Sixteenth Street Mall in Denver, Colorado

The Sixteenth Street Mall in Denver, Colorado is a shopper’s paradise, as well as a good place to go for a bite to eat.

The mall isn’t a mall at all – at least in the way I think of a mall. When I think mall, I think a large building with lots of stores and restaurants and annoying teenagers. The Sixteenth Street Mall isn’t lacking the teenagers, but don’t look for a huge building. It is actually an outdoor area, really just a street lined with shops that is pedestrian only.

The only vehicles that are allowed are the Free Mall Shuttles and those with a permit. The Free Mall Shuttle is quite interesting. Awarded the Best Public Transportation System in America in 2003, the Free Mall Shuttle is a bus system that is run using only hybrid buses. The shuttles stop at every block, which makes any place in the Sixteenth Street Mall quite accessible, and can save your feet on your trip between downtown and REI or the trails along the Platte River. I think they could get away with every other block, but what do I know? The shuttle service runs from Broadway to Wynkoop, which includes or connects Lower Downtown (LoDo)/Coors Field/16th Street Mall Station, where you can catch C and E lines to popular destinations, including the Pepsi Center/Six Flags Elitch Gardens and INVESCO Field at Mile High, and E and F lines to Coors Amphitheater. The shuttle begins at 5:15 am on weekdays and runs until 1:55 am.

Shops include everything from souvenir stands to clothing stores to a post office. For the hungry, you can get anything from tacos to classic Italian to street vendor hotdogs.