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It's a shopper's stop

On Sixteenth Street, Denver, you can gawk at shop windows without fear of being jostled

TAKE A WALK There are sparkling glass-walled skyscrapers

Imagine this. Starting tomorrow you can't go through Commercial Street if you're on a vehicle. The markets are open, but, sorry, for pedestrians only. Leave the vehicle in a designated enclosure and enter for the pleasure of shopping on foot. The busiest complex in town is now noise-free, safe and clean. You cross the road with no fear of being crushed. It is the same old place, but now call it the Pedestrian Mall. That's exactly what 16th Street in Denver, capital of Colorado has become.

It may not boast the historical backdrop of Downing Street or Pennsylvania Avenue, but Sixteenth Street does have a bit of Barcelona's colourful La Boqueria, Brooklyn's Eastern Park greenway and the infectious rhythm of Montreal's Plateau district. It's far less scenic than the stunning 400-km Great Ocean Road in Australia. But here you can walk, unhindered. Private vehicles are not allowed into the street.

Tree-lined promenade

Built in 1982, the two-km-long Sixteenth Street mall is a tree-lined promenade of red-and-grey granite in downtown Denver. It is what we've always dreamed of, for our city. It has outdoor cafes, renovated historic buildings, sparkling glass-walled skyscrapers, shops, restaurants and department stores. The fronts of many office buildings have giant statues; look out for the collection of dancing figures. There are fountains, plazas and flowers in summer, seats to take the weight off your legs.

Running through the middle are some of the famous cows of Denver. We thrill to the idea — did they get it from India? But these bovines don't indulge in unexpected activities. Each statue carries a theme on its flanks — one has the names of all the peaks in Colorado over 20,000 feet. Another sports currency notes from all over the world. Mushroom umbrellas dot this street spine, making it a haven for vendors, souvenir shops, clothing and instrument players. The 16th Street mall is perhaps the one thing that separates Denver from the other major cities in the U.S. The city cleaned up what was once a notorious part of town to turn it into a modern, bubbling shopping district. Park the car at lots around (there are plenty) and for twelve blocks, you walk the broad footpaths either side of the spine, window-shopping happily for clothing, electronic goods, antiques, gifts, hats and music. Start with The Denver Pavilions at the entrance of the mall. It is the new open-air court of familiar stores, including the Denver edition of Hard Rock Café. Look up at the D & F Tower, a 325-foot replica of St. Mark's campanile in Venice, right in the centre of the mall. Phew, how long do I walk? Not much. Free shuttle buses (trams actually) cruise the mall every 45 seconds. Hop on from the nearest stop. Ride the streetcar up and down, till you're ready for another spree. Get off in front of Jumbo Juice for a drink and get back into the tram. Step down to visit the Tattered Cover bookstore, a historic building of wide, winding staircases lined with books. With its great deals in second-hand books, TC is the best bookstore in town. Fiercely independent, it invites you to browse, sink into comfortable sofas to read, and grab a muffin and coffee. Guys snoozing behind newspapers?

Where can you get a filling bite? Try burgers at Meyer's & Wolf; pizzas at Anthony's; other stuff at Wolfgang Pucks and Cheese Cake Factory. March into the elegant dining room in Brown Palace, the oldest hotel in Colorado, for bragging rights. Presidents have dined here. On the way back, collect brochures at the Denver Convention & Visitors Bureau Visitor Information Centre.

Sixteenth is the kind of street where people living in congested cities discover that the fastest way to get around town is on foot. But while I go gaga over a place that allows me to gawk at shop windows without fear of being jostled, tourists from Europe aren't too impressed. One reason could be that Germany alone has 32 cities with walk-only malls.

GEETA PADMANABHAN

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