2 hours in the Denver Airport

After what I think may be at least 10 Denver layovers I am actually just now starting to begrudgingly admit some decent aspects of the Denver Airport. The layout of the airport is sort of terrible. It is basically a long straight line. So, ala Phoenix sky harbor, you might end up taking about 10 moving sidewalks to get to your gate, which is terrible for short layovers. But this is a problem endemic to any hub. Chicago O’Hare is not linear but labyrinthine and have fun getting from gate C to D,E, or F. yet somehow it frustrates me less than the interminably long airports.

Anyway, in the middle of the unending B concourse in Denver is this little cluster of restaurants and stores. Usually shops that aren't food and gift related baffle me. like who is going to buy a Dale Chihuli knockoff while running through an airport? Anyway, one of my recent store finds in Denver is called Bella and is an anti-aging, perfume, and hair product gloryland. I have now spent 2 long layovers lathering myself in anti-aging moisturizers, delightful perfumes, and various high-end makeup products. The girls in the store are pretty hands off so you are pretty well able to test with ease. They have a lot of mid/high end brands like Ren, Skyn, Juice Bar, Murad, and Ahava and some that I can’t remember or pronounce. Many of their skin products are organic and vegan which is fun, but just means you have to smell before you put them on your skin. For instance some expensive greek wild rose moisturizer smelled more like the fertilizer the roses sat in rather than having even a hint of rose. And the last thing you want to do when you are about to spend many hours stationary is have your craptastic smelling skin scent wafting over you. Anyway, now when I know I am going through Denver I make sure to put on no face product or hair product and then I just go to town in there. Of course there is the threat that you will find, oh, say some of the best Lippmann nail colors in history, or a Ren cooling eye gel that is like ocular heaven and will end up spending money. It’s a risk. Another risk: as I write this I have metallic nailpolish drying and my face and hair are like an overmoisturized, shining organic beacon.

In the same little B concourse complex is the Wolfgang Puck upstairs. Now, Wolfgang Puck restaurants have become ubiquitous in airports across the country and it’s always a solid choice though some offer far better selections than others. For instance, I always find a Chicago hot dog more compelling than the menu offerings at the Wolfgang Puck in O’Hare. But anyway, the Wolfgang Puck in Denver has this incredible fresh-off-the-spit rotisserie chicken that you can ask to have paired with a baby greens salad dressed with balsamic vinaigrette and some parmesan or goat cheese on top and it’s like, God in heaven, the best freaking airport meal ever. I keep meaning to try something else and I cannot force myself because the chicken is just glorious and with the acid of the balsamic vinaigrette, just wow. Wow. It also feels healthier than other potential choices (probably due to lack of carbs) though undoubtedly the chicken is smothered with like some kind of fatty crack butter and the salad is in an oil slick. But it *feels* better than other meals especially since the de facto sides for the chicken are all heavily creamy and carby like some delicious looking macaroni and cheese. It just feels better to be like, "no, I want baby greens salad on the side." someone will likely report in the near future that the baby greens salad has more calories than the macaroni and cheese side. Whatever, still totally worth it. Across from there is the caribou coffee whose Americano is perfectly agreeable and whose sugar free caramel syrup is pretty tasty. When I finally try the honey almond latte of fame I will let you know, but I have usually already trucked in with my starbucks from the san diego terminal with its army of filipino baristas, and am too caffeinated for another 3 shots so quickly.