Comment on 'Eat, Pray, Love' fans retrace author's journey

A new nonstop United Airlines flight from Denver International Airport will carry travelers 5,563 miles to Rome, the latest route to expand Colorado’s global connections. This seasonal flight starting May 1 marks the first nonstop flight scheduled between Denver and Rome. It will operate daily on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner through Sept.

Editor’s note: This is part of The Know’s series, Staff Favorites. Each week, we offer our opinions on the best Colorado has to offer for dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor activities and more. (We’ll also let you in on some hidden gems) Awakened in the middle of the night recently in a backcountry hut on Shrine Pass, I glanced out a window and saw stars, so I threw on a jacket and went out on the deck of Jay’s Cabin, three miles northwest of Vail Pass at 11,223 feet. The moon had set, so the stars stood out in the deep black of the sky above.

Sometimes, due to schedules or budgets, it’s impossible to plan a big vacation in the winter or during the holidays, or maybe you want to stay close to home and not travel a long distance. It can be a thrill to play tourist in your city or take a short excursion within an hour’s drive, especially when places are decorated for the festivities of the winter months. The mountain towns have the draw of the slopes and likely more snow, but Colorado’s Front Range cities offer big city amenities.

Picture this: Daylight is petering out behind the snow-capped Rockies, and it’s getting cold — really cold. You’re comfortable, though, sipping loose-leaf tea from a pot, nibbling on delicate, scratch-made pastries. Afternoon tea is a delightful ritual that Anna Maria Russell, Duchess of Bedford — one of Queen Victoria’s besties — improvised in England in the 1840s. According to the tale, the Duchess complained of a sinking feeling in her stomach between her midday meal and late-night dinner.

Editor’s note: The opinions of the smart, well-read women in my Denver book club mean a lot, and often determine what the rest of us choose to pile onto our bedside tables. So we asked them, and all Denver Post readers, to share their mini-reviews with you. Have any to offer?