Shopping

If you're in Denver on foot, you'll find that most visitors do their shopping along the 16th Street Mall (the mile-long pedestrian walkway between Market St. and Tremont Place) and adjacent areas, including Larimer Square, The Shops at Tabor Center, Writer Square, and the newest retail development downtown, Denver Pavilions.

Outside the downtown area there are more options, primarily the huge Cherry Creek Shopping Center -- a shopper's dream -- south of downtown. There are also numerous funky urban retail areas within city limits, as well as suburban shopping malls.

Business hours vary from store to store and from mall to mall. Generally, stores are open 6 days a week, with many open on Sunday too; department stores usually stay open until 9pm at least 1 evening a week. Discount stores and supermarkets are often open later than other stores, and some supermarkets are open 24 hours a day.

Antiques -- Denver's main antiques area is Antique Row, along South Broadway between Mississippi and Iowa streets, with some 400 dealers selling all sorts of fine antiques, collectibles, and junk. Wandering through the gigantic rooms, where each dealer has his or her own little space, is great fun. Just remember that prices are often negotiable; unless you're quite knowledgeable about antiques, it wouldn't hurt to do some comparison shopping before making a major purchase.

Serious antiques hunters will also want to explore the Antique Mall of Lakewood, 9635 W. Colfax Ave. (tel. 303/238-6940), where about 60 dealers display a wide variety of items from the 18th and 19th centuries, as well as more recent collectibles.

Art & Fine Crafts -- The renaissance of Denver's lower downtown (LoDo) has resulted in the creation of the Lower Downtown Arts District, where you can explore more than two dozen galleries. The district runs from Larimer to Wynkoop streets between 14th and 20th streets. Call tel. 303/628-5424 or browse www.lodo.org for additional information.

A mile to the southeast, the Golden Triangle neighborhood, bordered by Lincoln Street, Speer Boulevard, and Colfax Avenue, has more than 25 galleries and a number of museums. The Golden Triangle Museum District (tel. 303/534-0771; www.gtmd.org) puts together an open gallery event the first Friday night of every month, complete with a free shuttle.

Food & Drink -- King Soopers, Safeway, and Albertson's are the main grocery-store chains.

Sporting Goods -- Those in need of a bike should talk to the experts at Campus Cycles, 2102 S. Washington St. (tel. 303/698-2811), which carries the Gary Fisher, Trek, and Giant brands. Sports fans looking for that Rockies cap or Broncos shirt will have no trouble finding it at the appropriately named Sportsfan, 1962 Blake St., across from Coors Field (tel. 303/295-3460). There are several other locations in the Denver area, and mail orders are accepted.