Whether you’re visiting Colorado in the winter to ski or in the summer to hit up some long hiking trails surrounded by stunning scenery, passing through Denver is almost always a must. Luckily, Denver has plenty to do, making it a worthy stop on your Colorado itinerary. The city is America’s craft beer capital, with almost 70 craft breweries, making the city not just a place to pass through but also a tasty destination on its own. Whether you’ve already skied or you’re on your way to summit a 14er, you can fill up on pie — both savory and sweet — at Legacy Pie Co.

Foodie publication Chowhound ranks Legacy Pie Co.’s Tart Cherry delicacy as the “hands-down best pie” in Colorado, but both the sweet and savory pies receive praise. Its shop on Tennyson Street holds a 4.8-star rating on Google, with over 1,000 reviews. The Wash Park location, close to one of Denver’s best parks, also boasts high ratings.

Online, the shop is well regarded. In r/Denverfood, the shop was a popular suggestion for places to get pie in the city. Another Reddit thread was started just to show appreciation for the bakery, with one user writing, “walking out of Legacy Pie Co with a cheap and delicious coffee and a pork green chile hand pie for $10 is just so clutch.”

Read more: 5 Abandoned National Parks And Monuments That No Longer Exist

The family history of Legacy Pie Co.

Elias and Rachel Lehnert opened Legacy Pie Co. in 2020, but the family’s history with pie goes back nearly a century. In 1929, Elias’s great-grandparents, Katherine and Oswald, opened a pie stand on the side of the road in Wisconsin. The next generation moved to Colorado and opened the Colorado Cherry Company in 1960, selling cherry pie, cider, and preserves off Highway 34 on the way to Estes Park, the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. The family used the cherries grown in nearby Loveland, and the original shop still stands today (along with three other Colorado Cherry Company locations).

Legacy Pie Co. is a Denver offshoot of the family business, and the Tennyson location still has the old Colorado Cherry Company sign painted on its brick facade. It serves sweet and savory bites, including mini pies, 10-inch desserts, hand pies, quiches, and pot pies. Of course, cherry is on the menu, but other flavors include classics like apple, mixed berry, French silk, and key lime. The savory menu features ingredients like bison, green chile, and buffalo chicken. Once you’re fueled up, you’ll be ready to explore places like the scenic Clear Creek Canyon Park near Denver.

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Read the original article on Islands.

Denver police used license-plate reader technology from neighboring Aurora to identify and arrest a 19-year-old man on suspicion of murder.

Police arrested Daniel Villegas on Saturday on suspicion of shooting and killing another 19-year-old male in the 10100 block of East Virginia Avenue two days earlier.

In 1996, a group of strangers arrived in Denver with their cleats and a common goal: to build professional soccer in America from the pitch up. Two years earlier, the United States had hosted the FIFA World Cup, igniting a national fervor for the sport. That energy helped birth Major League Soccer, with the Colorado Rapids as one of its 10 founding clubs. Players from around the globe converged on what was then Mile High Stadium (where the Rapids played until the 2007 debut of Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City).

Thirty years later, the team has drawn stars, hoisted the 2010 MLS Cup, and earned a devoted local following. Ahead of the Rapids’ return to Empower Field at Mile High on April 18 for a special anniversary match against Inter Miami CF, we spoke with players from that first season about the mayhem and mirth that helped bring the world’s most popular sport to America.

Colorado Rapids History: The First MLS Season in Denver

“We literally went to a liquor store [on Federal Boulevard] in rush-hour traffic. We were outside with a table with banners, and we were waving Rapids flags. People would roll down their windows and ask ‘Who are the Rapids?’ as they’re stuck in traffic.” —Marcelo Balboa, center back, 1996–2002

“For the July 4 game, we had a massive crowd. We played the [New York/New Jersey] MetroStars, and it was like, Wow, to be able to play in front of over 20,000 people. The lower bowl was packed and loud.” —Denis Hamlett, defender, 1996

“We trained in the Westminster rec center. I remember the first month we were there, we would walk down the hill from the rec center. It was pretty much an open park…. There’d be people coming from the street to work out, and they [would] look at us like, ‘Are you guys a college team?’ ” —Chris Henderson, midfielder, 1996–1999 and 2002–2005

“After the first few games, we started realizing that people were staying after [for autographs]. Almost every game, I would walk off the field without a shirt and without my socks. Kids wanted socks.” —Balboa

“Being a guy who played on the national team and played in the two World Cups leading up to the league—we were always hoping and praying that we were finally going to be able to get a league in the United States…. So when we all got to the stadium and saw [so many] people there, we were like, ‘OK, we got something here.’ ” —Balboa

“We had a mascot called RapidMan [who would go] on all these appearances with us. His costume was like water inside a river. I remember him high-fiving the fans and taking photos with the players.” —Henderson

Tickets for the Colorado Rapids match at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 18, at Empower Field at Mile High start at $100.