Kabobs and a Pizza the Action on Larimer Street

Three things to enjoy on a hot summer night at Marco's Coal-Fired Pizza on Larimer Street: The excellent, thin-crust pizza, the very powerful air-conditioning, and a good view of the incredible changes on this 2100 block of what was once Denver's skid row. Sure, there are still pawn shops, but even Josie's, right next door, has gotten a facelift.

And across the street, an amazing sight: El Charrito lives! On Wednesday night, the corner bar -- a longtime mainstay on this block, but open only occasionally over the past decade -- was back in business, the beer lights on and the door wide open. The original El Charrito restaurant space next door, at 2104 Larimer Street, has been split off and is now a Middle Eastern restaurant -- the newly renamed Larimer Kabob House. -- Patricia Calhoun