LoDo (Lower Downtown), with gay-friendly Dixons Grill

The once bustling LoDo (Lower Downtown) (bound by 14th Street, Wynkoop Street, Park Avenue, and Larimer Street, 303-628-5428 for LoDo District offices) section of Denver had become forlorn and shady by the 1980s, which is when local preservationists, developers, and entrepreneurs - include quite a few artists and creative spirits - began investing in this neighborhood just north of Downtown Denver proper. The district anchored by historic Union Station has become tremendously successful and popular, so much so that artists have been somewhat priced out in favor of more commercial businesses. That being said, LoDo still supports a number of gay-popular shops and hangouts - Dixons Grill, the famed Tattered Cover Bookstore, the Oxford Hotel, and Wynkoop Brewing Company among them. The neighborhood's grand, richly detailed redbrick and cast-iron buildings are a marvel for architecture buffs, and in addition to the iconic Union Station, visitors can stroll by the beautifully designed Coors Field (home to baseball's Colorado Rockies). Just north of the neighorhood, a sleek, modern pedestrian bridge leads into the city's trendy Commons neighborhood.