Cozily nestled in the foothills of the towering Rocky Mountains, downtown Colorado Springs is renowned for attracting and encouraging active lifestyles, hyperactive even. Olympic athletes come here to train at our high altitudes. Active military establishments frame the city perimeters. And your everyday outdoors enthusiasts frequently migrate downtown for that almost-but-not-quite big city feel.

The hyperactivity prevalent in the Springs makes for an interesting downtown dynamic--one where mountain man meets metropolis. Men sporting their most fashionable still manage to wear flip flops or cowboy boots on a Saturday night. Amidst the row of Colorado Springs' hippest clubs and venues, one finds country music more often than not, and Coors draft is the staple. Hey, you can take the guy outta' the mountains, but you can't take the mountains outta' the guy... Or
something like that.

While all of the above is well and good, downtown residents are searching for more variety in this gentrifying city. So, the question becomes, after a full day of rock climbing/hiking/biking/skiing/etc, where does one go for that quenching martini? A double-malt scotch? Perfectly aged wines? Fine cuisine? People are searching for the best of both worlds, so where are the lounges?

Lounges are hard to come by still in the Springs. Literally. The Metropolitan Restaurant and Lounge is tucked away underground. Located below the new downtown lofts on Kiowa, just off the noisy Tejon drag, The Metropolitan is a beautiful and delicious slice of sophistication.

Appropriately called The Metropolitan, or The Metro, one finds the little lounge by locating the Alphonse Mucha metro sign (think of the artistic, vine-like iron metro signs that decorate Paris). Then, just like all those metro stops, you actually descend underground to a surprising space adorned with art nouveau chandeliers, mesmerizing gallery paintings and a mouthwatering menu and martini list. The macaroni and cheese is refreshingly unique, and the Rude-Koz martini boasts just the right amount of rudeness.

But don't worry. Come the end of the night, as you ascend the classically modern iron staircase to street level, the row of parked 4WD suburbans will remind you that you're not actually in Manhattan's cramped Upper East Side, but back in the stunning Rocky Mountain wilderness.

The Metropolitan
[where: 101 North Tejon St., Colorado Springs, CO 80903]
(but don't be fooled, the entrance is actually on Kiowa)
719-302-0280
www.themetropolitaindowntown.com