Tegmeyer lives in Aspen, Colorado, but grew up in Evergreen, a mountain community outside Denver. She loves returning to her old stomping grounds to see how things are not only changing but also, in many ways, staying the same.

A Vintage Park
When I was a kid and my parents asked where I wanted to go for my birthday, my answer was always the same: Elitch Gardens. Colorado’s largest theme park, Elitch Gardens opened in Denver in 1889. For decades it provided the city with theater (in the 1970s I saw Blythe Danner in Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit), lovely gardens and, beginning in 1928, rides. In 1994, the park was relocated downtown. Though the park had to leave behind its two wooden roller coasters and stunning landscaping, it kept its antique carousel, built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company in 1928. Six Flags sold Elitch last year, but the amusement park is still operating just off Speer Boulevard, complete with a water park and some of the scariest roller coasters in the country. And while I no longer insist on going to Elitch for my birthday, I still enjoy stopping by. Unfortunately, the park was closed when I visited in the off-season to research my Endless Vacation piece, but I hung around outside for a bit, recalling those years of my youth when there was no place like it on Earth.

Best Dressed
I’m not a huge fan of western clothing, but during my latest visit to Denver, I was encouraged by a local to check out Rockmount Ranch Wear, which he said sold the “coolest western wear in the world.” Rockmount was founded by Jack Weil in 1946, and the 106-year-old patriarch still pays a visit every day. Weil’s grandson now runs the business, which sells iconic western shirts that have been worn by every movie cowboy since the beginning of cowboy movies. The store also sells belts, silk scarves and limited-edition, hand-painted Howard Post silk ties. Rockmount’s clothes have been worn by the likes of Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie and Robert Redford, and shipped to such far-flung locales as Tokyo and Paris. But Weil, sitting in his corner telling visitors about how he invented the snap shirt, remains the mascot—and the main reason many still stop in. Two days after I finished writing my article, I heard through the grapevine that the old man had died. Upset, I called my Denver source for confirmation. “Nope, he’s still around,” my friend assured me. “It’s one of his sons who passed on.”

Tattoo You
I visited Denver’s new Museum of Contemporary Art, designed by renowned British architect David Adjaye, just two days after its opening. The museum’s executive director (and chief curator), Cydney Payton, informed me that it would “transform the political nature of the city.” Okay, but then she stretched things further. “It’s a reflection of pure democracy and a place for controversy without consequences.” Well, maybe. To be frank, I was somewhat underwhelmed by the stark exterior. But the exhibits inside are worth the visit and the views from the rooftop promenade are something special. What impressed me most was the Maori tattoo artist who’d flown in to perform his art for the opening. Locals (mostly young adults) were lined up for hours to get one of his special markings. Yes—real tattoos. For a museum, this was really out of the ordinary.