"On the Hill" in Boulder CO
When I first moved to Boulder from Wisconsin, I got into my apartment by the early afternoon. After loading the boxes into the new place and saying our goodbyes, my folks hit the road and I unpacked a few of the essentials before getting cabin fever.
The move had been planned for over 2 years, and it was finally complete. So I headed up to Pearl Street and stopped in the first promising pub I saw. They had a local brew that featured a likeness of my Red "RollFast" cruzer bike that I had to leave behind, which seemed like a good omen.
When the pint was poured I found a discarded paper and started catching up on my new hometown. I was dismayed to learn that I had missed a good show in Denver the night before, but delighted to learn that there was a good show on tap for Boulder that very night.
With plenty of time to kill before the show, I asked the barman where the theater was. "On the Hill" he answered as if that was all the information any one would need.
When you go from Wisconsin to Boulder CO, they're all hills!
We're on a hill called a mountain, it's all the same hill what are you talking about?!? THE Hill?!?!
Which one's "THE hill?, that hill? that hill? That big one over there?
That's what the University area was called, and it was technically uphill from the bar.
So I headed up to the hill, parked & wandered around. When I found the theater, the front bar was open and the band(s) were setting up. It was still light out, and I wound up chatting with the house sound man & watching the sound check. One of the staff came over and stamped my hand when she brought my drink, because she thought I was with the crew.
In Madison, before I moved, I had been on all the door lists for so long I took it for granted. But here in Boulder, where I knew no one and no one knew me, I had just been comped by a pretty waitress with a pretty smile.
Since I got there early I had a good perch before the crowd arrived. During the opening act, another attractive young lady showed me one of her tattoos. It was in a less than public viewing area, so I felt I was being offered a special moment, even though we were surrounded by other warm bodies.
Not long after that I met another, less decorated co-ed who happened to know some guys in the band from "Back home" in Texas.
So the young lady who I'd known less than 10 minutes, got me backstage with a few words. She and I were introduced around. We ate & drank backstage and watched the show from the side.
Although the house got warm because the band rocked the house, the mountain night air was a cool contrast to the humid nights I had left behind.
When I walked her to her car after the show, the stars seemed to be just out of our reach. we said our warm goodbyes and I watched her drive away before returning to my car.
As I walked the few blocks "On the Hill" to my car, I reviewed my time in Boulder so far:
1) Arrived intact on a beautiful afternoon
2) Said goodbye to Parents and saw 2 Mule Deer in the yard under my window.
3) Found a really good local beer that has my bike on the bottle
4) Lucked into a live show of a favorite artist...for free!
5) Got to see a pretty girls "Tattoo" area
6) Another pretty girl gave me an all access pass, because she liked my hat.
With a smile on my face, I returned to my new apartment.
When I looked at the clock on the dash it seemed odd that i'd only been in town about 8 hrs.
"I'm Stayin'!" I said as I looked up at the flatirons in the moonlight.
