Buenos Dias

Buenos Dias!

Colorado is amazing. I had a three and a half hour shuttle from the airport in Denver to Aspen, which was followed by a huge headache caused by the combination of the altitude and the kink in my neck (a result of gawking at the mountains). I was so enthralled that the boy next to me offered me his seat so I could have a better view, unfortunately he was very cute and so my excitement was mildly embarrassing. 

There is a ton to do out here and all of it is outdoors. Running has been a challenge with the altitude but I do not mind because my road follows a river and is lined with beautiful ranches and the homes of the rich and/or famous. A man, Doc, who I see everyday with his mean-looking but really very sweet dog, Rex, showed me Jack Nicholson’s house the other day, it is 3 doors down from my apartment, a little less than a mile away. Our road ends at The Maroon Bells (Pictures attached), the most photographed natural attraction in the United States. Three of us went on Saturday, the view was beautiful and fortunately uncluttered by tourists because no one else seemed to be crazy enough to hike the 20 miles (the road is closed to cars until June) to get there. Weather has been great until yesterday when it snowed 3 inches, and stuck! 

The accommodations are great, very woodsy and somewhat outdated, but clean and backed by a spectacular view. Attached are the pictures of my room and of the view from my back porch which looks on to a red mountain through the woods over a river. We leave the windows cracked at night so we fall asleep to the sound of the rapids just downstream. The facilities at the Ritz-Carlton Club are spectacular, but I do not think that they have as great of a view. It is a sort-of sophisticated rustic lodge that takes up 60% of the Highlands, very Ritz-Carlton.

I have passed my drug test, memorized the credo, and finished orientation which makes me officially a Ritz-Carlton employee. My first day of work was Monday, I spent the entire day polishing silver and scraping gum off of the bottoms of tables while trying to learn Spanish so that I can communicate with the majority of the staff, so far no bueno. Oh the glamorous life of a college intern! The restaurant manager and chefs are awesome, they are definitely showing us a good time. I am working on memorizing the menu which is a difficult task because there is a depressing contradiction between my “frozen stir-fry with egg and soy sauce” and “lavender thyme rubbed rack of Colorado lamb”. Needless to say I am looking forward to our staff tasting.

For now I have sketchy internet service, a mailbox that won’t be installed until tomorrow, and in-and-out telephone service, but all of those things should be up and running within the next few weeks. I will try to send emails regularly to keep in touch. My new address is:

Alexandra Clark
1679 Maroon Creek Rd. Apt.16
Aspen, CO 81611 

I hope all is well at home, wherever your home may be.

Much Love,

Alexandra