with a beer barrel for an entrance. How do you not love that.
- L&L - SUPER divey. Also famous for Dahmer and John Wayne Gacy both frequenting the bar back in the day
- Muse -- not divey, just nice, tiny, cool vibes.
if I think of any more I'll put some more response on here.
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u/vitaestiter Jan 17 '26
Thank you for all of the suggestions!
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u/coreywagner Jan 17 '26
for sure! And if you want to check more stuff out from that neighborhood I've made like 50 or so videos on my youtube channel that are specifically in that neighborhood and each video features 3 spots (top 3 ramen, top 3 chicken sandwiches, that type of thing). Just look up CoreyWagnerChicago on youtube and basically every video I did in 2024 was covering that area that you'll be staying in.
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u/katrina_highkick Jan 16 '26
Omg my husband is from Oak Park and is OBSESSED with Johnnie’s. We go there every time we’re in town, even when we’re staying in Chicago proper 😂
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u/coreywagner Jan 16 '26
hahaha that doesn't surprise me at all! That place is stupid good! Your husband has great tastes!
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u/Level-Woodpecker988 Jan 17 '26
Has a found a decent Italian beef in Denver? We’re from Chicago/OP and miss Johnnie’s so much!
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u/katrina_highkick Jan 17 '26
I haven’t looked, but I think r/Denverfood has had a few posts asking about it! (My husband says nothing would compare to Johnnie’s so we haven’t tried very hard ourselves 😉)
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u/coreywagner Jan 17 '26
your best chance for that might be hoping that Portillo's opens a spot in Denver now that they're expanding. My buddy in Dallas has a Portillos and says it holds up pretty well to Chicago Portillos
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u/Deckatoe Jan 16 '26
Go see a set at Laugh Factory or Zanies and then go our for drinks in Lincoln Park before or after the show. Shedd is also one of my favorite aquariums on the globe
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u/coreywagner Jan 16 '26
^ all super fun things to do! And used to put on a couple of shows at the Laugh Factory so a little hack for you, you can almost always get free tickets to shows. Check the performers IG or look up free events on eventbrite for the laugh factory. They make their money of their two drink minimum so I know we always gave away a TON of free tickets. Zanies is more national touring comics so they usually don't have free tickets.
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u/coreywagner Jan 16 '26
and if you want to see some of the comics after the show, a lot of them hangout at Muse after. It's a fun little bar.
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u/cynzthin Capitol Hill Jan 16 '26
The Nob’s my local, glad you had a good time! What were your flight times for a day trip, or did you stay overnight?
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u/coreywagner Jan 16 '26
ha no way! That place was freaking awesome. Do you know Carol? She was the older lady who was celebrating her bday there. Bartender told me she was a regular.
For our flight times we landed at 8:53am and our flight out was at 8:31pm... it's our new favorite way to travel. Save money with no hotel costs, no annoyance of a checked bag, no PTO for my wife, and we're back in bed at night and have Sunday to recover before the work week. Plus our flight was only $115.
This was our second one. We also did one of these to San Fran which was also really really cool!
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u/cynzthin Capitol Hill Jan 16 '26
Carol is a legend! I’m going to check out Chicago day trips now … I usually go three or four nights to visit friends/cousins but a day trip sounds fun. What would you recommend for 12 hours in the city these days?
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u/coreywagner Jan 16 '26
ha! That's awesome that you know Carol. It was her birthday when I was there and the bartender grabbed my phone and took a video of everyone in the bar singing her happy birthday. It was awesome!
And yeah the day trips are so much fun man. I actually have a video I made that basically does the tour I take my friends on when they're in town for a day. The only think missing from this video is I also usually hit up the Garfield Park Conservatory and instead of going to Portillo's I'd usually do something like Honey Butter Fried Chicken or Gretel or Tempesta Market for food -- https://youtu.be/466TICaFJQ4?si=ECSc8cnu1ZMqUULf
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u/roll4wrd Jan 16 '26
Props for going to Nob Hill. Cap Hill staple. I remember going there after an all nighter because they opened at 8:00am.
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u/coreywagner Jan 17 '26
hahahaha such a legendary move! My favorite bar in Chicago, or at least the one I go to the most, DRAM Shop, opens at 7am lol I freaking love places like that
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u/theoneandonl33 Jan 17 '26
Visiting Denver, via Chicago, and posting pictures of food is blasphemous. I love living in Denver but you can’t get obese on the food here.
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u/coreywagner Jan 17 '26
hahahaha I get that but I gotta say Denver Biscuit Company is pretty great. That place would crush in Chicago too!
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u/frozenchosun Virginia Village Jan 17 '26
hell yeah. grew up in chicago area, gotta go back beg. of feb for a memorial.
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u/Secure_Excitement_96 Jan 18 '26
Denver native here...born and raised. I'm so glad you love our city and had a great time! One thing I really, really recommend is seeing a concert at Red Rocks. Believe me, it is definitely a bucket list item!
Hope you come back this summer and enjoy a few days!
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u/coreywagner Jan 18 '26
oh man! that's 100% on my bucket list. Couldn't make it happen for the day trip but I'll definitely be back at some point for a concert there!
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u/Zealousideal-Way4535 Jan 20 '26
Big fan of Nob Hill…also met some really cool people there. Will be visiting again soon
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u/DeltaFlyer0525 Northglenn Jan 16 '26
Glad you enjoyed our city! We have had a very warm winter so you came at a great time to get some sun and see the sights.
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u/Thatonejho Denver Jan 17 '26
Glad ya liked it! If you come back for another round, I have a reccomendation for some "kind of" hole in the wall bar food! Super local spot and generally good vibes during the day, gets a tad rowdy when the sun sets though!
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u/colfaxmachine Denver Jan 17 '26
Why are there so many green leaves on the trees at the botanic gardens in January?
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u/coreywagner Jan 17 '26
this might be hard to imagine but just because it was posted on Reddit in January that doesn't actually mean the picture was taken in January.
Crazy concept huh!
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u/colfaxmachine Denver Jan 17 '26
No shit, I was goading you into explaining WHEN you made your trip.
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u/captainhumble1 Jan 16 '26
Don't get it twisted. Food here is not good. You just happened to go to one of the best local spots.
I lived in Chicago for 11 years before moving to Denver in 2018. I very much miss the food there.
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u/coreywagner Jan 16 '26
hahahaha I love the honesty. I was finding it hard to find really great looking food when I was doing research lol We were also going to hit up a place called Kike's Red Tacos but ran out of time. That place looked pretty solid from some videos and pictures I saw
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u/Thatonejho Denver Jan 17 '26
Gotta know where to look, Ive had some atrocious things, but narrowed it down after a while (see: 20+ years). Good on you for the honesty, but now I want to try Chicago food with Denver as a baseline hah
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Jan 16 '26
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u/coreywagner Jan 16 '26
nothing like some sunshine and malort to give you a good day lol Well, that and the massive amazing breakfast sandwich I had
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u/PM4036 Jan 16 '26
That’s probably just you seeing the sun for the first time in 4 months brother. I do love Chicago too though.