How Many Days for an Aspen Vacation?

A reader of the Aspen, Colorado Local Spur recently wrote in, “How Many Days Would You Need for a Vacation to Aspen, Colorado?” One reader thoughtfully answered that it would depend on the time of year, since there are some interesting things to do and see in the summer. Another answered that a couple of days should suffice, since in the winter one who doesn’t ski would get bored after that length of time.
As a native who has lived in the Denver Metro area all of my life, I have some different ideas about vacations to Aspen.
In the winter, for most people at least, your money will probably be exhausted in one day and one night. You see, Aspen has never been touted as an inexpensive vacation area, what with its neatly parked corporate and private jets and limos. And one soon gets tired of trying to spy movie stars and other equally famous and/or important people.
In the summer, your money should allow you to eat at one prohibitively expensive Aspen restaurant and soak in the large hot springs pool in Glenwood Springs, about 40 miles to the north.
In either event, it is likely that the Aspen locals will tire of you before or at the same time as your money runs out. Local Aspenites, whether rich or poor, have a low tolerance level for flatlanders, which they commonly and affectionately call “turkeys.”
I say all this with tongue- in- cheek, of course. We Denverites love the scenic drive from Denver to Aspen at least once every five or ten years. And we don’t mind emptying our pockets when we get there, either. After all, where but in Aspen can a Coloradan (Coloradoan?) enjoy at least one day of hoping to ski with the rich and famous?