On our last trip to Colorado, we had vowed we would ALWAYS come back to one place when visiting this State. You can’t go wrong with pizza in an 80s setting, so we planned out last day to be Fort Collins since “Totally 80s Pizza” is located there.  Leaving it to a late dinner, we had a full afternoon to drive over from Estes Park and play a  bit before checking into our last Hotel of the week. Since Main Streets are totally up my alley, we headed downtown to check it out.

Parking, why is it always parking? They had an interesting way of parking here that I hadn’t seen before. There was parking along the sidewalks, and then there was parking in the center of the road. I understand it makes for more availability, but what a pain it was to get in and out of!  You are not only having to watch traffic both ways, but you have to watch the parking on the other side in case someone is pulling out.  We wound up parking in the middle, and the pro to that was also being in the center of town so anything we bought we could run to the car and keep going.

Our first, and I think favorite stop, was this old fashioned candy and soda store. Now, I have seen a LOT of vizzare soda flavors on my road travels, but they had some here that I don’t know who is buying them. Nothing should ever have “puke” or “snot” in the flavor; again you have to CONSUME this! LOL  We wound up buying the girls sodas, which are still in our fridge now, so if you don’t think they will even drink them, don’t bother.  They are fun, but waste of money if ir turns someone stomach. The Store just had lots of fun posters, artwork, and you just wanted to stay in their longer and buy SOMETHING.

Next we shopped at a Seasonings shop where we picked up some fun ones to shake up our dinners a bit, and found the shop that said it carried Funko Pops.  Because we have a collection of them, we wanted to see if they had anything special. Seriously, I think she had like 8. Yes, 8.  I mean, it’ s not false advertisement I guess but come on. Funny thing is I bought an ET and a Goonies Funko here. You just never know the hidden gems you will come across.

Sweet shops with colorful macaroons, shops with coffee cups with sarcastic sayings and boutiques filled with twinkling lights and barn wood furniture. I love Mom and Pop shops, the creativity always amazes me. Something about buying local not only makes me feel great supporting them but I hope it’s not becoming a lost art. As these big box stores become bigger, and online becomes easier, it’s hard to give in to the ease vs taking a drive downtown. But with the tree lined sidewalks with flowers peeking through corners, it’s always more fun being on Main Street.

I HIGHLY recommend checking this area out, and for lunch, go find “Totally 80s Pizza.” The pizza is incredible, the atmosphere a call back to better times and it’s close by to downtown. 

Published by Amy Joy

Inspiring adventure and joy, one day at a time. View all posts by Amy Joy