Lisa's Personal Guide to Denver September 2002

INFORMATION:  Information kiosks on the 16^th St. open-air mall and the hotels have brochures about the Downtown. Especially useful: “Downtown Denver: Map and Directory”—it lists entertainment, shopping, restaurants and transportation. 

        You can also download their restaurant list beforehand at www.downtowndenver.com/holiday/restaurant_directory.htm

SAFETY:  Downtown Denver is pretty safe for a metropolitan area, especially the active parts like the 16^th St. Mall and “Lower Downtown.” Still, be alert to your surroundings. 

TRANSPORTATION:  The usual. There’s a light rail if you’d like to see a little more of Denver. 
   Of note—the 16^th St. Mall runs a FREE shuttle up and down 16^th St. between Union Station and the Civic Center on Broadway.

MISCELLANY:  Kinko’s is right next to the Hyatt if you need last-minute copies.  

Aspirin, Cheetos, Yoohoos?  Try Walgreen’s (801 16^th St.) or Rite Aid (750 16^th St.)

BOOK ALERT!!   The Tattered Cover bookstore is a couple of blocks SE of Union Station. See: www.tatteredcover.com. Its coffee shop is a good place to decompress.

QUICKIE FOOD GUIDE

For “need calories, no time” situations 
Here’s a selection for a 4 x 5 block area from the Convention Center in the SW to the Marriott and Hyatt in the NE.

 Juuuuuiiice

Jamba Juice: 701 16^th St.

Planet Smoothie: 622 16^th St.

Just GIVE ME CAFFEINE!

Deidrich Coffee: 1225 17^th St.

          999 16^th St.

Starbucks:  (Just pick a direction and throw a rock.)

633 17^th St.

934 16^th St.

1667 Stout St.

1490 16^th St. 

Tuscany Coffee: 1600 Stout St. 

Get It & Go

The Food Court, California St.: 1600 California St. (about what you’d expect, but with ethnic fast food too)

Bruegger’s Bagels: 1717 Stout St.

Chipotle: 1600 California St. 

Einstein Bros Bagels: 1600 California St. 

Various other fast food places along 16^th St.—Arby’s, McDonalds, Burger King, Subway, Taco Bell, you get the idea. (Many places, especially the deli and bagel shops, close by mid-afternoon.)

More?

The reviews I got from acquaintances and from (whooeee) websites were generally contradictory.  However, here’s a selection of sit-down places a little further afield (all still within walking distance or an easy walk from the 16^th St. Mall shuttle run.  Denver CitySearch (http://denver.citysearch.com) has restaurant reviews. 

Reasonably Priced -- And You Get a Table!

B.D.’s Mongolian BBQ: 1620 Wazee: Noisy but good.

Chili’s Too: 951 16^th St.

Corner Bakery Cafe: 500 16^th St. Soups, salads, panini. Their slogan, “Knead it Daily.” 

Old Chicago: 1415 Market St. Pizza, grill, etc. 

Old Spaghetti Factory: 1215 18^th St. Non-threatening Italian food. 

La Playa Azul: 1500 Curtis St.

Rocky Mountain Café: 800 18^th St. 

More “Atmosphere” But Still Financially Feasible
Good for Committee Meetings!  (WARNING! You may need a reservation.)

Cheesecake Factory: 1201 16^th St. Cheesecakes described as “ecstasy,” food as ok. 

Delhi Darbar: 1514 Blake St. 

Gallagher’s Steakhouse: 1480 Arapahoe St.  Now this is scary: “Gallagher's Steakhouse … has nothing to hide.  You can see that as you pass through the front door: a brightly lit locker holds mammoth slabs of prime grade beef, dry-aging into brown-red ugliness and coated in mold. Yum.” The review (http://63.147.65.175/scene/reviews/dining122200.htm) really is positive.  I dare you to eat here.

Mestizo Grill: 303 16^th St.

P.F. Chang’s China Bistro: 1415 15^th St. 

Pseudo-Chinese to me, but the food’s usually creative and good.

Universal recommendation:  Make a reservation.

Rialto Café: 934 16^th St.

Rock Bottom Brewery: 1001 16^th St. Brew pubs -- always good for some meetings.

Wynkoop Brewing Company: 1634 18^th St.   Ditto. 

Hyatt Regency’s 1876 Restaurant: 1700 Welton St. 

Convenient. “Contemporary western fare” (I’m not sure what that means).

Marriott’s Allie’s American Grille:  California St.  Again, convenient.

updated September 19, 2002 ,  GIS Webmaster