Topic: Community Interest

If you’ve driven in and around Aspen recently then you’ve seen the plethora of fluorescent orange signs, hard hats, and construction throughout town. While the SH 82 Bus Lanes Project (slated to run through November) undoubtedly affects travels, Castle Rock Construction assures us that traffic on SH 82 will be minimally affected during peak commute hours. Drivers can, however, expect 2 min. stops from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., 10 min. stops during 6-10 p.m., and 20 min. stops during 10 p.m.-5 a.m. We know—it’s still not ideal—but save yourself the road rage and take a deep breath -- all that construction will help shorten the commute come November.

Plum caught up with music mogul Mariah Carey when she was in town for the Aspen Peak holiday party last year.

Off-season has once again crept up on Aspen. While some Aspenites take off to warmer vacation destinations for a week or two, most of us stay and enjoy the calm before the storm. Here are a couple of the best low-key things to do in our quiet mountain town.

Treat Yourself to Dinner

After a long (and busy) winter in Aspen, spring is the perfect time to treat yourself to a well-deserved dinner out. Grab your friends, a loved one, or even head out by yourself to enjoy one of the many discounted prices and menu specials in town. Some of our favorites are the prix fixe at The Wild Fig (a glass of wine, app, and entree for $29) the prix fixe at Ruth's Chris Steak House (three courses for $38), or the prix fixe at LuLu Wilson (appetizer, entrée, and dessert for $30).

Spa Day

Dedicate an entire day to pampering yourself. The Remede Spa at the St. Regis Resort Aspen offers 25 percent off all of their treatments (with the exception of manicures and pedicures). Decompress in the spa's soothing hot tub, sauna, steam showers, and oxygen room. The Aspen Club & Spa also rewards their guests for treating themselves as the more you get done the more you save. Nonmembers get a 10 percent discount if they have one treatment done or a 20 percent discount for two treatments. For three treatments nonmembers can receive a 30 percent or a 40 percent discount when they have four treatments in one day. Be sure to bring workout clothes because both the Remede and the Aspen Club have gyms where you get in a good workout before you relax.

Clean House

When you're busy, it's easy to become a pack rat. If you haven't worn something in the past year then chances are you won't, so take advantage of the slow season and clean house.The Thrift Store accepts donations, or you can try to sell your stuff at Susie's consignment store. If you have extra skis, boards, and gear that you no longer use, bring them to Replay Sports—if they can sell your stuff, they'll give you 50 percent of the profit.

After more than 350 wonderful performances throughout the summer, the Aspen Music Festival and School’s season closes out with fabulous party.

After a record breaking season of snowfall, it's safe to say that Mother Nature has been very good to Aspen. Now it's our turn to give back, join Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) for an Earth Day celebration April 26. The day kicks off with a Community Park cleanup at 9 a.m, bring your overalls because participates will be getting down and dirty cleaning up the winter's debris. Afterwards, get your heart pumping with the Earth Day 5k road race ($10 registration at Paepcke Park) at 10 a.m. If you're not up for the race but still want to be part of the action stick around Paepcke and join the Family Eco-Edventure Walk (it's free) at 11 a.m. Following the workouts, soak up the sun at the Earth Day Fair at Hallam Lake from 12 to 2 p.m. This family friendly event with be chuck full fun and games complete with eco-friendly prizes. At the end of the day toast to cleaner Aspen, 5:30-7:30 p.m., at Cantina with a specialty Earth Day concoction.

Now that Frontier Airlines has announced their $89 one-way ticket from Denver to Aspen, it looks like getting to our remote mountain town has become, dare we say, affordable? The flights, which begin April 26, will offer five shuttles daily making travel not only cheap but convenient as well. Of course, these things go both ways. Not only will the fares encourage weekend warriors to fly in for a quick ski fix, but it also just got a little easier for locals to venture out of Aspen and enjoy a few days in the big city.

Plum caught up with Froniter Airlines back in early April to learn more about the travel benefits of having cheaper flights. Check it out:

American guitarist, singer, and songwriter David Crosby sat down with Plum to discuss the process of creating music before his show at the Belly Up as part of the Aspen Writers' Foundation's Lyrically Speaking seminar.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that here at Plum we love the color purple. Turns out our color preference makes us one hip company, according to a The New York Times article printed today, plum is the new black of the advertising and media world. Companies like American Express, Penta water, and Plum TV are paving the way of this purple mania phenomena.

Check it out: "Plum, the Color, Is Having a Star Turn"

After a challenging day, Plum caught up with fire information officer Bill Knight to learn about the wildfire that burned more than 300 acres of property in Carbondale and its surrounding areas Tuesday, April 15.

Bobby G takes a break from skiing on Aspen Mountain to sit down with Plum to discuss his current projects as well as his new show, Bobby G: Adventure Capitalist.