I can always find pot on vacation, both in legal and illegal states. I was looking for something more. I started searching for an exciting marijuana tour about a week before my trip to Denver. I was arriving early on a Tuesday morning and was leaving before the weekend was off to a good start. As I researched, I began to realize I had two problems. First, most of the tours were bus style and only on Saturdays. Now, I thought a bus tour might be alright. But, I would not be around on Saturday and it is kind of impersonal, so scratch that. Second, the tours were way out of my price range ($1,975 through one company). Although they offered some cool perks, I did not have the time or the money to partake in such extravagance. Besides, I wanted something that was more personal. It looked like I would not be going on a marijuana tour after all.
Low and behold, the day before my flight to Denver, I found City Sessions. Thank goodness. I called and expected to hear it would be a no go since I was coming in the next day, but lucky me, there was space available. I told her what I was looking for: a grow house, an edibles place and a guide who knows everything about the medicinal and recreational aspects of marijuana. Little did I know, the girl on the other end of the phone was exactly what I asked for. Goldie is the person to know in Denver when it comes to ALL things marijuana. Her knowledge spans from the laws, the best budtenders, the most unique hangouts to the best strands (Blue Dream), the who’s who in the pot consulting world and even how to consume edibles without losing your mind. On top of that, she knows all of the coolest people involved in the pot scene in Denver. Then, I called back and asked to go to a speak-easy type place and she knew about that too.
We started our tour at a dispensary with a grow room. They had a pretty fancy operation. TV screens on the walls with all of the strands scrolling down the screen, like credits to a movie. They had an open concept in their dispensary, with customers mingling on one side of a counter and budtenders on the other. The girl who helped us was probably new and was not all that knowledgeable yet, so she got someone to help her help us. Our real reason for being here was the grow house anyway. So, we grabbed some presidential Kush and went out to see the trees.
Wow, was I amazed. It was not a big operation, but it was really amazing to see so many plants in one place. I am just a pot smoker. I would never see something like this where I am from. Goldie told me that dispensaries in Colorado have to grow at least 70 percent of their own product and can buy the rest. That is what I would call a self-sustaining company, very cool. We talked about the ventilation systems, the material that the plants are grown in, the lighting, the growth cycles, cloning and a little about the strains. Some of these things were explained by one of the employees, but a lot of these topics were discussed between Goldie and me. As I said, Goldie is Denver’s guru on all things pot.
It was like being in a grocery store, or in a restaurant’s garden with the chef. I was ready to stop looking and start smoking. We got into her SUV and she gave me a bowl already packed. At this point, I wanted to tell her she had me at hello. But, I just took the pipe and lit up. She also handed me a goodie bag, with all kinds of treats and a coupon book by City Sessions. This book alone is a great way to see the city and get the hook up on over $1,500 in deals from over 50 companies. You can buy it at citysessions.com, it’s great for both locals and visitors.
I looked through my book and smoked on my pipe as we rode down the mean streets of Denver. Our next stop was The Giving Tree. They had a ton of edibles. Goldie knew about dosages, told a funny story about her experience with edibles and got everyone in there giggling up a storm. The girls that were working behind the counter knew lots about edibles as well and were so very sweet. I love nice people.
Goldie and I talked about how I feel when I smoke, what I like to smoke and so forth. I told her I usually pick a sativa for the daytime and an indica for the evenings. I like to feel awake and active during the day, but I sometimes have a problem with feeling overly anxious or paranoid when I smoke. Goldie suggested I try a hybrid. So, I got a tootsie roll type candy with 100 mg of THC. It took the whole week for me to finish it. I ate the last of it right before I hit the airport. It was the perfect suggestion.
The next stop was the oldest dispensary in Denver. Goldie told me that the best way to pick your pot is to smell it. If you like how it smells, then your body will take nicely to it as well. So, we went to visit Scott. Now this guy here is a savant, “a learned person, intellectual, scholar, sage, philosopher, thinker” (google.com) on marijuana strands and their effects. He opened jar after jar of different types of buds, or “flowers” as Goldie taught me I like best. We smelled them and he told us what we were smelling. “This has a sweet blueberry, berry scent. It is sativa dominant and gives you feelings of creativity and happiness.” One strain Scott said had you, “staring off into space for several seconds at a time.” He was very cool, he talked to us about Kush from the Himalayas (I’m going there one day) and how it was brought to California. When it was grown in Cali, the plant adapted to the climate and changed a bit. This California Kush is called OG Kush, or Ocean Grown Kush. If I lived in Colorado, this guy would be my one and only budtender. He blew my socks off with his knowledge.
Next, I smoked some more. Then, I think we went to the glass factory, or to lunch. I am such a stoner. Well, the glass factory was not really on my list of things to do, however, I needed a glass blunt. I love these things. I quit smoking nicotine almost a year ago and found this to help me not go back. I did not want to use paper or cigar wraps because of the resemblance to cigarettes (which I quit years ago) and black-and-milds (which I quit 11 1⁄2 months ago). We had not found the glass blunt yet, so we ventured to the glass shop. This glass shop was actually more like a gallery. They had glass pieces that cost upward of $40,000. Goldie and I walked through and looked at all of the unique pieces and talked about medicinal marijuana and other more personal marijuana topics. This was one of my favorite conversations of the tour because it gave me new insights to think about in my ever changing and growing opinion of marijuana. We eventually went to talk to one of the “curators” who knew about the glass blunt. I gave Goldie the rundown of how it worked and the guy behind the counter said HE was sold. Too funny. Goldie figured out I like the glass joint and not the glass blunt, even though neither of them had a name on them. Isn’t she just the smartest? So, I now know, I smoke glass joints. Guru of all things marijuana, I tell you.
Lunch was decided between the two of us over the phone the day before. She suggested Food Truck Tuesday downtown. Being a vegetarian, I know that these food truck collaborations have vendors who do not serve meat. There were Eastern Indian vendors, a cupcake vendor, a burger vendor with a veggie burger and ice cream. They also had Cajun, a truck with lobster tails and other things with seafood or other kinds of meats. The scenery was beautiful with the capital on one side and the courthouse on the other side. We sat near the music for the day, a guitar soloist, and chatted a little over the music. A guy came and joined us that Goldie met the week before and I felt like I was home, hanging out in my city.
Our last stop was Gary’s rec room. I had called back just to ask for this, so I was excited. I looked into private places to smoke since I am from out-of-state, but I did not find anything. It looks as though Denver has rules against smoking marijuana in public (even semi-public) settings. Gary has found a way to make it happen legally. This is his private residence that he opens up for his “friends” to come and smoke. You have to bring your own bud and a donation is suggested, but the place is pretty cool and funky. The walls were painted in different colors, with a painting of a Rastafarian on one wall. Goldie smoked with me we were soon all giggles. Gary told us about his exercise regimen, which, I am doing (it better work, Gary) and about his experience buying the place. He said that he saw the other side of the
duplex first and thought it was livable, but nothing all that special. The realtor told Gary, “Wait until you see the other side. He said he walked in and the walls were all painted just how they are now and he knew that was the place for him. I stuck my pin in his map and noticed there was someone else who had been in his place from the exact place I live. Small world. If I was not worried about hitting traffic, we would have stayed longer. I will be back to see my “friend” Gary, each and every time I am in town.
Goldie and I said our goodbyes to Gary and headed out to end our tour, over an hour later than we were supposed to be done. But, hey, we did not get stuck in traffic. If you are ever visiting Denver, check out City Sessions. Whether you take a blaze tour like I did, or you opt for an eat, a shop or a play tour, Goldie is the one to see. Oh, and, Goldie, your hype man (woman) has arrived. Thank you for my perfect tour.
From,
The new kid on Denver’s block.