Recap of Boise: Cindy's Perspective

Let me start out by stating that Boise gets a 2 thumbs up rating from me!  It's a fun city with TONS to do.  If you question my judgement, which many people do which would be a mistake, all you need to do is to check Trip Advisor.  They have 145 items listed under "Attractions".

Here's what we managed to do yesterday:

• Biked down the Boise River Greenbelt path - This is a tribute to Boise's city planners.  The Greenbelt is also beautiful, cool in the morning, follows the river, and is mostly shaded.  I was quite terrified cautious throughout the ride.  It seems that my bike crash two weeks ago has forever scarred my biking psyche  has heightened by biking safety awareness.  (#1 on Trip Advisor)
• Toured the Idaho  State Penitentiary.  The "pen" no longer houses inmates it might have been more interesting if it did and is considered an historical site.  I'm pretty sure we selected this activity just because it was # 5 on Trip Advisor.  It was creepy thought provoking and (after this visit) I am quite sure I would like to avoid an extended stay in prison at all costs!  I would not have listed this as the #5 attraction on Trip Advisor... just goes to show what perverted, vicarious thrills the followers of Trip Advisor entertain the differences in people's taste.  
• The Flicks.  This is an "old school" movie theater that also happens to serve gourmet food and  a ton of beer and wine... right up our alley.  We saw Begin Again.  It's a sweet, feel good movie with lots of fun music.  Both Cheech and I enjoyed it.  (#6 in Trip Advisor)
• The Idaho State Capitol Building was not open for tours, thank god darn, but we were able to walk the grounds and take a few pictures (#7 in Trip Advisor).
• We were also able to stroll the Idaho Botanical Gardens.  We didn't spend a whole lot of time there but what we saw was beautiful.  Everything was in bloom, the grounds were well maintained, and there were lots of places to sit.  Had I not just spent WAY too much time come from the Penitentiary I might have stayed longer.  (#8 in Trip Advisor)
• Spent about 35 minutes at the Idaho  Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial.  It was a  stop along the Greenbelt path.  This outdoor memorial is both touching and inspiring.  I would highly recommend a visit here.  (#9 in Trip Advisor)
• The Morrison-Knudsen Nature Center was also a great stop along the Greenbelt path.  We did not have this on our list so we considered our "stumble upon" quite a stroke of luck.  It consisted of a lovely nature path loaded with interesting information and a few aquariums.  
• Didn't get to float down the Boise River BUT we did stop and I got to soak my feet in the river's cool, clear water.   Watching young and old alike bobbing down the river (some in costume) was a total hoot.  It's a 2 hour floating experience with a bus ride back to the starting point.  Had we not been "speed vacationing" we might have had time to truly enjoy the river rafting experience.  Next time for sure!
• I visited the Art Museum while Cheech fell asleep on the museum's front lawn sadly declined this opportunity in order to plan our route for the next few days.  It was a top notch museum with some outstanding contemporary art.  So sorry Cheech had to miss this :(

We ended the day totally exhausted and immediately fell into bed upon our return to the hotel a bit tired because we are not as young and spry as we used to be but happy that we were able to enjoy so much of Boise in just 24 hours.