Boulder, Colorado is as bucolic as one can get without fully retreating to rural America. Thanks to its exceptionally fortunate location (where the Rocky Mountains meet the Great Plains), it’s breathtakingly beautiful. But Boulder’s eponymous creek and iconic flatirons are just a couple of the destination’s many attractions. In fact, it’s home to quite a bit of culture, which enticed artist Dawn Spencer Hurwitz to move from Boston to Boulder with her husband in 1995.

In addition to working as a painter, Hurwitz has made a career as a perfumer. Owner of the parent company Parfums des Beaux Arts, she recently opened Essence Studio–- a 1,600-square-foot space, which includes retail, fragrance blending, production, and room for a perfume museum (slated to open later this year). Under the umbrella of Essence Studio, she has conceived a handful of fragrance lines, including a limited-edition and a namesake collection (the latter of which sells at the likes of Barneys New York). PsychoPEDIA caught up with Hurwitz to discern why Boulder consistently tops ‘Best Of’ lists, its most picturesque spots, and the city’s best-kept secret:

What brought you to Boulder?
I actually came for a couple of reasons—one was my health. I’m asthmatic; Boulder is much dryer and there’s a lot more warmth and sun. Also, both my husband and I are artists and we had a number of other artists we knew that were moving here.

How would you describe the city to someone who’s never been?
It feels like a big small town. There’s this height restriction—the largest building is five stories—so no one has an obscured view of the mountains. A lot of attention is paid to quality of life and natural beauty. It’s a really great melting pot: there’s a lot of NYC and California influence. Most people are from the coasts; it’s a town full of transplants. It’s really rare to actually meet someone from Boulder.

What is the best thing about living there?
It’s a geographical phenomenon: we have on average 320 days of sun a year. But we still have change of seasons, which you don’t find in southern California. And, because of that, people are really friendly; people have a sunnier disposition where it’s sunny.

What are you favorite outdoor activities there?
Hiking, even in the wintertime. My two favorite trails are Sanitas and Chautauqua. At Chautauqua, where the flatirons—the icon for Boulder—are, there’s a clubhouse that was started in the late 19th, early 20th century. It houses concerts, poetry readings… it started as an artists’ community. Now you can rent rooms there. It’s ton of open space and all these trails for beginners and intermediate hikers. You can do rock climbing. And there are bike trails. And Senitas is relatively close to town, so you don’t have to go that far. It’s a simple trail. But it’s in the mountains so you can get up to the continental divide and see the high mountain terrain.

What is your favorite indoor activity during the winter?
Going to the Dushanbe Tea House. It’s unlike any other teahouse in the area. Boulder has a lot of sister cities, and it was a gift from Boulder’s sister city in Tajikistan. You can feel the appreciation of the artisans who made it. You can choose from 40 different exotic, beautiful teas that are always changing.

What cultural landmarks shouldn’t be missed?
The Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art is next door to the Dushanbe Tea House, so you can kill two birds with one stone. The Boulderado Hotel—they’re celebrating their 100th anniversary this year.

Which hotel would you recommend for overnighters?
The Saint Julien. The Boulderado is really beautiful, but the Saint Julien is new and is really beautiful and posh. And it has incredible spa services. The Saint Julien also hosts lots of events; they’re very supportive of local musicians. In the summertime, they do BBQs outside and have a dance floor. It’s great.

Where else do you go to see live music?
The Boulder Theater is probably my favorite place to see live music and movies. They’ll play cult films like the Big Lebowski and you can have drinks. And the Fox Theater. Both do bigger acts, but the feel is totally different. The Fox is on the hill where the University is and has more of the college crowd. It’s louder and more raucous. Boulder is a little more laid back, with a bigger dance floor. And the Laughing Goat is a coffee house where you can find more avant-garde poetry readings and really great musicians trying out new stuff.

What’s your favorite restaurant for a luxurious meal?
For a really indulgent meal, John's on Pearl Street. I think it’s one of the only five star restaurants in the area. It’s in a small cottage and feels very exclusive and cozy. They cater to Colorado cuisine like dishes with elk and buffalo. I’ve had ruby red trout there that was spectacular. For a totally different kind of luxurious meal, Organic Orbit is a relatively new restaurant that specializes in local and organic food. They do a lot of living and raw food. Their portions are smaller, but their flavors are really amazing and the setting is luxurious.

What is one thing you can only get in Boulder?
Fresh Boulder Ice Cream: when they’ve just made it and before they freeze it down. It’s so soft and delicious and completely unlike any other texture.

What are some of your favorite smells in Boulder?
On the Senitas trail there’s wild mountain roses that grow. At the right time of year the blossoms of the Poplar tree—that’s another incredible smell that I’ve only smelled in Colorado. There’s also the smell of the Boulder Creek. It’s fresh water that rushes; so, even in the winter it has the smell of the mountains—an earthy, muddy, grassy smell.

What is Boulder’s best-kept secret?
I really love Sushi Zanmai. We have friends there, and they have really great fish. It’s really traditional sushi. For more unusual, more modern sushi, I like Hapa. Boulder has some of the best sushi in the country.

~Alisa Gould-Simon