16th Street Mall, a pedestrian mall through downtown

Running north-south through the heart of downtown Denver, the 16-block-long 16th Street Mall (16th Street, from Broadway north to Wynkoop Street and Union Station, 303-534-6161) is a pedestrian stretch of shops and restaurants designed in 1982 by renowned International-style architect I.M. Pei. It's served by a free bus line, making it a great way to get from one part of downtown to the other. Aesthetically, the 16th Street Mall looks a bit like a produce of the '80s - it's neither as historically uplifting as LoDo or as slick as the new Denver Commons area. Still, it's absolutely an asset to downtown, and you'll find a number of noteworthy businesses along the mall - Peet's Coffee & Tea, Dixons Downtown Grill (at the LoDo end), the very gay-friendly Lannie's Clocktower Cabaret, Tattered Cover Bookstore (also at the LoDo end), and the like. The emphasis is mid-range chain restaurants and shops, but sometimes those can be very handy.