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  • 8 years ago
This week on Try Living With Lucie, our host, Lucie Fink gives 5 days in a new city a try. She travels to Denver, Colorado to explore and immerse herself in the experience there. Watch this episode of Try Living With Lucie check out this new destination with Lucie!

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Try Living With Lucie follows our favorite R29 millennial, Lucie Fink, as she dives headfirst into social experiments — five days at a time. From a week without sugar to full-blown street performing; there is nothing she won't try!

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Transcript
00:00I'm Lucy Frank and this week is five days in a new city.
00:03Hello out there!
00:04If you're new to Refinery29's YouTube channel, click on the little subscribe button in the corner to join the family.
00:09And give this video a thumbs up if you're excited to come on this week's travel journey.
00:13Alright, I am so grateful and so excited to share with you all that Venmo partnered up with me to
00:19send me on a week-long trip to Denver, Colorado.
00:21They have a new Venmo card that links up to your Venmo account.
00:25And it lets you use your Venmo balance pretty much anywhere.
00:27With the card you can track, share, and split purchases all within the app.
00:31So it's super easy to use and it's perfect for traveling.
00:35So I took mine with me to Denver and I enjoyed five days of living life in a new and
00:39beautiful city.
00:40I had such a special time and each and every day of the week was spent doing something that was
00:45truly authentic and enjoyable for me.
00:47Personally, I wasn't looking for a super touristy experience, so this video isn't going to be five cool things to
00:53do in Denver.
00:53I just wanted to show you all what I would actually do if I had the chance to visit a
00:58new city for five days.
00:59So let me rewind to last week and show you what I did.
01:08My flight landed on Sunday night, so when I woke up on Monday morning, it was pretty much like waking
01:12up in New York on Monday morning,
01:14except looking out the window, I didn't see buildings. Instead, I saw mountains and a lot of open space.
01:21The first thing I chose to do was ground myself in this new environment and just get outside.
01:25Everyone always says when you go out west, you have to go hiking and breathe in the fresh mountain air.
01:31So that's exactly how I started my week.
01:33I took a drive out of the city and went to Lookout Mountain.
01:35The scenery was very different from what a typical walk through New York City looks like.
01:40It was crisp, it was quiet, and I was fully immersed in nature.
01:44After hiking around a bit, I pulled off into a lookout spot and I just sat down with my bullet
01:49journal
01:49and started doing some serious reflecting.
01:51I expressed my gratitude for the ability to be in this beautiful setting for a business trip
01:56and also for the fact that my business involves making these videos in the first place.
02:01When I first arrived, it was 70 degrees Fahrenheit in downtown Denver, but there was snow up on the mountaintops.
02:06There was wildlife up there, the air was so refreshing,
02:09and it was the perfect way to unwind and get settled after the flight in.
02:13I didn't have any plans for the rest of the day, so I just sort of sat on the mountain
02:16and thought about what I wanted to do with my time.
02:18I realized that my friend Diana was visiting Colorado for work at the same time.
02:22So the two of us met up at a local yoga studio called Kindness Yoga in Golden, Colorado.
02:27We took a private yoga class together in this beautiful mirrored room
02:31that was just swimming with natural light.
02:33Pressing down through your sitting bones, grow tall through your crown.
02:36From the moment I walked into the studio, I felt at home.
02:41Namaste.
02:42Sway hip side to side, shake your head out, yes and no.
02:45And as you continue to breathe, absorbing the spirit of the mountains,
02:49how you connect with the landscape.
02:53Noticing the details, the snow, the jagged edges.
02:59Together we bow forward, honoring each other.
03:03And together we say, Namaste.
03:09Tuesday in Denver was food day.
03:12Every day was food day, but Tuesday was my food tour day.
03:15Most people do a ton of online research before visiting a new city
03:19so that they can know the best places to eat at.
03:21I decided to gather intel straight from the source.
03:24Local people from Denver and those that had been there before.
03:27I made an Instagram stories post asking for Denver food recommendations
03:30and within hours I had hundreds of replies
03:33for places to eat breakfast, lunch, brunch, dinner and dessert.
03:38I didn't know it before Tuesday, but Denver has a major food scene.
03:42After getting all of those recommendations,
03:43I was having a little bit of trouble deciding where to go first.
03:47So I settled on the Denver Milk Market
03:48since it's essentially a giant food hall
03:50with multiple restaurants in one place.
03:52I had the world's sweetest breakfast at Morning Jones.
03:56What to eat first?
03:57A giant cinnamon bun that was about the size of my face.
04:04Wow.
04:05A homemade berry pop tart, which was ridiculously good.
04:09And a seasonal hot drink topped with whipped cream and caramel.
04:13One of my favorite things about traveling alone
04:14is that you don't have to worry about talking to someone else while you eat.
04:18So you can really just focus on stuffing your face.
04:20After breakfast, I took a walk through the rest of the milk market
04:23and was just amazed by all that was going on around me.
04:26I saw some fresh-made pasta being cut.
04:28Slice, slice, slice.
04:30Whoa.
04:30And then I got myself a delicious banana and Nutella crepe
04:34to take for the road.
04:35And when I checked my phone again,
04:36I realized that I had so many recommendations
04:38for another marketplace, the Denver Central Market.
04:41After all of the sugar and the sweetness at the milk market,
04:44I decided to start my time off at the Denver Central Market
04:46with my favorite savory food.
04:49You know what it is?
04:50Pizza.
04:51I've made a number of pizzas before at local New York spots,
04:54so it was really awesome to meet up with an Italian
04:57who lived in Denver and to get behind the counter of his restaurant.
05:02Buongiorno.
05:02Andrea walked me through the process of making a couple of his signature pizzas.
05:07Woo!
05:07Good job.
05:08Thank you. I've done this before.
05:09One was an acorn squash pizza
05:11and another was a classic spicy pie with soprassata.
05:15Don't be shy.
05:15Oregano is delicious.
05:16He let me use the traditional wood-fired oven
05:19where I pop the pizzas in.
05:20Here we go.
05:22You do it.
05:24Wow.
05:27And then learned how to pull them out swinging hot.
05:30Take it.
05:31And you say swinging hot.
05:33Swinging hot.
05:35Beautiful.
05:36Whoa.
05:37At all these food vendors today, I paid with my Venmo card.
05:40Thank you so much.
05:42Wow.
05:43And I even had the pleasure of meeting up with my friend Diana one last time
05:46and she shared these pizzas with me.
05:48We were able to split the cost nice and easily on the Venmo app
05:51and then we sat, enjoyed, laughed and just caught up with one another.
05:55I do love being by myself and exploring a new place on my own
05:58but it's also nice to have a friend nearby that you can share the experience with.
06:01After the pizza stopped, we rounded out the day with some local ice cream
06:04from High Point Creamery.
06:06Not only do I love ice cream, but I also love local female-owned businesses.
06:10And Erica was a total badass.
06:13She's a car dealer turned ice cream shop owner and she let me taste tons of her amazing flavors.
06:17It's one of our seasonal flavors and we make a handmade beet jam
06:22and the creme fraiche ice cream with a brittle.
06:26That's delicious.
06:27I ultimately settled on a flight of five flavors with chocolate sauce on the side.
06:31Whoa, okay.
06:38Wednesday was probably the most exciting day for me in Denver
06:41because I had the chance to host my first ever meet and greet.
06:45A few weeks before going to Colorado, I posted an Instagram story where I asked my Denver followers
06:50to swipe up if they wanted to join my meet and greet when I was in town.
06:53I had a bunch of sign-ups which, to be completely honest, just blew my mind
06:57because not only was it on a Wednesday right in the middle of the week
07:00but it was right in the middle of the day, too.
07:02I planned this event at Hotel Teatro, an adorable boutique-style hotel
07:06that has a very cozy lobby filled with books, couches, and a fireplace.
07:10And I had the chance to welcome everyone into this space.
07:13I'm just blown away that this crowd is here and that Try Living With Lucy has gotten to this place.
07:18Let's mingle and eat cheese!
07:20To share a little bit about Try Living With Lucy.
07:22When I started the series in 2015, it was truly born out of my personal desire to want to try
07:29new things.
07:30I talked about the making of the series, the evolution of the show from 2015 to now,
07:35and then I got to meet one-on-one with each fan that came.
07:37You look so cute!
07:39We're in the same sorority!
07:40I'm getting, like, wacky now.
07:42I'm just like, yes!
07:43People showed up from all different age brackets.
07:45So there were girls as young as 13 there who skipped school to meet me.
07:50Did you skip school today?
07:52So you skipped school, too?
07:54Yeah!
07:54Oh, gosh!
07:56And then there were tons of women closer to my age and older.
07:58And it wasn't only women!
08:00Yay! I'm so excited!
08:01The energy in the room was amazing and one thing that I loved that I hadn't anticipated before
08:06was that this meet and greet was bringing locals together.
08:09So people were now making friends in their own city.
08:12The best part of the day was definitely hearing from different people about how my episodes
08:15and my career path in general have influenced them.
08:18When I think of Lucy, I just think bright and happy.
08:21She always has a great attitude.
08:22She inspires me to do things that I would normally be uncomfortable with.
08:26As a young person, it's really cool to see somebody that lives their life so fun.
08:32Somebody told me that because of me, she switched her major from neuroscience to creative writing,
08:37which is her real passion.
08:38And that switch from neuro to writing was my exact switch, too.
08:42Another media powerhouse.
08:44A bunch of girls brought bullet journals with them to show me how mine had inspired them.
08:48She drew all of the Ayurvedic doshas.
08:51And that is for you.
08:52This is for me?
08:55You're so, so sweet.
08:57I gave each person that came a gift bag that had some awesome goodies in it.
09:03A copy of R29's Money Diaries book.
09:06A really cute Refinery29 t-shirt.
09:08Some of my favorite skincare products from Crude.
09:11And try living with Lucy stickers.
09:13I think my favorite part about this day was being able to put some actual faces to the audience
09:18that I'm constantly connecting with online.
09:20She lives on a farm.
09:22I have 400 chickens, 30 ducks, three goats, three dogs, and a horse.
09:28See you for five days on a farm.
09:30Yes.
09:31Wednesday was such a special day for me.
09:32It's one that I will never forget in my entire life.
09:35So if you are one of my Colorado fans out there who came, thank you so much for joining me.
09:39And for the rest of you, if you want to see me do meet and greets in your city,
09:43then comment below and tell me where I should go.
09:45I tried living with Lucy!
09:48Woo!
09:53After rejuvenating, sightseeing, eating, and making tons of friends,
09:57I wanted Thursday to be all about doing something active.
10:01I love visiting new cities and finding something to do that's maybe not quintessentially touristy,
10:06but is rather just something that I really want to try.
10:08I found a place called iFly Denver, an indoor skydiving facility where you essentially have
10:13a simulated skydiving experience inside of a giant glass tube.
10:17It's this giant glass casing with air and wind circulation that can be altered based on your weight and skill
10:23level.
10:24And the wind is actually being pushed down from the top along the sides of the chamber,
10:28and then because of the pressure, it's pushed back up the middle,
10:32creating this continuous cycle of air for the flyers.
10:34When we first got there, there were some professionals that were practicing inside of the chamber,
10:38and it was absolutely ridiculous.
10:41They were flipping upside down, spinning, floating to the top and bottom faster than looked safe.
10:47At times, there were four of them at once in there doing almost like a choreographed dance together.
10:52I met up with Claire, a coach at iFly, who walked me through some of the basics.
10:56Like it looks easy watching it, but you'll be surprised when you get in there how technical it is.
11:00I'm sure.
11:00We went into almost a classroom type setting where I first watched an instructional video,
11:04and I was pretty amazed by what I was seeing.
11:06She taught me the basics of what was about to happen.
11:09The main thing that's going to help you out in there is just to relax, hold still,
11:14try and move nice and slow and smooth.
11:15If you're wiggling around all over the place, it's going to be really tricky to get balanced.
11:19And then she went over some hand signals.
11:21Use these hand signals just to kind of adjust your body, get you nice and balanced.
11:25So if I go like this, what does that mean?
11:27Chin up.
11:28Straight legs.
11:29Awesome, this one.
11:30Bend legs.
11:31Chill.
11:32What those professionals were doing inside of the chamber looked like so much fun,
11:36and I have to admit when I first saw it, I thought that was what I was going to be
11:39doing.
11:40But I quickly learned that it takes years to get to that level,
11:43and that all I was going to be doing today on my first time was classic belly down simulated skydiving.
11:49Getting nervous yet?
11:50A little.
11:50A little.
11:51Don't panic, you got it.
11:52I started out by just gently leaning into the air chamber and having Claire hold onto me.
11:57I was stomached down the whole time in the generic position of a skydiver,
12:00and we just practiced this for a little while.
12:02She gave me some hand symbols to remind me to keep my chin up,
12:05and to straighten or bend my legs, which helps you move in different directions.
12:09And you really need to relax in there and just let the wind blow you up.
12:12It is such a crazy sensation, I honestly couldn't stop smiling the entire time.
12:17After I tried it a couple of times, it was time for my high fly.
12:20They cranked the airspeed up a bit.
12:23She held onto me, and then the two of us just shot up into the chamber.
12:28Such a cool experience, I would highly recommend it.
12:30Maybe indoor skydiving isn't for you and that's totally okay,
12:33but it's always great to find things that fit your unique interests when you travel.
12:37There's all sorts of different activities that you can stumble on through a simple internet search,
12:41and those random ideas of yours might just become some of your all-time favorite memories.
12:50On my last day of the trip, I headed out for some shopping,
12:52and I really wanted this day to be all about finding shops and boutiques that were owned by Denver locals.
12:58I first visited Haley Grace Boutique, a boutique clothing store owned by two young women in Denver,
13:03who met in college and then decided to start a business together.
13:07I walked through the store and grabbed so many items because I just couldn't resist,
13:11and I wound up doing a fashion show by myself in the store.
13:16I left with a cute floral jumpsuit, which is actually the one I'm wearing right now.
13:20Afterwards, I was searching online, and I came across this perfect female-owned plant shop,
13:24and I knew I had to go.
13:26Plant paradise.
13:27So now that I'm kind of a plant pro, whenever I come across a plant shop,
13:31I just can't stop myself.
13:32Jessica, the owner of Green Lady Gardens, has had a dream of owning a shop like this for years,
13:37and she finally turned that dream into a reality just a few months ago.
13:40So the shop is still relatively new, and it was beyond colorful and a total plant lover's paradise.
13:46Succulents and air plants, cacti and hanging plants,
13:50everything you can think of, plus an assortment of crafts from local artists,
13:54and an entire section of notebooks, which I can never ever resist.
13:58I found a giant air plant.
14:00I had never seen one that big before, and I loved it so much that I brought it back home
14:04for my sister.
14:04Then I found a teeny little succulent that was just calling my name.
14:08He was the perfect size to fit inside of my boot in my suitcase for the flight home.
14:12And now he's chilling on my windowsill, looking good.
14:15This week-long trip to Denver was everything I could have hoped for and more.
14:19My week was the perfect mix of relaxation and revitalization with activity and adventure.
14:24I was able to spend some really valuable time by myself,
14:27some amazing one-on-one time with a close friend,
14:29and even met a whole new group of friends along the way.
14:32I hope you enjoyed watching what five days in a new city looks like for me.
14:35I'd love to know what you do when you travel somewhere,
14:38so any must-dos or travel tips are always welcome.
14:41And also comment below to let me know what city you think I should visit next.
14:44Thanks so much for watching, and we'll see you next time on Try Living with Lucy.
14:48Bye!
14:48Hey YouTube, thanks for watching.
14:50Click here to watch another five-day challenge,
14:53here to subscribe to R29 on YouTube,
14:55and right here for my personal YouTube channel.
14:58Bye!