The Friendliest People in the World

It has been said many a time on this trip that Coloradans are through and through, by and by, the most consistently friendly people we have ever met.

I'm sitting here at the coffee shop discussing school debt and downtown revitalization with the barista. I just met a nice man named Wolfgang who told me about the weirdness of his parents and the strange, arbitrary series of events that led to his naming. Last night a woman in Boulder spent 10 minutes giving us directions and a man on house arrest (for marijuana distribution) spent an hour on top of a mountain ridge reminiscing about life, politics, and travel. We've had conversations with people on the street and in elevators, while walking on the highway, with cab drivers and caterers.

But still, Coloradans are damn nice people. We've met caterers and videographers who in between serving us hor d'ouevres and videotaping our partying offered us tours of the city, nights out on the town, and hidden hiking spots in the mountains. We've smoked pot with folks in our neighborhood and met people from Mississippi and the Phillipines and New York who have moved here. We've wandered the city with a woman we met while hiking back from Mile High Stadium and brought break dancers to delegation parties where they immediately took center stage (one of them grinding up with Rep. GK Butterfield).

Wherever we go, people are welcoming and exceedingly kind. A man offered me his ticket on the light rail so I didn't have to get out of the train and purchase one. A cab driver drove us across town and without reason told us we didn't owe him any fare. We met DJs on the street who put us on a guest list. The folks at the grocery store engaged with us in long conversation. The cops laughed and joked with us and clerks in hotels were ready to meet our every need even though we had no business there.

I'll miss it and hope to go back soon.