It was late one Wednesday afternoon, while browsing Twitter, when I noticed a tweet from Southwest Airlines regarding a chance to win a trip to Denver. I immediately had to investigate, and my excitement grew when I noticed that the entry to the contest was a video. My passion has always been making and editing video and motion graphics. I quickly came up with an idea, and planned it out so that as soon as I got off work I could go home and film. Later that night, with about 30 minutes of filming and a bit longer editing, voila! It was early Thursday morning that I got the great news: I had won! Before I knew it, two roundtrip tickets, two nights at a hotel, and Denver Day of Rock passes were on their way.
Early Saturday morning, we were on our way to Denver, courtesy of the best airline in America (blog disclaimer: we didn't put Mark up to calling us the best airline in America, but we certainly won't stop him!). Anticipation grew as we rode towards the Mile High City from the airport to the historic Oxford Hotel in Downtown Denver. The Oxford, Denver's oldest hotel, sits Less than a block away from the famous Union Station. Walking in was like taking a brief trip to the past. We approached the front desk, checked in, and were surprised to be handed an actual set of keys. Even more impressive was the interior of the room and and the view of from the bedroom. I couldn’t have been more grateful for the accommodations that had been given to us. We decided to utilize our complimentary spa treatments upon arrival (nothing like starting the weekend off with a great day at the spa).
The spa at the Oxford was nothing short of amazing. We were lucky enough to have a personal tour of the facilities and a historical tour from the director of the spa herself, Christina C. The time at the spa was beyond relaxing, but with only a few hours until Denver Day of Rock kicked off, it was time to eat. We decided to venture off and find ourselves a local gem. This led us to a very familiar taste of the culture of our own town, Austin. Mercury Cafe, a locally-grown, organic cafe, was absolutely delicious, so much that I had to photograph the food to stimulate my senses.
So began our trek back over to 16th street mall. We decided to begin down towards stage five and gradually work our way down towards the Southwest stage!
I have to admit, I almost forgot the whole premise of the contest until I had friendly reminders laid out on the road for me, reminding me when and where to be for the flash mob. I was excited to be in one; I had watched plenty on YouTube but had never been able to participate.
Making my way down the mall, I tried to stay steady with a pace onward to the Southwest area, but kept finding myself distracted by awesome bands, delicious foods, street magicians, even random pianos throughout the mall that I just had to sit down and play. When we arrived at the Southwest area it was about the same time as the flash mob, 3, 2, 1 dance. It was crazy to see just how many people were doing it, considering it spontaneously started. It was so much fun! Now it was time to sit, eat, and relax. By the stage was a VIP tent with great drinks and awesome food. Thank you, Southwest, for making this happen for us! We finished the night laying in the grass listening to great music: a superb first day!
We were fortunate enough to have some of our best friends that live in Denver join us for this event and we were able to spend the rest of the weekend with them. It couldn’t have happened without the generosity of Southwest Airlines. Thanks again!