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| What Denver's Talking About |
| 🏥 CO Hospital Ends Gender-Affirming Surgeries | Children’s Hospital Colorado will no longer offer gender-affirming surgery. (Note: It never offered those services to minors, but it did provide them for young adults.) The hospital will still conduct non-surgical gender-affirming care, like puberty-blocking hormones and medications. Children’s hospitals around the country have been scrubbing associations with gender-affirming services over threats and harassment. [Denver Post 🔒] | | ✊ Union Efforts Underway at Merc Cafe | Staff at Denver’s beloved Mercury Cafe are working on forming a union amid major operational changes, including the elimination of server positions and a pivot to a “fresh culinary direction.” The employees cite burnout, irregular hours, lack of communication, and unpredictable pay as some of their top concerns, but things appear amicable. Co-owner Danny Newman has not formally acknowledged a union yet, but employees say the situation feels “promising and good.” [Westword] | | 🔦 What’s Under Downtown Denver? | Unbeknownst to many, there are miles and miles of abandoned underground tunnels beneath our city streets. So, what were they used for and what can we learn from them? We asked Tracy Beach, author of “The Tunnels Under Our Feet: Colorado’s Forgotten Hollow Sidewalks.” [City Cast Denver 🎧] |
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| |  | Our favorite strip of Colfax. (via Google Maps) |
| It’s Colfax Week at City Cast Denver! Though researchers and reporters have failed to find the famous quote allegedly printed in Playboy Magazine, many people will still tell you that Colfax Avenue is the “longest, wickedest street in America.” It’s also a pretty dang cool place to hang out. So if you’re planning to spend some time on the ‘Fax for Independents Day this weekend, here are some recommendations for things to eat, drink, and do on our city’s favorite arterial avenue. | | 🍕 | Offering a variety of crust options, this pizza place kicks it up a notch with a signature slice just for their Colfax location. Plus, they are known to give out a free sliver of pie to folks while they wait in line to make an official pizza order. | | 🍸 | This new favorite offers a full menu upstairs and an intimate late-night bar in the newly refinished basement. The old Irish Snug space definitely got its glow up. (Psst — check out our deep dive on the revival of this infamous haunt.) | | 🪴 | There are still a few Victorian mansions standing from back when Colfax was a residential strip for wealthy 19th century industrialists. Explore one this Saturday with a summery garden party at Flora House! | | 🪷 | You can get two weeks of yoga for $39 if you mention “Independents Day” at Rooted Heart this weekend. And that’s just one of the many Colfax businesses offering bargains Saturday and Sunday. | | | We’ll be inducting the first class of our new Colfax Hall of Fame during a live podcast taping at the Colfax Indie Bash tonight at 6 p.m. Find us on that killer patio behind Bruz Off Fax, with food, live music, and art. | | | | This segment was written by City Cast Denver producer Paul Karolyi |
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| | | Did you know that the Front Range’s biggest air quality issue is invisible? Colorless, odorless ground-level ozone is created from pollutants like car exhaust that react in sunlight and heat. Sign up for ozone alerts and learn about simple steps you can take to help, at SimpleStepsBetterAir.org. |
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| |  | Whatever your sweet tooth is craving, Crumbl has you covered. (Credit: Crumbl Cookies) |
| This week on Denver’s dining scene, the city is celebrating the delightful cuisine of our sister city, Cuernavaca, Mexico — plus, a popular cookie chain is bringing sweet treats to Central Park, In-N-Out Burger is cooking up controversy, and that delicious crawfish you're slurping may not be totally legal. Let’s dig in. | | 🌶️ Spice Trade Brewing, known for eclectic, globally inspired beers, has introduced a brand new, seasonally rotating prix fixe menu that currently pairs Latin American eats with signature brews — think ceviche paired with a jalapeño Mexican lager. Yum! [Westword] | | 🧑🍳 Kicking off this Friday through July 31, the Aurora History Museum will spotlight six local chefs and their signature dishes through a free chef speaker series that aims to celebrate the city’s diverse and delicious dining scene. [Westword] | | 🍺 Casa Bonita will soon tout an exclusive signature house beer on draft — it will be a Mexican-style lager called “Casa Beer” — and they’ve tapped local brewery Ratio Beerworks for the job. [Denver Post 🔒] | | 🇲🇽 All weekend long, Larimer Square will host Taste of Mexico, a celebration of Denver’s 40-year anniversary with its sister city, Cuernavaca, Mexico. There will be history, food, drinks, dancing, music, and more. | | 🍪 Central Park is getting its very own Crumbl Cookies! The popular sweet shop opens tomorrow and customers can expect all the fan-favorite flavors, like Key Lime Pie, Peppermint Bark, Caramel Popcorn, Buttermilk Pancake, and more! [Crumbl] | | 🦐 Did you know that having live Louisiana red swamp crayfish in Colorado is illegal? Neither do most of the restaurants that are importing the Southern delicacy, so Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials are considering changing the current regulations around the invasive species. [Denver Post 🔒] | | 🍔 In-N-Out Burger has banned its employees from wearing face masks unless they can provide a doctor’s note. The reasoning? To “emphasize the importance of customer service and the ability to show our Associates’ smiles and other facial features.” [Forbes 🔒] |
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| | | Come show support for Camp Hope, a trauma-informed summer camp serving children impacted by domestic violence. [Ruby Hill; Free, RSVP Requested] | | | Tonight kicks off a weekend celebration of independent businesses on Colfax! Join the fun and hang with the City Cast Denver podcast crew (yeah, US! 🙋🏻♀️) for a live recording of the show, where we will nominate the ultimate Colfaxians for our “Colfax Hall of Fame”! [Congress Park; Free, RSVP Required] | | | Sip on a cocktail while exploring the Denver Museum of Nature and Science’s “Bugs!” exhibit. Enjoy light snacks and a cash bar within this special insect-centered programming. [City Park; $15] |
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| Today on City Cast Denver |
| | Did you know that another version of Denver exists just beneath our city’s streets? Running throughout downtown is a maze of secret tunnels, hidden doorways, and lots of history. Today on the City Cast Denver podcast, host Bree Davies is joined by author Tracy Beech to dig into this Gilded Age phenomenon in our Wild West city, and learn more about why these spaces exist, who used them, and where they lead to. | | |
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Want the ultimate Rockies souvenir? Smokey the Coors Field Cat is up for adoption! ⚾ 🐈 | | — Peyton Garcia |
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