September 2025. After Oscar came to London in June 2024 and I joined him there for a day, I’m now going to his hometown of Denver in Colorado. My second trip to the United States in 2025, after visiting my uncle and aunt in Wilmington, North Carolina. No, Denver is is not on foreign tourists’ mind when travelling to the US. But that doesn’t bother me. Quite the contrary.Â
Oscar took a day off for me so we could go hike in Boulder, a city not to far from Denver. Boulder has very different vibe, Oscar told, or maybe warned me. We would hike the Chautauqua Trail. The we lunched at the Boulder Dushanbe Tea House (also spelled Boulder-Dushanbe Teahouse and Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse), explored Pearl Street Mall and we ended our day together at a Walmart.
Chautauqua Trail
The Chautauqua Trail is one of the city’s most iconic hikes, bringing together easy access, sweeping scenery, and a sense of history. It begins at the Chautauqua Park trailhead at the base of the Flatirons, part of Boulder’s Open Space and Mountain Parks.
The trail itself is an out-and-back route of about 1.2 miles (2 km) in total, with an elevation gain of roughly 420–450 feet (130–140 m). It starts in open meadows before climbing gradually toward the towering sandstone slabs. The walk is rated easy to moderate, though many people extend it by branching onto adjoining trails. Which we did. I think we did the Bluebell Trail or Branch.
The views are a highlight. Chautauqua Meadow bursts with wildflowers in summer, while the higher stretches pass through groves of ponderosa pine. Wildlife ranges from mule deer and coyotes to raptors overhead, and the wider park is also home to black bears and mountain lions.
Geologically, the trail showcases the Flatirons — dramatic sandstone layers uplifted and tilted over millions of years.
The trail’s name recalls the Chautauqua movement, which spread across the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Boulder’s Chautauqua was founded in 1898 and still preserves its historic auditorium, dining hall, and cottages. In recognition of its cultural significance, the site was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2006.
While short on its own, the Chautauqua Trail serves as a gateway to longer hikes. From here, you can continue to the Royal Arch Trail (3.2 miles / 5.1 km round trip), climb to the First and Second Flatirons (2.6 miles / 4.2 km round trip), or loop together the Bluebell and Ski Jump trails for added variety.
Facilities at the trailhead include restrooms, picnic areas, and the Ranger Cottage visitor centre. Parking is limited and fills quickly on weekends and in summer; arriving early or using a seasonal shuttle is often the best option.
Dogs are allowed if leashed, while bicycles are not.
Conditions vary: snow and ice in winter, mud in spring, and hot sun in summer, so sturdy footwear, water, and sun protection are essential.
The Chautauqua movement
he Chautauqua movement was a cultural and educational phenomenon that began in the United States in the late nineteenth century and flourished into the early twentieth. It took its name from Chautauqua Lake in western New York, where the first assembly was established in 1874 as a summer school for Sunday school teachers. What started as a religious training programme soon expanded into a broad initiative that blended education, recreation, culture, and moral uplift.
At its height, Chautauqua offered lectures on literature, history, science, politics, and religion, alongside concerts, theatrical performances, and outdoor activities. The gatherings were designed to be intellectually stimulating yet accessible, bringing culture and learning to communities that might otherwise have little exposure to them.
Permanent Chautauqua sites were built in scenic settings, often with auditoriums, cottages, dining halls, and landscaped grounds. In addition to these fixed institutions, there were also travelling or ‘circuit’ Chautauquas that toured rural towns, setting up tents and bringing the same mix of lectures, music, and entertainment to local audiences.
The movement became immensely popular, sometimes described as a “middle-class summer school” or even “the most American thing in America“. It was closely linked to the ideals of self-improvement and civic responsibility, reflecting the values of the Progressive Era. At its peak in the 1910s and 1920s, millions of Americans attended Chautauqua programmes each year.
Over time, however, its influence waned. The rise of radio, cinema, and other modern forms of mass entertainment eroded its role as a primary source of cultural life, and by the 1930s the travelling Chautauquas had largely disappeared.
Some permanent sites, though, survived and adapted, and a few—such as the Colorado Chautauqua in Boulder—remain active today as centres of education, the arts, and community gatherings.
Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse
The Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse is a cultural landmark presented to the city in 1987 as a gift from its sister city Dushanbe, then the capital of the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic within the Soviet Union and now the capital of Tajikistan.
The teahouse was handcrafted over a period of two years by forty Tajik artisans, who employed traditional methods passed down through generations. No power tools were used in its original construction.
Once completed, the structure was disassembled, packed into approximately two hundred crates, and shipped to Boulder. The design incorporates elements rooted in Persian artistic traditions, with motifs of nature and repeating geometric patterns.
Financial and logistical challenges delayed the assembly of the teahouse for nearly a decade. Key figures in the Boulder community, including former mayor Linda Jourgensen, city council member Sally Martin, architect Vern Seieroe, and members of the Boulder-Dushanbe Sister Cities organisation such as Mary Axe and Jancy Campbell, worked to keep the project alive.
The Boulder-Dushanbe Teahouse Trust was eventually formed to coordinate efforts and secure funding. Community donations contributed significantly, but the full costs exceeded one million dollars. An agreement was ultimately reached with the City of Boulder to finance the project through lease revenues from a restaurant operator, in line with the city’s position that taxpayer funds should not be used. The teahouse was finally erected on city property and opened to the public in 1998.
The building is set beside a small brook branching from Boulder Creek, reflecting the Tajik tradition of locating teahouses near water.
The surrounding grounds feature a rose garden planted by the Boulder Valley Rose Society, further enhancing the cultural setting. Inside, the teahouse contains hand-carved cedar pillars, traditional Tajik furniture, a fountain with seven bronze statues of women inspired by the twelfth-century poem ‘The Seven Beauties‘, and original oil paintings created on site by a Tajik artist. Decorative plasterwork in geometric patterns and ceramic tiles depicting the ‘Tree of Life‘ complete the design.
The Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse remains the property of the City of Boulder. It is currently operated by restaurateur Lenny Martinelli.
On the menu are mostly dishes from the Middle East and Central Asia. Some are inspired by Uruguay or Italy.
Pearl Street Mall
Pearl Street Mall is a four-block pedestrian zone in the heart of downtown Boulder, stretching from 11th to 15th Streets along Pearl Street. It was officially converted into a car-free space in the mid-1970s, with its dedication taking place in August 1977. The project was conceived as part of a downtown revitalisation effort, aimed at preserving the historic character of the area while creating a more welcoming, walkable environment.
Before the conversion, Pearl Street had long been Boulder’s commercial core, originally lined with horse-drawn carriages and later automobiles. By the 1960s and early 1970s, the area was experiencing decline, with vacant storefronts and concerns about economic competition from shopping centres outside the city. Transforming the street into a pedestrian mall was a controversial idea at the time, but it eventually became a cornerstone of Boulder’s identity.
Today Pearl Street Mall is one of the city’s most popular attractions, combining retail, dining, culture, and public life.
Independent shops, art galleries, bookshops, and restaurants line the red-brick walkways, alongside some national chains. Street performers add liveliness to the space, with musicians, jugglers, magicians, and dancers entertaining visitors, especially during weekends and summer evenings.
The area is also known for its public art, sculptures, fountains, flowerbeds, and play areas, making it as much a gathering place as a shopping district.
The Mall serves as a venue for community events throughout the year. Summer brings live music through the ‘Bands on the Bricks‘ series, along with arts festivals and seasonal markets. Spring is marked by thousands of blooming tulips, while winter often sees festive lights and holiday events. These activities strengthen its role as a cultural and social centre, rather than just a retail destination.
Architecturally, many of the surrounding buildings are historic, preserved to maintain the character of Boulder’s past. The combination of period façades, brickwork, and landscaping gives the Mall a timeless quality. Its design includes benches, shaded areas, and patios that encourage lingering, with mountain views providing a striking backdrop.
Over the decades Pearl Street Mall has faced challenges, including economic shifts, the changing nature of retail, and the need to balance business vitality with accessibility and safety.
Boulder itself
Boulder is a city defined by its location at the edge of the Rocky Mountains, its university culture, and a long tradition of outdoor recreation and environmental awareness. Situated about 25 miles (40 km) northwest of Denver, it serves as the county seat of Boulder County and is the most populous city in the county, with around 108,000 residents. The wider metropolitan area has roughly 330,000 people.
The city rests at an elevation of approximately 5,430 feet (1,655 meters), where the plains meet the foothills, providing dramatic mountain views and easy access to hiking, biking, and other outdoor activities. The University of Colorado Boulder is a central feature of the city, influencing its demographics, cultural life, and reputation for research and innovation.
Boulder is renowned for its active, outdoors-oriented lifestyle and its commitment to sustainability and open space preservation. Its cultural life blends a small-city atmosphere with vibrant arts, dining, and festival scenes, supported by a mix of local businesses and an engaged, progressive population.
The city is often noted for its high quality of life, particularly in terms of education, outdoor amenities, and well-being.
Oscar’s gentle grievances with Boulder
Oscar repeated a few times Boulder has a very different vibe to Denver. The people are pretentious, he feels. There are many cyclists, and they like to tell you they cycle. From the moment we entered the city, I saw indeed cyclists with helmets.
Pilates is very popular there and indeed, when entering the town I spotted a pilates studio.
Boulder is very white, left-wing white. Fortune tellers, palm readers, white guys with dreads. I didn’t see those, but I didn’t see much colour. We saw two black hikers. Is hiking a white pass-time? It wouldn’t surprise me.
Many rainbow flags in Boulder, and an LGBTQIA+ section at Boulder Bookstore. At least, that’s what the directory said. But we couldn’t find the section.
So?
Yes, I can see Boulder is very different. It felt like a mix of a ski resort town such as Whistler in British Columbia in Canada and purposely built university town Louvain-la-Neuve in Walloon Brabant in Belgium.Â
For me, the vibe – at least around Pearl Street – was one of a weekend town, where people come for the weekend and return home on Sunday night. Except we were there on a Monday and thus it’s not that.
Epilogue at Walmart in Broomfield
We ended the day at Walmart in Broomfield. I love a Walmart. I bought briefs, of course, and some snacks. No guns here.
Faint memories of Denver visited briefly actually I stop at airport going to Seattle lol !!!
Better than nothing 😀
That’s my line lol !!!
😀