A Chip Off the Old Block

After thirty years, Taqueria Patzcuaro is finally adding a patio to the side of its building at 2616 West 32nd Avenue. The duplex that was there has been cleared away, and the restaurant’s owners hope to have an outdoor dining area in place by June. And not a moment too…

Annie’s In, Goodfriends Out

I haven’t eaten at Annie’s Cafe in years. But I still have fond memories of the great gringo green chile that was the perfect way to celebrate the end of yet another all-nighter getting Westword out the door. For that matter, I haven’t eaten at Goodfriends in years — although…

Balls!

Exactly four months from now, the Democratic National Convention comes to town. Colorado’s not ready for its close-up. That became all too apparent on April 11, when the Colorado Tourism Office turned New York City’s Madison Square Park into Colorado for the day, under the chirpy order “Let’s Talk the…

Welcome to Denver

“Hear that voice? That’s Danelle.” The ponytailed man was so excited to have his favorite anchorwoman bossing him around on the DIA train, it seemed a shame to correct him. But once I start talking — and correcting — Colorado, I can’t stop. “Adele Arakawa,” I said. “Yeah, that’s Danelle,”…

Emo, Go Home!

Dear Mexican: Lately I’ve been hearing how punks and metalheads in Mexico are trying to beat up emos because it’s been said that emos make Mexican culture look bad. As a metalhead, I support this, because I don’t see the point in being emo since they are very sensitive and…

Block Party

Somewhere, Elbra Wedgeworth is smiling. To be precise, the former Denver city councilwoman is smiling down from her portrait on the third floor of the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library at 24th and Welton streets. Because fortune — hard-earned fortune — is finally smiling on this spot. On Tuesday, the…

Sentimental Journey

What does Colorado look like to you? To American Airlines passengers stuck at Denver International Airport last week, it must have looked like the back of that fleece the guy ahead of them in line was wearing. That, and endless fast-food meals and frustration. Too bad the FAA couldn’t wait…

Dialed In

Dear Mexican: Our customer-service department uses a phone-tree system that asks callers to press 1 for English, 2 for Spanish, and a few other numbers for commonly spoken languages in our area. I handle customer complaints as part of my job, and I get a surprising number of complaints from…

Identity Crisis

Dear Mexican: On my desk is a levy from the Internal Revenue Service for over $12,000 in unpaid taxes. Turns out some dude used my Social Security number for two years in Albuquerque and didn’t bother to pay taxes. It’s taken me plenty in time and attorney’s fees to figure…

Crash Course

The University of Colorado just got an F in music appreciation. Next week, the dean of the College of Arts & Media at CU Denver will lead a tour of CAM’s classrooms. “As the first college in Colorado devoted entirely to arts and entertainment,” the school’s announcement boasts, “CAM combines…

Commercial Break

This is the second week in the federal trial of Cory Voorhis, the immigration agent accused of accessing the National Crime Information Center database and leaking information that wound up used in an anti-Bill Ritter ad back in October 2006, one of two involving Ritter’s dealings with illegal immigrants when…

Beer Today, Here Tomorrow

Here’s my favorite story about the Mexico City Lounge — a great neighborhood joint that was in the ballpark neighborhood long before Coors Field ever entered the picture. Back in the days when Denver having a Major League Team was just a pipe dream, Pete Coors was having lunch with…

Skin Deep

Dear Mexican: Why are indigenous peoples from north of the Rio Grande called redskins and those from south of it called brown-skinned?El Hijo del Paleface Dear Gabacho: “Redskin” dates back to the sixteenth century, but its etymology is still being debated. Some historians say it’s a reference to scalping, others…

Let’s Talk Embarrassing

Bad enough that Colorado actually paid money for an awful, out-of-date tourism campaign that sounds like an old Joan Rivers shtick: Let’s Talk Colorado. But can we talk about what that campaign’s sending out to would-be tourists? Today an e-mail newsletter arrived from the Colorado Tourism Office, with handy links…

Maybe It’s Just You

Dear Mexican: I’m a gay man in his mid-thirties who has always loved Mexican men. And this question is not only from my experience, but also that of friends: Why is it that Mexican men are so flaky? They seem the top offending ethnicity in this. And by flaky, I…

Reel Life

Last week the Colorado Legislature shot down a proposed economic subsidy for filmmakers — despite the impassioned testimony of John Ashton, aka Sergeant Taggart of Beverly Hills Cop — which gives you a pretty good idea of the B-list star power of the state’s current film scene. But late last…

DIA’s Voice-Over

Denver has a lot to do to get ready for the Democratic National Convention, including fixes both large and small that could help this city put its best foot forward. First up: Going public with the fact that the anonymous voice that started sounding off on DIA trains last summer…

Any Deport in a Storm

Dear Mexican: I am an illegal alien who just turned eighteen. Is there anything I can do to become a legal alien besides deportation or marrying a U.S. citizen?Wetback Who Wants to Dry His Back Dear Wab: Go back to Mexico — seriously. Section 212(a)(9)(B)(iii)(I) of the United States Immigration…

John Ashton, Take Two

Actor John Ashton addressed the Colorado Legislature Tuesday, urging lawmakers to support a new economic incentive for moviemakers. No, not that John Ashton. The guy testifying was the John Ashton of Beverly Hills Cop, who now lives in Fort Collins. Colorado’s original John Ashton — John C. Ashton, to be…

Cleaning House

Dear Mexican: Mexicans are angry that the United States might protect its own borders, might make it harder to sneak into this country and, once here, to stay indefinitely. Let me see if I correctly understand the thinking behind these Mexicans. Let’s say I break into your house. Let’s say…

A Subject He Can’t Refuse

Dear Mexican: Why do Mexicans have padrinos for everything?The Godfather Fan Dear Wab: Many gabachos have long wondered about the galaxy of godparents who surround Mexicans from birth to death, but it’s no misterio. Ostensibly, godparents (padrino is a godfather, madrina is a godmother, and padrinos means “godparents”) are individuals…

A Question of Raza

Dear Mexican: Why won’t Mexicans vote for a black man?Hillary Hater Dear Readers: Dozens of ustedes have sent the above question since the Iowa caucus, forwarded mainstream media reports on this supposed phenomenon, and cringed with me when pundits took as gospel this assertion by Hillary Clinton pollster Sergio Bendixen…