Phoenix: 5 times (2021, 2022, 2023, 2025, 2026)
Denver: 4 times (2015, 2021, 2024, 2026)
Salt Lake City: 4 times (2018, 2024, 2025, 2026)
Minneapolis: 3 times (2022, 2025, 2026)
Most of the above were basically weekends, taht include the luxury of getting off early on Friday local time (particularly true of Phoenix if it is daylight savings time anywhere else). They were al quite good trips, and I think tis time to give some contained recommendations about them, good ol' A-B-C's style.
I will note which cities are applicable for each letter, designating them by their letters (D,M,P,S - you can figure it out). Some letters will be applicable to more than one.
A is for Art Museums (D, M, P)
Let's start with one people may not expect, but is absolutely true - the art museums in Denver, Minneapolis and Phoenix are incredible. All three have one main art museum (Denver and Phoenix are obviously named, Minneapolis is the Minnesota Institute of Art). The Denver and Minneapolis ones are truly global - giant sections of Asian, African and American art. Phoenix is maybe a bit narrower, but probably has the best American art out of any of them, adn some great roving exhibits. They are also all well attended. Even outside of the main spot, Phoenix has the Heard Museum, which in some ways is an all-Native American art museum, and Minneapolis has two other great art museums in its city limits - the Walker Art Museum (near the sculpture park, also great!) and the Weisman Museum on the UofM grounds. Minneapolis sees itself, rightly so, as a great arts city, but Denver and Phoenix are right there.
B is for Beerhive Pub (S)
Unsurprisingly, Denver and Minneapolis have great craft beer. Phoenix, maybe more surprisingly, does as well. Salt Lake City may lag slightly behind in true craft spots, but makes up for it with the Beerhive Pub - placed smack dab in the heart of the city. Being Utah, there are very rigid rules regarding ABV for drafts (max of 5%). There is no such restrictions on bottles, and where that leaves us is Beerhive, which has 10 nominal taps, but literally 200 bottles. Many from Utah, many from other places. The bartenders also seem knowledgeable about any of them. I do love this undercurrent in SLC of giving the Mormon-ism lip service, but absolutely hammering any loophole, in this case the bottle rule. Honestly, I say this, maybe the best bottle/can collection of any beer bar I have ever been to.
C is for Craft Beer Bar Nirvana (P)
And now for the other underrated city - Phoenix has lovely craft breweries (one will be highlighted in a bit), but also has two of the very best beer bars I have been to - The Wandering Tortoise, sitting a bit outside the city, and The Theodore, right in the heart of the action. Both are similar in set-up - massive center bars, tons of seating around it, a mix of indoor and outdoor (as is SOP in Phoenix), and about 20 tap selections, color coded (green is IPAs, blue is Lagers, purple is Stout, etc.), from all over. They also offered half pours before that was really a thing. In every way, Phoenix has the beer bar down better than basically any city. They invented a new way of doing it, in some ways, and the rest of the country, nay the world, is playing catchup.
D is for Democratic (D, M, P, S)
All four cities are blue cities. Granted, most cities are. But in the case of Denver and Minneapolis, they are far, far left. Never have I seen so many pro-LGBTQ insignia in restaurants and bars and coffee-shops. Minneapolis has anti-ICE stuff everywhere. Salt Lake City and Phoenix get in the game too (anti-ICE is big in Phoenix, for obvious reasons). Now, all four have also the other hallmark of left heavy cities, namely homelessness issues, but then again so does every city. The open layout of the cities makes it probably seem worse. Anyway, the fact all are bastions of inclusivity is a great trait.
E is for EDM Nirvana (D, P)
I should note, Minneapolis has a few EDM spots, including the Loft at Skyway Theater and various shows organized by Simshows, but those pale in comparison to the stuff at The Black Box and Walter's WhereHouse. Both are among my favorite US clubs, both with startlingly little pretension, great vibes, incredible acts, cheap drinks, great ventilation. Walter's is one of a kind - a giant warehouse (hence the name) with randomly an art museum type area, weird furniture and stuff. The Black Box is more what you think of when you think of EDM spots, but about as good as one as you can have, and holds a special place in my heart as it was the first EDM club I went to after Covid, on my trip to Denver in August, 2021. ofr that alone it sat high in my estimation and has only increased since.
F is for Foreign Food (M)
For purposes of this, I am excluding Mexican from "foreign", mostly because there will be another letter covering the great Mexican food. But Minneapolis, home to notably a large Somali population, and a large Vietnamese (Hmong) population, and other ethnicities, has some incredible cuisine. Underratedly so, to be honest. They have some of the best Vietnamese, Loation and Cambodian cuisine in the cuontry - Gai Noi being one of their standout restaurants. The Somali and muslim food is also excellent, from Sambusa's (Ethiopian version of samosas) being a highlight. Also if we are counting Northern Europe as foreign, and we should, add in great Polish and Scandinavian food. Minneapolis really is underrated as one of the great food cities in the country.
G is for Gardens (D, P)
Botanical gardens aren't everyone's thing. But it is fun that both of these two cities have large, notable ones. Even funnier when you consider that Pheonix is, notably, mostly a desert - but the aptly titled "Desert Botanical Garden" is lovely - featuring not only dozens of catctus varieties, but also a ton of other flowering plants. Overall, it is a wonderful place to just get lost. Denver's is a more traditional larger, sprawling botanical gardens (the Phoenix one has a quite detailed, sensible layout and path), but another place to just get lost. Extra credit to Denver for it basically being in the city center area to some degree - them just carving out a few blocks for a beautiful botanical garden.
H is for Hiking (D, P, S)
I think my love of hiking crystallized itself on my 2018 trip to Salt Lake City - three straight days driving out to either Big Cottonwood Canyon or Little Cottonwood Canyon, and hiking up slopes that four months earlier were home to some of the great ski slopes of America (e.g. Snowbird, Brighton, Alta). The best one being the winding, brilliant hike in Brighton up to the Lakes of Mary, Martha and Catherine - a lovely 2.5-hr, 1,300 foot elevation gain hike. Cecret Lake is another great one. Of course, Denver has great hiking, be it in the Rockies, or my pet favorite, the hikes within Golden Gate Canyon State Park (a lot closer to Denver than the further away than you think Rocky Mountain National Park). But, you will notice, I threw a "P" in there, because Phoenix has excellent hiking if you know where to look, be it the South Mountain plateau that sits south of the city, or something further afield like the Heiroglyphs Trail, which has the msot massive, stunning saguaros you will see. Overall, hiking lives anew in these areas.
I is for Iconoclasm (S)
Bare with me for a second on this one. What I really mean on this is that Salt Lake City is a city of a crazy push and pull, the push of the Mormon church and the moral repressiveness that comes with it, but then this new generation that is not nearly as religions pushing back, be it the canned high-ABV beer, the number of gourmet coffee shops, or more. But then you do get the things that try to play into that repressiveness - craft sodas being as popular as craft beer, for instance. I don't know if it was Portland or somewhere else that tried to own the "Keep X Weird" tag-line, but I think it applies as much to Salt Lake City as anywhere, especially since whichever side of the Mormon line you fall, it is true.
J is for Just Drive (D, M, S)
America is a driving country. This pisses a lot of people off, and maybe it should. I'm not looking to argue that point here. What I am looking to say is that there may be no better examples of why a drivable city is a great thing than these four. They all have room to expand in many directions from their nominal downtowns, and all have done so and created so many great little neighborhoods along the way. I only don't have Phoenix here beceause I haven't really explored thsoe areas as much as the various districts of Denver, of Salt Lake, and certainly of Minneapolis which goes from downtown to lush trees, museums, breweries real quick. The best part is, though, that all four cities somehow rarely ever have traffic. Denver and Minneapolis can get a bit on teh freeways that crissc-cross the city, but in city proper they are easily drivable, rarely with any delays, and just wonderful to roam around. Compare these to like Houston, which sprawled like these three, but in the very worst ways.
K is for Kindness (M, S)
Minneapolis and Salt Lake City have some of the nicest people you will ever meet. Minnesota Nice is of course a bit of a stereotype and cliche at this point, but they've absolutely done everything to earn that reputation. So many smiles, so many hellos, so many pleasant bartenders, so many people who love welcomign you to their city. Salt Lake City is similarly so, potentially maybe an outcome of their missionary history with the LDS, but you can stray as far away from LDS thinking as possible (say, at the ol' Beerhive Pub there) and still get a ton of nicety. Now, this shouldn't be read as me saying the other two are not nice, but Minneapolis and Salt Lake City are a cut above.
L is for Los Taco Boys (P)
Cheating here, because T has too many good options, but lets hear it for The Taco Boys. The first thing I ate in Phoenix, just after taking my first flight in 13 months back in April, 2021, was a Taco Boys set of tacos. ITs a small, unassuming spot with a charcoal grill setup going at all times. They have their side bar of fixings, including some wonderful salsas, and then of course the actual food. The tacos are graet, but to me the star is their burritos. At this point, they've opened up a couple more locations, and Taco Boys is something of a famous spot. This also should stand in for all the great Mexican food in Phoenix - it will never get the publicity for having great Mexican food, like Southern California or Houston to, but to me Phoenix is right up there with those.
M is for Meteor (M)
The next time I update my top cocktail spot rankings (stay tuned for late September, after my upcoming Japan trip), expect Meteor to get a bit of a bump. The acts at Skyway Theater didn't really do it for me this time, so I spent both Friday and Saturday night at just Meteor, which might just be the most unique craft cocktail bar I have been to. From teh outside, it looks like a dive bar. From the inside, it looks even more like a dive bar. It looks like a place that should have 15 beers on tap and great wings deals. It does have some beers on tap, and great hot dogs. It also has some of the msot inventive, funky, interesting cocktails - an ever-changing menu, a great price point ($14 for their concoctions, $10 for standards), and cool bartenders and all the rest. This specific combination should not exist, yet it does. Meteor is one of a kind.
N is for Natives (M, P, S)
All of these cities are built in areas that were native lands. Granted, all of America is, but all of these were somewhat recently. I'm sure Denver has done a lot to honor that, but I want to call out some amazing things in teh other three. Salt Lake City spends a lot of space in its Natural History Museum talking about the various tribes that called this Utah area their home. Minneapolis does the same in its Science Museum, and has what is often seen as the premier Native American restaurant in teh country in Owanmi by the Sioux Chef. None of these is close, though, to the Heard Museum in Phoenix. I mentioned it in the Art Museum section, and for good reason, but those 2-3 exhibits showcase native artists. The rest of the museum is a stunning, painstaking, exhaustive look at both the history, clothing, rituals, arts, etc., of nearly every tribe in the Western part of the country, but also the horrors, a large permanent exhibit on the re-education schools that so many young native children were forced to attend in the 1800s. The Heard Museum is a must-do.
O is for Ogden (S)
I'm loathe to go too far into this area of starting to look at secondary cities that are somewhat close to main locations, but Ogden deserves a shoutout. First off, it is only about 30-45 minutes from Salt Lake City. If you look at google maps, the ever unmistakable white background taht designates urban areas (vs green for more rural, or brown for desert/mountains) makes up the entire stretch between the two. Ogden is a lovely little town, but what it really has is access to a whole new set of hiking areas, from the Wheeler Canyon, where I went this year, to tons of nice lakes. There's also a lovely, fairly famous Weekend market in Ogden, something so notable that many make the pilgrimage up from SLC.
P is for Prehistoric Exhibits (D, M, S)
Like most kids, I loved dinosaurs. Like many adults, I still do. The Great Plains & Rockies are dinosaur heaven - so many fossils just awaiting being discovered - and Denver, Salt Lake City and Minneapolis has done really well to showcase this in their main Natural History museums. Salt Lake City's is probably my favorite - a very Utah-heavy showcase, with such range, from a giant, and a mean giant, sauropod, to a wall full of Triceratops skills (and many cousins of Triceratops), and so much more. Denver is larger, but more international. Minneapolis was wonderfully restrained and detailed. All three are wonderful parts of great museums in general, but my favorite of all is probably the Salt Lake City one.
Q is for Quiet (D, M, P, S)
This is tied into the driving-heavy nature of the cities, but even in the downtowns, they are just quiet. Now, behind doors, the cities aren't. The nightlife is very strong in all four (yes, Salt Lake City included) but that too is a bit spread out, and largely people driving or ubering to these things. There is the outdoor / indoor nature of most of the spots, but there is a lovely calmness and silence in these cities. Some may call it depressing or sad, but when you realize how lively they are behind the scenes, you love the fact it isn't urban maw.
R is for Rockies (D, S)
Mountain backdrop for cities is probably as great a visual as you can get - from European alps, to the Andes as the imposing backdrop to Santiago, to I guess even Table Mountain with Cape Town. The best in teh US are probably Denver and Salt Lake City. Now, Denver is probably a bit too far away from the Rockies to compete with Salt Lake City as the best visual. The city - the capitol building, the downtown, all with that mountainous backdrop is just amazing. It's stunning in both the summer or of course the snowcapped peaks of the winter. There is few views better than Salt Lake City.
S is for Street Art (D)
Maybe the other cities have this, and certainly they all have some of it, but Denver's crazy murals in teh RiNo district alone are notable, but that same artistic energy is basically present all over the city. Denver's murals and street art make various blocks come alive. Both fun to tour during the day and the backdrop for when the cities streets in RiNo come alive during the night. Really, the RiNo murals are a small, open-air, art museum.
T is for Travail (M)
There's good food and tasting menus in all four cities, but my favorite, probably by a good measure, is Travail - or more accurately titled Travail Kitchen & Amusements - adn they learn hard into the amusement aspect, both in some quite whimsical dishes, but also the energy. It is the closest thing I've seen to Gaggan where the energy, music, "fun-ness" of the meal was such a part of it. The food is great as well, from thigns like elevated fondue, to duck tostadas, to generally incredibly well cooked mains, to a thrown together mish mash of dessert things made to resemble the milk left on a cereal bowl, and so much more. Travail is a clear recommendation for anyone visiting Minneapolis. All the other tasting menu spots I've been to in these cities (Demi in Minneapolis, TableX in Salt Lake City, Course in Phoenix and The Wolfs Tailor & Beckon in Denver) are very good and worth it, but Travail is a total gem.
U is for United (D)
V is for Vecina and Viet Gai Noi (M, P)
I can't only talk about tasting menus. I can't also only minimally expand that to just talk about street food and lwer-end of price range stuff like Taco Boys. There is of course that sizable middle of just normal restaurant (for lack of any other way to describe it), and two of the best happen to share a starting letter. Vecina is upmarket Latin food. Granted, that seems like a cliche, but what I love about it is the care they take to have interesting things on the menu, their fancy tacos are truly fancy (various duck and lamb preparations), their use of cactus is divine. The cocktails are excellent too. The Minneapolis equivalent laser focuses on Laotian and Vietnamese cuisine, but there's no pho (though you can get great pho elsewhere in MSP), but graet laab, great sausages, great noodles and so much more - its a huge space (while Vecina is quite modestly sized) and full all the time. Two great restaurants in that mid-tier (e.g. $20-30 entrees).
W is for Wren House Brewing (P)
I already spoke on beer in Phoenix in general earlier on, but will quickly shout out my favorite craft brewery in Phoenix, Wren House, which since my first visit has expanded. They have a great collection of anything from 12-18 taps at any time - generally of which five or so are a collection of IPAs based on their brilliant Spellbinder IPA. They also ahve some good stouts, and just a great vibe as well. The place just feels like home, mostly because the place was a home that has been converted into a brewery. Great indoor/outdoor seating, great beer, generally great food trucks they bring along - it is quite a spot.
X is for Xcellent Weather (D, P, S)
Granted, there is a huge season exception here, being Phoenix is probably unbearable from May through October. I say probably because I've never gone to Phoenix in those months - for obvious reasons. I have gone in April, and it was hot, but dry heat and largely fine. I've gone in December and January, and it is magical. Denver is great all year round - yes every now and then they get a terrible snowstorm, but they also have more sunny days than any other city in the country (or some such). Salt Lake City similarly is love from June through October, and to be honest the snowcapped mountains are lovely in the winter. When you factor in the top level ski slopes a stones throw for SLC, there is no real bad time to go there. I only don't have Minneapolis in this because it truly is unbearable in winter (had to go once, for work) but April through November is great there too. The throughline of these three though is dry heat from elevation (even Phoenix is elevated at 1,000 feet) which when you combine that with the cool breeze and air much of the year, you get somethign special.
Y is for Yeti (D)
Colorado proper was one of the first states to really become notable in the great craft beer revolution, and one of the standard bearers of that was Great Divide - famous for their various "yeti" beers. Their taphouses in Denver proper are beautiful places to sample a ton of beers, mostly all excellent, and meet some of the absolutely best weirdos you ever will meet. Great Divide is an institution in Denver, and it is also one in our friend circle, where notably on our 2015 trip to Denver we were at Great Divide when the edibles we took kicked in and basically ended our day. Great times!
Z is for Zero Regrets (D, M, P, S)
As you can see from when I laid out the years of my trips to these four places, they have picked up in pace. 2026 is the first year I visited all four, but it was three of the four in 2024, 2025 as well. I always try to do a couple new things, be it restaurants, breweries, museums, hikes, etc. I've written a couple times before about how familiarity is a big part of my life, travel-wise (and to be real, overall), and while Cape Town is probably the #1 example of that, right up there is me finding comfort in these four places. Also helps that I can scatter them around - Phoenix a wonderful escape in winter, Salt Lake City and Minneapolis brilliant in Summer, and Denver generally fine all year. These cities are gems of America in the best way. Visit them, visit them all, and explore and enjoy.
