The motherlode

The players party held at the Tippler every year (except for last year because the Tippler had a little fire accident). Another highlight is watching the open tournament with all the professionals. Incredible volleyball for the serious player.

Quick Tips:

Cheap food: New York Pizza Parlor, pizza by the slice. It's upstairs (you'll see the line) A HUGE slice of your favorite pizza for only . Way cheaper than McDonalds. Quick tip: Colorado grocery stores sell only 3.2 beer. You have to go to a liquor store to get the real thing.

Best Way To Get Around:

You can walk everywhere in Aspen, except to the high school where the A divisions play. Also, the Maroon Bells have bus tours. The Maroon Bells are one of the most photographed areas in the U.S.

North of Nell is right at the base of Aspen Mountain next to the main gondola. We stayed in a three bedroom/two bathroom condo with full kitchen and underground parking. The street level is full of shops and boutiques. You can rent mountain bikes in the shop around the corner. Like all things in Aspen it is on the pricey side. However the three bedroom condo sleeps almost twelve people so get all your friends together and split the cost. The location is fantastic. Even if you don't ski, it's only two blocks from the center of town. The one thing I don't like about it is they don't accept dogs. Three of us brought our dogs and we were allowed to keep them kenneled over night in our SUV's in the garage, which is very warm and comfortable, but they could not come upstairs. Fortunately, our dogs were so worn out from playing at the park all day that they just slept in their kennels all night.

The Inn at Aspen is an excellent hotel. Comfortable, affordable, and plenty of amenities. However, it is located outside of town at the base of Buttermilk Mountain, which is great if you want to ski Buttermilk. If you're there to see the sights of Aspen or ski Aspen Mountain, you will have to drive or take a shuttle bus back and forth, which made it inconvenient for us since we had to be in town everyday.

If you don't mind driving into town and parking in Aspen (parking spaces are a rare commodity in Aspen), then the Inn is a great place. Our room had two comfortable double beds, a large bathroom, necessary for us women, and a cabinet with TV and refridgerator. Great place, but just make sure you want to be outside town if you stay here. Here's their website: innataspen.com.

New York Pizza is the best place for food in Aspen. Its address is 409 E Hyman Ave, but it's tough to find since it's above the jewelry store. It's up a flight of stairs and you know it's last call when the line goes down the stairs and out into the street!

You get a HUGE slice of pizza, every flavor you can imagine, for only $2! This is the cheapest place in Aspen, cheaper than McDonald's. When I was at the Motherlode three years ago, we ate every lunch and dinner there because it was the only place we could afford.

Yes, it's cheap, but it is really good pizza. They make their own dough and use fresh ingredients and all kinds wonderful meats and vegetables. Add in a soda and you've got a meal. Whole families can eat there for only a few dollars. The place is small so it's always nice to get your slice and just walk back out to the pedestrian mall and eat at a bench. They're open until 2am.

Lucci’s is a wonderful Italian restaurant in a unique location. Down the brick stairway next to the Cooper Street Tavern, Lucci’s is small and brightly decorated with white walls and bricks and lots of posters of foods. I’ve been there three times now and I haven’t been disappointed yet. In fact, I had the same waitress twice. I don’t know her name, but she has a European accent, which adds to the restaurant’s atmosphere.

Now, if you’re on a budget, Lucci’s can be very reasonable; however, whenever I’ve gone there, I just can’t resist all that pasta and wine. I’ve had their lasagna and veal parmesan, both excellent. By the time you add in some calamari and a glass of wine or two, you’ve spent over $20.

Slightly on the romantic side, Lucci’s is a great place to dine in the evening with a small group of friends or just your significant other.

Boogie’s Diner in Aspen is a lower cost way to dine over Labor Day weekend. On the corner of Cooper and Galena, Boogie’s diner is a clothing store downstairs, selling mostly name brand jeans, and a restaurant upstairs. I have eaten here on several occasions.

Serving standard American fare such as hamburgers and sandwiches along with some great salads, Boogie’s is a great place to take the family. It has a 50’s style décor with old records and advertising signs on the walls and lots of neon. The diner is actually quite small, but it does have a wonderful outdoor patio with umbrella-covered tables. Great views. They do have pricier items on the menu, such as steaks, fish, etc., but if you stick to the sandwiches, you will have a very affordable meal (around $10 with soda, tip).

I’ve had their club, tuna melt and grilled chicken sandwiches and they were all wonderful. They also have milkshakes and other kinds of ice cream desserts, but I have yet to sample them. Maybe something to try next year…

Shooters (at 220 S Galena) is down the stairs in the basement, but it's a great place. It's also very popular so expect a line. There's a large square bar right when you walk in the door, a good-sized dance floor and a pool table room in the back. As bars go, it's OK, but its best feature is the foosball table in the pool room near the DJ booth. When I'm in town, I own this table. Motherlode 2003, my partner and I held the table for over an hour. One of the things I've learned is that guys don't like to get beat by girls at foosball, which makes the game even more fun. The music is mostly hip hop with some 80's dance thrown in for fun. If you want to find me at the Motherlode, just find the foosball table at Shooters. I'll be playing with my husband, which is how we met in Aspen, playing foosball...

This is held every Labor Day weekend. The Motherlode Volleyball Classic has been around for over thirty years and I''ve gone the last six years. I have friends from all over the country that I only see at the Motherlode and everyone has a great time.

The Motherlode is a doubles volleyball tournament with four divisions: Open (for professionals or wannabe pros) A, BB, and B. The Open division is played at Koch Lumber Park in the sand. The other divisions are played at various parks around town on grass and outside of town at the high school. There are also Master (over 35) and Senior (over 55) divisions played the Thursday before Labor Day.

Co-ed teams play on Friday. Men and womens teams play on Saturday and Sunday. Double elimination so each team plays until they lose on Saturday. The more games you win, the later in the morning you will play on Sunday. Finals are on Monday.

Whether you play or watch, if you enjoy the sport of volleyball, this is the place to be Labor Day weekend. In Motherlode 2000, I met the man who is now my husband and now we go back to celebrate our anniversary. Check out their website for more info.