How close in Casa Bonita to the Cliff..

“I made it a goal that before I’m done being mayor, I want to cannonball from the waterfall,” says Lakewood Mayor Adam Paul about Casa Bonita, the city’s most beloved landmark, which has been closed since the start of the pandemic in Colorado. “So that’s another motivation that they stay open, so I can get that done.”

For Coloradans, the mere mention of Casa Bonita is likely to conjure joyous memories of the strangely beautiful thirty-foot indoor waterfall; of the claustrophobic Black Bart’s Cave; of an actor in a gorilla costume barreling wildly through the 52,000-square-foot facility; or of endless platters of sopaipillas, the best dish available from the kitchen.

The restaurant’s current reality, though, is a far cry from its past, and a telling reflection of this past year, when nothing has been certain. Casa Bonita owner Robert Wheaton has been notoriously elusive — and then evasive — regarding Casa Bonita’s current status.