Best Store on the 16th Street Mall

The Tattered Cover revolves around language. So why is it so hard to find words to adequately praise it? Not content to simply be the region's finest bookstore, the Denver landmark became a symbol of our times in 2000, when owner Joyce Meskis refused to turn over buyer info to police, a move that made her a hero among booksellers and civil libertarians alike. On a less grand scale, her stores are comfy, community-oriented and pleasantly stuffed with a vast stock of new and used titles. The LoDo store's activity calendar is exhaustive, as well, with near-nightly readings by authors both obscure and internationally known. But wait -- there's more! The store's coffee is yummy and cheap! And this year, the TC began carrying parking-meter keys, available for purchase in any amount -- which makes so much sense, we wonder why every LoDo business doesn't do it. Then again, if every business operated like the Tattered Cover, we'd never run out of interesting things to look at, think about, participate in, discuss, admire and, yes, buy. And what fun would that be?