Step out into Boulder on Saturday, April 20, and be prepared to face ganga enthusiasts, campus security guards checking student IDs and the possibility of counter-protesters. Here are some ways you can spend your 4/20 the way you want it: as just another Saturday.
Get out of Boulder
And Denver, too! To really escape the 4/20 craze, try a day trip somewhere off the radar. Estes Park is only an hour and a half away and has a cute, little downtown area great for window-shopping. Luckily for you, April 20 falls right in the middle of Estes Park Restaurant Week, when many restaurants offer specially crafted three-course meals for $20.13 all night. So while you sit in the Aspen Lodge licking the remnants of Chicken Saltimbocca from your fingers, remember your Boulder friends eating a third munchies-induced helping of Deep Fried Pickle Spears from Geisty’s.
Wonderland Lake Park, located at 4201 North Broadway St., is a great place to spend 4/20 outdoors if you’re trying to avoid the possible haze over campus this Saturday. The park features a 1.5 mile loop trail surrounding Wonderland Lake and can provide a serene afternoon for non-marijuana smokers. (Nate Bruzdzinski/CU Independent)
Take a hike where 4/20 participants won’t go
Since CU will “close” Norlin Quad on Saturday, it is likely that people celebrating 4/20 will trek over to Chautauqua to become one with nature. If you want to steer clear of smoking hikers, check out some trails in North Boulder. The paths around Wonderland Lake are especially awesome as they draw few students and remain relatively flat for those simply looking to take a nice weekend stroll.
Play really challenging, reflex-reliant games
Remember the board game, Operation? Anyone who grew up in the ‘90s remembers how terrifying the sound of that buzzer was. Take advantage of your sober state and play some sweet games that would totally space our your stoner friends. Some other good options are Bop It! or QWOP.
Go to the bars
Though it may seem counter-intuitive to check out Boulder’s party scene the night of one of their biggest parties of the year, 4/20 is guaranteed to be an excellent night for drinking. There are only two ways the night could possibly go: either the stoners will stay home in a drug-and-food-induced sleep-coma, or you will be partying with some of the friendliest drinkers you have ever met. You might even be able to trick your 4/20-celebrating friends into thinking the 2 a.m. burritos were their idea.
Cook good food, for yourself or others
If you can’t make it out of Boulder on Saturday, try your hand at cooking something new. Not only do you get to revel in your lightning-fast reflexes that escape 4/20 participants, but you also skip the awkward window of time when all the food delivery services are at their busiest. Make it a gathering if you have other friends uninterested in celebrating 4/20.
Contact CU Independent Entertainment Senior Staff Writer Sarah Elsea at Sarah.elsea@colorado.edu.