It's Friday. You've been working and you've just about had it. Unless you're one of those lucky people already at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver this weekend, in which case: We hate you. Now get off the Internet and buy us a pint!

The fest, administered by the Brewers Association, is a brewers' competition and a tippler's delight with some 1,800 beers. But you can't actually get a pint of any of them--instead, they are served in one-ounce tasting portions more familiar to fans of "Sideways" than, well, "Beerfest."

The show is sold out according to its organizers, but for the dedicated drinker Craigslist shall provide. The party runs through Saturday at the Colorado Convention Center.

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· Boozy Travel: World Beer Festival [Jaunted]
· Beer coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: duggus]

The other day we were all giddy over The Curtis Hotel in downtown Denver which has different theme floors like the Science Fiction Floor and the Dance Floor. We posted a snapshot from the 13th Floor also known as the "Dun dun dunn" floor which uses the tagline: "We've traced the call, it's coming from the hotel."

So needless to say we wanted more of the Curtis. And today we've found it on TripKick.com, a site attempting to Seat Guru-ize hotels.

For instance, TripKick recommends guests booking floors five and up for the best views. Quieter rooms at the hotel end in 05 and 06. Rooms to avoid are the ones ending in 01 which apparently

So Halloween is a ways off but if you know that you are going to be in Denver on October 31st this year (which is a Friday!), then you should strongly consider staying at the Curtis Hotel in downtown.

And more specifically, you should stay on the hotel's 13th floor which is dubbed Dun Dun Dunnn and this tagline greets you when you step out of the elevator:

"We've traced the call, it's coming from the hotel."

Rates for Halloween start at $137 a night for an internet rate which is prepaid and not refundable. More flexible rates are a little more dough at $229 a night. As for booking the 13th floor, make sure you put in your

On Friday, we walked into the lobby of the Hotel Monaco in Denver to meet a friend and for a moment we were just as bewildered as when we accidentally walked into the men's room at the Denver airport. (True story!) What was going on here?

What is a family reunion? Was it a happy hour meeting spot or was there some sort of convention staying at the hotel? (Keep in mind, this was after the DNC.) All of the chairs and seats were taken and a few people were standing around holding wine glasses. One lucky person was getting a shoulder massage from a therapist from the adjacent Aveda spa. In short, it seemed like

One of the things we most dislike about travel is that awkward time between arriving in a city and being permitted the honor of dumping our suitcase in our room, brushing our teeth and heading out for proper fun.

On the other end of the trip, we hate the undignified rush to check out, especially when our flight doesn't leave until later that evening.

Hotel limbo is no fun for anyone. That why we are so excited about the Brown Palace Hotel's special offer for Perfect Escapes guests to check in as early as noon and check out as late as 2 p.m. - and at a rate of $189 to boot!

This special also

Wooden Electronic Key Cards--do they work or do they not work? That is the question going on around hotels in Denver during the Democratic National Convention.

As you might know already, the NY Sun said the key cards were a bust and we wrote about that. Then a PR rep for the key cards said that wasn't true and the general manager of the Sheraton (where the cards were reported to be abandoned) backed up that claim, saying the key cards were working just fine after an initial "user error." The Sun then issued an update.

Yesterday, we got word that the key cards were working just fine at the Hotel Gold Crown near the

Please, I'm here to work! Charlize Theron keeps her head down en route to the premiere of her new politically motivated movie "Battle in Seattle" in Denver yesterday.

The directorial debut of Theron's beau Stuart Townsend costars Ray Liotta, Andre 3000 and Channing Tatum and takes place during the 1999 WTO protests in Washington state. While negotiations faltered inside, nonviolent crowds outside prompted the city to call in the National Guard, but talks eventually had to be relocated to Qatar. (Liotta plays the embattled mayor!)

Hopefully the flick won't induce traumatic flashbacks in any DNC visitors who may have also been active in that movement.

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[Photo: JustJared]

This week, hotels all over Denver served to host the world premiere of the sustainable wooden hotel key cards we'd heard so much about.

First, we heard they sucked. But then the source we'd consulted had issued a correction (rumors happen!) saying all was fine and dandy with the cards -- but we wanted to wait and hear from someone who had actually used the cards before we allowed ourselves to remain hold out hope for eco-friendly keycards to catch on.

So we were delighted when reader Amy, who used the new keys at the Hotel Gold Crown just south of Denver, wrote in to give them the thumbs up:

I used the wooden

· Pelosi Evacuated from Hotel: A man tried to check into the Grand Hyatt with two hunting rifles and two pistols. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was briefly evacuated. Man says it was a simple mistake. "I didn't even know the DNC was in town. I don't watch the news." Btw, he doesn't have a permit to carry a concealed weapon. [AP News]

· Wooden Electronic Room Keys Update: The NY Sun printed an update on the wooden key card snafu. According to the Sheraton GM, there were some issues using the cards but they have been resolved. [NY Sun]

· Speaking of the Sheraton: Tear gas was let off at the hotel to disperse a small group

Remember those sustainable wooden key cards that were supposed to make their epic, earth-saving debut in the Democratic National Convention hotels in Denver this week? Yeah. Turns out they totally blow.

According to the New York Sun, the biodegradable keys -- made from sustainably harvested birch wood and emblazoned with the DNC logo -- turned out to be a suckfest extravaganza and the whole plan was ditched within hours. Fail.