Maps

The best map store in Denver is Mapsco (800 Lincoln St., 303/830-2373, www.mapsco.com, Mon.–Fri. 9 a.m.–6 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.–5 p.m.), formerly Pierson Graphics. They have a wide selection and the staff is helpful.

You can also find maps, atlases, and gazettes at any Tattered Cover Book Store location, or at office supply stores.

At the shuttle bus stops on each block of the 16th Street Mall there are maps of downtown available for free. The Denver Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau (www.denver.org) has maps of area attractions and accommodations available for download from their website.

Tourist Offices

The Denver Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau has a public visitors center at 16th and California Streets, where you can pick up bags full of brochures and maps and ask lots of questions. They also have a visitors center at DIA.

The Colorado Tourism Office (www.colorado.com) has Colorado Welcome Centers located at several roadside spots around the state. The closest to Denver is in Morrison at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. You can also order a free vacation guide from their website.

The official state government website, www.colorado.gov, has a lot of helpful information, a place to ask questions, and resources for tourism, government, education, and more.

Libraries

There are 23 library locations in the Denver Public Library system, many of them situated in small, historic buildings near parks and playgrounds. The central library was designed by architect Michael Graves, and this is where you will find the Western History and Genealogy Collections. All of the libraries host story times and events for kids, and the Smiley branch has a toy library for young children. Weekends include “Super Saturdays,” where magicians, musicians, drummers, and storytellers entertain children for free. Every two months Denver Public Library puts out the Fresh City Life newsletter with a calendar of special events and classes (cooking, baking, knitting, reading club) that all share a common theme.

Education

The University of Denver (303/871-2000, www.du.edu) is the oldest independent university in the Rocky Mountain region, and is located southeast of downtown. The school has many prominent alumni including Peter Coors of the Coors Brewing Company, former secretary of the interior Gale Norton, former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, and many more familiar politicians and business CEOs. Two former Colorado governors are on the faculty at DU—Richard Lamm and Bill Owens.

The University of Colorado at Denver (www.cudenver.edu) has a presence on the Auraria campus in downtown, along with the Metropolitan State College of Denver (www.mscd.edu) and the Community College of Denver (www.ccd.edu). The Auraria campus is a commuter campus, with no campus housing and plenty of night classes for students continuing their education while working. The University of Colorado Health Sciences Center (www.uchsc.edu) is at 9th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard and on the Anschutz Medical Campus.

On the northern edge of the Highlands neighborhood is Regis University (www.regis.edu), a Colorado Jesuit university. The school has been here since 1877 and it’s an attractive little campus with three specialty colleges.

Places of Worship

A blend of immigrant populations over the years—primarily Italian and Latino—led to a high number of Catholic churches and schools in Denver, and the Colorado Archdiocese (www.archden.org) is based in Denver. The archdiocese website has a complete list of parishes statewide. The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (1530 Logan St., 303/831-7010, www.denvercathedral.org) in Capitol Hill has many mass times each day.

The Colorado Muslim Society (2071 S. Parker Rd., 303/696-9800, www.cmsmosque.org) is the largest mosque in the state, and it is practically in the suburb of Aurora it’s so far east. Visitors will definitely need to drive or take a taxi or more than one bus to reach the mosque from downtown.

There are many synagogues in Denver to choose from; the oldest and largest is Congregation Emanuel (51 Grape St., 303/388-4013, www.congregationemanuel.com). Also check out www.milechai.org for links to more synagogues and Jewish businesses in the Mile High City.

The Zen Center of Denver (3101 W. 30th Ave., 303/455-1500, www.zencenterof denver.org) in the Highlands neighborhood offers seminars for those interested in becoming members. The Tri-State/Denver Buddhist Temple (1947 Lawrence St., 303/295-1844, www.tsdbt.org) offers weekly services and puts on the annual Cherry Blossom Festival.

Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church (1980 Dahlia St., 303/355-1651, www.montview.org) has a reputation for being gay-friendly and is home to the Denver Gay Mens Chorus.

For a list of Christian churches in Denver, take a look at the site www.denver-christian.org/Churches.htm.

© Mindy Sink from Moon Denver, 1st Edition