Antiques--Denver's main antiques area is Antique Row, along South Broadway between Mississippi and Iowa streets, with some 400 dealers selling all sorts of fine antiques, collectibles, and junk. Wandering through the gigantic rooms, where each dealer has his or her own little space, is great fun. Just remember that prices are often negotiable; unless you're quite knowledgeable about antiques, it wouldn't hurt to do some comparison-shopping before making a major purchase.

Occupying a major part of Antique Row are the Antique Guild (tel. 303/722-3359), a dealers' mall in the 1200 block of South Broadway, and the adjacent Antique Market (tel. 303/744-0281). Together they have about 100 dealers selling every type of antique and collectible imaginable.

Serious antiques hunters will also want to explore the Antique Mall of Lakewood, 9635 W. Colfax Ave. (tel. 303/238-6940), which has a 34,000-square-foot showroom where some 130 dealers display a wide variety of items from the 18th and 19th centuries, as well as more recent collectibles.

Art And Fine Crafts--The renaissance of Denver's lower downtown (LoDo) has resulted in the creation of the Lower Downtown Arts District, where you can explore more than two dozen galleries. The district runs from Larimer to Wynkoop streets between 14th and 20th streets. Call tel. 303/628-5424 or browse www.lodo.org for additional information.

Food And Drink--King Soopers, Safeway, and Albertson's are the main grocery-store chains.

Sporting Goods--Those in need of a new bike may want to stop at Bicycle Village, 305 S. Kipling St. (tel. 303/988-3210; www.bicyclevillage.com), which sells the Trek and Specialized brands. Sports fans looking for that Rockies cap or Broncos shirt will have no trouble finding it at the appropriately named Sportsfan, 1962 Blake St., across from Coors Field (tel. 303/295-3460; www.sportsteams.com). There are several other locations in the Denver area, and mail orders are accepted.