Boulder has the highest percentage of bike owners of any town in the US. 71% of the population owns at least one bike. This means that 71% of the population owns the ultimate exploring machine. As a cyclist I have been on almost every road in Boulder and the surrounding area. Sometimes I head west into the mountains, and other times I like to cruise around out east on the flatter roads. No matter where I go, I often look around and think about how if I weren’t a cyclist I would have never seen most of these places. The reason for this is because as a cyclist we look for roads with low traffic,... Read More

You will learn how Boulder’s iconic Flatirons formed. Turns out, Boulder was once beachfront property. The Flatirons are Boulder’s favorite portion of the Fountain Formation, a geological formation of mostly red sandstone. This sandstone, more appropriately called “arkose” gets its color from the pinkish feldspar contained it it. This red rock makes up the Red Rocks of Morrison and the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. The Fountain Formation stretches from Colorado Springs all the way to Wyoming. The reddish color is due to the concentration of feldspar in the sandstone,... Read More

Maybe you already know that the comfortable (and allegedly edible) innovation; the Crocs shoe, was created in Boulder County. Today we’re checking out some less explosive, but equally clever, Boulder-based inventions. This is one smart city, and the products created here prove it! Nimbus Cloud Dome The Nimbus Cloud Dome is a deceptively simple invention created by Boulder resident Cindy Litchfield. As a jewelry maker, she struggled to create close-up, glare-free photos of her products. No one had addressed the problem before, so she took on the challenge. The result was the Nimbus Cloud... Read More

“The best decision I ever made was moving out here. It’s beautiful, I mean that scenery, right? And the people are so friendly and happy. It’s been the best year of my life for sure.” – Ashley Stewart  Read More

It’s time to start getting back out on the trails. What better to venture into Boulder’s beautiful open spaces than with a furry friend. Boulder Open Spaces and Mountain Parks offers a sprawling 145 miles of trails to the avid hiker, and up to 90% of those trails are open to dogs. This includes the Chautauqua Meadow, Mt. Sanitas, NCAR trails, Bear Canyon, the Table Mesa Trails and much, much, more.   But, before heading into the great outdoors with your pooch, don’t forget to bring a leash and some doggie bags. While the Open Spaces and Mountain Parks welcome dogs, it is your responsibility... Read More

“I want success. In every way. Not in just one specific way. Not financial or in family. I want overall success.” – Jack Adams  Read More

A Boulder resident in the 1940s remarked that Pearl street is “a good place to buy a pair of socks.” I think this adage holds true today, and that Pearl offers Boulder exponentially more to go along with those socks. Pearl Street is supposedly named for one of the wives of the original 54 founders of Boulder. However, I have also heard whispers that “Pearl” was a madam of a brothel once located near what is now Pearl Street. The first explanation is more likely, though I find the second more provocative and appealing. If I had to describe Pearl Street, I would say it’s an intermingling... Read More

  With the warm weather, it’s time to head out and explore the surrounding parks and trails around Boulder. One of Boulder’s best parks sits a few miles south of the town itself, and boasts beautiful scenery and rich history.   Eldorado Canyon beacons as a mecca for local rock climbers. The state park is renown for its beautiful sandstone walls, pocked with thousands of rock climbing routes. Any serious climbers in Boulder should not pass up a chance to experience the world class routes in Eldorado Canyon.   However, for the more causal adventurer, Eldorado Canyon offers miles... Read More

Every Boulderite knows that Chautauqua is up on 900 Baseline Road in Boulder, but how did it get there? And what is a Chautauqua anyway? The Chautauqua movement of the late 19th century was an effort to educate rural communities who lacked access to the mass culture being developed in cities. The movement lasted from the 1870s all the way into the 1920s. Rural peoples were hungry for entrainment and brain food, but lacked a way to easily travel because automobiles weren’t widely available until 1910. The “Mother Chautauqua” (which sounds a bit like a spaceship name to me) was... Read More

My mother has dementia. When I talk to her it is like talking to a pre-school age child — stream of consciousness-style ramblings of reality mixed with fantasy. It is disturbing to compare this woman to the person my mother was before dementia.  She was smart, witty, and quite opinionated.  She was a modern woman who was still quite old-fashioned; a unique woman for her generation. Dementia is not a disease, but rather a group of symptoms caused by other conditions.  Dementia causes problems with thinking, memory, and reasoning, happening when the parts of the brain used for learning,... Read More

Meet Elizabeth! She was volunteering at the Boulder Creek Fest encouraging kids to sign up for reading camps this summer. “Reading is important to me because it opens a world that you can’t explore anywhere else. It opens opportunities and voices, and gives you a voice that nobody else can ever have or understand unless you put it in words.”  Read More

Ah, the Oscars. A time for us to rewind and remember all of the films that made us laugh, squeal, cry, and brim over with feeling. Over the weekend, we saw the awards go to Moonlight, Zootopia, and La La Land, and witnessed the emotional acceptances of some of the winners. I thought it would be interesting to look back on some of the famous movies that have been filmed right here in Boulder and in some of our close neighboring cities. Perhaps the most famous recent film shot in Colorado was “The Hateful Eight”, Tarantino’s latest film which featured a bounty hunter and his prisoner seeking... Read More

We all know that it’s important to eat well, be physically active and get a good night’s sleep.  In recent years, magazines such as Entrepreneur, Time and Inc. have featured articles about the connection between engaging in the trifecta of health behaviors and professional success. Why? Your success starts with your health – eating healthy, getting enough sleep, and exercising regularly. After all, if don’t feel great, how do you expect to sustain the focus and energy needed to get things done? Here’s a closer look at why food, sleep, and exercise can impact your success and what... Read More

There is widespread agreement among those in the scientific and health care communities, that certain behaviors contribute greatly to preventable chronic disease, improve productivity and impact health. In 2000, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that four lifestyle-related behavioral risk factors accounted for approximately 40% of all deaths in the United States. The optimal lifestyle metric (OLM), reflects adherence to these four positive health behaviors: not using tobacco, exercising at least 150 minutes per week, consuming at least five fruits and vegetable... Read More

Meet “Buddy Boulder,” the mascot proving that even the gleaming citizens of Boulder sometimes make bad decisions. Or eerie ones at the very least. How was this grinning stone created? Well, in 1984 the Boulder Hotel and Motel Association had a “Mascot Mania” event whereby people were allowed to submit mascot ideas for the city of Boulder. The winners received cash prizes. You would think money would be incentive to create something inviting and recognizable. Sure, Buddy has the Flatirons on his head, but we just can’t stop looking at his cold, shifty, doll eyes. The... Read More

  The HELO smart wrist band is a sleek, revolutionary, health tracker. It is the first wearable device to provide real time health monitoring, 24/7. HELO , or Health & Lifestyle Oracle, monitors heart rate, steps taken, calories burned, distance covered and sleep quality, but HELO takes health monitoring to new heights by offering some exciting new features: ECG/EKG – the electrical activity of your heart Blood Pressure Mood Sensor Fatigue Sensor Remote monitoring of other people’s vital signs Provides emergency SOS GPS location for everyone in your family A Panic button, with GPS... Read More

It’s true, college can be the best time of your life. You’re living in the middle of a cultural hub and surrounded by people who know how to have a good time and hate CSU. When it’s all over, here are the things that alumni miss the most: Tailgating. Among the things that CU is good at, winning football games isn’t necessarily up there, but tailgating certainly is. Football games are an all-day event so by 8:30am on Saturday morning, the Hill is popping with music, mimosas, and people getting ready to grill. If you ask around, a lot of students don’t even have tickets to the actual game... Read More

Josephine Antoine This fair Boulderite was beloved for her incredible rise to fame as a Metropolitan Opera star. After completing her education in Boulder, Antoine went on to earn a Master’s at the Julliard School of Music in NYC. Before her first national appearance, she received a telegram from the mayor of Boulder reading: “Every citizen sends you love and good wishes for your performance tomorrow.” She was a success, and sang the lead in 14 Metropolitan Opera productions. Her singing was featured on national radio stations, and she returned to Boulder to perform at the Colorado... Read More

Some of you have heard that Boulder is “25 square miles surrounded by reality”. Which is one way to say that the character of the city of Boulder is extremely different from other nearby cities. Today we will discuss how intellectualism has helped to create this unique reputation. There is a huge focus on anti-intellectualism in the United States. Many folks, especially politicians, discredit Education, Literature, Philosophy, Art, and Science as pursuits which are mostly impractical. None of these subjects seem vital for the “common man” to know. None of them will help... Read More

It’s almost fall! As the new season arrives and temperatures cool down, it’s a great time to cook some healthy comforting food.  As we’ve all heard for some time now, it’s important to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables – 5 to 9 servings is the recommendation. If you’re tired of the same old broccoli and green beans, how about something different? Locally grown produce is kinder to the environment and ensures that your produce is as fresh as possible. Fresher is better when you want to maximize the nutrient value of your produce. Here’s a sample of what’s... Read More