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British Airways Catches A Wave of Criticism Over

Surfboard Ban

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Iowa’s “Arrest a Traveler” Tourism Promotion

Triggers Controversy

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A Chocolate-themed “Wonderland” to Sweeten China’s

Capital City in January 2010

Aspen’s breathtaking alpine backdrop is known to intoxicate, tempting visitors into staying in the Roaring Fork Valley much longer than originally anticipated. Many well-seasoned Aspenites call this geographical magnetism the “Curse of the Ute” and one of the reasons so many visitors-turned-residents have a difficult time returning to the rat race of their previous lives outside Colorado.

Nonetheless, some Aspen vacationers can grow restless with Aspen’s ritzy image as a mountain retreat for the rich and famous. Sometimes a stay over in Aspen’s rustic opulence is part of a larger journey, not necessarily the final destination. If you’re craving the need to breath thicker (or, in Leadville’s case – thinner) air outside the Highway 82 roundabout, a change of scenery and elevation is just a quick road trip away. For residents, visitors, and vacationers dealing with a bout of freeway wanderlust, the best way to soothe itchy feet is to fuel up a land shark, turn on some driving music, and hit the road to discover the quaint frontier charm of other nearby Western Colorado towns. Perhaps the late comedian John Belushi – who married his high school sweetheart in Aspen in 1976 – hit the nail on the proverbial head with two simple words to inspire this kind of spontaneous, off-the-cuff adventure: road trip.

Top 10 Places to Road Trip Around Aspen, Colorado

Despite a hushed murmur, most of the crowd nodded in mutual approval. Beah continued. “It’s exhausting to write and talk about myself all the time.” The Doerr-Hosier Center was filled with a consortium of accomplished authors, curious wordsmiths, book buyers, and retired benefactors who appeared to be hanging onto his every word. As a public speaker, Beah’s 1000-watt smile, electric charm, and enduring message can regal almost any crowd, be it college students or hard-line international diplomats. However, he’s not in Aspen for the summer to necessarily focus on humanitarian issues around the globe or to entertain; he’s here to write.

As the first ever writer-in-residence for the Aspen Writer’s Foundation, Beah is spending the summer in Aspen to get serious about writing a novel.

Aspen Summer Words: An Interview with Ishmael Beah

In the context of ski town slang, “Go big” is the type of gnarly, half-baked euphemism usually reserved for adrenaline-fueled physical prowess on the slopes or throwing back one more shot-and-a-beer before last call. Yet the Aspen Institute’s annual Ideas Fest elevates the collective IQ of this cliche snow-shredding colloquialism. Every July, a sundry assumable of corporate bigwigs, accomplished cultural icons, foreign diplomats, professors, scholars, experts-in-the-field, and media savvy opinion-makers gather in Aspen to discuss big ideas during a week of cerebral stimulation. On the surface, the overall purpose of this event appears to have ambiguous auspices: a dialogue-driven presentation of original ideas celebrating multiple points of view, often without a common aesthetic thread, in an idyllic alpine setting. Nonetheless, Ideas Fest brings inside-the-Beltway discussions to a town known for absurd affluence and endless recreation. Many audience members willingly dole out big bucks for the opportunity to witness the lively discussions, heated debates, and forums on ambitious umbrella topics dominating national policy discussions like education, clean energy, Darwin, and the future of Middle East policy. These conversations are shepherded by prestigious social, environmental, economic, political, and media power players, with audience members getting an opportunity to mingle and participate by asking questions.

Aspen Ideas Festival: A Guide to Who Said What at the

2009 Aspen Ideas Festival

If you saw J.J. Abraham’s stomach-churning camcorder blockbuster Cloverfield, you’re already familiar with the Brooklyn-based electronic post-techno duo Ratatat. Before the monster emerged from the Hudson River with Godzilla-like rage and began bashing iconic Manhattan landmarks into smithereens, Ratatat’s post-techno instrumental grooves reverberated through the background of a fashionable loft party in gentrified Greenwich Village. Ratatat’s Evan Mast, aka E*vax, laughed when asked about the song being worked into the soundtrack of the doomsday movie: “There was so much secrecy around the entire project. They just told us who the director was. They wouldn’t show us clips or give us a brief description. It was a real leap of faith for us.” Mast continued, “It was cool how the song echoed through the scene, like it was recorded in that room. But the movie sucked.”

Read the entire interview/profile here…

Bluegrass matters because – much like jazz – it is deeply rooted in the nitty-gritty of the American experience. It’s a genre of colloquial homespun lyrics, plucky melodies, and tight, breakneck acoustic riff. Bluegrass has a certain rustic nostalgia and rural romanticism, serving as an apropos soundtrack for a sequestered high alpine town like Aspen. Dust back the pages of Aspen’s history a century or so and it is easy to envision the scene: motley and haggard silver miners sitting around a fire, drinking whiskey, and strumming at a weathered banjo while crooning a Stephan Foster song after a long day in the craggy underbelly of Smuggler Mountain.

Read the entire interview/profile here…

Aspen is spiked with sensory overload. The region boasts a breathtaking panorama of majestic mountains, beautiful people, a cloudless cerulean sky, fresh air, and irresistible culinary flavors. The gorgeous scenery and alpine spirit inspires a delightful visual feast, provoking the age-old transcendental question Aristotle and Plato couldn’t quite agree on: does life imitate art or does art imitate life?

Artistic soul-searching and personal ecstasy is highly encouraged in quirky mountain towns like Aspen. For art lovers and collectors, Aspen boasts a treasure trove of funky galleries and unique art boutiques. Whether you’re searching for an eye-catching sculpture, a conversation-starting wall piece, or a genuine modern masterpiece, Aspen has a gallery catering to most sophisticated tastes and distinguished styles. Shoppers will notice most art galleries in Aspen have the moniker “fine” attached to their name, meaning one thing: they are not cheap. Many established and world-renowned artists retreat from West Hollywood or New York’s Chelsea and Soho to experience the surreal transformative energy of the Rocky Mountains: a type of new age, artistic oneness with nature. Like other well-known artistic enclaves in the American West – Sedona, Santa Fe, Telluride, and Taos – the sunlight and shadows in the Roaring Fork Valley dance on snowy peaks of the Elk Range and red rock buttes like a ballerina gracefully chasseing to the allegro orchestral crescendos in Swan Lake.

Read the entire 101 guide here…

Never doubt Aspen’s ability to feast on issues of vanity, even amidst a crippling national recession. “Aspen” –as an idea– is elevated in the American public’s imagination as the self-actualized pinnacle of the American Dream. This remote mountain retreat of soaring peaks, powdery slopes, and wide-open skies righteously touts Gatsby-like success and excess, be it après-ski soirees or outrageous real estate prices. Need more proof? Take a walk past the chichi shoe, fur, and handbag boutiques with easily mispronounced French and Italian names.

Designer-thread retailers are big business in Aspen, a town eponymous for international self-trumpeting festivals and celebrity charity events. Thus, it was merely time and starry-eyed destiny before the fashion world descended on Aspen with the good intentions of hosting an “official” winter fashion week.

Read the whole round-up here…