My husband attended college at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO, but he’s not a crazed alum like I am with my precious Fighting Irish. Also, it’s kind of a hike to get to Fort Collins from SC. However, a bunch of hubby’s fraternity brothers made arrangements to attend the CSU vs. Air Force football game this past weekend and spend a weekend in The Fort, as it’s affectionately called. We flew out Friday morning, leaving the kids in the care of my wonderful in-laws, and landed in Denver right on time. Fort Collins is about an hour north of Denver. *Side note* I read The Good Girl by Mary Kubica on the flights and could not put it down. WOW. Definitely a must read.
Our first stop in Fort Fun was The Pickle Barrel. It’s a bar/sandwich place that I’ve been hearing about for years. It did not disappoint. Everyone in our group ordered the Toonces sandwich and a New Belgium IPA. Delicious. New Belgium is one of my favorite breweries and happens to be located right in Fort Collins.
Next up, we checked into our hotel, The Armstrong (www.thearmstronghotel.com), which is a cool, old boutique hotel right in the heart of Fort Collins. The Armstrong Hotel has a resident cat, Oreo. Oreo is such a sweetheart. She hangs out in the lobby and greets guests during the afternoons/evenings, and spends her mornings roaming the hallways. Sunday morning she meowed at our door! I let her in the room and she immediately jumped on the bed and snoozed the entire time we were showering and packing. I found this hilarious.
Saturday afternoon we made our way to CSU’s brand new stadium, which is really cool. But first, we went on a little tour of campus. The photos above are of “The Oval,” which is the main quad. Very pretty, but no golden dome or Touchdown Jesus in sight. I kid, I kid. Not really.
Our seats were at the very top, but we didn’t care. Our entire group got to sit (stand) together. Although sunny, I was freezing in the wind. Apparently I was the only one. Everybody else seemed fine and enjoyed teasing me. I truly do not know how I survived the winters in South Bend, IN. I am always cold. You may notice we’re all holding beers–Colorado State is one of the few universities that sells alcohol during college football games. Fantastic!!!! Unfortunately, the Rams lost the game, but we had fun. CSU fans don’t take football nearly as seriously as Notre Dame fans!
The frat boys…..all grown up! Sort of. I hope hubs doesn’t wait another ten years before taking me back. CSU and Fort Collins have a lot to offer.
Happy Halloween! I’m hosting a bunch of goblins tonight, so I need to get my rear in gear. Trick or treaters will be here before I know it.
