So we’re all trapped safe at home. It’s definitely not ideal, but our Look Listen team is making it work (and some of us are even making it fashion through filters and costumes).
In addition to finding ever-more-interesting Zoom backgrounds, our time at home has given us an opportunity to fall back in love with the local spots that make our communities special.
Whether it’s the neighborhood dive bar now delivering happy hour straight to our homes, a beloved restaurant whose takeout keeps us going back for more or a new spot we’ve only recently learned we need in our lives, we thought it’d be fun (and educational) to share our local Atlanta and Denver favorites. For good measure, we threw in local businesses and outdoor adventures we can’t wait to get back to when this is all over. Take a look!
Atlanta
Go-to for takeout/delivery & standing order:
- Elmyriachi; Kath crunches on the taco salad with taco shell bowl. When this is over, she’s headed to:
- Revolution Donuts, for the donuts
- Sweetwater Creek
- Olde Blind Dog; Kayla spices things up with the mango habanero wings. When this is over, she’s headed to:
- Bold Monk Brewing for some fresh beer, cocktails, and FRIES (delivery can’t do crispy fries justice)
- Piedmont Park
- West Cobb Diner; Lisa recommends the fried chicken with green tomato chutney. When this is over she’s headed to:
- The Marietta Local to enjoy their amazing food, people and mission
- Kennesaw Mountain National Park
- Sun in My Belly; Erica goes for challah French toast or a pimento omelet. When this is over she’s headed to:
- Victory Sandwich Bar for a Jack and Coke slushie (and a sandwich)
- a sunny Saturday morning on the Beltline
- Kimball House; Brian splurges on the weekends with a dozen oysters and a few beers. When this is over he’s headed to:
- Wall Crawler Rock Club, so his son can climb the walls
- Deepdene Park (minding the snakes, of course)
- Blue India; Rachel’s order includes palak paneer & garlic naan. When this is over, she’s headed to:
- Bold Monk Brewing — she’s been dreaming of their pizza nonstop since they opened
- Silver Comet Bike Trail
- Fortune Cookie; Rebecca’s into that house lo mein. When this is all over, she’s head to:
- Bottle Rocket for sushi with her friends
- a hike at the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
Denver
Go-to for takeout/delivery & standing order:
- El Taco de Mexico; Crystal’s supporting this women-owned, James Beard award-winning hole-in-the-wall with a chile relleno burrito (smothered of course). When this is over, she’s headed to:
- Studio Colfax to shop for great finds from local artisans
- Avalanche Ranch or Strawberry Hot Springs… ASAP
- Esters; Keely’s getting down on Mikey’s Pizza. When this is over, she’s headed to:
- Local 46 to hang out with her friends on the patio
- Chicago Trail
- Little Owl Coffee; Jeana’s ordering a vanilla latte + almond milk with a waffle pop! When this is over, she’s headed to:
- Hudson Hill — she loves the vibe
- ANY 14er
- Walter’s 303 Pizzeria Publik House; Annemarie can’t decide between the dry-rub chicken wings and the Greek pizza. When this is over, she’s headed to:
- her local gym and nail salon to get spiffed up
- Cheesman Park for a jog on the path
- City O’ City; CJ prefers the vegan BBQ Mac Wrap. When this is over, he’s headed to:
- any local tattoo shop (send us your suggestions!)
- Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre
- Abrusci’s Fire & Vine; Donna loves all the options — from takeaway cocktails and cook-at-home meals to their standard delivery menu. When this is over, she’s headed to:
- CLP Jewelry for locally made gifts and housewares
- Golden‘s many local hiking trails
- Work & Class; Sara S. is partial to their mojitos and old fashioneds to-go. When this is over, she’s headed to:
- Mission Ballroom, Bluebird or Larimer Lounge for some sorely missed live music
- Three Sisters or O’Fallon for family-friendly hiking
- Blue Pan Pizza; Daniel’s hands-down favorite is the Detroit-style Brooklyn Bridge pizza. When this is over, he’s headed to:
- El Camino Community Tavern in the West Highlands, his favorite bar
- Platte River Trail to kick off cycling season in style
- Aloy Modern Thai; Kelsey’s committed to the pad see eew with tofu. When this is over, she’s headed to:
- Denver Central Market or any food hall, really, because she misses lots of food all in one place
- Hanging Lake
- Mama Roni’s; Geoff is all about their pizza rolls. When this is over, he’s headed to:
- Tap & Handle, which is one of THE best beer bars in the country
- do a little more skiing at A-Basin
- Pepper Asian Bistro; Tatiyana gets the orange chicken. When this is over, she’s headed to:
- Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom, a beautiful concert venue that feels like home
- First Friday Art Walk just steps from the office
- High Point Creamery; Blanca doesn’t like to play favorites but feels the vegan coconut creme brûlée, cookies & cream and coffee flavors are to die for. When this is over, she’s headed to:
- Denver Bikram Yoga to feel the heat
- Mt. Falcon for a pre-work Look Listen group hike
- Thai Garden; Chris knows the best way to order peanut curry chicken is Thai hot, of course! When this is over, he’s headed to:
- Denver Botanic Gardens to see what’s in bloom
- a bike ride in Cherry Creek State Park
- Zeal DTC; Sara M. orders the vegan curry mac and cheese but they have meat products (if you must). When this is all over, she’s headed to:
- Paleo Bistro for a fresh-from-the-oven blueberry muffin on the walk to work
- Red Rocks for concerts (hopefully)
Want to share some local love of your own? Visit us on Facebook to talk about your favorite spots and why you love them.
Photo by Virginia Johnson on Unsplash
