by Lisa Marie Mercer

Created on: June 21, 2008   Last Updated: April 18, 2011

In Aspen, Colorado, everything that glistens isn't snow. In fact, some of its most intriguing events take place in the summer and fall. Its founder, Walter Paepcke, wouldn't have it any other way. He believed that winter was the time for sport, but summer was reserved for artists and intellectuals. Thus, in 1949 Paepcke made Aspen the celebration site for the 200th birthday of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Albert Schweitzer, Thornton Wilder, Artur Rubinstein and other illustrious guests attended the celebration.

To appreciate Aspen, you need humor, irony and a lot of cash, or at least a high credit line. After all, this is where Hunter Thompson, the late gonzo journalist decided to run for county sheriff. After Thompson's death, his friends paid their respects by shooting his ashes from a canyon, which just happened to be purchased by Johnny Depp. If you don't find this funny, in a sick sort of way, you won't get it about Aspen. However, if you prefer your arts, dance concerts, music and iconoclastic intellectualism in an awe-inspiring mountain setting, read on.

Feed Your Mind

If you think that New York City is the only acceptable venue for a writer's event featuring Nobel Laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners and best selling authors, you probably won't like Aspen. However, the cognoscenti know that the Aspen Writer's Foundation is THE place for summer writing workshops. Then, there's the Aspen Festival of Ideas, where Walter Paepcke types ponder topics such as global warming, global dynamics, global commerce and global navel gazing.

Feed Your Face

Given that Aspenites are known for their obsession with looking good, the town sure has a lot of culinary events. The Aspen Food and Wine Classic kicks off in mid June. It features cooking demos, food lectures and wine tastings. If that's too highbrow for your taste buds, attend the chili cook-off and brew festival in the somewhat less toney town of Snowmass.

When you tire of nouveau cuisine, it's time for a trip to Boogie's Diner. This retro establishment is owned by Lenny Boogie Weinglass, who was the character portrayed by Mickey Rourke in the movie, "Diner." The hot open turkey sandwich is the ultimate comfort food.

Music

When the snow melts, the cacophony of scraping snowboards is replaced by the sound of music. Summer and fall are Aspen's concert seasons. There's the Aspen Wine and Jazz Festival and free concerts at Snowmass. In October, Aspen features a week in honor of one of its former residents: the late John Denver.

If you visit other parts of Colorado, resist the temptation to start belting out "Rocky Mountain High." Trust me on this. However, it's okay in Aspen. Here's some John Denver trivia: "Annie's Song" was actually written while he was riding an Aspen chairlift. So the line "come let me love you" was actually about the terrain, not a woman. Go figure.

That said, it's just as easy to fall in love with Aspen in the summer and fall. Perhaps even more so.

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