Chautauqua After Snowfall

This is a blog post from Ari Pregen's Blog

Chautauqua After Snowfall

There is something about a hike through snow covered trees that leaves you with a sense of calm. The snow absorbs all sound and animals are quiet, snuggled away in their hollows. You can only hear the crunch of snow underfoot and all feels still. Snow really is like a blanket, covering up the world to let it rest.

Since the snow melts so quickly here, it is a special experience to stroll snowy paths around Boulder. Even magical, some might say.

For Boulderites, Chautauqua is a special place year around that many visit often, for some even daily. I find the park extra majestic with its frosting; every vein in the Flatirons becomes detailed with snowy highlights.

Even on Superbowl Sunday, Chautauqua attracts the crowds

The Flatirons look even mightier dressed in snow

I think this park is what is referred to when people say “winter wonderland”

Now I know that if you have lived here or even just visited Boulder, you have probably been to Chautauqua, but have you been there after a nice snowfall …read more

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How I Traveled Around Jamaica for Just $300

This is a blog post from Ari Pregen's Blog

How I Traveled Around Jamaica for Just $300

You’ve probably either been to Jamaica or heard of someone going to Jamaica. However, I have to ask the question…how many of these people have actually been to Jamaica? Not just their resort, or their resort and a few spots in the resort town? My best guess is very few. Very few people have seen what Jamaica is actually like.

Because of this belief my partner in crime and I had (we are currently filming a web series bases on showing real places, real people and real culture) decided Jamaica, a massive tourist destination, would be the perfect place to dig deeper and get a feel for what the “real Jamaica” is actually like.

So after seven days of living like Jamaicans, taking taxis with over 5 people crammed in the back seats, buses where we sat on Jamaican’s laps, legs, and anything else you can think of, towns where there were absolutely NO tourists, and venturing to the block parties and all night music sessions in the forbidden and the criticized city of Kingston, I think we got a pretty good picture of what Jamaica actually is. Our conclusion, Jamaica is a country inundated with poverty, struggle and people trying to …read more

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Faces of Boulder: Photo of the Day

This is a blog post from Ari Pregen's Blog

Faces of Boulder: Photo of the Day

A young man taunts (requesting anonymity) taunts his girlfriend as he balances precariously atop one of the rock formations @Flagstaff ~ Photo by Luke Hathaway @ll_hathaway @aboutboulder.com #AboutBoulder.com #thrill #thrillseeking #thrillseeker #beauty #boulder #Colorado #donottryathome #lifestyle #adrenaline #hiking #outdoors #photography #DSLR

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Why the Unpredictable Nature of Hiking Makes Life Worth Living

This is a blog post from Ari Pregen's Blog

Why the Unpredictable Nature of Hiking Makes Life Worth Living

Throughout my life, hiking has always been something that both excites and terrifies me.

Before I even had ability to walk, my parents would carry me in their backpacks along their hikes. As a very young child, I looked at the environment in wonder. I didn’t have the slightest idea what I was looking at, but the incredible color palette of the Boulder County trails kept me coming back for more. It kept me curious, and gave me an unshakeable feeling of wanderlust many years before I even knew what the word meant.

As I grew, I gradually felt more comfortable in nature. My childhood curiosity demanded to know more about Boulder’s landscape, and the more I went hiking, the more I was able to understand about the environment. I learned that rocks were painful landing pads, I learned not to touch the sticky sap on pine trees, and I quickly learned how sharp cactuses were. In fact, the more I hiked, the more I lost my trust in nature. Hiking was unpredictable, sometimes uncomfortable, and always dirty. Despite these things, I still had a lust to go exploring. The vast wilderness had a sublime beauty that was both terrifying and fascinating …read more

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“Faces of Boulder” – to our readers and to our team

This is a blog post from Ari Pregen's Blog

“Faces of Boulder” – to our readers and to our team

Boulder: the city on a hill; the city of tradition and change—old and new ideas blending together, becoming one dynamic piece of art, like the intricacy of a fresh watercolor painting beneath a microscope. Boulder: the microcosm of light, intellectualism, artistry, and love. Boulder and its opaque dedication to a harmonious lifestyle with nature, as it sits nestled at the precipice of one of the Front Range’s most idyllic backdrops.

I could go on and on about the seemingly endless list of nuances and unique attributes of our ever-evolving city, however, I would like to dedicate my first article with AboutBoulder.com to the team that represents our city to its truest, most eclectic and exciting characteristics.

I was recently given the wonderful opportunity to join the team that strives day and night to help Boulder continue to grow, while simultaneously maintaining its ‘weird’ identity. As a photographer and a writer, my goals as a contributor to this team are lofty but targeted; diverse and well-within reach. I will be working side by side with my team to continue developing and enhancing blog topics, including “Faces of Boulder” and “Boulder News”. I have set out to capture …read more

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What Makes YOU So Special???

This is a blog post from Ari Pregen's Blog

What Makes YOU So Special???

Seriously. Why you? Why are you so special? What makes you think that you can do something great?

You will frequently hear people asking you questions like this when you verbalize a large goal of yours. They will do their best to instill doubt in your mind. To encourage you to lower your sights to something more “attainable”. This is where the word “oblivious” comes in handy. Pretend you do not hear them. Pretend that failure is not an option. Do not spend one ounce of energy, planning or preparing for an undesired result. Focus only on the objects of your desire.

So back to question of the day: What makes YOU so special?

I recently read a phenomenal book on internet marketing. I received a really nice and unexpected surprise at the end of the book – a chapter about thinking big and focusing your efforts entirely in your “Genius Zone”.

Figuring out what your “Genius Zone” is, is simple – the following 3 questions will help you figure out yours for yourself:

1. “What’s the one thing you were put on this earth to do?”


2. “What can you do so well that time seems to disappear when you’re doing it?”


3. “What do you do that other …read more
   

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Video Vault: Captain America 2

This is a blog post from Ari Pregen's Blog

Video Vault: Captain America 2

Given that marvel movies are about guys in costumes fighting crime, it’s incredible how realistic and believable the stories are. But not only that, you have to add in Marvel’s ability to cross pollinate so many different characters stories.

And they always balance out the action with a good amount of character-building dialogue. We come to love these characters and genuinely care about what they go through. Too many action movies don’t spend enough time making us interested in what happens to the people, and instead get lost in explosions and dudes punching other dudes.

(more…)

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