Italian-born and raised, Davide Giardini is a former professional triathlete (10x podiums; Team USA top 10 at the Long Distance Triathlon World Championships) and a longtime fixture of Boulder's endurance sports community. When he isn't on a bike or on the patio at Lolita's, he's usually plotting how to get someone else outside.
Davide's Perfect Boulder Day
6:00 a.m. Out the door early. Quick espresso at home, then onto the bike before traffic, up Green Mountain for a trail run.
10:00 a.m. Breakfast (after, never before). A Spruce espresso and a Lolita's burrito on the patio, with the Flatirons keeping watch.
Noon to 2:00 p.m. La siesta. The part Boulder forgets about. A long lunch, a book, a nap, no agenda. (Lolita's patio counts.)
3:00 p.m. A second loop, but easy: an unhurried spin on the B360 paths, finding a corner of town you haven't visited in a while.
6:00 p.m. A swim at Spruce Pool, then a stretch in the grass.
7:30 p.m. Mountain Sun for nachos and a pint with whoever's around.
9:30 p.m. Home, tired in the good way. Tomorrow you do it again.
Kate Manz and Kelsey Huffer—the team behind Boulder Lifestyle’s editorial each month—take a day away from the office to reconnect and enjoy some of their favorite parts of Boulder, while inevitably dreaming up new stories and creative projects to bring to the page.
Editors' Day Out in Boulder
8 a.m. The best mornings start with a leisurely cappuccino and a pastry on the patio of Alpine Modern, watching the passersby before setting out for an adventure.
9 a.m. Get out on the trails at NCAR for one of our favorite hikes. Hopefully we are early enough to beat the heat!
11:30 a.m. Perfectly placed at the base of NCAR, Southern Sun is a must for a quick lunch stop for a quick burger and beer on the patio.
1:00 p.m. Nothing better than a little West End shopping. The trifecta: Cedar and Hyde, Trident for a mid day espresso, and Beatrice the Divine.
3:00 p.m. Make a last-minute call for a post-shopping happy hour—rooftop gin & tonic at Corrida or oysters and a pint at Jax—or hey, maybe both!
5:00 p.m. Pit stop to grab fresh flowers at Fiori as we prep for a low-key backyard hang.
5:30 p.m. Might as well pop into Persona Wine for some bottles fit for our evening.
6:00 p.m. Heading down Arapahoe and throw in one impromptu stop at TRU Hospice Thrift Store just in case there is an unforgettable find (inevitably there will be something you never knew your life was missing).
7:00 p.m. Last stop: Il Pastaio for the best fresh homemade pasta to bring home to complete our backyard evening.
7:30 p.m. Settle in, pop open the wine, get the pasta going, and then sit back and enjoy the late summer sun, watching the light disappear behind the Flatirons, surrounded by friends.
August's Perfect Boulder Day
August Manz, a Niwot High student, mountain biker, and all-around adventurer, would rather be outside than anywhere else. His perfect day runs on no polish and total freedom. The only plan is to keep moving and see who's around.
6:30 a.m. Early start, but the good kind. Grab my buddy Maddoc and hit the Sanitas trailhead while it's still cool and quiet, the trail mostly empty before anyone else shows up.
9:00 a.m. Back down to Boulder for the only breakfast that matters, a Lolita's breakfast sammy, eaten fast because the day's already calling.
10:00 a.m. Cruise Pearl Street. Pop into Disco Apocalypse and Paradise Found, no agenda, just seeing what turns up.
11:30 a.m. Roll over to Scott Carpenter Park to meet up with your buddies and sac, our version of hacky sack, standing in a circle, keeping it off the ground, talking trash. The whole point is there's no point.
1:00 p.m. Somewhere in here the day throws you a curveball. Stop and fix your flat tire on the side of the road, because that's just part of it. Patch it, pump it, and keep rolling.
1:30 p.m. Hit The Spot. Meet up with the group, boulder and climb until your arms are toast and somebody's calling the next thing.
3:00 p.m. Thrift stores, or if it's a Saturday, garage sales, which are better. The thrill is never knowing what you'll find.
5:00 p.m. Head home for Mom's cooking (and, let's be honest, to save your money for tomorrow).
7:00 p.m. Get out on the Davidson Mesa bike trail for an evening XC ride, the Flatirons going gold behind you.
8:30 p.m. End the day on the rooftop, yours or a buddy's, with some Sweet Cow. Tired in the good way. Tomorrow you start the day bouldering in Wild Basin, RMNP.
A rule for any day: if you pass a cold body of water, a lake, a creek, a reservoir, you jump in. Boulder's finest water waits for no one.