LoDo, Larimer & Riverfront. An area composed of 125 red brick buildings that, just a decade ago, wasn’t much more than abandoned warehouses and rail yards, has been restored and renovated to make LoDo (lower downtown) one of the liveliest areas in the city. With one of the largest concentrations of Victorian and turn-of-the-century architecture in the country, LoDo is home to 90 brewpubs, sports bars, restaurants and coffeehouses as well as the site of Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies. You’ll see a lot of creative types roaming the streets as the area is home to a number of advertising agencies, graphic design studios, Internet design firms and a plethora of art galleries.

Nearby Larimer Square was the first revitalization of an historic neighborhood in America and opened in 1969. Complete with gas lamps, the area is at once charming and elegant with a nightlife that defines hip urban renewal. The 18 shops and boutiques carry more than 200 fashion lines from the fashion capitals of the world. Men and women seeking unique clothing and accessories need only to spend an afternoon in Larimer Square, and some of city’s top chefs call this block home.

Behind Union Station, along the eastern bank of the South Platte, Riverfront is literally on the other side of the tracks. The area is booming with new housing and offers instant access to the 40-mile bike path that follows the river. Attractions in this area include the only downtown amusement park in the country, the Children’s Museum of Denver, the Downtown Aquarium, and the newly opened Museum of Contemporary Art designed by London architect David Adjaye. REI’s massive flagship store is located on the confluence of the South Platte River and Cherry Creek. The bordering park and Cherry Creek pedestrian path are often filled with runners and bikers, as kayakers navigate the rushing water. The area is also home to My Brother’s Bar, the only bar left in Denver that was a hangout to Beat Generation heroes Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady.

Best of all, the area is easily accessible by Denver’s 120-mile Light Rail network, with Union Station serving as the hub.