One fine day: Denver
9 a.m. Start off the morning with a bacon sticky bun and a coffee flight (you'll need all three cups for the day you've got planned) at Mercantile Dining & Provision, a bright and sleek restaurant and market in Union Station. Once caffeinated, explore “Denver's living room," the 102-year-old train station that was meticulously transformed in 2014 to become one of the country's most beautiful public spaces, packed with shops, restaurants, and even shuffleboard tables.
10:30 a.m. For a bit of culture, head over to the Clyfford Still Museum, which just might be the best single-artist-dedicated museum in the U.S. Unless you're an expert on the Abstract Expressionist visionary, join a tour to gain major insight into Still's life and process. With thousands of paintings to choose from—Still was beyond prolific and kept nearly all his works—the museum is regularly changing exhibitions; go again in three months, and you'll see entirely new work.
12:30 p.m. Hop on a B-cycle, Denver's bike-share program, and ride over to the up-and-coming RiNo (River North) neighborhood for lunch … in a shipping container. The digs may be bare-bones, but Cart-Driver serves up the city's best pizzas, blistered to perfection in a wood-fired oven (go for the mushroom with tarentaise cheese and ash vinaigrette), along with plump oysters, decadent tuna mousse, and prosecco on tap. The staff recommends you top your slices with one of their housemade hot sauces, like the sweet and kicky red chili and pineapple. Listen to them.
2 p.m. You're too full to bike. Uber over to Larimer Square, a beautiful historic district right by Coors Field, for some shopping. Former saloons from the 1860s now house boutiques like Blush, which offers a carefully curated collection of women's fashion (Elizabeth and James, Vince), and Gusterman's Silversmiths, where you can get anything from a simple money clip to a custom-made engagement ring
4 p.m. Time to recharge. Head back to your stylish and roomy suite at the ART hotel for a bath in the glorious soaking tub (if only all hotels had them). Don't feel too bad about skipping the Denver Art Museum next door; the hotel boasts pieces by Deborah Butterfield, Tracey Emin, Sol LeWitt, Ed Ruscha, and more. Grab a Warhol Sour (Knob Creek, chili liqueur, cinnamon, lemon) at the Fire Lounge downstairs and explore the hotel like it's a gallery, which it kind of is.
7 p.m. Ask the ART's house driver to whisk you to Acorn, at the Source, an artisan food market in RiNo, for dinner. Must-orders from the shared-plates menu? Chicken-liver pâté with Colorado apricots and hazelnuts, fried pickles with green-goddess aioli, hamachi crudo, and every dessert on the menu. Deciding between cocktails or beers (both menus are extensive) might be the toughest decision you make all day.
9:30 p.m. Close out your day at Ophelia's Electric Soapbox, a former brothel turned nightclub and restaurant that pulls in a good-looking crowd for live music, DJs, and burlesque. The space is almost as exciting as the shows: The downstairs bar is constructed from hundreds of mini Jägermeister bottles, stacks of vintage radios serve as the backdrop to the stage, and bar tops are made of pinball-machine backboards. Order a Ratio Beerworks Repeater Pale Ale and toast to the Mile High City.
Photographs by Ted Stedman (Clyfford Still Museum); Courtesy of the ART (hotel exterior); Adam Larkey (Ophelia's Electric Soapbox)
To our customers,
I hope this note finds you and your loved ones healthy and well.
It is safe to say these past weeks have been among some of the most tumultuous and emotional that any of us can remember in our lifetimes. The impact of the coronavirus outbreak has been felt by individuals and families, companies and communities, across the United States and around the world.
The response to this crisis has been extraordinary; as much for what it has required from our society as for what it has revealed of us as a people.
Far from causing division and discord, this crisis and the social distancing it has required, has allowed us to witness something profound and moving about ourselves: our fond and deeply felt wish to be connected with one another.
The role of connector is one we're privileged to play in the moments that matter most in your life – weddings and graduations, birthdays and business trips, events large and small – and it's that responsibility that motivates us most to get back to our regular service, as soon as possible.
That is why it is so important our government acted on a comprehensive relief act to ensure our airline – and our industry – are ready and able to serve you again when this crisis abates.
I want to relay to you, in as deeply personal a way I can, the heartfelt appreciation of my 100,000 United team members and their families for this vital public assistance to keep America and United flying for you.
This support will save jobs in our business and many others. And it allows us time to make decisions about the future of our airline to ensure that we can offer you the service you deserve and have come to expect as our customers.
While consumer demand has fallen, we have seen the need for our service and capabilities shifted. And, we've adapted to help meet those needs.
Right now, aircraft flying the United livery and insignia, flown by our aviation professionals, have been repurposed to deliver vital medical supplies and goods to some of the places that need it most. We're also using several of our idle widebody aircraft to use as dedicated charter cargo flights, at least 40 times per week, to transfer freight to and from U.S. locations as well as to key international business locations. At the same time, we are working in concert with the U.S. State Department to bring stranded Americans who are trying to return home back to their loved ones.
While much remains uncertain right now, one thing is for sure: this crisis will pass. Our nation and communities will recover and United will return to service you, our customers. When that happens, we want you to fly United with even greater pride because of the actions we took on behalf of our customers, our employees and everyone we serve.
Stay safe and be well,
Oscar Munoz
CEO
When and where possible, we are working to repatriate travelers who are stranded abroad in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. Our teams are working closely with government officials here in the U.S. as well as in other countries where flying has been restricted to gain the necessary approvals to operate service. In regions where government actions have barred international flying, we have coordinated with the the U.S. State Department and local government officials to re-instate some flights. Additionally, we have been operating several extra flights to countries in Central America and South America as we continue to play a role in connecting people and uniting the world.
This week, we are operating 21 flights from Panama City, Quito, Lima, San Pedro Sula, Tegucigalpa and Roatan, to bring nearly 2,500 Americans home. We will continue working with government officials to operate extra flights to Houston from Quito, San Pedro Sula, Tegucigalpa and from Lima to Washington Dulles. We continue to review more opportunities for flights between the United States and other countries to bring citizens home.
Video provided by the U.S. Embassy Ecuador of Americans returning home on United.
Additionally, our Customer Solutions and Recovery team is working with customers in the following markets to rebook them on flights back to the United States as capacity allows, either on our aircraft or on one of our airline partners' planes:
- Quito, Ecuador
- Managua, Nicaragua
- Roatan, Honduras
- San Pedro Sula, Honduras
- Amsterdam
- Brussels
- Munich
- Singapore
- Tokyo-Haneda
- Seoul, South Korea
- Melbourne, Australia
We also recently reinstated several international flights back into our schedule to support customers and essential businesses which depend on these routes. As a result, we will be the only airline to offer service between Newark/New York and London, San Francisco and Sydney, as well as Houston and São Paulo, Brazil.
