I first experienced summer inAspen25 years ago, when I attended the wedding of two close friends.
I landed on a picture-perfect day.
By the time we crested the top, however, gray clouds had consumed the bright sky.
From left: American Lake, south of Aspen; a salad topped with peaches and goat-cheese sorbet at Casa D’Angelo.Trevor Triano
It began to snow, hard.
My descent, in a sleeveless jersey and shorts, was memorably miserable.
Last August, I returned to Aspen.
The rooftop café at the Aspen Art Museum, with a sculpture by Precious Okoyomon.Trevor Triano
Everything seemed both the same and altogether different.
And the town’s setting remains every bit as beguiling as I remembered.
(The path extends for 42 miles, all the way to the town of Glenwood Springs.)
From left: The lobby of Aspen’s famous Little Nell resort; gathering for drinks in the lounge of the Hotel Jerome.Trevor Triano
Aspen might be the most accessiblemountain getawayin the world.
Painter Mary Weatherford was honored with the Aspen Award for Art, which recognizes exemplary contemporary artists.
The Baldwin Gallery, which showcases contemporary art, opened in 1994, long preceding the current pop-up pack.
Seafood-hungry visitors at the counter of Clark’s Oyster Bar.Trevor Triano
Today, Boesky told me, “everything is on fire in Aspen.
People here have time on their hands, they’re in a good mood, and they’re shopping.
What’s especially on fire is development.
Anaconda, a 1978 sculpture by Bauhaus artist Herbert Bayer, on the grounds of the Aspen Institute.Trevor Triano
Older sites are being bought up for new residences and commercial venues at a breathtaking pace.
RH, formerly known as Restoration Hardware, plans to occupy two sites downtown.
Its original owners aimed to emulate a European hotel and attract a year-round clientele.
At noon it was already hopping with people dressed in hiking attire and golf whites.
(There are three excellent courses in the area.)
My spacious room was outfitted in leather and tartan, and had an enormous four-poster bed.
There are many spectacular hiking trails in and around town.
Casa D’Angeloopened for business a few days before my arrival last August.
He and his wife, Denise, had always wanted to try their hand in Aspen.
A surprising salad of paper-thin peach slices topped with goat-cheese sorbet turned out to be light and refreshing.
Duemani’s flower-filled terrace recalls a Venetian trattoria, especially when you’re sampling its excellent crudos.
A wooden deck adorned with turquoise chairs gives Meat & Cheese a Venice Beach vibe.
The rides into the nearby mountains were communal and convivial.
The couple installed a state-of-the-art kitchen and brought in the chef from their steak house, No.
316, but otherwise let the tavern be.
“We fixed it up without messing it up,” Samantha explained.
“You don’t buy the Woody Creek Tavern to change it.
We made sure it can last another forty years.”
No amount of money or influx of development has affected its natural beauty or its ineffable charm.
Limelight Hotel Aspen: Modern and colorful, with superb mountain views.
The Little Nell:This sophisticated resort has the best people-watching.
Clark’s Oyster Bar: The Aspen outpost of an Austin, Texas, favorite.
Duemani:Aspen’s go-to for crudos, tartares, and seafood platters.
Meat & Cheese: A filling post-adventure lunch.
Woody Creek Tavern: Stop in to Hunter S. Thompson’s old hangout for a strong drink.
Baldwin Gallery: Mickalene Thomas and other giants of the contemporary art world show here.
A version of this story first appeared in the June 2022 issue ofTravel + Leisureunder the headlineHigh Summer.
