Tootsie on Tour: Denver, CO Week 2

Apr 11, 2022 08:00



**Disclaimer: The content of this post reflects my own personal views, opinions, and experiences.
This post does NOT express the views or opinions of my employer.**

The venue: Buell Theatre

Covid Tests To Date: 80

TL;DR TikTok:
TikTok by @tromboneontour

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I had trouble sleeping on Monday, not sure why but perhaps because my body is used to waking up early to travel.

It felt strange to stay in bed as long as I liked (which wasn't long) and to take my time on a Monday morning.

I had a nice breakfast and goofed off.
Bobby was at the airport and we chatted a bit. I wish him luck in all of his future ventures.
My sister wants to have breakfast together tomorrow, and I think that's a great idea because our covid tests have been shifted to Wednesday and Friday and there's a matinee on Thursday this week, so Tuesday may be our last chance to hang out.

Before lunch I walked to Whole Foods to replenish my grocery supplies.
I got berries, grilled chicken, peas, shredded brussels sprouts, Greek yogurt, pumpkin puree, some protein shakes, eggs, smoked salmon, and some interesting soups from a company called Something Good to Eat. The butternut squash soup from last week was theirs, and I've had their pomegranate beet soup as well (enjoyed it but the lentils were WAY undercooked) so I thought I'd try their other two flavors: Spicy Mushroom with lemongrass and quinoa, and Hearty Tuscan with veggies and buckwheat. I also got a can of "pineapple spice" low-calorie soda, just because it was an interesting flavor. I already have my bread for the week, and barley that I can cook as well, so carbs are covered.

Back home I ate lunch and treated myself to the little mini-bottle of peanut butter whiskey I've been dragging all over the country ever since Greenville. It's a day off, after all!

In fact, for the rest of the day I didn't do much at all. I cooked some barley to use in coming days, and I did my meal planning, and bookmarked some more jobs to apply for. I watched Netflix and read a book and had some snacks and dinner.

On tour, we almost never get a true day of rest. There were only three "Golden Days" on our schedule; that's only three true days off that were not layoffs. Usually we have at least one show per day, and the "day off" is spent at the airport or on a bus, dragging luggage around or getting delayed or packing/unpacking at the hotels. It is rare for me to do nothing all day, but I think it is justified, and I definitely appreciated it.

Other folks on our tour went hiking out on the Flatirons, or visited Red Rock, or went skiing, or went out to eat together.
A lot of people have spouses or loved ones in town to visit since we're actually sitting still for a significant time.
I hope everyone had a beautiful day, just as beautiful as mine was :)

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Tuesday, I got up just slightly early to have breakfast with Kayle, Elliotte, and Drexel!

We decided on Jelly Cafe since it was one of few places open before 11am.
They had a lot of great-looking food on the menu including pancakes, grain bowls, benedicts, and little mini donut bites in a variety of different flavors. Kayle got the veggie benedict, and I went for the veggie biscuit. We are so "healthy", lol.

But seriously, this is just what appealed to me today. A nice fluffy biscuit with an herb gravy made of pureed rutabaga, parsnip, turnip, carrot, and onion. It was lighter than you'd expect, and very good.



The company wasn't bad either :)





Wrangling kids is tough at any meal, but both kids were reasonably well behaved for long enough that we could eat.
Drexel started thrashing and howling partway through, but surprisingly when Kayle passed him to me he sat calmly for a solid five minutes so she could wolf down her eggs. We went to the window where we could see multiple tow trucks lining up to drag away unfortunate cars that had been parked on the wrong side of the street for cleaning day. Kids love flashing lights.

A quick stop at my hotel so I could grab my coat because it was very windy and drizzling, then Kayle drove me to the Denver Art Museum and took off to meet another friend at the history museum for a kiddie play date. It was great to see the kids again!
But forever and ever, I'm eternally glad that I don't have kids :p

The museum is an interesting building indeed.



The inside is angular like the outside, and although it's a bit dizzying it's also a fun effect.
I wonder how many people fall down these stairs because they get disoriented!



The circles on the angled walls are an art installation themselves; the circles light up in a pattern of LED numbers, though I'm embarrassed to say I forgot to note what they signified.

The exhibit rooms themselves were like a work of art.
I love to think about how much effort and care went into the wall colors; the lighting; the frames; the height and placement of each work. Consideration for the impression a visitor would get upon walking into a display area for the first time.
It was quite beautiful.



The simplicity in this one is so powerful. I felt my heart vibrate to see it. I felt closer to my own god.



Religious thralls aside, the ground level exhibit was about La Malinche, a controversial female figure who (sort of and supposedly) contributed to the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs. It was interesting, but there was a rather pushy museum attendant who insisted a bit too strongly that everyone who entered stay and watch a video about La Malinche. It wasn't all that long, but the museum is very big and I was annoyed later when I had to rush through some exhibits and skip others partially because I'd been cornered for a five-minute video.

That said, the whole museum was fantastic.
Level 2 was 19th Century impressionists, of which there were many examples of Monet's work of course.
I rather liked this landscape by Dupre, though, possibly because of the striking contrasts and deep darknesses in the shadows of the trees.



Level three was "Disruption: Works from the Vicki and kent Logan Collection".
I didn't take pictures here; although there were some intriguing pieces, a lot of them were violent or had sexual or gory imagery, which is not condusive to sharing on social media.

I followed a bridge to the Martin Building, which housed seven whole floors of artworks from seemingly every culture.
One thing that I really loved was that in each section (Latin American Art, Native American Art, Chinese Art, etc) there were examples of both old and new works, modern and traditional not quite side-by-side but close enough that you could see the influences. Again, what a thoughtful and cool way to guide the perceptions of patrons as they navigate the galleries.

Ok now before we begin, I want to share my favorite art of the whole day:
This vessel that is in the shape of a FANGED SEA CUCUMBER. Artist is unknown but definitely my hero.


(also I'm very curious to know how we determined that this is a sea cucumber and not a snake? lmao)

More art that caught my eye or struck a chord in my heart today,

This blanket for some reason evoked nostalgia in me:



A gorgeous display of Native American pottery:



A huge totem pole from the Pacific Northwest, depicting the tale of a man who was almost dragged under water and drowned by otters(!)



A gold or gold-leaf spider pin, which I think was in the Latin American section:



A sand mandala, and a close-up so you can see the little piles and grains of sand:





This Japanese vase is made of extremely fine strands of woven bamboo. Mind blown.



Symbolic Chinese ink art depicting China as a lion that has been wounded by a snake (Japan, and this is World War art):



This was called "How Doth the Little Crocodile", by Leonora Carrington, and I know it's named after the Lewis Carroll poem but it makes me think of the Seven Sisters:



Some "pop art" furniture. (I actually liked the modern wood furniture better, but it was too crowded for pictures over there):



As I mentioned, I had to rush the last several floors which I was not happy about, and skipped the top floor (Western American Art) entirely. I didn't have anywhere to be, but I had left Kayle around 11am and it was now almost 1:30pm and I was STARVING.

I would love to visit this museum again. You definitely need at least three hours here to absorb most things, maybe more if you really want to see everything. As it was, I enjoyed it a great deal and will recommend a visit to everyone I know. Some museums are good, but this one was undeniably excellent.

I walked back to the hotel and made myself a quick lunch, then went back out to visit Milk Tea People.
This wasn't originally on my agenda but Gabriel (our guitarist) was raving about it so I figured I'd better go.

Milk Tea People specializes in matcha; super pure, super-un-f*cked-with premium matcha.
And then they put it in lattes and desserts and sell it in bags.
The tea shop was very modern and minimalistic (and that's an intimidating vibe if you ask me), and I felt out of place and awkward in my wrinkled suitcase tee and dissheveled overall self. But the "tea expert" was friendly and kind, and answered all of my questions about types of matcha and types of milk and amounts of sugar.

I ended up choosing an Uji matcha latte with oat milk and just a little sugar.
Uji matcha is named for the city where it's grown, outside Kyoto.
Supposedly Uji is the actual birthplace of matcha tea, and the tea grown there is considered to be exceptional.
Like, one level slightly below ceremonial matcha, which is the best you can get.

For those curious:
Green tea (and regular teas in general) are harvested and roasted/steamed/dried in whole leaf form, then the dry leaves are steeped in hot water to create tea.
Matcha tea, on the other hand, is a selection of just the youngest tea leaves which have been shade-grown to produce more chlorophyll, then are dried, have the stems and veins removed, and are ground into a very fine powder. The result is a vibrant bright green color, more antioxidants and minerals, and a smooth creamy texture and rich grassy flavor.
Uji Matcha is grown like regular matcha, but is usually steamed as opposed to dried, which locks in more nutrients and also gives the end product less of a bitter aftertaste.

I watched as one man behind the counter hand-whisked the matcha along with steaming water, while the other steamed and foamed some oat milk. Into a cup went a squirt of organic liquid cane sugar, followed by the fluffy oat milk, then the Uji matcha on top.



It looked beautiful, and tasted beautiful too.
The specialist did warn me that there was jasmine tea involved somehow as well, so I wasn't shocked at the rather bold floral flavor in there with the earthy matcha. I did notice that the tea did indeed have almost no bitter aftertaste at all. It felt somehow very fresh and clean. I actually wished the jasmine tea had NOT been involved, but it was very good nonetheless and I had to refrain from sucking it all down at once, trying to savor each sip. Awfully glad that Gabe gave me this recommendation!

I walked back to the hotel and just chilled for the remaining free hours, posting my museum photos and chatting with Jameson and Kayle. Then, dinner, shower, concert blacks, and off to the theatre.

Our first show back after the break went well. There are some wonky articulations from the band right now because we've got a new trumpet and new bassist, but both of them are doing great and will integrate in no time.
The audience was wonderfully enthusiastic :)

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Wednesday, I woke up and had breakfast, keeping tabs on Jameson because he's supposedly got a medical scan today for analyzing a hernia. My poor dude cannot catch a break, but he did buy himself some new video games to look forward to after everything is said and done.

We had covid testing around 10, and I killed time afterward by riding the elevator to visit each of the themed floors in our weird hotel. A lot of the floors are not strongly themed. The ones that are have most of the decorating near the elevators.

The Horror Floor (floor 13, appropriately).
There was also cool grey skull wallpaper in the hallways, some framed movie posters, and a "Redrum" wallpaper endcap.



The Rock Floor.
Framed album covers in the hallways and mix tapes and album cover wallpaper on the end caps.
Drum thrones near the ice machine.



The Marvel Floor.
Some black-and-white comic strip wallpaper, but the main draw were these shields and cool wallpaper outside the elevators.



The Pac Man (games) floor.
Game controller near the hallway phone, Super Mario themed wallpaper endcap.



I wanted to take pics of everything, but this is already a saturated post so you'll just have to stay in this hotel to see the rest :p

After that I killed another hour bookmarking jobs and goofing off online, then finally it was time for lunch which I've been looking forward to all day because it's my last food splurge here in Denver. Biker Jim's Gourmet Hot Dogs!

It was an easy one-mile walk, but it was very windy and cold today so it felt like walking in a wind tunnel!
The restaurant is on a trendy little street full of local bars and coffee shops and taquerias and such.
It wasn't very busy at all, so I got to order right away.

You can get one of a variety of hot dogs, ranging from traditional meats (beef, pork, chicken, veggie) to exotic game (elk, boar, rabbit, ostrich, and more). Then you can pick toppings to go on your dog, either individually (grilled onions, relish, ketchup, etc) or choose one of the creative topping combos that the restaurant has developed for use on their dogs.

I had messaged the restaurant in advance to ask what dog would pair best with the "desert" topping combo, and was told I should try rattlesnake and rabbit. So without further ado:



This is the rattlesnake and rabbit hot dog with harissa-seasoned grilled cactus, yellow curry jam, roasted onions and fried onions, and chives and cilantro. There's a lot of stuff here I've never had before, that being rattlesnake, cactus, and jam involving curry! (I think I've had rabbit in a stew).

It was absolutely delicious. I separated out some of the hot dog (it's really a braut or sausage) so I could try to taste it on its own, and it was very flavorful, definitely leaner than the beef or pork would have been, and with a little gamey aftertaste that was really nice. Otherwise the seasoning and the processed nature of the meat made it hard to tell the base flavors. But that's ok, it was delicious and new and those TOPPINGS.



I know this is an "ugly" pic but you can really see the interior of the sausage, the grilled cactus, and the curry jam here.
I've never had cactus before; it was chewy and tart and a little slimy inside, but the tartness fit in perfectly with the rich sausage.
The curry jam was awesome. I wonder if it's possible to replicate this at home just by adding curry to a fruit jam.
It was warm and spicy-sweet, and it just coated the soft onions and the crispy onions and brought it all together in this awesome flavorful bite.

It was so dang good and I ate the whole thing faster than intended.
The three dudes behind the grill were smiling as I brought up my empty plate.
Made sure to thank them profusely for serving up such awesome eats. I wish I could try every single flavor on their menu!

A brisk walk back in the cold, followed by a cup of hot tea and asking myself if I wanted to go tromp around outside.
Meh, It was so cold and windy, and tomorrow was supposed to be ten degrees warmer.
Why not wait and enjoy it more in the coming days.
Instead I had a relaxing afternoon of chatting with people online, reading my book, napping, and trying to watch Downton Abbey (there's a disturbing event in Season 4 and it's making me cringe away from finding out what happens next).

Jameson had his scan, which ended up being an ultrasound to find the hernia instead of a CT or MRI.
He's going out for a fancy steak dinner with friends later this evening.
After some prodding from me, he sent a picture of him in his suit.
He is so handsome! I love when he dresses up!



The evening show went well, it seemed to go quickly somehow.
It was in the mid-30s as we walked back to the hotel, which had me feeling exasperated.
Can we not have spring already?

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Thursday was a weekday matinee, so a little weird.
I had dreams about zombies. No idea why! I didn't watch or read anything with zombies, and don't recall anyone mentioning any.
In the dream I was frantically locking doors against the slow-but-relentless zombie tide, and screaming for someone to come help me, but no one came. I woke up and considered going back to sleep...decided to try it...and was immediately thrust back into Zombie World. WTH!

Well eventually I woke up and made breakfast, realizing that I was out of oatmeal and was about to be out of bread as well due to having to buy my loaf early this week. So, once I'd eaten I walked back to Whole Paycheck for a few individual bagels and oatmeal and a few pieces of fruit too while I was at it. It's good for me to get some exercise anyway.

Nothing exciting for the rest of the day except some work on my AFM pension paperwork, the matinee (which went well), and then the evening show with my sister Kayle and her husband Skylar attending!





These photos were taken in the lobby of my hotel after the show.
Kayle wore those square glasses "for fun", which I thought was awesome.
I'd gotten them house seats, so they were pretty good, in the Orchestra section.
They said they had a really great time! I hope they got a few hours of mental release from their children, and a few good laughs, and a fun relaxing evening together. While we were wrapping up with the exit music they came to the pit and took a nice picture:



We had briefly thought about getting drinks afterward but decided against it as the hotel bar was closed and they had a 40-minute drive to get home. So I took them on an elevator tour of the themed floors in the hotel, and answered lots of questions from Skylar (he's super inquisitive so I knew he'd have lots to ask, and I enjoy answering!), and then we finally had to admit that this would be our last time seeing each other while I'm in Denver. They are still very deeply into their house hunt, which in addition to child care and full time jobs, takes up a huge amount of time and energy. I cannot believe that things lined up so well for us to spend time together these past two weeks! I'm very grateful that I got to see my sister and her family, and make a few great memories with them :)

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Friday, I got up early to do laundry at the Marriott down the street but was turned away by the rather grouchy woman at the front desk.
"Our laundry facilities are for our guests", she said. Which, of course! I totally get that. However no one was doing laundry at the time AND this Marriott has an agreement with our hotel to allow guests of both hotels to use the laundry facilities.

But when I pointed out the empty laundry room to the associate, she selected a random woman sitting in the lobby and said, "This guest will be doing laundry momentarily".

I didn't know what the problem was and had no energy for arguing, so I just left, annoyed and a little worried because I was almost out of underwear.
Then it occurred to me that Marriott is just one brand under a corporate umbrella which includes Sheraton, Renaissance, Westin, and more. Sooooo I found an Embassy Suites just one block further and went there to inquire about using their laundry room.

And they were polite, and professional, and generously allowed me to use the laundry room.
And I was very appreciative, and it totally made up for the grouchiness experienced earlier.

After "laundry drama" I came back to the hotel for covid testing and to eat breakfast, then spent time looking at my flight options for the end of tour before deciding to go for a walk. During the walk I got some texts from friends, so chatted with them and strolled along a small sort of riverwalk that winds close to the theatre. I ended up picking up a few things at King Sooper so I won't have to buy breakfast or lunch at the airport on Monday, saving me a few bucks. Then back to the hotel room for some reading and a quick nap before dinner and the show.

The show was well attended and went well.
I feel that I'm playing better than usual lately, most likely because my trombone had a leak at the tuning slide and I was able to stop it up with some tuning slide grease. Might need to have that looked at when we get to Vegas.

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Saturday was a two show day.

I gave myself a chill morning, breakfast and cooking barley for lunch and writing a bit.
The matinee was fine, but I couldn't stop thinking about "church eggs".

The churches in my rural PA childhood home used to make and sell peanut butter, buttercream, and coconut cream chocolate-coated eggs in the weeks leading up to Easter. If you have ever had a "buckeye" candy, they're a lot like that but much larger. They are WAY better than store-bought Easter candies, like, BY FAR. I think it's because the filling is so rich, very fudge-like.

According to people I know, the secret ingredient is cream cheese.

CLICK HERE to watch a short video of a group of Pennsylvania church volunteers making "church eggs".

Between numbers, I Googled around San Diego and didn't find anywhere that would sell "church eggs".
BUT, here in Denver, there's a Kilwin's!
It's not going to be quite the same, but it's the closest I can get without being ridiculous and ordering them online.
So, after the show I took a brisk walk to Kilwin's and got the smaller (4oz) peanut butter filled egg, which I'll try to bring with me to San Diego for easter. After Christmas I managed to transport a large Reese's peanut butter filled Santa, so I think this should also hold up well.

The rest of the day was very normal. Dinner and the evening show. Excellent crowds :)

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Sunday, and only one show because we did a matinee on Thursday!

I got up early to meet one of Bill's friends for coffee.
A fellow trumpet player who'd been introduced on the fly, but he's toured with a load of Top 40's bands including Earth Wind & Fire, so I figured I could spare a few hours for coffee with the guy, ya know? Plus I had a transit pass to use up. So we met at Stella's and it was a nice little place, we had a good conversation and a nice cup of coffee. He graciously drove me back to the hotel afterward, where I started my packing and got ready for the show.

The show went very well, with a very responsive audience and lots of applause.
We packed our things, and as always I was the first one out because I have so little to pack up.

Back at the hotel I ate a dinner of grocery leftovers and watched Attack on Titan.
Jameson is flying to Maine this weekend for a clinic, and I'm excited for him (and watching my phone to make sure he arrives safely!)

Tomorrow we fly to San Diego.
I've been to San Diego many times, especially the Gaslamp District where we'll be performing.

But while doing my weekly Googling, I discovered something kind of unprecedented.
A little north of San Diego, there are MANY large Asian grocery chain stores...together! In a one-mile radius!

A Mitsuwa, a Marukai, and an H-Mart!! All walkable from each other!!!

I know y'all don't care, but to me this is a big deal.
Especially the Mitsuwa; there are only ELEVEN of those in the entire United States!
It's going to cost me an Uber round trip, but I think it is definitely worth it.
To stay within my budget, I plan not to eat out in San Diego at all except for a planned trip to Salt & Straw for some ice cream.
The majority of my food adventures will be whatever new and exciting things I find to try at these big-box Asian grocery chains!

So excited!

exploring: museums, art, friends and family, local foods, sneak peek, hotels, exploring, tootsie, thoughts, exploring: restaurants and businesses

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