24: Highway 24, the meanest winding road you'll find this side of the Continental Divide (which is only a couple hours away).
The Academy: The Air Force Academy; not to be confused with "Academy," which is short for stop-and-go mecca Academy Boulevard.
The Black Sheep: Music venue, on East Platte Avenue, that most consistently attracts touring indie bands and the best local talent.
Chipotle: not the spicy sauce, but rather, a Mexican grill chain restaurant founded in Denver.
Cowboys: A western-themed club downtown. Welcome to Colorado.
El Paso: Colorado Springs' county, which extends east for miles, encompassing countless housing subdivisions and still a few grassy plains.
FAC: The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, an arts complex with a main gallery, touring exhibits, a theater and the Bemis School of Art.
First Pres: First Presbyterian Church, a huge building and iconic downtown entity.
FoCo: Fort Collins, a fairly hip city north of Denver; home of Colorado State University.
Focus: Focus on the Family, a local conservative Christian nonprofit on a mission to, you guessed it, help families. At least, families stuck in the 1960s who still listen to radio broadcasts about how marriage should only be between a man and a woman.
Fort Carson: huge Army post located south of the city.
The Gazette: local daily newspaper.
The Garden or GOTG: Garden of the Gods, a scenic location with red sandstone formations known for challenging rock climbing (permit required).
The highway: Interstate 25; the main route to Denver.
The Incline: a popular hiking trail in Manitou Springs in which old railroad ties essentially make for a 2,000-foot-high outdoor staircase. Technically located on private property.
The Indy: nickname for the Colorado Springs Independent.
Kimball's: movie theater downtown that shows independent, alternative and foreign flicks, and even includes a full-service bar on site.
Memorial: Memorial Park or Memorial Hospital.
Mile High: INVESCO Field at Mile High, home of the Denver Broncos. Just say Mile High unless you want to be pegged as an ignorant tourist.
MMJ: medical marijuana, a booming industry and hot-button topic in Colorado.
MVP: Monument Valley Park, home to a nice biking/running trail and every senior high school yearbook photo in town.
New Life: New Life Church, a megachurch with about 10,000 members; founded by local celeb and resident tittle-tattle subject Ted Haggard.
NORAD: North American Aerospace Defense Command, formerly located in Cheyenne Mountain. Though it's a big component of our national security system, it's probably known best for tracking Santa Claus' route come Christmas.
The Peak: Pikes Peak, spelled without an apostrophe and named after explorer Zebulon Pike, who never made it to the top.
Peterson: Peterson Air Force base, located southeast of the city. Along with the Academy, Fort Carson, NORAD and Schriever Air Force Base, has something to do with our reputation as a military town.
Poor Richard's: building complex downtown which includes a restaurant known for its pizza, Rico's café, a used bookstore and a toy store.
PPLD: Pikes Peak Library District, with 13 branches.
Red Rocks: stunning open-air music amphitheatre west of Denver, nestled between giant rock formations.
South Park: large mountain grassland valley about 90 minutes west, for which the popular TV show was named.
Tejon Street: pronounced Tey-hone.
West: toward the mountains; no compass needed.
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