Lately I’m Lovin’: Colorado Diaries

Hii guys!!

It’s been a little while, hasn’t it?

I took a brief blogging hiatus to enjoy my friends & family in Colorado this week ( & which is sadly extremely odd for me ).

So, after I moved all of my shit out of my apartment in Los Angeles, I got on a plane straight to Durango, CO. My family has a house there ( in the MIDDLE of nowhere… aka no wifi! Typical Sartain family.. ) & we got the whole family together for a couple of days to enjoy the weather, the town of Durango ( SO freakin’ cute ) and some relaxing.

Well, a little relaxing.

I’ll admit, I put in a little work every day. I can’t help myself. My little sister, Riley ( college athlete / intense work out person ), dragged my butt to the Durango Sports Club most mornings for a quick run & some Bikini Bod Circuit action. Then, I spent every. single. morning. enjoying the wifi ( T God! ) & the BALLIN’ iced coffee at the Durango Coffee Company.

What I really like about Durango is how the people there just love their locally-owned businesses. There’s a Starbucks in town, and the place is a like a wasteland. The Durango Coffee Company is the PLACE to be.

Also, at night, the town is FILLED with places to sit, grab a drink & listen to live music. My sister & I found a little rooftop bar to chill at and listen to some legit folk tunes.

For any of you who want to visit Durango, my favorite spots ( besides the two above ) are:
• Grassburger– AMAZING burgers.. and they’ll do a lettuce ‘bun’!
• Eolus- Fresh & Healthy Food
• Chimayo- The Salmon & the Mac-and-Cheese are SO good.
• Kennebec Cafe- We ate here for Brunch. It’s in a more secluded location and it’s SO pretty.
• Steamworks Brewing Company- I tried to stick to my gluten-free lifestyle here, but the pale ale was calling my name. Sorry, stomach! Worth it.
• James Ranch- This ranch supplies most of the meat in town, and they’re fresh, organic, and humane! You can eat at James Ranch at the little outdoor cafe & picnic area ( we brought my pup, Drogo ) and look out at the ranch. Also, you can do a tour of the ranch, which I wish we could’ve gone on. They’re super serious about the treatment of their animals and the content of their meat… which are two extremely important things. I can’t go full-on vegetarian, but I figure this is the best way to be a meat eater… cuz hamburgers are life.

Other shiz to do: Riley & I got to enjoy a little R&R ( thanks, grandma ) at the Signature Med Spa. I got the salt scrub & vichy shower, a massage, and some mani-pedi action. Life is hard. Then, we grilled out at home, rode around on the 4-wheelers, did the hardest puzzle ever, and chilled in the hot tub for like 39845408 hours finding stars & such. OMG… take me back.

My mini guides to Durango can be found here & here.

After Durango, I stopped by Telluride for a few days to visit my BFFAEAE since puberty ( LOLz ). Telluride is a little more uppity than Durango, but I love it anyways! Plus, Telluride has been overrun by Texans, and I can’t say that I’m complaining.

There aren’t THAT many options as far as restaurants & such in Telluride, but the ones they do have are pretty good. My favorite things were:
• Coffee Cowboy– The cute coffee trailer in town. They have delish coffee, TONS of milk options ( which is always a plus for me ), & a Pay-It-Forward System that rocks. AKA: you buy a little voucher for someone else to buy a coffee ( if they’re lacking funds ) and tape it onto the window for them to take. But…. this is Telluride, so I only saw people buying vouchers for others, not taking the vouchers to use themselves. It’s a hard life out there, guys.
• New Sheridan Hotel– BRUNCH BRUNCH BRUNCH. I got 3243423 mimosas & the yogurt/granola/fruit bowl. Kinda healthy?
• Brown Dog Pizza– They have GLUTEN FREE Pizza that’s actually good. Win. Score. Champions.
• Last Dollar– AKA: “The Buck,” as named by locals. Every night we went out, we came here

Now, I’m back in Texas, trying to get my shiz together to move into my new place in College Station. I’m already planning my next trips to NYC & Los Angeles in the next few months… typical. I can’t wait to show y’all the new place, though! Stay tuned & I’ll share with you peeps how I’m decorating my new apartment on a budget ( using these stores! ).

x

P