AND WHITE STRIPED T SHIRTS

I’m in Denver, Colorado, suckers! I’m here visiting my brother and we’ve gone to the famous Casa Bonita...yes, the same Casa Bonita they made fun of in that one South Park episode. The place is deceptively small looking on the outside as you approach this gaudy pink tower in a parking lot filled with run down dollar stores in a low class strip mall. But inside was this cavernous darkened maze strewn with all things kitsch and lowbrow. It was like a depraved Mexican Disneyland and a drunken nightmare all rolled into one. It was a grim reminder of what the world would have been like had the Mexicans took over the Alamo...oh wait, they did!

The patrons there were split about half and half...one group genuinely thought the flashing lights, Mariachi bands, lurid floor shows and its early 70’s theme park vibe are all the best things ever. Naturally these people had mullets, missing teeth and Taz t-shirts under loose bib overalls. The other half were normal, intelligent folk who were there strictly for the irony. The food was akin to low grade school cafeteria fare, which, I’m told, is a vast improvement from the inedible carnival slop that it used to be. But mulleted and intelligent folk alike were not there for the cuisine. They were there for the cliff dive shows, the waterfalls, the dancing monkeys, the staged gun fights, the token arcades, the ski-ball, and, providing you scored enough tickets, the cheap plastic novelty circus toys you could win. And the place was chock full of that, man!

All in all, I had a pretty good time. Sift through my photos and see for yourselves. Leave your funny and insightful comments as you know I always appreciate them.

Probably the only worthwhile store on the West Side- gotta indulge on sweet treats while in Disney. I still enjoy walking through the West Side though.

Magnet Store- a novelty store just fun to look at but not buy anything
Starabillas- too expensive, but their are cool things in there that I can't afford
Sosa Cigar- don't smoke cigars
Icon Sunglasses- overpriced
Pop Gallery / Hoypoloi- really neat artwork and glass creations, probably would not be very fun trying to ship these back safely
Magic Masters- I'm not a magician, how many of us are... haha
Virgin Mega Store- everything I can buy at home, they do sell some cool shirts/jackets though... last time I was there I got this cool white jacket with the NY subway lines all over it each specified by color

UPDATE: Virgin Mega Store and Starabillas are both gone

(Image Manipulated in Photoshop)