There’s more to Boulder than weed
Pot isn’t what really defines this place
CU hasn’t done a great job of branding itself. For some reason the school has allowed everyone else to declare it as the “weed school” and let everything else that makes this place great be forgotten. Yes, weed is legal here. Yes, there are potheads. But to reduce Boulder down to nothing more than that is selling CU way, way short. This place is amazing, and I’ve loved calling Boulder home for the past four years. These are some other things I wish CU, and Colorado as a whole, was more well known for.
The Flatirons
Do I really need to say more? If you ever need to get away from campus for a little bit, this is the perfect escape. Sit at the base and look up at them, or hike up to the top. However you enjoy them, the Flatirons are an amazing little getaway.
The campus
Not that you’ll really want to get away all that often. CU is a beautiful campus, with lots of open space to enjoy. Farrand Field is probably the most well known spot on campus, but Varsity Lake, the Norlin Quad, and even the fields by the business school are pretty good. In the spring, everything becomes incredibly green and it’s not uncommon to see people just enjoying the sun.
Sunrises/Sunsets
I took this picture walking home from class one day — sunrises and sunsets like this happen all the time. The clouds that form over the Flatirons create an amazing canvas for the sun to paint, so more often than not you’re walking home to an amazing view.
The mountains
When you go to school in Boulder, you’re about 2 hours away from Breckenridge, Cooper, Arapahoe Basin, and Keystone. Weekend trips up to the mountains are the norm, so you get to ski/snowboard all the time. Also it’s basically a requirement that you hike a 14er at some point. And again, the Flatirons look pretty good in winter too.
The beer
The craft beer scene can feel a little exclusive, but when you live in Boulder you’re on the inside. Avery, Upslope, Fate, Southern Sun, and then places like the Beer Garden and West End Tavern are great places to have a flight and experience a lot of beers all at once. You can definitely leave college with a newfound respect for the art of getting drunk.
Having seasons
Growing up in southern California, I never really got to see the leaves change color. The leaves were there, then they were gone, and in spring they would return. Fall has always been one of my favorite times of year, but when you get to actually see what a real fall looks like you gain a newfound appreciation for it. Not featured here, but the Aspen trees in fall are also worth the drive to check out.
Ralphie
People don’t seem to believe me when I say that we actually have a buffalo for a mascot, but here she is. And yes, she’s a girl because the male buffaloes are too big and rowdy for anyone to handle. Ralphie leads the football team out on to the field every game, so while the team doesn’t give us much to cheer about, we can all at least enjoy screaming “WE WANT RALPHIE!” It’s hard to top her as a live mascot.