The Best of Denver (and the worst of it, too)

I was recently contacted by a reporter for the Westword, a weekly magazine in Denver. Once upon a time, they were great supporters in helping me solicit votes during the Pandering for Vancouver days (otherwise known as the Office Winter Games Contest). I'm sure their interview is what clinched me the win.

That, and the countless wonderful people in my life who voted for me.

Last month, they contacted me again and asked to interview me for their popular "Best of Denver" edition. Note: I am not the "Best of Denver." I only know about places that are.

I never actually saw the magazine because we were on Spring Break in Park City but found the article online when I was doing a search for another project I had worked on.

Ahhh, gimme a break. Like you never Google your name.

I was excited to be interviewed with some notable Denver characters (the online version is here).

Amber Johnson

Amber Johnson is a professional mama, so professional that she makes her living doing it. The 38-year-old Johnson not only founded the Mile High Mamas blog, which she now operates for the Denver Post, but she also runs a home-based social media marketing company that does work for ski areas and promotions for big brands like Nintendo and Frigidaire. And earlier this year, she was picked — and then hired — by Microsoft to blog about the Olympics from Vancouver. Her site, www.crazybloggincannuck.com, is still active, and will be throughout the year while she helps Microsoft promote Office 2010.

Not a bad gig for a Canadian native who loves the outdoor life so much that Denver's REI flagship store is her favorite place in town.

"It's my happy place, no lie," says Johnson, who lives in Arvada with her husband and two toddlers, Hadley and Bode. "They have a play area on the top floor which is near the clearance areas, so the kids will play while I shop." Afterward, Johnson likes to take the family for walks through Confluence Park, to watch the kayakers, and up the Platte, either via trolley or on foot, to the Denver Children's Museum."

Her other favorite walking tour begins at Little Man Ice Cream, continues through the playground across the street, and then goes across the 16th Street Pedestrian Bridge to see Denver's infamous "National Velvet" sculpture. "There are so many cool walking areas in Denver that we do that as often as we can," she says.

They were overly complimentary and I feel honored to be included. However, there were three blaring missteps that need to be addressed:

1) Calling me a "professional mom."

2) Refusing to lie about my age like I recommended.

3) Misspelling my blog name. Last I checked, "canuck" only had one "n."

Just another reason why Canadians are treated like second-class citizens in this country.

Note #2: Ignore the fact that we're not actually citizens.