Boulder Inspiration

IMG_1980My husband and I had our tenth wedding anniversary last week. To celebrate, we went to where we first met, fell in love, and got married–Boulder, CO.

We stayed the night at the St. Julien Hotel, in a room with a balcony that overlooked the Flatirons, the majestic geological formation that’s like a gateway to the Rocky Mountains. (Big shout out to Grandma and Grandpa Spooner for having Sophie over for her very first sleepover!).

IMG_1971For dinner, we went to Frasca Food & Wine, which we’d heard wonderful things about. And it definitely lives up to all the hype! It was an experience that, appropriately, reminded us of our Italian honeymoon <3

We had four immensely flavorful courses and a refreshing Italian white wine that, along with satisfying the tastebuds, gave me so many ideas for my second book, which delves even more into the local food and wine scene. (Pictured: carpaccio di pomodoro, my favorite dish).

After dinner, we strolled along Pearl Street, soaking up the vibe. The shops, which sell anything from kites to upscale kitchenware to books. The street performers, musicians performing renditions of various pop songs or a magician accurately guessing a randomly drawn card.

IMG_1975Even though I lived in Boulder for five years, every time I visit I notice something new.

Like, how Pearl Street smells of waffle cones, BBQ, and incense on summer evenings.

Or the curious way the light casts both a yellow glow on clouds and an early dusk on flowers when the sun has slipped behind the mountains but hasn’t yet set.

These details will probably work their way into my story somehow. Because real life feeds fiction. And Boulder, like my main character, is where my heart is.

I went to college there. Lived in my first apartment there. Fell in love there.

I just hope I can do it justice!

Have you visited somewhere this summer that inspired you? What are some of your favorite settings from books? Why do you think they resonated with you?