Staying at The Crawford Hotel in Denver

July 17, 2024July 17, 202436 Hours in Denver, 72 Hours in Denver, Denver, Hotels in Denver, Uncategorized Michelle@SquareState

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Recently, Denver’s Union Station had a facelift. It had been ten years since Union Station was remodeled and the powers that be felt it was time for a refresh. I had the chance to explore the space once the project was completed. If you’re planning on staying at the Crawford Hotel in Denver there are so many reasons why it’s a fantastic base for your upcoming trip to Denver. I’m sharing some insights, tips and strategies with the idea of helping you design a fun-filled Denver vacation or staycation in the heart of the city.

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Cowtown Denver

Where is The Crawford Hotel

The Crawford Hotel is conveniently located in Denver’s Union Station. There are a number of reasons why the location is phenomenal and I share a few reasons below.

Transit Service-You can take the lightrail from Denver International Airport and arrive at Denver’s Union Station in 37 ish minutes. Then you will exit the train and walk 150 feet to check in to the hotel.

Book a Tour-If you’re planning on booking a tour most tours meet at Denver’s Union Station.

Visit the Mountains-You can catch the Bustang transit service and explore the mountains. Destinations such as: Estes Park, Breckenridge and Vail are an easy day trip without a car.

Are you planning to attend a CU Boulder football game? You can take a commuter bus to Boulder and back.

The Crawford Hotel

Why You Should Book a Stay at The Crawford Hotel

There are some additional reasons why The Crawford Hotel is a great place to stay while you’re in Denver.

Do you plan on attending a concert or sporting event at Ball Arena, Coors Field or Empower Field at Mile High? You can take the light rail and walk to Ball Arena and Empower Field. Coors Field is within walking distance of the hotel.

Ride share services such as Lyft and Uber typically are very easy to catch from Union Station because drivers of these services know that people will be scheduling rides all day long from that location.

Car free travel-If you prefer to travel without a car, The Crawford Hotel is perfectly situated for that type of travel.

Explore The West End of the 16th Street Mall

The 16th Street Mall in Denver is currently undergoing a massive infrastructure project. What does that mean? There are several blocks of it that are torn out and being reinforced. At the time that I’m working on this post several blocks are now completed and open to pedestrians. The entire project will be finished by Summer 2025. Why am I bringing up the 16th Street Mall? The western end of the mall where The Crawford Hotel is located is currently the better end of the mall to explore. Here are some spots to check out that are within walking distance of the hotel.

Coors Field-Do you love baseball? Walk a couple of blocks over to watch a game. Plan your visit when your favorite team is in town (they will probably win) or there’s a fireworks night.

McGregor Square-This cool mixed use space is fun for brunch, happy hour or to watch sports at. Make sure to check out the area in the middle-you’re meant to explore it.

Dairy Block-This is one of my favorite spots in Denver. I especially love the built out alley that has a pastry shop, whiskey spot, wine bar and more. I especially enjoy visiting when there’s a seasonal market throughout the year.

Confluence Park-This area is so pretty. There’s the park, a river, restaurants and shopping that frame this area.

Book a Tour

One of the best approaches to experiencing Denver and the mountains is by booking a tour. There are several reasons why it’s a great strategy to experiencing the City and state.

Avoid decision fatigue-Planning a trip can be tiring. Saying “yes” to a tour will eliminate dealing with figuring out where to go and what to do while you’re in here.

Leave the driving to someone else-Traffic in Colorado is horrendous. I actively avoid driving whenever I can and I especially hate driving during the high season into the mountains. I’m used to mountain driving and avoid doing it as much as possible. If you’re not used to driving in the mountains or aren’t a fan of dealing with high volume traffic-a tour is a great way to avoid it.

Meet other travelers-If you’re traveling solo, a tour is a great way to meet people who live in town as well as other people visiting Denver.

Tours are a great way to enjoy Denver, learn some local context about the spaces you’re exploring and be in the moment while you’re in town.

Where to Eat

Staying at The Crawford Hotel means you’ll be close to some great restaurants. I thought it would be helpful to share a few that are close by and a few that you’ll need to catch a ride to.

Downtown

Ultreia-at Union Station

Mercantile Dining and Provision-At Union Station

Onefold-Behind Union Station

EatYa Pizza-2 Blocks from Union Station

Dragonfly Noodle-4 Blocks from Union Station

Milk Market Food Hall– 2 (ish) blocks from Union Station

Milepost Zero Food Hall-2 Blocks from Union Station

Uchi (Sushi)-8 (ish) blocks from Union Station

Stowaway Kitchen-8 (ish) Blocks from Union Station

Linger (walk or rideshare)

Happy Camper (walk or rideshare)

Civic Center Eats at Civic Center Park -Take the Mall Shuttle to Civic Center Park or Walk

Take a Lyft or Uber

If you’re thinking about exploring Denver and need some restaurant suggestions, I’ve shared a few below.

Le French

Somebody People (vegetable forward)

Sap Sua

Bacon Social House

La Foret

Welton Street Cafe
- Reopening-check to see if open

Edgewater Public Market (food hall)

Saucy’s Southern BBQ

Where to Find Great Coffee or Tea

Denver is a serious coffee city and as a result, we have a ton of fantastic places to enjoy the bitter brew. While Starbucks does have a solid presence in town, local coffee shops are the “go to” spots to enjoy locally roasted beans, expertly made cocktails depending on where you go and yummy items to eat depending on the shop you’re at. Here are a few of my favorite coffee shops that are easily visited on foot, by public transit or ride share depending on the distance.

The Wild–This sexy coffee shop and cocktail space is great for day or evening shenanegins. Conveniently located across the street from Union Station, is slight hidden from the street. Trust me, it’s there.

Hello Darling-There are two locations and one is 2 blocks from the hotel. But, the new location is absolute worth hoping on the #32 bus to check out in the 32nd and Lowell area.

Migas Coffee–Enjoy great coffee and a really cool mixed use space. Be prepared to check out the other vendors in the space. Then plan on wandering around the neighborhood checking out the different murals, shops and breweries while you’re there.

Weathervane Cafe–I’m obsessed with this place even though I don’t get to visit as often as I would like because I live in a different part of town. The drinks are superb and so is the food.

Little Owl-I prefer the 17th and Tremont location and I’ve heard great things about the location in LOHI.

Milk Tea People-If you love Milk Tea or have thought about trying it-walk over to this hidden location in the Basecamp at Market Station development. Don’t go if you’re in a rush.

5 Additional Tips

The Crawford Hotel has a ton of amenities and it’s a fantastic hotel, but there are a few amenities it doesn’t have-like a pool. I share below how to get access to a swimming pool at another hotel in case you need it and some additional important tips.

Arriving Late-Reach out to The Crawford Hotel to make sure that you know how to enter the building if you’re arriving late in the evening.

Need a pool-If you enjoy swimming and are looking for a rooftop or indoor pool use Resort Pass to book a day pass at a nearby hotel.

Safety-Exercise common sense when you’re exploring downtown and other areas. If something feels unsafe-it is. Don’t second guess your intuition. Denver is a city now vs. a town. It has issues that large cities have.

Prepare for the altitude-Most of Colorado is high altitude. Denver is a high altitude destination. Learn about Altitude Sickness and how to recognize and hopefully avoid the experience of having it. Remember, each trip is different. You might have been ok the first 10 times you’ve visited and the 11th time you feel the altitude.

Public Transit Access-Union Station is the hub for both bus, train and ride share service. There are kiosks that you can use to purchase tickets for the bus or you can pay cash. Do know that some of the Bustang routes do require you to purchase your ticket online.