Holiday Inn Express, North Boulder

“fresh cookies and medicinal marijuana”

by Cliff Mazer, Ph.D.

I had the pleasure of staying at this Boulder property several weeks ago. Boulder is a college town (CU ’75) that has grown into a yuppie mecca with a great view of the Flatiron Mountains. There are not too many places in the United States that one can step out of their rental car in the hotel parking lot (complimentary to guests) and immediately be hit by the strong and unmistakeable smell of high-grade pot wafting not from INSIDE but somewhere OUTSIDE the hotel, probably as part of the 39387 legal pot dispensaries and growing farms/storage facilities nearby. No wonder North Boulder is booming with Italian coffee bars and new restaurants galore. The whole town has a bad case of the munchies and the Holiday Inn North was happy to oblige my own with food recommendations as well as fresh popcorn all day and warm chocolate chip cookies starting at 7 PM. Hotel guests and cookie monsters of various ages and sneaker sizes begin mingling in the lobby around 6PM, all waiting patiently but with the same, “MUST HAVE COOKIE” look on their faces. The rooms, theoretically the most important part of a hotel review were better than expected, spacious and well appointed, with kitchenettes, microwave, fridge, etc.. Again, given the fact that I suspect most of the local population hold “medical cards” and or Groupon coupons enabling them to receive the myriad benefits of the magic hemp plant, the hotel seems especially well stocked as far as vending machines, drinks and a food and beverage services. Their complimentary breakfast, while far from being a stunning Four Seasons buffet is more than adequate with a very earnest server who was even willing to shlep us out free food earlier than usual since we were off to the slopes at Winter Park one morning at 6AM. Plus, I was pretty mesmerized by the automatic pancake making machine…very Willy Wonka. I guess I like places that are willing to bend the rules abit for a good cause and this was displayed further when we returned late from the aforementioned ski trip bent and broken and requiring a midnight soak in the outside hot tub. The staff as young, earnest, professional and appropriate as they appeared, were also pretty cool dudes and dudettes, who knew when to give a “wink and a nod” to an old long-haired hippie now brilliantly disguised as a completely bald Baby Boomer. Come to think of it those fresh cookies did seem to give me a nice little buzz and I dont think it was the chocolate chips! Just kidding. A good, reasonably priced hotel in an up and coming neighborhood in North Boulder that used to (40 years ago) smell like cow shit and now smells like Purple Kush and Italian expresso beans.