topic Re: What to do in Denver? in SAS Global Forum 2018

What to do in Denver?

SJSlaughter — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 17:53:49 GMT

I know it's really early, but does anyone know what kind of things there are to do in Denver? I used to go to conferences in exciting cities I had never before visited--and then spend all my time at the conference. SGF is wonderful, and there is plenty of fun to be had at the conference. Still, it's a shame not to see a city while you are there. So now I make a point of always getting out to see at least one thing in the city. I have never been to Denver before (except to change planes). What are the fun things to do and see in Denver?

Re: What to do in Denver?

ChrisHemedinger — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 17:58:29 GMT

Let's get this out of the way -- the counterexamples of good ideas as sung by Warren Zevon in 1991.

Apologies for the earworm.

Re: What to do in Denver?

nbrucken — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 17:58:41 GMT

The hotel is a few blocks from the state Capitol building, and a block from the free 16th St trolley. There are lots of good bars and restaurants nearby.

If you rent a car, you can head up into the mountains, and at least some of the Colorado ski resorts should still be open in early April.

Re: What to do in Denver?

Vince_SAS — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 18:05:49 GMT

Mile-High Steps at the Colorado State Capitol
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/mile-high-steps-at-the-colorado-state-capitol

US Mint
https://www.usmint.gov/about/mint-tours-facilities/denver/visiting-the-denver-mint

Museum of Contemporary Art
https://mcadenver.org

Denver Art Museum
https://denverartmuseum.org

16th St. MallRide
http://www.rtd-denver.com/FREEMallRide.shtml
http://www.rtd-denver.com/img/map/freemallride-map.jpg

Re: What to do in Denver?

jmhorstman — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 18:42:35 GMT

One more to add to Vince's list:

Denver Museum of Nature & Science

http://www.dmns.org/

Re: What to do in Denver?

MelodieRush — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 19:15:20 GMT

I lived in CO for 10 years until about 18 months ago. Some of my favorite are

The Denver Zoo (I volunteered there for 9 years) https://denverzoo.org/
The Aquarium http://www.aquariumrestaurants.com/downtownaquariumdenver/default.asp
The Butterfly Pavilion https://www.butterflies.org/
The Arsenal Wildlife Park https://www.fws.gov/refuge/rocky_mountain_arsenal/

Lots of the kids that came to the zoo on field trips often went to this restaurant. I don't think the food is great, but the show is good 🙂

h ttp://casabonitadenver.com/

If you like to hike, it may be a little early to go into the high country (still too much snow on the ground in the higher elevations in April), so

check out

Boulder https://www.bouldercoloradousa.com/things-to-do/outdoor-recreation-in-boulder/hiking-in-boulder/5-hikes-with-great-views/
Rocky Mountain National Park https://www.nps.gov/romo/index.htm
The Arsenal Wildlife Park (mentioned above)
Garden of the Gods https://www.gardenofgods.com/

Spring Skiing should still be available at some of the ski resorts (if not all, if the season is typical)

Also if you are into sports Denver has professional teams in Hockey, Baseball, Football, Soccer, Basketball and Lacrosse.

If there is something specific you are looking for, please let me know I still have lots of resources there (and I will be there as well). I look forward to meeting you there.

Re: What to do in Denver?

ArtC — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 19:11:39 GMT

Just outside of Denver in the small town of Golden you can visit the Colorado School of Mines(my grad school). They also have a small brewery in Golden (Coors).

Re: What to do in Denver?

MelodieRush — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 19:25:06 GMT

And you can not go wrong with a tour of a candy factory https://hammondscandies.com/visit/tours/

and if you have a car Celestial Seasonings Tour in Boulder http://www.celestialseasonings.com/visit-us/tea-tour

Re: What to do in Denver?

nancy88wilson — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 19:22:16 GMT

I'm IN!!!

Re: What to do in Denver?

ArtC — Sat, 23 Dec 2017 07:31:49 GMT

Although it is a bit different than in the movies, you can also tour the home of Molly Brown (the "unsinkable" one of Titanic fame).

Re: What to do in Denver?

AndrewHowell — Sat, 23 Dec 2017 07:47:24 GMT

Well, you don't get much ice hockey living "Down Under" (a lovely 80 degrees F in Melbourne today, post-Christmas will be high 80's up to 95).

But there IS a match (Colorado Avalanche vs. St. Louis Blues) in Denver on Sat 07 Apr (the night before SGF starts), so that's on my list.

Re: What to do in Denver?

AaroninMN — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 20:32:28 GMT

I'm flying in on Saturday. So far my pre-conference to do list includes:

Twist and Shout records for more vinyl I don't need, Great Divide Taproom (Oak Aged Yeti anyone?), Moe's Broadway Bagels and likely the Colorado Avalanche hockey game (It's their last home game of the regular season).

Re: What to do in Denver?

BBO — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 20:55:39 GMT

Do you have any specific local restaurants you would recommend? When I travel, I always love to try the flavor of a place that I visit - something that is unique to the location and has memorable food.

Re: What to do in Denver?

Vince_SAS — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 22:09:04 GMT

Search the Web for restaurants in Larimer Square and LoDo.

Here's something to get you started:

https://denver.eater.com/maps/best-restaurants-bars-larimer-square

https://denver.eater.com/maps/best-restaurants-lodo-denver-union-station

Vince

Re: What to do in Denver?

L2Fly — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 23:57:18 GMT

Hello everyone, this is my first SAS conference and first time in CO. Beside what to do in Denver, any suggestions for the first-timers like me attending the conference? I am also arriving on Saturday and try to fly out on Wednesday evening.

Best

Re: What to do in Denver?

kareng — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 00:31:25 GMT

Come early or stay afterward and play in the mountains! Whether you're outdoorsy or not, there's no shortage of adventures and sites for you. Ask any of us locals for suggestions that align with your interests. For example, if you want to venture up I-70, "up the hill" in local-speak, just 45 miles out of Denver is a quaint steam narrow gauge train that runs on the weekends.

Do you like craft beer? If so, there are an insane number of microbreweries in our state!

Many of these are in walking distance: http://denverbreweryguide.com/maps.aspx

Here are even more: http://www.fermentedlychallenged.com/p/denver-area-breweries-map.html

There are a couple of great distilleries right in town, including Stranahan's and Leopold Brothers.

Consider checking out the History Colorado Center, close to the Denver Art Museum and Capitol. It's more than a museum.

https://www.historycolorado.org/venue/history-colorado-center

Re: What to do in Denver?

Marje — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 03:43:29 GMT

Great Question! I am not a Denver expert, but I have been to 30+ SAS Global Conferences, so I have a few suggestions...

Welcome to your first SAS Global Forum - you will learn so much, meet amazing people, and have a great time.

My top three suggestions

1. NETWORK - attend every event where you can meet folks from the global sas community. It's great to connect with the people(in person) who are so helpful online year round. Wear the nifty badges and pins that are available at registration to be easily recognizable by your interests, industry, roles, hobbies etc

2. CONTENT‎. Review the content offerings and timing before you go, and build a tentative agenda. But adapt when you are there as your interests change.

3. QUAD. Hang out in the quad to meet SAS Developers and SAS experts, get help from Code Doctors, participate in special activities, etc. It is open Sunday afternoon through Tuesday night

See you in Denver! And glad to help guide you through your first SAS Global Forum if you need suggestions.

Re: What to do in Denver?

MichelleHomes — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 04:40:35 GMT

Hi @L2Fly,

In addition to @Marje's great advice of NETWORK, CONTENT and QUAD. I'd highly recommend attending the "First Timer's" session which I think is on Sunday afternoon. The conference sessions seem to be available on the website now and you can also download the catalog at https://www.sas.com/en_us/events/sas-global-forum/program/sessions.html Personally, I find the SASGF app a great way to plan before going to the conference. I'm sure we'll get notified in this group when the app becomes available.

As there are so many great sessions, people to meet and things to see, it becomes a physical challenge. Be prepared to double or even triple book times and even then you may decide to do something else. As Marje said - adapt! (I'm waiting for the SASGF clone machine.)

If you use social media such as Twitter, Facebook & Instagram, you may also want to follow the #SASGF hashtag on each channel before and during the conference where information, live sessions, behind the scenes pics and more are shared. It's a great way to also "meet" people before you meet them in person and it is such a buzz too when you do. 😉

Kind Regards,

Michelle

LinkedIn: http://au.linkedin.com/in/michellehomes/
twitter: http://twitter.com/HomesAtMetacoda
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Metacoda

Re: What to do in Denver?

MMMIIIIKKKKEEEE — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 13:27:54 GMT

L2Fly,

Oh, you are going to have a very fun learning experience! Here are several suggestions:

Attend the First Timer's session. It will provide information on how to get the most out of your SGF experience.

Attend every one of the social events and meet new people. Don't be shy. There will be a lot of first-timers there; as well as people traveling alone.

Attend group lunches and talk to the people at your table. It is fascinating and fun to learn where they are from and what they are doing with SAS.

Chat up strangers in the break areas. As with the lunches, it is interesting to learn about their SAS experiences over cookies and coffee.

Summing it up; the conference is about the people as much as it is about the software. You will learn new ways to crunch your data with SAS in the presentations. And, you will learn almost as much in the social events and hallways.

See you there!

Re: What to do in Denver?

nbrucken — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 14:43:32 GMT

@L2Fly, I'd also recommend volunteering to help out at the conference as a way to get more out of it. For example, if, after looking at the presentation schedule, you discover that you're planning to attend several back-to-back papers in the same room, consider signing up for a volunteer shift in that room during that time. No special skills are required of volunteers- just a timepiece of some sort, so you can time papers and help keep the room on schedule, or the ability to catch the doors and keep them from slamming audibly during someone's presentation. The volunteer system is scheduled to open next week. By volunteering, you'll get the chance to work closely with the presenters and other volunteers, and also earn the undying gratitude of the conference organizers, because the conference is run by volunteers (in conjunction with SAS).

Thanks,

Nancy