My extended family does a name drawing thing for Christmas. This year, I am supposed to get something for some relatives who live in the Boulder, CO area. I don’t know them well at all - haven’t seen them in years - so I would just like to go the gift card route. Can anyone recommend a local restaurant, book store, or other place that a married couple in their late 50s might enjoy? Thanks!
What do they like? Are they sporty or outdoorsy? Do they go camping? Do you know anything about their interests at all? I’m in Denver, but used to live in Boulder and could give you some ideas if you had more information.
I want to say that at least one other person here is in Boulder, so maybe they’ll come in, too.
Yeah, I don’t have much specific information. I’ve never heard that they’re outdoorsy, though. I can say that they have a leftward bent to their politics and are interested in environmental issues. I think they like movies, too, although I don’t have the faintest about genres.
Living in Boulder, they’d have to have a leftward bent and be interested in environmental issues 
Getting them passes to the Colorado Environmental Film Festival might be fun. It’s small independent films all having an environmental or progressive political focus. We went last year, and many of the filmmakers were there to answer questions afterwards.
The Boulder Bookstore is awesome.
Flagstaff House is a very good, VERY expensive restaurant.
The Dushanbe Tea House is a Tajikistan tea house donated by a sister city and reassembled next to Boulder Creek. They have great food.
Frasca Food and Wine is one of the best restaurants in the country. It’s very Boulder in that it’s not fussy or elegant, but the food is amazing and locally sourced. They don’t care if you come in wearing jeans and a sweatshirt. One of the owners is a Master Sommelier (one of just 100 or so in the world) and if you ask for the cheapest bottle of wine that will enhance your meal, he will give you chapter and verse on a $25 bottle. This is a can’t miss option.
For more comfort food options, Chey Thuy and theRio Grande and Jax Fish House are all excellent.
The Boulder Book Store mentioned above is also excellent. If they like to cook, The Peppercorn is a nice cookware store downtown. There is also the Boulder College of Massage Therapy, where you can buy certificates for cheap massages from students there.
What’s your price range? I lived in Boulder. I think that the Flagstaff is a bad idea unless you are prepared to pay for their entire meal. It’s bad taste to get a gift card for something that is only paying a portion of. But if you are going to be a little pricey, the Boulder Phil is great - as is the Ballet Company. (My friends’ kids are in the Children’s Company and I can’t help myself…:))
But you really don’t have to limit it to Boulder. Denver has plenty to offer and since they are in their 50s, not ancient, they may not mind the drive. They have probably done all of our suggestions already. Castle Marne? Wait - it’s the 12th where you are and Google Offers just expired - could’ve gotten 50 per cent off.
<sigh> I want someone to buy me stuff for something local…
murmurs to self
Price range?
TOTALLY forgot about Frasca! Excellent recommendation.
After reading about these restaurants, I am feeling a sudden need to travel to Colorado…
Thanks, everyone, for the excellent suggestions. I am going to go with a gift card for the Boulder Book Store, mostly because I think it’s hard to go wrong with books, but also because it looks like a truly excellent bookstore.