Vail doesn’t suck, actually

I grew up in Aspen knowing one fact to be true: Vail sucks.

So imagine my surprise last week when I visited Vail for three days and four nights and discovered that in fact it doesn’t suck very much, and might not suck at all. In one respect I can say with confidence that Vail is far superior to Aspen: The dining in Vail beats Aspen both in terms of variety and quality.

Like Aspen, Vail has a river running through it. There are great parks and plenty of recreation opportunities, both indoor and outdoor. The gondola carries people up the hill to ski in the winter and hike or ride in the summer. The fact that most of Vail is closed to traffic makes it safer and, I dare say, more fun for kids. Just like Aspen, it feels too crowded.

In these times of COVID-19, I have to say I felt safer in Vail than I do in Aspen because it has many more Mexican tourists. Most if not all Mexicans of means visiting Vail are vaccinated. I don’t have such confidence with the Texans and Floridians who are visiting Aspen. Many of them, I reckon, are not vaccinated for political reasons, which makes them Covidiots.

It took 50 years for me to realize Vail doesn’t suck and is actually a nice place to visit. My friends in Aspen will no doubt make me regret saying so for the next 50 years.

Allyn Harvey

Carbondale