Souvenirs of South Park

Comments (0) By Joel Warner Thursday, Jun 12 2008

Five Points

Oh, those silly, physically impaired kids! When South Park's disabled boys Timmy and Jimmy form a club called "the Crips" — short for the cripples — in "Krazy Kripples," they hear of a similar group in Denver: the "Five Points Crips." So off they go to Five Points, one of Denver's grittier neighborhoods, and soon discover members of the Crips, a real street gang. These days in Five Points you're more likely to spot remnants of the area's rich African-American heritage, such as the Black American West Museum and the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library, than roaming gangstas, but if you do come across any, just ply them with marshmallows and ginger ale. It worked for Timmy and Jimmy.

No one could make up the reality that is Casa Bonita.

www.livedowntowndenver.com/neighborhoods

Casa Bonita

South Park fans can be forgiven for assuming that the larger-than-life "Disneyland of Mexican restaurants" filled with cliff divers, a haunted cave and endless sopaipillas featured in the "Casa Bonita" episode was a fantastical creation of Parker and Stone. But Casa Bonita is all too real; its cartoonish glory has enlivened West Colfax Avenue since 1974. The joint is so full of outlandish spectacle, it's no wonder Cartman nearly kills his classmate Butters so he can take his place at Kyle's birthday party at the restaurant. You'd surely do the same, all the while singing Cartman's favorite song: "Casa Bonita! Casa Bonita! Food and fun in a festive atmosphere!"

6715 West Colfax Avenue, Lakewood, www.casabonitadenver.com