East Coast Girl visits the Wild Wild West continues:

According to my boyfriend, the plan was that we were heading to Boise, Idaho for   his Grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary, and then we would drive four hours to Idaho Falls to visit his Mom and Nana. I was excited about the trip, because I hadn’t been to Idaho since we first started dating seven years ago. My memories of Idaho were so-so. I don’t remember hating it, but I don’t remember being wowed in any ways either. I was also only nineteen years old, young, immature, and very closed minded. Back then I was city girl, passionate about fashion and art, and although I still am those things, as I grow, I find myself appreciating nature, and seeing beauty in other ways.

Although, we were exhausted from an overwhelming week of moving into our new house, our 6:30 flight went smoothly. My boyfriend and I arrived in Boise, Idaho at 11:00 am. Then the partying began, literally. We spent three days partying with his  family. We attended a birthday party, a graduation party, and his grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary.

Downtown Boise

After every party, we headed down to downtown Boise for more drinks and food. And to my surprise, downtown Boise was quite fun. It is by the university, Boise State, but it has more of a liberal urban feel, rather than a college town vibe.

This may sound weird to you, but a person’s hair reveals a lot. It can reveal who they are, and what they are about.  I am a hairstylist, so I began to understand the people of a city or town and I determine the vibe of a place by what hair trends I see. Downtown Boise, continued to surprise me, I saw lots of great hair color, classic high-end cuts, but then I also saw a lot of dreadlocks.

To my surprise, I also saw some familiar shops. There was an Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, Lululemon. I also spotted a Bikram Yoga studio, and a running shoe store that had Newton running shoes.

I am a foodie, who also loves a fresh brewed beer, high quality wine, or a unique cocktail.  So of corse I hit up some of the local bars. One night we ended up at Matador. It was a tequila sipping bar, that also had a wide range of Margaritas. My favorite part was that the Margaritas on the rock were made from fresh fruit juices instead of a mix. They also had really good appetizers.

My boyfriend’s cousin’s birthday party was at a bar call Solid. Solid had a variety of unique cocktails, and fabulous appetizers as well. But my favorite part was the desserts. We devoured a S’more. 

There was also an Irish pub in downtown Boise. We went over there because they had a live band.

After three days of parties. I felt hungry. We had drinking plenty and although we had been eating plenty as well. The food we had been eating was mainly appetizers. I was ready for a real meal. So after the 50th wedding anniversary my boyfriend and I went to dinner at a place called Forks. Forks was amazing. They had all american food, but it was definitely more gourmet.

Running in Boise

Besides eating and drinking, I actually found time to go running. In Boise they have a trail along the river. Although, I think the Mount Vernon Trail (which is my regular running trail here in DC) is prettier, this trail that ran along the Boise River was really pretty too. Along the trail, I saw fly fishermen, I  ran past the Boise State football field which has the famous blue turf, and then I saw a man barefoot running. The best part was the weather, nothing could beat it.  At 7:30 in the morning it was probably 65-70 degrees and it was dry heat, perfect for running.

I had a really good run, in my Newtons, but I felt like it was a little hard to breath. I also felt like I was running a little slower, but then I remembered the altitude was different. In DC, I run at sea level. In Boise the altitude was 2900 ft. I could feel the altitude change the minute I got off the plane. I developed a headache and my body craved water. I was proud of myself for running five miles in a higher altitude than I am use to. In the DC area running can be a challenge in the summer, because we get 100 degree days with 70 percent humidity, but Boise has the altitude change.

So that is Boise, I highly suggest you go check it out.