Post Date: Wednesday, August 2, 2017
My internship with Downtown Boulder has sadly come to an end, which also means we are in the last days of summer vacation. When the school year resumes, I will be entering my senior year and cherishing every last minute of my remaining time in CU’s college wonderland. I must say how grateful I am for my time spent working at Downtown Boulder and what an excellent learning experience it has been! The hands-on experience in an office setting this internship has provided has built an incredible foundation and stepping stone for what’s to come. I now know how to transfer calls and maintain a website! When I finally cross the dreaded line into the “real world”, I feel confident that this internship experience will make the transition a little smoother.
Before my time with Downtown Boulder I rarely spent much time on Pearl Street, excluding time spent playing pool in the Sundown Saloon. After spending my summer amongst this wonderful community, here are some things I’ve learned outside the office:
Food
If I don’t decide where I’m going to eat lunch before I leave the office, I will spend most of my break deliberating which place to go. The amount of quality restaurants on Pearl Street is so overwhelming, it’s too easy to keep exploring indefinitely. No matter what your appetite is on any given day, you will find the perfect restaurant no problem. The hard part is when you can’t label your hunger and every restaurant looks tempting. My greatest sin of the summer has been burning money on artisanal sandwiches and fermented beverages from Cured.
A lot of workers here don’t have an office
There isn’t an official office space for the fire shooting bagpipe player or the guy who puts himself into a little box, however, street performers do hold down regular spots on the Pearl Street Mall. It is nearly everyday that I can stroll down the mall and see the dude stacking chairs on his forehead, or someone playing with fire to impress their crowd. None of these guys need a desk, but Pearl Street is pretty much the office for street performers.
Bands on the Bricks attracts an insane crowd
The night I spent working Bands on the Bricks, I stood at the beer garden entrance and checked the IDs of people clearly generations older than me, for the duration of the night. I didn't have the best view of the stage, but watching the crowd was a show in its own right. It’s cool to watch a variety of generations still have fun like college students, let loose and in some instances disregard their lack of dancing coordination.
It’s hard to beat a town right under the mountains (especially when it’s the Flatirons)
Downtown Boulder is full of wonderful places and people, but what really brings it all together is the environment it’s located in. It’s a miraculous feeling to stroll down the Mall, or eat on the patio and look up to the surrounding mountains and gaze at the Flatirons. Existing in the cradle of nature is what gives Downtown its wonderful charm!
One last thank you to the Downtown Boulder family for this awesome internship opportunity, and a thank you to the community for being so great, I’m glad to be a part of it!
Yours truly,
Intern Dave