Denver Delivers a Liver Adventure

I am grateful to the Stravitz-Sanyal Liver Institute (SSLI) and the College of Humanities and Sciences (CHS) for their generous support, which let me participate in the annual Liver Meeting in Denver, CO, this week. It was an honor to present two of our posters and interact with many experts in the field.

I want to write about my experience of visiting the city, as a story around the meeting, to paint a picture of what it was like. 

I flew to Denver Thursday night with a connecting flight from my former hometown, Dallas, Texas (DFW). Just before we landed in Dallas, we had to go through some turbulence. It was a little too much for my being frightened level as well. I remember the lady sitting next to me, who was happily drinking a moment ago, crying and yelling uncontrollably. Luckily it was very brief. I was nervous to take an Uber in the middle of the night. Luckily, I had a female driver. Her name is Kimberly. She told me that she has been doing night-shift Uber driving for 10 years. She was super helpful, offering me a charging port in her car and giving me a history of the city and some of its landmarks. 

First of all, I learned that Denver’s airport is the biggest airport in the US, covering more than 50 square miles. Second, we passed by a statue of a Blue Horse. Kimberly told me that the artist who was making the sculpture unfortunately had an accident when half of the horse fell on him and he died. Then his, also artistic, son completed the project. 

When I came to the convention center, there was a giant Blue Bear. I felt tempted to make a connection with the Blue Horse. When I visited Vancouver in April, they had a giant Blue water drop. A Giant Blue something goes well as a monument, I suppose.

The second day I felt sick. This was exactly what Kimberly told me I might feel. It is called “altitude sickness,” which is somewhat similar to a migraine that I am familiar with. I needed to take a break from meeting activities and rest to give my body some time to adjust to the 17% less oxygen there due to the high altitude. Denver proudly prints its 5,280-foot altitude on souvenir T-shirts. I guess it makes for better cardiovascular health for people who live, exercise and run up the mountains there, just not the best for a Virginian visitor.

The next day, I was feeling much better. Within the TLM (The Liver Meeting, as they brand it), they made an open Exhibit Hall where there were posters, industry booths, a giant 3D model of a liver that you can walk into and explore what is in it, a rock climbing station, pickleball courts, and a sandwich bar where they also cook. There were tremendous opportunities for anyone to make connections, reach out and network with others and also work with existing collaborators. 

I visited the famous 16th street, which is a pedestrian mall. Do not let the name fool you, there is a tram-like bus that runs in the middle of the street, so be careful. I found a gift shop in there to get some goodies for my kids. The attendants were four-eyes on you to make sure you are not stealing anything. When I came to pay for the items I gathered, the cashiers likely the owner made me smile. He is an older person, probably Chinese. On each item he is about to enter the price into the machine, he goes like "Nineteen ninety eeeeeeiiiiiiggghht." Something expectedly memorable about that place :)

On my way back, I could now see the city from the Uber window. It was largely just bare flat land. My eyes kept looking for trees, green long trees that are supposed to be changing colors now, you know, the ones that appear like a symphony to your eyes: blending tones of oranges, yellows, reds... Where are they? There were some trees here and there, but not next to each other, not tall enough to block the view of apartments that are being built in the background. 

Denver did the city organization, cleanliness and building aesthetics really well. I did not see ugly buildings or out-of-place randomness. Everything seemed to be in great harmony. The city even has programs for homeless people to give them a place to stay as part of the same effort to keep downtown looking nice and tidy. 

The fall is at full speed now in Virginia. The color-changing leaves were a blessing to our art-craving eyes. They are also painting a picture of our lives. Each season is pretty. As a person, I will also go through the colors of the seasons of my life. Maybe I can embrace, connect with and learn from each tone, each step towards the later hues.

If you are into colors, shades and what is in between, I recommend this new board game we bought with my kids called “Hues and Cues.” It is surprisingly poetic and gives literary and aesthetic pleasure to correctly define the hues in a color. 

I am again thankful for the opportunity to walk in the literal Liver in Denver and expand my observations on the world and the colors it can offer.

Until next time, friends :)