Boulder: Business & Food
A few weeks ago, I headed to Boulder, Colorado for a
leadership conference for MAES (Mexican American Engineering Society). Forty years ago, the association started as a small group of Mexican
American engineers. Now, it has thousands of Latinos throughout the United States in different fields of STEM (Science Technology
Engineering Mathematics) as members. The Marine
Corps sponsored part of the MAES Academy event, a series of leadership courses for
college students in STEM programs. I felt humbled to work with such talented
young students and talk to them about my experience as a Latina Marine Corps
Officer in the technology field.
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| The View from my Room at Millennium Harvest House Boulder |
Traveling on business can be limiting as your schedule is
packed with events, especially when the conference is held in the hotel you’re
staying in. I always try my best to eat at a local restaurant, talk to locals
(even if it means the hotel staff), and see some of the city. Here are my highlights of my short but lovely trip.
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| As a Speaker at MAES Academy |
Where I stayed: I
stayed at the Millennium Harvest House Boulder.
The hotel has a very cozy mountain feel with its dark colors and wooden
accents. Some of the areas are outdated such as the lobby, breakfast room, and
bar but the hotel is currently undergoing a series of renovations to improve
these areas. My room was in the north
tower, which had the most gorgeous view of the Rockies. Every morning, I made
it a point to wake up early and take in the view for a few minutes. The location was walking distance to shopping
and restaurants and a short drive to Pearl Street. Interestingly enough, the
hotel has Salsa night on Saturdays and it’s free for guests ($6 for
visitors). I had fun dancing Salsa on my
final night at the conference. A highlight of my stay was the service, from the conference staff to the front desk searching for a car ice scraper for us, everybody went above and beyond.
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| Waffles at Modmarket |
Modmarket: Walking
distance from the Millennium Harvest House Boulder, it’s a great spot for breakfast
and coffee. I had whole grain Belgian
waffles topped with a delicious apple pear compote. The compote was not too sweet, which paired perfectly with the maple syrup. I was having breakfast alone and checking my
emails when the manager showed up at my table with a bowl of fresh fruit. The
friendliness at Modmarket during my first breakfast in Boulder set my trip to a great start. I was thrilled to see that there was also a Modmarket at the
Denver Airport. I would love to have one in DC!
Coconut Panna Cotta at Oak at Fourteenth
Oak at Fourteenth: I was fortunate to be able to link up
with a dear friend Dan who came from Denver to visit. We headed to Pearl Street to Oak
at Fourteenth. As you walk into the
restaurant, you can smell the oak fired oven, admire the pretty picked veggies on mason jars
lining up the bar, and see the attractive wait staff in crisp white shirts and
jeans. I had the pulled BBQ pork
sandwich, which was served on a crisp baguette with fries. I paired it with a
deliciously dark espresso flavored stout. We concluded our
lunch with a piece of the tropics in the mountains: coconut panna cotta, mango
sorbet and guava sauce. The dessert was as delicious as it was beautiful. The panna cotta was not overly sweet, it
paired perfectly with the mango sorbet and the light guava sauce. You can see
the tiny specs of the vanilla bean in the panna cotta, which shows me that the
pastry chef did not cut corners.
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| Pizza at Pizzeria Locale |
Pizzeria Locale:
My colleague
and I sat at the chef’s table facing the cooks making pizza by hand and
delicately entering it in the wood oven.
Lunch was simple: amatriciana pizza
with an extra topping of anchovies. There’s something about the saltines of
the anchovies I can't resist. It also paired very well with the spiciness of
the pizza. I talked my colleague
into sharing a saltimbocca con nutella: a soft dough warmed and filled with the glorious hazelnut spread. I spotted one of
the cooks having a coffee so I could not help but to order one as well to go with my dessert. I can't resist a well made cappuccino.
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| Cappuccino at Pizzeria Locale |
Although I did not have much time to discover Boulder (and a snowstorm did not help my sightseeing aspirations either) I was
convinced that this is a place that I need to return to. I must say I was taken with the energy of
Colorado: the crisp air, the warm people, and the majestic backdrop of the
mountains. Grateful that I get to return
in the spring to this gorgeous state.
CONVERSATION