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Durango, CO
My companion and I visited Durango, Colorado in April, 2008, the primary
purpose of our trip being to ride the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge
Railroad.
We arrived on Friday afternoon, and checked into the Strater Hotel, which is in the historic section of downtown and close to the railroad depot. It is, as the older picture above testifies, a four-story hotel built in the Victorian period. The hotel was a good choice; the staff is friendly, the location is convenient, and one actually has the feeling that one has stepped back in time to a different era. The Strater boasts three dining choices; the elegant (and not inexpensive) Mahogany Grille, an upscale wine and spirit bar called The Spiritorium, and the lively Diamond Belle Saloon, which boasts live entertainment and waitresses dressed in the style of Gunsmoke's Miss Kitty.
We actually strolled down Main Avenue on Friday night and ate at Francisco's Restaurante y Cantina, which offered Mexican fare, steaks, and pasta dishes. This turned out to be another good choice - good food, great service. Nothing, really, is cheap in Durango - it is a popular tourist destination - so, with that caveat, the prices in Francisco's were certainly not bad.
In the morning, we ate at a small little bagel place called Durango Bagel, right across the street from the railroad depot. Here was yet another place with friendly service and good food, and presumably a more interesting choice than the nearby Starbuck's. Then it was on to the railroad, which has been in service for 126 years.
We like rail travel, and we like historic trains. We'd made reservations for the First Class Parlor Car, which was $89 per seat as opposed to $49 per seat for Coach. I'm not sure that was the wisest choice, in retrospect, and perhaps might advise others considering the ride to opt for the less expensive seats. Our greatest disappointment was that, because we were traveling in April and, hence, taking the Winter Cascade Canyon Excursion, we found out (once the train got underway) that we were not, in fact, going all the way to Silverton, but would instead turn around at Cascade. If this fact is made clear on the railroad's website, then I missed it; but I've looked again, and still can't find where this is explicitly stated.
We'd planned on dining in Silverton. There is no dining facility in Cascade, and we were informed that we could get food from the train's food concession. These offerings were limited to hot dogs and sandwiches. Since my companion does not eat red meat, this wasn't a great solution. Someone else in our car did get sandwiches, and said they were half-frozen. So . . .
So, the ride was fun, and scenic, but disappointing nonetheless.
Disappointing, also, was our dining choice for the evening, an Italian restaurant in Durango called Mama's Boy. The service was fine, but the food was on the less-than-satisfactory side. Try elsewhere.
Our trip home took us south, through Aztec, New Mexico. On a lark, we decided to see the Aztec Ruins National Monument. Admission was $5 a head, and well worth it. Our self-guided tour took only about half an hour, but it's a fascinating place, and we felt very Indiana Jones-like in the course of our explorations. Great fun.
So, in summary - do stay at the Strater, do eat at Francisco's and Durango Bagel, and do make the trip to Aztec, NM. You'll probably still want to ride the railroad, but make sure before you book that you're going all the way to Silverton.
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