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Colorado’s Front Range has long been a destination for tourists looking for mountain landscapes and accessibility. While Denver is the most populated and well-known city in the state, its lesser-known neighbor to the south has been quietly gaining ground on Denver as the hot spot of Front Range tourism. As a resident of the state and avid adventurer, I feel like the upswell in interest is well-deserved.

Colorado Springs — or “The Springs” as it’s commonly referred to — is the second-largest city in CO and it’s growing quickly. With its ample outdoor recreation opportunities, a lower cost of living, and a rich history, Colorado Springs just claimed the #6 spot on US News list of Best Places to Live in 2021-2022. I lived in the city growing up and since moving north I’ve gone back several times a year for day trips and weekends away. I’m always telling friends and strangers that they have to visit and that they’d be shocked at just how much there is to do there and how accessible it all is.

Here’s my quick guide for anyone planning a trip.

Where to Eat:

Food Halls

When I’m traveling I’m always drawn to food halls, especially as a solo traveler. They’re a great place to find not only innovative food and drinks, but to people watch and feel the vibe of a city or neighborhood. The Springs has a few that are my go-tos — I love to visit C.O.A.T.I, downtown, for good music and the industrial vibe (Luchals is my favorite). The Carter Payne is a repurposed church building that is now home to food, wine, beer, and atmosphere. Another repurposed building is Ivywild School, an old school building turned “community marketplace” with food, drinks, and a side of nostalgia.

Flying W. Ranch

If you’re interested in a more kitschy western experience, then make reservations for the Flying W.Ranch. A cattle ranch turned food and entertainment venue, the Flying W. Ranch started serving BBQ Chuckwagon dinners in 1953. After being forced to close eight years ago due to a devastating forest fire, the ranch has just reopened this year for dinner and cowboy singalongs.

Where to Drink:

The Golden Bee

My favorite place to stop for a drink is The Golden Bee in the Broadmoor area of the Springs. The Golden Bee is an authentic 19th century British Pub that was transferred panel by panel from the UK to the United States. There are nightly piano sing-alongs and a charming tradition of throwing bees that you’ll have to experience for yourself.

Where to Sleep:

Broadmoor Properties

When I’m staying overnight in Colorado Springs my first choice is always one of the properties that make up the sprawling and historic Broadmoor Resort. A destination in its own right, the main property has over 100 years of history and every amenity you can imagine — with an unbeatable backdrop. If a luxury resort isn’t your style, The Broadmoor also has three all-inclusive wilderness properties that are slightly more rustic without sacrificing style or service.

I’ve visited all three over the years, as they really are quintessential Colorado Springs.

Emerald Valley Ranch is a 16-acre ranch with a lodge and 10 cabins at over 8,000 feet above sea level. You’re shuttled through the Pike National Forest and met with cocktails and warm cookies upon arrival. There are two lakes, hiking trails, hot tubs, yard games, and stables to keep you as busy or not as you’d like.

The perfect place to unplug in nature… Luxuriously.

Cloud Camp is another Broadmoor wilderness experience — and what an experience it is. This is a truly bucket-list stay. Cloud Camp sits at over 9,000 feet above sea level (and 3,000 above Colorado Springs) on the site of the former Cheyenne Lodge. The adventure starts on the drive to the property itself — when you’re shuttled up Cheyenne mountain and 16 switchbacks. You can also hike or ride a mule to the top of the mountain and your dreamy accommodations.

Everything is included at Cloud Camp, so whether you want to be active or relax in a hot tub on what seems like the top of the world, you can do it here. The property boasts rooms in the lodge, cabins, and for the bucket-list luxury traveler, you can even book a converted two-story fire tower suite with 360-degree observation decks and a private hot tub.

Another option that isn’t quite within Colorado Springs, but deserves a place on this list is The Broadmoor Fishing Camp. Located just 75 miles west of Colorado Springs on 5 miles of the Tarryall River is an all-inclusive fly fishing camp. Sleep in historic miner’s cabins along the river, and spend the day with your private fly fishing guide before relaxing with cocktails in the stylish lounge and enjoying a meal with the other guests.

Where to Explore:

Garden of the Gods

The outdoor recreation opportunities in and around Colorado Springs are vast, but a trip wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Garden of the Gods. You can hike, drive, bike, horseback ride or climb (with a permit) the towering sandstone formations in this free public park.

With 21 miles of trails and over 2 million visitors per year, it is an unmissable Colorado Springs experience.

Pikes Peak

Colorado is home to 58 “fourteeners” — mountains over 14,000 ft above sea level — and the most famous of those is probably Pikes Peak. The song “America the Beautiful” was written by Katherine Lee Bates after witnessing the beauty at the summit, and you’ll understand why when you see it for yourself.

What really makes Pikes Peak special as a 14er is the access. You can hike, of course, but there is also a paved highway to the summit along with a cog railway. The Pikes Peak Cog Railway just reopened this summer after years and millions of dollars in renovations. It is the highest railway in North America and the highest cog railway in the world. I was lucky enough to ride the week it reopened and it is truly a bucket list experience as you ascend over the tree line and look out over the city and up onto the summit. There you can visit the newly opened summit visitor center and try some legendary high altitude donuts.

Other can’t miss experiences are the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum and a stop in Manitou Springs. Hike up the Manitou Incline (a trail up a former railway with an average incline of 45%) if you dare, and follow with a dip in the hot springs at Sunwater Spa.

As you might recall, Japanese Breakfast‘s Michelle Zauner used to live in Philadelphia. Pre-fame, one of the odd jobs she held was working the coat check at Union Transfer, one of the city’s music venues. Now, to commemorate a sold-out five-night show run at that venue in support of her album Jubilee, the venue has named its coat check after Zauner.

“MICHELLE ZAUNER COAT CHECK!!!” Zauner wrote on Instagram. “Thank you [owner Sean Agnew] and [Union Transfer] for commemorating our historic five night run in Philly with the most memorable present of all. The coat check I used to work when the venue first opened has now been enshrined as my coat check. I love Philly the most.”

Aside from the coat check’s new name, it now features a plaque that reads, “May everyone who works in this room go on to sell out five nights at Union Transfer,” followed by the dates of the concerts.

A Reddit user who says they attended one of Japanese Breakfast’s Philly shows also shared a really nice anecdote from the night, writing:

“[Zauner] told a story about working coat check there and how she allowed a customer to get change for a fake $100 bill (unbeknownst to her). She got in trouble and was responsible for covering the missing money out of her shift money. […] The owner of Union Transfer, Sean Agnew, stepped in and paid it for her. On Saturday, she brought Sean out on stage to say thank you and (I believe) returned the money that he had spotted her. So cool.”

Jubilee is out now via Dead Oceans. Get it here.

Houston Hottie Megan Thee Stallion teased a return to her old ways in a recent interview and apparently wanted to give a sneak peek of what that meant, so she released an aggressive new freestyle straight from her vacation. Dropping boastful bars and dismissing her haters, Meg shows off her love for hip-hop ephemera (“Megan a force, so you know I need two pair”), Fashion Nova, and clever wordplay (“Yo vocab dont go past period / Hoe, dont question me”). Check it out below.

Although the Good News rapper has had a relatively quiet 2021 as she rides out the success of her 2020 debut, she has still maintained a similar level of attention thanks to her six MTV VMA nominations, the one-year anniversary of her and Cardi B’s seismic collaboration “WAP,” becoming the first rapper to cover the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, and dropping the controversial and defiant “Thot Sh*t” video.

Meg’s other endeavors include rapping at Rolling Loud with a fan-favorite sign language interpreter, offering “Investing For Hotties” classes alongside Cash App breaking down Bitcoin and other forms of cryptocurrency and standing up against homophobia in hip-hop after some controversial comments from former friend and collaborator DaBaby.

Watch Megan’s “Out Of Town Freestyle” above.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Earlier in the summer, Pacific Northwest alt-pop performer Deb Never unveiled “Disassociate” off of her forthcoming Where Have All The Flowers Gone EP, coming September 10. The eight-track collection also features collaborations from Michael Percy, Jam City, and Jim-E Stack, and today, Deb’s collaboration with Stack, “Sweet And Spice,” is available to hear. Over a skittering beat, “Sweet And Spice” lives up to its name, with a dreamy yet ruminative melody.

“I don’t consciously try to blend together genres on purpose,” Deb told Complex back in April of how she builds her pop-meets-hip-hop aesthetic. “I think it just happens because of the music I like and what I grew up listening to that shaped who I am. The thing that creates familiarity and nostalgia, but fresh at the same time, is not referencing a certain genre, artist, or song. I like going off personal taste and what I think sounds good together. It’s pure instinct.”

Check out “Sweet And Spice” above, and have a look at the EP’s art and tracklist below.

1. “Stupid” (produced by Michael Percy and Hoskins)
2. “Sorry” (produced by Luke Wild)
3. “Someone Else” (produced By Jam City and Michael Percy)
4. “Disassociate” (produced by Luke Wild and Michael Percy)
5. “Sweet & Spice” feat. Jim-E Stack
6. “Funky” (produced by Michael Percy)
7. “Coca Cola” (produced by Jam City)
8. “Red Eye” (produced by Ryan Dulude)

Where Have All The Flowers Gone is out September 10. Pre-order it here.

Many people (like Demi Lovato) expressed disbelief at the huge crowds that Lollapalooza drew this year in light of the still-ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The predominant concern is that an event of such a scale would lead to a substantial uptick in COVID-19 cases, but it seems that so far, that hasn’t been the case.

Chicago Department Of Public Health commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady took to Twitter this morning to share some COVID statistics from the two weeks since the festal. In a thread, Arwady reported that there’s “NO evidence” that Lollapalooza was a “super-spreader” event:

“We are now 14 days past the first day of Lolla and we are continuing to investigate cases of COVID. There have been no unexpected findings at this point and NO evidence at this point of ‘super-spreader’ event or substantial impact to Chicago’s COVID-19 epidemiology.

Of the estimated 385k attendees at Lolla, 90%+ were vax’d.

0.0004% (4 in 10,000) of vaccinated attendees have reported testing positive.

0.0016% (16 in 10,000) of unvaccinated attendees have reported testing positive.

As of 8/11, no hospitalizations or deaths have been reported.

As of now, there is a total of 203 cases identified with attendance at Lolla and symptom onset (or if asymptomatic, test date) on or after attendance. 58 were Chicago residents, 138 were non-Chicago Illinois residents and 7 out of state residents.

COVID risk can not be eliminated. We want to stay open as a city, but being open also means being careful — getting vaccinated, getting tested if you have any COVID symptoms, and, for now, wearing a mask in indoor public places. Let’s #ProtectChicago.”

In other Lolla news, fans were pretty blown away by a sign language interpreter’s work during Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP” performance at the festival.

Find Arwady’s tweets below.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

There is a big, gaping hole in the center of the belief that refusing to wear a mask or get vaccinated is a patriotic expression of the personal freedoms we enjoy as Americans.

Sure, you’re free to do as you wish, but the fastest way for people to invite tyranny into their lives is to forget that freedom is predicated on responsibility and accountability.

Refusing to wear a mask in a place where COVID-19 is likely to spread puts yourself and others at risk. Refusing to get vaccinated only promotes the spread of the virus. The longer this pandemic goes on, the more likely it is that freedom-loving people will be subjected to punitive restrictions from lawmakers and businesses seeking to crack down on those who aren’t being accountable.

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Freedom must be accompanied by accountability or society quickly becomes uncivilized and that’s a fertile breeding ground for authoritarianism.

Yesterday while I was talking with @AVindman and @biannagolodryga about Alex’s new book, I was asked about my comme… https://t.co/T8eNtlztW0

— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger)
1628708188.0

Actor and former Republican California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger perfectly explained this delicate balance on Monday in an interview with CNN’s Bianna Golodryga and former National Security Council staffer Alexander Vindman.

He blamed the continuation of the pandemic on those who are living in denial.

“A year and a half later, we are still in a mess and there are still people living in denial,” Schwarzenegger said. “There are still people that don’t believe in masks, there are still people out there who say, ‘Well, we don’t have to do social distancing,’ and all this kind of stuff.”

He explained that a big problem is that people have an immature grasp of what freedom really means.

“The only way we prevent it is we get vaccinated, we wear masks, we do social distancing, washing your hands all of the time, and not just to think about, ‘Well, my freedom is being kind of disturbed here.’ No, screw your freedom. Because with freedom comes obligations and responsibilities,” he said.

The “Terminator” star used an analogy involving stoplights that everyone can understand.

“You cannot just say, ‘I have the right to do x, y, and z,’ when you affect other people. That is when it gets serious. It’s like, no different than a traffic light. They put the traffic light in the intersection so someone doesn’t kill someone else by accident. You cannot say, ‘No one is going to tell me that I’m going to stop here, I’m going to go right through it.’ Yeah, then you kill someone else, and it is your doing. It is the same thing with the virus. You cannot go and not put the mask on because when you breathe you can infect someone else, and you can infect someone that then gets sick and may die.”

Those who doubt that freedom without responsibility leads to authoritarianism should look no further than recent history. Over the past year and a half, Americans have had to sacrifice a lot of their personal freedom because of a virus that thrives on a lack of accountability.

Those who truly love liberty should realize that we’re at a tipping point where the best way to persevere it is to fight back with accountability instead of defiance.

As Covid cases continue to surge across the United States, and more and more hospitals report staff and bed shortages, Marjorie Taylor Greene would like to remind people of one little thing: we’re all going to die one day.

The QAnon-loving GOP representative, who has spent much of this year bellyaching about wearing masks on Capitol Hill and claiming that questioning her vaccination status violated her HIPAA rights, addressed the devastating toll the new Delta variant has had on hospitals around the country in an unsurprisingly heartless way. Greene went on a conservative daytime talk show to share her thoughts on media reports detailing the dire situation many healthcare facilities are facing as unvaccinated Covid patients continue to flood emergency rooms and take up space in the ICU.

“I’ve talked to local hospitals in my state,” Greene said after some fearmongering about what an FDA approval might mean for vaccine mandates. “Yes, the waiting rooms get full, but guess what? The waiting rooms are full of all kinds of things, not just Covid.”

Greene went on to list what a few of those things might be: car accidents, cancer, other illnesses, trauma. Hypothetically, a child who got a marble wedged too far up his nose might be there too. Her point is this, people: humans are walking accident magnets, so we should just throw in the towel now and not count on doctors and nurses to help us. No really, that’s Greene’s actual advice for anyone worried that an increase in Covid patients might mean they won’t have a bed should an unexpected health emergency strike.

“Everyone needs to get back down to common sense,” the woman who blamed Jewish people for creating space lasers unironically said. “We’re human. We can’t live forever. We’re going to catch all kinds of diseases and other viruses.”

Naturally, Twitter was happy to drag her plague-welcoming self, though she probably won’t see it since the platform just suspended her for spreading more vaccine misinformation.

Michter’s has been killing the high-end whiskey game for a while now. Their 20 and 25-year releases are some of the most sought-after bottles of bourbon on the market (no wonder they keep showing up in Billions). While scoring sips from those super-exclusive bottles is rare, you can get your hands on a Michter’s 10 Bourbon a little more easily. That said, it is a pricy proposition — with a price tag of $150 to $200, depending on which liquor store you’re buying your whiskey from.

To be clear, $150 is a lot to spend on a single bottle of bourbon. There’s no getting around that. Unless you’ve got funny money, it’s always fair to interrogate whether that level of investment is even worth it. In fact, that’s exactly what we’re going to try and answer today — by looking at what’s in the bottle, testing the juice for ourselves, and rating where it lands against our other favorite 2021 releases.

If this bottle feels like your vibe (and price range), click on the price below to try a bottle for yourself.

Michter’s Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 10 Years Old — Barrel No. 21D1209

ABV: 47.2%

Average Price: $200 ($150 MSRP)

The Whiskey:

The juice in this bottle is a little under wraps. Michter’s is currently distilling and aging their own whiskey, but this is still sourced. The actual barrels sourced for these single barrel expressions tend to be at least ten years old with some rumored to be closer to 15 years old. Either way, the juice goes through Michter’s bespoke filtration process before a touch of Kentucky’s iconic soft limestone water is added, bringing the bourbon down to a very crushable 94.4 proof.

Tasting Notes:

The nose opens with subtle notes of soft wood and worn leather next to light touches of dark berries, orange oils, egg nog spice, and a slight toffee sweetness. The palate starts off equally soft with something more akin to maple syrup sweetness which then leads into a rush of berry brambles. The mid-palate hits on a bit of dark spice, vanilla tobacco, and dark cacao… maybe espresso?… bitterness. The finish leans into a dry-yet-almost-sweet oak with a touch of an almond shell and dry grass coming in at the very end.

The real beauty is in the softness of the taste. There are no rough edges whatsoever and the whole sipping experience is like a silken dream. The soft limestone water does help the drinkability without making it feel thin. And while this isn’t an ABV bomb that’ll leave you burning, it’s not meant to be. This is the epitome of a slow-sipping bourbon with real depth.

The Bottle:

Michter’s heavy-duty bottles have become centerpieces on many a bar cart. This bottle stands tall and has a wax seal that’s actually a breeze to open (compared to way too many that aren’t). Overall, this is an eye-catching bottle from top to bottom.

Bottom Line:

This continues to be one of the most drinkable high-end bourbons on the market. It’s shockingly easy to sip without water or ice. Though, a drop or two of water or a single rock will help the deeper flavors of the bourbon come out to play.

Is it worth the price? Yes, I believe it is (assuming you like bourbon enough to even want this bottle). This is a centerpiece bottle that lives up to the hype without getting ridiculous with its price. Trust us, there are bottles that cost five, six times this much that can’t compete with its complexity.

Ranking:

98/100 — This dram continues to be a high-water mark in bourbon.

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As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.

When Billie Eilish released her long-awaited sophomore album Happier Than Ever, it was released alongside a moving video to her title track. So far, Eilish has shared five official videos for her Happier Than Ever album rollout. But fans can expect there to be much more, as Eilish confirmed she plans to make a video to each track on the LP.

The singer recently appeared on Instagram Live to chat with her fans about her album release. She thanked her fans for the positive response to Happier Than Ever and revealed her plans to shoot a video for each one of the LP’s 16 songs. “Tell me which video I should shoot next because I don’t know which one,” she said. “I’m going to make a video for all of them, don’t you worry, but I don’t know which one I’m going to make next.”

Eilish also had some earnest reflections on the state of the world, saying she’s grateful that she and her family are safe and vaccinated:

“I’m very grateful for being alive, and being vaccinated. We’re all breathing and we should just be happy we’re alive. It’s been a crazy week for me and I’m just grateful for life, I guess. Nothing else really matters but our love and joy and peace in life. I hope that you guys are feeling that. I hope that none of these shows get canceled, oh my goodness gracious. I love you guys so much and I can’t wait to see you there.”

Watch a clip of Eilish’s Instagram Live session above.

Happier Than Ever is out now via Darkroom/Interscope. Get it here.

No one’s quite sure what’s going on with Mike Lindell. I’m not even sure that Mike Lindell knows, but he’s plugging away regardless in Sioux Falls, South Dakota at his so-called “Cyber Symposium” that was forecast to last 72 hours. Things started off disastrously with the MyPillow guy (baselessly) claiming that his event had been hacked, and the whole thing descended into batsh*ttery from there. The vibe has not improved, given that he’s been ranting about “packet captures” (still with no proof), and fellow conspiracy-theorist Steve Bannon (who was podcasting from the event) apparently turned on his pal for failing to “bring the receipts.”

The last day of the symposium didn’t go well, either, with Lindell scrambling offstage once he received unwanted news over his Dominion lawsuit, after his biggest “expert” on the panel admitted that there was no proof of the Big Lie having any basis in truth. Well, the absence of proof continues because Lindell has now claimed that he was “attacked” on Thursday night in Sioux Falls. Naturally, he didn’t provide proof of this alleged incident, nor does he appear to have filed a police report. He appears to be flustered while relating his latest claim, and I guess he believes that “antifa” is chasing him?

Later during the symposium, Lindell’s head of security pushed another conspiracy that makes zero sense. He’s claiming that fraudulent (?) “press badges” were being passed around and that “agitators” are after Lindell.

If you expected any of this to earn a lick of rationality, you will be sorely disappointed. Lindell is now blaming “antifa” for how terribly his symposium has gone for the past three days. Are these 72 hours over yet? The MyPillow guy desperately needs to use his own product and get some rest.