Shopping & Services

Let’s face it: Denver’s still pretty damn white — a city with umpteen wine bars and rock venues but just a handful of halfway-decent jazz or hip-hop joints. Independent Records and Video — the store with the big, beautiful display windows filled with big, beautiful photographs of African-American recording artists — is one sign of urban life in D-town. The store carries an impressive selection of music in every genre — it’s the only place in town where you can satiate a midnight Big Star jones on a Tuesday — but its primary trade is hip-hop and R&B. True, white kids could be the ones who are buying it all up, but who really cares? As the only storefront on Colfax to proudly represent black culture, Independent gets a big holla.

Once upon a time, the competition for Denver’s best vinyl haven was fierce — yet Wax Trax usually came out on top. Today, most of the also-rans are history, while Wax Trax’s vinyl branch remains. The reasons are simple: Wax Trax Vinyl inspires intense loyalty among knowledgeable collectors of LPs and 45s because of its great prices, cool selection, and staffers who know more about music than just about anyone in these parts. Simply put, it’s a Denver treasure.

With the music industry’s transition from platters to downloading proceeding at a frantic pace, shops specializing in used CDs are an endangered species. But SecondSpin.com is still here, and how. The firm’s Denver branch is 12,000 square feet and offers a killer selection of more than 70,000 discs and 30,000 used movies. Moreover, the store is outfitted with the listening stations and other accoutrements that are common at places that sell new merchandise, but rare at businesses that peddle previously owned items. For folks who have not joined the MP3 generation and don’t want to pay new-disc prices, SecondSpin.com offers a last chance.

Twist & Shout is planning to relocate from its current home as part of the ambitious Lowenstein Redevelopment Project — but this news shouldn’t concern longtime supporters of the store. Indeed, the expansive new space should help the Twist & Shout team provide even more of what’s always made the store an oasis in a retail desert: great selection, the city’s largest supply of CDs by local artists, staffers who are wired-in and totally approachable, and an atmosphere that’s so comfortable you may want to move in permanently.

A veritable museum of acoustic instruments, the Denver Folklore Center is stocked with used and vintage banjos, mandolins, dulcimers, autoharps and guitars from floor to ceiling; it’s a sight to make the city’s string players sing. A new generation of players can also find inspiration among the itty-bitty things for every skill level and hand size: whistles, tambourines, flutes, recorders and authentic Hawaiian ukuleles. There’s also sheet music from around the world, instructional videos and CDs, stands and strings — even those fancy harmonica neck-wrap thingies that really boost the average Dylan impression. Staffed by players, teachers and die-hard folk loyalists, the Folklore Center strikes the perfect chord.

In 1913, a composer named J.R. Shannon published a song titled “Good Old Denver Town,” just one in a rash of Colorado-centric ditties that popped up on pianos in the early 1900s. Thanks to the CU-Boulder Music Library, 21st-century players can tune into the 150,000-plus treasure trove of titles written about D-town and beyond, plus a vast, timeless array of ragtime, Western and Ingram scores. Songs are accessible through the Digital Sheet Music Collection, an Internet database that’s searchable by genre and title. Though the collection’s primary mission is to preserve old-fashioned music from the player-piano days, the Digital Sheet Music Collection makes a great case for the beauty of life in the modern age.

Brian Carter and Richard Berkey stock just about every kind of press and grape-crusher in the vineyard. When people come into Stomp Them Grapes, they don’t actually make them take off their shoes and socks and squish, but short of that, they do everything in their power to grow winemaking enthusiasts. To help reel shoppers in, they’ve got books, bottles, buckets, corks and, of course, wine kits with everything needed to produce a unique vintage. Bottoms up!

We’re a wine-crazy society, all sniffing and swirling and sipping our way through dinner. That’s why Sheryl Czipott took a chance on Wine Complements, a wine-accoutrements store conveniently located next to Corks. Czipott carries everything from stylish wine racks to hors d’oeuvre accompaniments such as dipping oils and tapenades. There’s also the de rigueur Riedel glassware and selection of imported cheeses. All you need to supply are the wines.

Not versed in the language of Sideways? Rest easy when shopping at Corks: Any decision by the knowledgeable staff will be a good one. The intimate shop doesn’t overwhelm customers with selection, and the global offerings are labeled in categories that could describe what you’d like the evening to be: “sensuous,” “sassy,” “crisp” or “voluptuous.” All bottles are priced at $15 or less, which beats a nasty sixer of Bud any day of the week.

At $24 a bottle, the intense, complex syrah made (in small quantities) by the family-owned Balistreri Vineyards is no everyday pour. But it might be Colorado’s biggest, richest red wine. The grapes are grown in the Horse Mountain Vineyard on the Western Slope, and the final product is vinted right here in John Balistreri’s boutique winery on 66th Avenue — one of just two such facilities in the Mile High City. Redolent of mixed berries and black pepper, the 2004 Colorado Syrah is an extravagant red that will age well for years. Available at Applejack Liquors, Argonaut and a few other major liquor and wine stores (as well as the winery’s tasting room), it is one of sixteen unfiltered, sulfite-free wines produced at Balistreri.

The Wine Seller and Spirits Too is staffed with quirky, friendly, knowledgeable liberal-arts-major clerks who are intimately familiar with the store’s impressive selection of wines (from swill to swank), respectable stock of beers (both micro and industrial), and expansive liquor cabinet. What draws people in, however, is the Wine Seller’s outdoor sign, which it shares with the neighboring dry cleaner. Together they put up clever offerings that are sometimes sports-related, sometimes famous quotes from Homer Simpson and other respected luminaries, and sometimes just things that make ya go “Huh?”

What self-respecting desperate housewife would be able to resist a delivery boy dressed in a kilt? Those cute kneesocks are to die for! Keith Warner of Highland Water knew you’d feel that way, which is why he sends his boys on their water-delivery rounds wearing kilts. It worked for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment: Warner says they recently called him to switch to Highland Water as their drinking-water supplier. Now the only question is, what’s under those kilts?

Kids are a pain in the ass. They demand to be fed, and they take all your shoe money. Thank goodness for Family Flex, where parents can drop the youngsters off and spend a worry-free night on the town. Family Flex’s daycare program has been wait-listed for much of the year since Marie Hueston opened the facility, but her drop-in evening care is available to anyone in town with a child under age twelve. Send the little demons over anytime between 5 and 11 p.m., and she’ll feed and entertain them — in an educational manner, of course — for just $30 for five hours. All that, and it won’t break the Choo and Lucchese budget.

Give the newly fledged little man or woman in your life the gift of the Jewish Community Center. Cards are available in any denomination and can be used toward any of the services offered at the JCC, from a free back float to tennis camp. Today you are a mensch!

Walking into Bella Sera Baby, there is no doubt that owner Courtney Lupe is the kind of mother who marches to a different drummer. It shows in every detail of her sweet baby bedding and accessories, which she sews mostly by herself. Lupe, who was originally a wholesaler, recently went retail with a limited-hours store so that shoppers could see and touch her wares, including cute bibs and burpies, baby slings, chenille and double-sided satin blankies. Your baby never had it so good.

Not much has changed in the world of the Tooth Fairy since you were a kid, except maybe the rate of exchange — and the packaging. Kristi Howard crafts Tooth Fairy pillows for her store, Starlet, sewing them in bunny-soft chenille with pockets just the right size for a bitty tooth, quarter or folded bill and personal note, and ribbons to hang them from a doorknob or bed frame. Sweet dreams.

Saints and pigs, gargoyles and gMile-Hi Statuary 5048 Morrison Rd. 303-934-3244reyhounds, dragons and geese, lions and tigers and bears — oh, my! Mile-Hi’s amazing selection of fountains and yard ornaments outpaces that of the garden stores, many of which offer similar products at a higher price. Another advantage to shopping here: You can request your rabbit, gnome or Elvis in colored cement — charcoal, white, blue, green, even buff — at no extra chare.

Walk into Jean Snow’s Apiary and you’ll find every nook and cranny loaded with untold stories of long ago. The aroma of orange blossoms emanates from a tree in the window, and Snow’s motto — “Nature makes the most amazing things” — manifests itself on every shelf, as it has for more than thirty years. The shop pays homage to the apiary that Snow’s father kept during her Connecticut childhood — beehive lamps, beeswax candles and a delicate white hornets’ nest hanging from the ceiling — but it also celebrates her sensibilities with her own picture-perfect dried-flower arrangements, plus horn-shaped Tussy Mussies, botanical art, pheasant eggs, French linens and sweetly scented soaps. Something this divine is everyone’s beeswax.

Maxine’s isn’t so much a garden shop as a shop that speaks to gardeners. Megan McNeish has created an indoor/outdoor theme, with sweet-smelling sachets, French glassware and luscious ripple-edged dishes cohabiting with birds’ nests filled with tiny blue eggs, glass cloches housing sprays of forced tulips, pillows made from burnt orange- and celery-colored umbrella fabric, wirework furniture and doormats made of recycled plastic. As spring blooms, she’ll add potting tables, aprons and gloves to go with her clay-pot seed kits and tin-can gardens.

Tibetan refugee Palden Yangsto Hester is the real thing, a forced emigree whose heart still burns with love for her birthplace, even though her family was persecuted and some members killed. Now settled here, Hester imports wares from Tibet, Nepal and India, selling them in a richly appointed Cherry Creek North emporium under a banner that roars “Save Tibet.” The store is ringed with a stock of fierce tiger rugs, intricate thangkas, antique furniture, prayer flags and Buddha figures, but Hester’s main focus is the kind of jewelry that really must be called objets d’art: heavy strings of breathtaking natural coral, amber and turquoise hung with beautifully etched silver pendants. Glorious.

Italian majolica pottery is like a priceless drug. Oh, to own a wall of classic Deruta platters hand-painted with roosters and peacocks and patterns done in such vivid colors they’ll make you cry. Vario is majolica central, simply brimming with grapevine-encrusted bowls, lemon-embellished plates, terra cotta horse heads, shimmery lead-crystal goblets, clocks, elephants, birds and cats, each one a true treasure — even the little floral refrigerator magnets. Ooh. Aah.

There are a million stories to be told at Boulder’s DecorAsian, where the artifacts breathe with history. Owner Rusty Staff stocks the place with a traveler’s eye — he owns Asia Transpacific Journeys, after all — personally bringing back much of his stock from the exotic places he visits. There are temple doors, carved ceiling panels and gilded monks’ chests from Thailand; inscrutable Buddha figures from old Burma; baskets, carved gamelan xylophones and elaborate shadow puppets from Indonesia and Java; and bamboo birdcage lamps and tribal ancestor figures from Vietnam. And that’s just a fraction of the journey. Such treasures cost a pretty penny, but the browsing is free — and that’s a fine price to pay for an extended trip through the Orient.

T-Trove Asian Decor is the kind of place people visit just to hang out and relax. Buoyed by the sweet odor of incense and the sound of trickling indoor fountains, this is an oasis of calm. And if you’re there to buy, T-Trove encourages you to think grandiosely large or infinitesimally small, since it sells everything from miniature Chinese folk-art paintings to antique drums as wide as a room and tall as the ceiling. Or try a pair of Great Wall bookends, a branched lamp hung with individual rice-paper lanterns, an array of satin slippers or a shining cloisonne teapot. It’s all within your grasp.

Truong An is a humongous jumble of Asian imports that spill out of the doors and onto the sidewalk, everything scented with the exotic aroma of smoky fountains, peculiar herbs and stacks of fragrant joss sticks. Kids love picking through the origami kits, puffy stickers and Pucca and Mashimoro cartoon-character stationery, while adults can’t get enough of the Buddha statues, brocade bags, tea sets and Qi Pao dresses. It’s love at first sight.

Carolyn Shaver and Steve Thurston have been in the Asian import business for years, traveling to the Orient and shipping back trunks, wardrobes, ginger jars, old baskets and more. They took their passion a taste further, however, when they opened their small store on South Broadway and added a self-packaged line of high-quality teas from from China, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and India. Shaver leaves out samples of the whole-leaf teas so that customers can touch and smell them while also fondling her elegant assortment of teapots, books and accessories. Be sure to try the Jasmine Silver Peach with Pink Blossom — the tea globes flower when steeped — the pale Silver Needle white tea or the therapeutic Orangic Puerh Ginger tea with orange peel.

Whether it’s pimpin’ out your house or turnin’ out your club, National Speaker and Sound has set the standard for sound quality in Denver for more than two decades. Head salesman Neil Grudzen has sold, cajoled, referred and deferred advice to the brightest lights on the Denver music scene since the mid-’80s. An independently owned store, National Speaker continues to thrive in a business dominated by chains. Nobody has a better vibe or a better deal than National Speaker.

Whether you like Ike or hang with the Rat Pack, Room is the perfect introduction to mid-century style — like a trip to the set of The Dick Van Dyke Show. Vintage credenzas, new-but-retro chrome-and-glass coffee tables, overarching floor lamps suitable for Beat-poetry jams, sprawling sofas, martini-ware and mobiles galore. It’s all sooo crazy, cat.

Can’t afford a real Monet, Chuck Close or Czanne? BetterWall.com has you covered: Instead of a cheesy framed poster by an Old Master or modern maestro, BetterWall.com specializes in museum-exhibit banners. Remember the Denver Museum of Contemporary Art’s controversial show Will Boys Be Boys advertised with the banner featuring Chloe Piene’s topless Little David? The seven-foot-by-two foot original can now be yours for $549. BetterWall.com founders Nick and Nora Weiser run their company out of Denver, but they get old exhibit banners from more than a dozen high-profile museums all over the country, including the Denver Art Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, so customers can look well-traveled and art-conscious even if they only point and click. The couple splits the proceeds of sales with the museums, so buying here helps fund future exhibits — and keeps remnants of the old ones out of landfills.

Denver’s evolution from a vast prairie to a bona fide big city has been closely chronicled by photographers. Shutterbugs started snapping in the mid-1800s, and they haven’t stopped since. And an exhaustive archive of their work — more than 600,000 historical images — has been compiled by the Denver Art Museum, the Colorado Historical Society and the Denver Public Library’s Western History/Genealogy Department. The grainy black-and-white photos are a portal through time, reviving everything from Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show to women in big, weird hats on Larimer Street at the turn of the century. The images are arranged in galleries searchable by keyword at www.photoswest.org or in person on the fifth floor of the Central Library. For about twenty bucks, DPL staff will print and ship a nice digital copy of any photo in the collection; all you have to do is slap on a frame, and you’ve got grown-up-looking art that’s picture-perfect for your wall.

Michael and Susan Mote believe that doing laundry doesn’t have to be boring. So when the couple bought Clean Green nine months ago, they went with an atypical look for laundromat decor. They decorated the outside with lodgepoles, boulders, trees and a rustic welcome sign; on the inside they hung plants, vintage skis and pictures of mountain scenery for a cozy ski-lodge look. In addition to providing a cheery space in which to wash your clothes, the Motes host weekly Senior Days and Singles’ Nights and operate a Kids’ Corner decorated with old sleds. Give it a spin.

Located in super-hip Highland is the equally hip Swank. On the scene for just a year, Swank has the quintessential elements of a successful independent clothing store: itty-bitty clothes; oversized, crystal-encrusted jewelry; sequin-adorned everything; and no more than three of one item. Jeans that already look worn and whiskered to perfection — at a mere $100 per pair — line the exposed-brick walls, and dry-clean-only satin tops hang on metal racks. Owner Wendy Vandermaas brings in the freshest designs from California, New York and Europe to outfit Denver’s most stylish and independent-minded residents.

Eras Vintage is everything a good vintage store should be: cozy, cluttered and brimming with surprises. Every time one layer is excavated, another trove of treasures is uncovered. Proprietor Bobbi Boynton opened her shop last May and filled it with hats and shoes and bags and clothes and pitchers and needlework and Tom Collins glasses and more; the list goes on and on. She keeps the clothes impeccably repaired, and her selections befit a woman who always has an eye on fashion — a trait she attributes to her mother. The only way Eras could be better is if it were a secret stash you found in your grandmother’s closet.

Safari Seconds isn’t the biggest, the cleanest or even the most discerning thrift store in town, but it supports a very good cause: The shop is a fundraising venture of the non-profit African Community Center and employs immigrants in need of social acclimation and job experience. Tucked behind Manos, Safari Seconds can be tough to find, but there are a few specialties here that make the hunt worthwhile, particularly the Ethiopian coffee, the trinkets and store manager Jerry Baack, a Vietnam vet with a big heart and an eye for antiques and vintage glass. It’s a jungle out there, but Safari makes it worth the trek.

If you can squeeze into something smaller than a size fourteen, Ranelle Gregory’s inviting vintage, thrift and consignment clothing shop is a bargain paradise. Fittingly, Your Best Friend’s Closet is best experienced with a friend, so take one along who enjoys stroking fabric, eyeing jewelry and mining for good labels. Help each other pick out outfits and then model the results: More often than not, you’ll get lucky in Your Best Friend’s Closet.

If you’re gonna play poker, you’re gonna have to dress poker. If you were a bulldog, a visor and cigar would be all that you’d need. But two-legged folk like a fuller house. That’s what area tournament player/ real-estate investor/Vegas hustler Michael Turnbull banked on when he created PokerMade, an online shop hawking T-shirts, caps and women’s panties emblazoned with poker slogans and symbols that range from the straightforward “Deal Me In” to the iconic, Last Supper-parody “Poker Night With the Boys.” Read ’em and weep, boys, read ’em and weep.

What you put on your face has to be carefully considered, since that’s where people look first, and the glasses you wear should speak for you. If you want your face to say “hip” and “cutting-edge,” head to DisRespectacles, the only outpost of this big-city-style store outside of New York. For chunky, oversized shades, updated aviators and freaky, fat rectangular frames that make a statement, look no further than this Platte Street spectacle.

Staying on the cusp of urban-sneaker culture is a tough mission that involves a constant dialogue between the word on the street and the drafting table. But Kris Fry and brothers Randy and Mark Kleiner decided to give it a shot last year, opening The 400 as a real working retail laboratory. Besides doing research for clients in the skate, action-sports and running-shoe industries, the three operate a storefront where they display and sell shoes you won’t find in the malls, from such seriously up-to-date collectable lines as Adidas Trendline, Nike Quickstrike, Gravis Blackbox and Onitsuka Tiger. The 400 also exhibits artwork by local graffiti artists and graphic designers on First Fridays; in the crowds, just be careful not to step on anyone’s shoes.

A cute bag is a girl’s best friend. And, like girlfriends, you need more than one: Each bag in your collection should fulfill a specific need, appeal to a certain facet of your ever-changing, sparkling personality. The Pink Purse celebrates such diversity with a selection of hip pocketbooks that range from functional to outright silly. Hooray for the Zippurse and the Original Seatbeltbag for turning everyday materials into something fabulous and durable; three cheers for Matt & Nat’s PETA-approved synthetic leather “vegan” bags in fun colors; and kudos to Little Earth’s molded license-plate bags, including a Euro-sleek Italian one and a rootin’-tootin’ Wyoming model with a root beer bottle-cap clasp. Thank heaven for Hello Kitty couture, suede-fringed hobos, corduroy clutches and everything in between. Hey, it’s in the bag.

Rosi Macedo is a diminutive gem of a jewelry designer with a monstrous talent. After years of study and designing in Rio de Janeiro and New York City, the Brazilian native moved to Denver and opened a shop here in 1993, where she creates gorgeous custom jewelry using semi-precious and precious stones in gold, platinum and silver. Her work is perfect for any occasion, but Macedo’s real specialty is same-sex commitment rings. They’re pretty enough to make Marilyn Musgrave envious.

Pandora Jewelry carries much more than just jewelry. There’s Angel Snot (sticky, gooey, sparkly stuff that comes in an egg), Dress-Me-Jesus dolls, hula-girl dashboard ornaments and bacon-strip band-aids, just for starters. And who can live without tater-tot pencil toppers? If kitsch isn’t on your shopping list, you can stock up on hip gifts, including groovy greeting cards, luxurious candles and soaps, glittery jewelry and unique chi-chi shwag that’s good for any last-minute hostess gift. Open Pandora’s box; we guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

It’s not cost-effective to drive all over town when you’re shopping for bargains; what you pay in gas is likely to offset any real savings. What you need is a single spot with numerous stores for the frugal-minded — a spot like Central Park Center, a thrifters’ paradise in southeast Denver. This mall features not one, not two, but three of the best bargain-basement stores in the area. On the prowl for a serviceable coat? Try your luck at ARC. Looking for a plastic lamb to nestle in the front lawn? Big Lots might have just the thing. And if shiny new housewares and cheap wrapping paper get your heart beating faster, Family Dollar has what you want. Misers, start your engines!

Sisters Dayna Nixon and Shari Triche are natives of New Orleans, but that hasn’t stopped them from becoming some of this state’s most vociferous “Buy Colorado” boosters. They opened Colorado Cupboard almost two years ago, filling it with only certifiably Colorado goods: candles, organic honey, peanut butter, jewelry, photography, soaps, lotions, prepared foods, chocolate, cookies, baby food and more. The only deviation from the Centennial State theme is the 100 percent hometown food they serve in the Cupboard’s adjunct Cooking With Jazz Cafe: beignets, roast beef po’ boys and jambalaya. Vive Cajun Colorado!

Local artist Julia McClurg has a way with pet portraits, and the proof is in dozens of commissions she’s received since setting up shop. She captures the personality of her subjects instead of just reproducing their images, and as a result, her whimsical paintings are far better suited to the living room wall than the doghouse.

Got a dog or cat with aching bones? Slip them into one of Debra Holte’s high-quality, memory-foam pet beds, which offer orthopedic benefits similar to those enjoyed by two-legged hospital patients. What started as a home business has gone through the roof, with residents of the country’s most animal-friendly city clamoring for BuddyBed’s removable, waterproof, washable, antibacterial covers made of denim and fleece. It’s a very good thing.

Pet licensing is a doggone drag, no doubt about it. First, there’s digging up the dog’s rabies-vaccination information, then finding the time to get down to the Denver Municipal Animal Shelter on Jason Street — not an easy site to locate. Still, it’s a worthwhile endeavor, especially since licensing fees help cover a portion of the shelter’s costs, including those for adoption and vaccination programs. Last year, doing the good — and legally required — deed got a little easier, thanks to online licensing. Just visit, select “new” or “renew,” and within five minutes, Fido and Fluffy can hit the city’s off-leash dog parks lawfully.

Dr. Mary Mich is a massage therapist extraordinaire and chiropractic goddess, but it’s Jake, her adopted Australian shepherd/Border collie mix, that makes her service undeniably special. Jake carefully inspects the personality and temperament of each patient Mich sees to determine the best course of treatment: Alphas get the ultimate privilege of scratching his belly, while betas get herded. Round ’em up, Jake.

In the confines of this oh-so-au-courant boutique, nobody is hipper than Vincent, the gray-and-white feline who bounds to the door to greet visitors, appraise their footwear and, occasionally, escort them to the counter to peruse the shop’s fresh and stylish clothing, jewelry, cards and accessories. Owner Mona Lucero may have her own line of separates and handbags, but this is Vincent’s world: He even gets fan mail and doles out advice on the shop’s website, www.monalucero.com.

How can you not know Larry? Sugar, everyone who is anyone knows Larry. Larry is not just some metrosexual mutt; he’s hunky hairdresser Steve Trujillo’s beautiful bichon frise — as well as Denver’s most famous celebrity dog. It’s a well-known fact that Larry eats more gourmet meals, dresses in more designer dog collars and has more frequent-flier miles than all of the attorneys at Holland & Hart combined. Having a stylist as a human companion helps Larry keep his fur impeccably shampooed, conditioned and clipped in the latest styles. And when he looks good, he feels good — which is important, because Larry works like a dog, constantly wagging his tail off to be BFF with everyone on Denver’s A-list. And we all know what bichons they can be. Woof!

Any excuse for dog owners to set foot into macymacy is a good one. Owner Macy Matarazzo runs the cleverest, most pet-friendly shop in town, if not the universe, offering a fine array of pet paraphernalia, goodies, outrageous doggie togs and greetings from the store’s tiny Chihuahua model/mascots, Murray and Meatball. Even if you’ve never had the urge to dress up your dog for Halloween, you will if you stop by macymacy come fall. Matarazzo has everything you need to turn your pooch into a little devil, big superhero or something even more esoteric that calls for a mullet, Afro, hairnet or curler wig. What a howl!

The national eco-friendly movement toward green burials has a new friend in the Denver-based Prairie Arts League, which aims to preserve a large tract of Colorado prairie as a wildlife refuge. To finance the project, the group is selling space in a cemetery that will be a final resting place for folks who want to be scattered to the winds or go into the ground naturally, without the frills of embalming, fancy caskets, vaults or expensive memorials. As a result, local grasses and wildlife — instead of the manicured lawns of cemeteries or the metal and concrete of development — can reinhabit the prairie. Ashes to ashes.

Tonja Reichley calls herself an alchemist, and it’s easy to agree when you watch her mix her signature potions and lotions in the back room of MoonDance Botanicals. Before setting up shop in the Golden Triangle, Reichley studied in Ireland with an honest-to-God Celtic herbalist and learned to brew fresh, all-natural products designed specifically to combat the dry Colorado air. Try her handmade Chill Out Lavender spritzer, naturally perfumed creams or luxurious bath soaks, and you’ll be ready to take on the 21st century with old-world style.

Denver has its own unchallenged Mistress of the Dark — and it’s not Elvira (who grew up in Colorado Springs, after all). No, it’s Raven, Mistress of Mootown. After debuting in 1995, Rave moved four times and went through numerous incarnations before finally settling into the old Enigma space off East Colfax in July. Now Raven has a stellar staff, a monstrous 8,500-square-feet mausoleum, and decor that rivals New Orleans’s decadent, pre-Katrina divinity. Best of all, her vintage is back, alongside gorgeous goth clothing and accessories for both men and women, Manic Panic hair dye, faux fetish wear, BDSM lite and funky home furnishings. Things get even freakier when Halloween nears and Raven puts out the boob suits, fetish gear, fangs, devil horns, angel wings and just about every joke suit made under the sun. Or moon. Rave on!

You never know when you’re going to need an emergency Santa suit. The two available at the Englewood Recreation Center are luxurious crushed-velvet jobs, complete with everything required to ho-ho-ho it up, right down to the flowing beard. And even Mr. Claus himself could borrow one in a pinch, since the suits fit up to a size 48. Advance reservations are a must, and Kris Kringle wannabes will shell out $40 a day plus a $50 refundable deposit. Oh, and it’s BYO reindeer.

Many modern Jews would rather eat glass than set foot in a stuffy shul on Yom Kippur, but they still want to connect with their Jewish culture and customs. For them, there’s Judaism Your Way, which hosts religious events in unconventional surroundings. Last fall the group offered free, family-friendly High Holy Days services at Hudson Gardens, which culminated in a potluck break-the-fast. The concept continues year-round with a Jewish/African-American cultural-exchange program to celebrate Passover, same-sex-union rites, a quarterly HeeB magazine Urban Kvetch discussion group, and an informative website (www.judaismyourway.org). L’chaim.

We love Old South Pearl Street, a homey stretch in the 1400 and 1500 blocks of South Pearl where you can meander from store to store, stop for coffee, grab a meal and gab with the neighbors. There are no bright lights or hard-sell vendors — which means this is also the perfect environment for a wedding expo. On the second Wednesday of every month, a band of South Pearl merchants anchored by Paper Talk and Polkadot Boutique hosts a truly down-home open house where you can talk to wedding experts and peruse options for invitations, flowers and cakes. Mazel tov!

There’s only one place in town where you can barter with hippies for handmade crafts, partake in drink specials, listen to spaced-out music and enjoy homemade chocolate-chip cookies on a leisurely weekend afternoon: Conscious Creations, the flea market/ art bazaar that takes place at Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom from 2 to 5 p.m. the second Sunday of each month. The market’s also a family affair, notes organizer Kaewyn, self-proclaimed Minion of Groove, Goddess of Goodness and daughter of the chocolate-chip cookie-maker. “It’s a great way for us to get together with our kids and share our art,” she says. So what are you waiting for? Round up the crew, head down to that hippie haven in Five Points, Cervantes’, and get your groove on.

First came Gifts for Yule, an absolutely yummy holiday gift show that’s run for several seasons at the Denver Turnverein, bringing cool stuff — folk art, vintage linens, pottery, lotions, jewelry and clothing new and old, antiques and all kinds of whimsical what-have-yous — together under one roof. And this year, show founder Samantha Robinson introduced Spring Fling, a new temporary-shopping Valhalla. Sure to be a fab fair in its own right, the Fling offers one more reason to come on down: You don’t have to feel guilty about shopping for yourself when you should be buying holiday gifts. Sweet.

The Peter Pan syndrome has been in full force in Denver since last fall, when Dea Webb and David Wendt opened Plastic Chapel, their closet-sized toy store for adults. Come in for the urban vinyl figures normally found by collectors at Kidrobot stores, and stay for the always-changing inventory of knife-wielding, smoking, scowling skateboard-art aliens; Dalek’s must-have Space Monkeys and Fire Cats; and Frank Kozik’s nasty, butt-chewing Smorkin’ Labbits. Prices range from under ten dollars to sky-high, but what’s a few bucks when a new Gorillaz or In Crowd figure hits the shelves? Think of it as a 3-D resurrection of the long-lost comic-book collection your mom threw out years ago.

Denver’s newest sex-toy store also happens to be its classiest. The husband-and-wife team of Elizabeth Hauptman and Pete Yribia opened the bodacious boutique last April to give this town some sex-positive vibes. Modeled after the feminist sex shops Good Vibrations in San Francisco and Toys in Babeland in Seattle and New York, Hysteria sells high-quality erotic toys, books, videos and gifts in a clean, beautiful, woman- and queer-friendly space. From buttery-soft leather and sparkly vinyl harnesses to safe-yet-sexy silicone, glass and metal dildos and vibrators, Hysteria has the toys to make everyone feel like Wonder Woman or Superman. Even Freud would approve — and he’d probably recommend the German-made Fun Factory Flexi Felix silicone beads, in baby blue, for those with anal tendencies.

Carlos Larranaga is a master tailor and designer who’s been creating hot custom leather garments for the LBGT/BDSM community for 35 years. He first fashioned his cutting-edge kinky couture at storied San Francisco leather shop Image, then moved his material to Denver in 1997, where he’s been hard at the 5helm ever since. Whether you’re a fierce leather-contest competitor who needs a spiked chest harness or just an old cowpoke looking to get back in the saddle again, call Larranaga. But be sure to call him “Sir”!

Videotique celebrated its twentieth anniversary last year, and the independent renter is still going strong. The compact shop may be shoehorned into a tiny strip-mall corridor, but it’s also packed wall-to-wall with more than 10,000 rentals. Though LBGT titles are the house specialty, you’ll find everything from art-house cinema to big-budget Hollywood fluff. And the “black-book” section of adult films for all genders and orientations is quite impressive.

Category Six was a Denver institution for more than twenty years, and now the bookseller is ready to start on its next twenty as Relatively Wilde, renamed in honor of Oscar Wilde by life partners Ron Metz and Marc Crouch. Bringing in their quilts, crocheted hearth rugs, Roman busts and two dogs, Bob and Tucker, Metz and Crouch gave the shop a homey makeover that makes it feel welcoming for everyone from lesbian grandmas to old sweater queens. They’re also packing in more literary and women’s titles, so Relatively Wilde is the perfect place to grab a copy of Annie Proulx’s Brokeback Mountain. Go Wilde.

Owners and life partners Louise Knapp and Spider Kornblith have womanned Word Is Out for nearly twelve years, and at their place, you find obscure books on any famous or semi-famous woman, from H.D. to H. Clinton. The sunny shop also carries music, jewelry, T-shirts and posters by feminist artists, LBGT pride paraphernalia, and libby/pro-peace bumperstickers. There’s even a personal shopper on staff to assist with those gift-giving dilemmas: Reggie, the very butch female toy poodle. Word to your mother.

The inhabitants of the Apple Store — a Mac user’s Zion — are just as sexy as those shoppers at Whole Foods across the street, but here there’s a good chance that they’re hot and smart. Maybe it’s just their proximity to the Apple “geniuses” — those geeks-in-a-good-way trouble-shooting Powerbooks in the back of the store — that makes them seem so. Whatever, it’s working. Want a graphic designer in Diesel jeans and Puma zip-ups? Go hang with the serious hardware. Love high school students with sticker-covered iBooks and wise-beyond-their-years looks? Visit the iPods. Everyday Mac lovers? They’re at the back of the store wearing the smug looks on their faces; they always knew Apple would rise again.

She’s gazing intently at the nutrition label on a box of Melba Rounds. She’s slender, with short hair, and wears her pants rolled up around her calves like she doesn’t even care. If she were at a Safeway, she’d be the most beautiful girl in the store — hell, in the zip code — but at Whole Foods in Cherry Creek, she’s just one of the many beautiful people. Wait! Look at that guy standing near the olive bar shaking an Odwalla. His forearms are so muscular — a rock climber, perhaps? He grips a basket that contains organic grapes, Tom’s of Maine toothpaste and goat cheese. Over there, by the juice bar, the gal with the long brown hair; the tall guy in the checkout must be a vegan. And Terra Chips are on sale! That is so hot.

Metrosexuals, you no longer need skulk into women-oriented salons to get groomed. Jung Park, an MBA candidate at the University of Denver, has come to your rescue with MetroBoom, a place where you can get a real salon haircut as well as upscale grooming products, titanium cuff links, button-down shirts and trendy designer jeans and tees. Park makes men out of boys — stylish men, that is.

SOL should be a rite of passage, a secret world that aunts open up for their nieces. It would prevent long-term scarring from harsh department-store lights and help end the unfortunate phenomenon of ill-fitting bras. Owners Jeanie Peterson and Cindy Johnson have been running SOL in Cherry Creek since 1997, and almost every woman who goes in comes out a convert. That’s because these two — and their staff — can size up a customer at a glance and know exactly what she needs. Slipping straps, punishing underwires, ugly bra lines? They’ve got you covered. Plus, their line of “date bras,” as they call them, are fun, flirty and show off your assets to best effect. Yes, SOL’s bras are pricey, but when you exit the dressing room, it’s like you’ve had a boob job — without the risk of finding yourself in a nasty Pam Anderson situation.

Do contemporary women really want to squeeze all of the air out of their lungs just to be skinnier and sexier? Yes — and no: Corset-maker Jane Campbell gives them the hourglass look without all the pain of lacing up a corset. Campbell fashions her modern, steel-boned waist-cinchers from gorgeous brocades and fake-snake fabrics, so they feel as good as they look. A student of Victorian undergarb, she strives to make every woman an aficionado by offering occasional corset evenings that include a history lesson along with a fitting tutorial. You can breathe now.

Looking for a little nip-tuck without the nasty side effects of the scalpel? Try Eden II Spa’s Four-Layer Facelift. The gentle peel hydrates the skin, working over time to fight the effects of city living with all its smoke, pollution and booze. Aesthetician Ceara Quintanilla brushes a dose of vitamin C enzymes over your face, then does a mask with a sunny serum that feels like satin across bare skin. Another enzyme coating and a final glycolic mask, and you’re done — for just $75, and the uplifting results usually last two to three weeks. You glow, girl.

A cheap wooden sign outside Woonoh’s Hair Salon sums up the bare-bones barbershop in three perfectly hand-drawn words: Nite Hair City. Stylist Woonoh will gladly take appointments at nearly any hour, especially late into the evening. With only one chair and one sink, there may be some waiting, but the place feels like a private oasis of blow-dryers and bleach fumes. If Kim Gordon were Korean and cut hair for a living, she would be Woonoh — and that says something about the genuinely hip, ridiculously inexpensive ‘dos trotting out of the shop nightly.

The salon services at the Emily Griffith Opportunity School’s student salon are so cheap you might be tempted to get your hair done twice in one visit. Outside of a Third World country, where else can you find a $5 haircut, a $7 facial or a $4 manicure? Staffed by students enrolled in the school’s cosmetology program and supervised by an instructor, the salon is open Monday through Friday, and walk-ins are welcome. The EGOS salon isn’t fancy, but it’s a blissful option for those who are both thrifty and stylish.

The Aveda Institute is like the Vassar of beauty schools, and its rigorous fifty-week program turns out students ready to coif the most fashionable heads around. Until then, the grasshoppers charge a mere $12 for a haircut, which includes a shampoo, wash and style, and facials can be had for $30. The Institute opened last year in Media Play’s old space in the Denver Dry Goods building — giving a new-millennium facelift to what was once the crown jewel of downtown’s redevelopment.

West Side Books has been a part of the Highland community since before “community” became a buzzword. The expansive used-book store feels like walking into a friend’s old-school loft, with its concrete floors, rough walls and high ceilings. There are chairs and carpets everywhere, and the books themselves are housed on a mishmash of shelving that appears to have come from every corner of the planet. The general-fiction selection shows depth and breadth, and there are more than a few gems in the rare-books section. The real specialties, though, are children’s literature, illustrated books and Western Americana. There are also jazz nights, literary readings and a host of other well-organized “community” events. So come in, sit down and stay a while.

Even when Denver was a wild frontier town, it had a public library, and bookstores remain a major hallmark of civilization in the area. Even as big chains gobble up much of the market across the country, niche stores hold on tight to the hearts, minds and wallets of loyal customers. Over the past two years, Misty Hills Books has become an intrinsic part of Olde Town Arvada. Like most independent bookstores, it’s about much more than books. It’s about a comfortable place to relax, to browse through not just books, but other oddball fare — canned haggis, anyone? — and feel like a part of the community.

Creative impulses abound in the ‘burbs. For proof, just take a walk down Littleton’s Main Street, a century-old strip now filling with chic shops, good restaurants and upscale services. Inspired by what you see? Step around the corner to CreARTive, a bungalow staffed by artists and filled with work spaces. This two-year-old enterprise features studios dedicated to artistic endeavors ranging from candle-making to pottery to mosaics, where you can indulge your inner Picasso alone or en masse. Book an aesthetically pleasing baby shower today — wouldn’t Junior just love some tie-dyed diapers? Littleton, you’re looking good.

New urbanism, you’re looking good! And in Belmar, the classy development that took over the former home of Villa Italia, Ricochet could be the main reason why. This great, girly store got its start on South Gaylord, then pioneered Lakewood’s new-urbanist outpost, making the area safe for cool greeting cards, fun accessories and little gewgaws you can’t live without.

The Colorado Collection is a hard-to-find sanctuary in a land of cheap, tacky souvenirs. Before the locally owned boutique took off with DIA in 1995, the Colorado Collection was located downtown, and owner/goldsmith Lauren Wahlstrom sold her work out of the shop. Wahlstrom has since passed away, but her family still owns and runs this store specializing in unique, original jewelry, such as the earrings that Breckenridge artist Denise Bloch makes with her own hand-blown glass beads. And even if you’re not looking to spend any money, the store’s friendly employees are a joy to chat with. Be warned: Layovers pass quickly here, so don’t miss your flight.

Often the hottest-selling items at Satellite Boardshop weren’t the skates and snowboards, but the shoes. So owners Raul Pinto and J.G. Mazzotta opened a second Boulder store devoted entirely to street footwear, particularly special-release shoes by Adidas, Nike, I-Path and Vans. Though the location they chose has been a killing field for a bunch of boutiques over the decades, Installation has emerged an unexpected winner. And it’s fitting that the art gallery/shoe store’s most recent show was an exhibit by elusive San Francisco graffiti artist Bigfoot.

You could write a book on what the Tattered Cover and its principled owner, Joyce Meskis, have meant not just to Denver, but to lovers of literature and free speech everywhere. That book begins in Cherry Creek North, where a pre-Meskis Tattered got its start in a little cubbyhole in 1972. Under Meskis, it kept moving to bigger and better locations — the biggest and best the old Neusteter’s department store on First Avenue, a five-story building that she filled with an astounding inventory of books, incredibly knowledgeable clerks, an ever-rotating array of authors who lectured in the basement, and even a restaurant on top — the Fourth Story. But Cherry Creek has changed, and the Tattered Cover — which added locations in LoDo a decade ago and more recently in Highlands Ranch — is moving on. In June, it will open another store on East Colfax Avenue, in the old Lowenstein Theater that will soon be home to a movie theater and Twist & Shout, too. That will close the book on Cherry Creek, at least for now. You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s almost gone…

Like a true traveler, Ivy Morgan’s Cargo comes and goes, sometimes packing up in the night and leaving an empty space behind. And now Cargo has returned, this time to a funky South Broadway storefront, but it’s selling the same sort of reasonably priced Nepalese, Thai and Indian imports as before, including a great selection of quality incense and those cute, lucky-penis charms that everyone should have stashed in a drawer. Morgan has also brought back her fabulous graphic T-shirts boasting Asian floral designs, geishas and bodhisattvas that go so well with Cargo’s brocade jeans, burnout velvet tops and quilted-satin swing coats. Welcome back.

Colfax Avenue is hot — hot dog! You may have seen Steve and Linda Ballas before, in their popular, dog-slinging pooch coach at farmers’ markets and other outdoor events around town, or at the Corporate Deli, which they used to run downtown. (And here’s food for thought: Linda is the daughter of Blinky the Clown.) Now the couple has staked a permanent claim on Colfax at Steve’s Snappin’ Dogs, a sleek, diner-style enterprise in a renovated gas station. Here you can pick up Steve’s trademark all-meat, no-filler Thumann’s dogs, shipped in from Jersey, along with a side of chili fries, coleslaw or the unexpectedly yummy, crispy-puffy deep-fried green beans. That’s it, in a bun, with mustard.

The latest entry in the pantheon of “new” — new country, the New West, the New South — is New Colfax, and its epicenter is the Bluebird District, named for the iconic theater at Colfax and Adams Street. Over the past eighteen months, Cafe Star, Hooked on Colfax, Babooshka salon and ism Gallery have joined such stalwarts as Goosetown Tavern, Collins’ Bicycles, Mezcal and Colfax Guitar Shop to create a bustling commercial district where dirt lots and cheap blow jobs once reigned. But not all signs of the old strip are gone: While shopping for flowers or buying a cup of joe, customers still chase off the occasional hooker — although they’ve become less obvious and more expensive as they try to fit in with the New Colfax.

Jack Kerouac and friends would surely be surprised to find what the past twelve months have brought to their skid row. Early pioneers such as Architectural Antiques and the Larimer Lounge stood watch over gang turf wars and armed robberies, but now Espo’s Gelato Shop & Caf, the Barkway, Checkpoint Racing, Meadowlark, Art & Anthropology and a gaggle of lofts have joined them on this urban frontier. The bums still stagger down the street en masse, lit on forties from the liquor stores that line the strip, but they’re usually willing to lend a hand for a kind word and two bucks for a Cobra.

Nobody believes in biodiesel as the fuel of the future more than north Denverite Lorance Romero, who mixes his own vegetable-oil-based B100 brew under the aegis of the Clearing House collective and Denver BioDiesel. It takes a lot of space to both fill and store barrels of the clean-burning energy source, so Romero is pleased as punch with his brand-new 1,700-square-foot work space, where he hopes to soon run hands-on classes for eco-conscious folks like himself. First up: Diesel 101 for Women and basics courses explaining how diesel engines can run biodiesel without expensive conversions. Way to go!

The best parking value downtown is the meters lining the west side of the 1400 block of Wynkoop Street. Though they face one of LoDo’s spendiest lots, these babies dole out a half-hour per quarter — for up to five hours. That’s right, mathematicians: For a scant fiddy cent, you get a whole hour to booze, shop, eat, whatever. You don’t need to be Pythagoras to know that’s a good deal.

Recently moved to a better showroom and expanded to include broker services, the Import Warehouse is an oasis of decent used-car deals amid a desert of hide-burning dealership experiences. The inventory is European (mostly Volvo, Audi and Volkswagen) and no-haggle priced, the staff is low-key and helpful, and here’s the best part: One percent of the purchase price is donated to the charity of your choice or one of IW’s approved causes, which range from local animal shelters and food banks to breast-cancer research. When was the last time you made out like a bandit while making nice?

You can rely on all the dealership blather about their certified “pre-owned vehicles” — or you can invest a modest sum in an independent inspection before sinking your insurance settlement into that white-smoking clunker. Precision’s Leo Russ has taken on dealers on behalf of extended-warranty companies and now stumps for consumers in person and online at www.anti-lemon.com; he’s opinionated, intimately familiar with the flaws of various makes and models, and provides on-site service and a detailed report, complete with photos. Option? This guy should be part of the basic package.

NoDuiDenver.com has done the barflies of Denver an immeasurable service by eliminating the morning-after “Where did I leave my car?” game. For just a little more than the cost of a cab, NoDui’s drivers — a plucky, sober, background-checked army — will drive you home in your own car when the party’s over. And don’t worry if you’re too sauced to say where you are: They’ll find you, and the company uses GPS technology to pinpoint its drivers and then send someone to pick them up when the ride’s over. NoDuiDenver.com is a smart, simple solution to a very basic need: keeping drunk drivers off the street and out of DUI court.

Taxis are not glamorous. They’re temporary and transitory, the mobile equivalent of a phone booth: meant for quick use and quick turnaround by lots and lots of people. But with Central Car Service, being driven around town can be damn near classy, thanks to a fleet of newer Cadillacs outfitted with lush interiors and functional air-conditioning and stereo systems. They’ll still pick you up at a dirty dive bar and take you through the Taco Bell drive-thru at 2 a.m., but you’ll look good doing it.

The Jester, a gypsy cab driver, has weathered some turbulence this year. But he recently rescued his storied lime-green Chevrolet Impala from hock and is once again rolling around D-town in style, offering clandestine rides to the stranded and the impatient. In the plus column, he picked up Sound Tribe Sector 9 from an after-party, and the appreciative rap group found some, uh, herbal way to compensate him. On the negative side, one evening the G-Ride crossed paths with Ross Alexander, president of Yellow Cab, outside the Pepsi Center — and then had to lie low for a couple of days. But Jester’s now back on the mean streets of Denver. It’s what he knows, and he enjoys getting people home safely — for a bartered price — as much as he appreciates being able to make a living doing it.

Keith-David Hammock works seven days a week, from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., shuttling the city’s inebriated in a converted RTD Access-A-Ride van that was gifted to him by the Bianchi brothers, owners of Sancho’s, Quixote’s, Cervantes’ and Dulcinea’s. In exchange for driving Bianchi bar customers between the hippie empire’s establishments, Hammock can transport whomever else he pleases, wherever they please, at a price typically cheaper than your standard cab. But it’s not just the cost that makes the Rastavan such a savvy Rasta Keith’s laid-back, friendly and cool demeanor ensures that everyone enjoys their time on the bus, be they concert-goers, birthday-celebrators or yuppie businessmen. Being able to bring your own booze on board doesn’t hurt, either.

Used to be the only ways to get to Mexico were to sign on for some cheesy tour or sit at the Colorado Boulevard on-ramp to I-25 South with a “Mexico or Bust” sign, a handful of pesos and a willingness to do anything the trucker who picked you up demanded. Anything. A few selective-memory blackouts and a couple of burro rides later, you were smack-dab in the heart of Mexico City. Okay, maybe getting to Mexico only required a layover, but that’s almost as bad — and George Bush International Airport sucks for so many reasons. But today Denver International Airport offers nearly 25 non-stop flights a day to Mexico — some guided by Frontier’s friggin’ Flip — with fares often equivalent to those for a domestic flight, upgrading a weekend getaway to Mexico from possible to feasible. Arriba!

Tyler Stans knows sweet rides. To see him tooling around Denver on one of his custom lowrider bicycles, his dreads trailing behind him, is to see a man who understands style. Stans started chopping Schwinns three years ago after a friend pulled three old bikes from the trash and sold them to him for $300, and proceeded to make a name for himself as a talented restorer of antique bikes. But while that’s still his livelihood, he prefers creating custom cruisers. Bikes go for at least a grand, but each one is a street-legal piece of art.

For 42 years, the non-profit SCORE has offered free confidential counseling and low-cost workshops for entrepreneurs trying to start, operate or rescue a small business. The Denver chapter (there are offices in Longmont and Steamboat Springs, too) has more than eighty counselors — mostly working or retired executives — whose tips on financing, marketing, accounting and fine-tuning business plans come from years of happy (and sometimes bitter) experience. That’s a lot of expertise for no money down.

Small businesses hatch and grow at the Microbusiness Development Center, a one-stop non-profit business resource that helps low-income entrepreneurs through micro-loans, skills programs, a computer lab and general boosterism. Clients who’ve gotten a jump start from the organization include a seamstress, importers of African merchandise, a gelato-maker, a 24-hour personal receptionist, numerous caterers and even the maker of a squeeze-free juice-box holder for toddlers. With a recent move to a new facility come bigger and better plans for MBD’s future: The group hopes to add a fully equipped commercial kitchen for startups, community centers for small-business and youth entrepreneurs, a library and more.

Murder, drugs, arson, rape, sexual assault, armed robbery, shoplifting, burglary, DUI, arson, larceny, assault, menacing, prostitution and soliciting a prostitute — it’s all at your fingertips, thanks to cbirecordscheck.com. For a mere $6.85, you can get the criminal history of anybody who’s ever been arrested in Colorado. All you need is a name, date of birth and vague description (e.g., male or female, white, black or brown), and the Colorado Bureau of Investigations will hook you up. No private eye, no police officer, no sheriff or other snoop necessary.

Denver Maps puts Google Maps to shame. Not only can you get aerial photos, but you can ask the online mapper to show Denver City Council districts, police stations, golf courses, future streets, a Wastewater Management Platmap Index, Enterprise Zones, schools, polling places, bike paths and more — all layered on one map. There’s also a list of every neighborhood organization associated with a particular address, complete with contact e-mails and phone numbers, personal-property records, and a neighborhood map for figuring out the ever-confusing boundaries of Five Points or deciding where Highland becomes Sloan’s Lake. Take that, Google!

The new Hyatt Regency by the convention center is pretty fly. But while rooms can be pricey, anyone with a laptop and ten bucks can spend 24 hours in the lap of this luxury hotel, thanks to its T-Mobile Hot Spot. Settle into a cushy chair in the spectacular lobby or bar area, hold your cell phone just right as you hammer away on Gmail, and the staff will think you’re someone really, really important. Log on.

Taki’s has long been a favorite among bargain-minded Denverites seeking great, healthy food at stunningly low prices; this Colfax mainstay even has free delivery. In keeping with that Japanese-flavored generosity, Taki’s began offering free WiFi to customers in 2005. So now you can cruise myspace.com while slurping up spicy ginger miso or download iTunes over a barbecued tofu steak. Arigato, Taki-san.

Nearly every hospital in the area has volunteers on site to assist patients in any way possible. But Sky Ridge takes this service to a new level: Rather than just a handful of volunteers at the facility, there’s a veritable legion of them, and they’re consistently the nicest, kindest, best-informed and most accommodating helpers imaginable.

In addition to its once-a-year, door-to-door hazardous-waste pickup service, Denver also has a drop-off facility, the Household Hazardous Waste Swap Shop, where you can take up to 125 pounds of oil-based or latex paint, moth balls, solvents, hobby supplies, fluorescent tubes, car batteries — whatever eligible toxic materials you have lying around the garage — for free recycling and/or disposal, by appointment only. And while you’re there, go ahead and peruse other people’s discarded paint pots and aerosol cans for any stuff you want. Ultimately, Denver’s waste-management program wants residents to reduce the hazardous materials they use, but as long as they’re still here, the pickin’s are free.

The combination of high-density apartment buildings in Capitol Hill and the high number of homeless, indigent and cracked-out folks who roam the corridors around East Colfax Avenue creates at least one harmonious, if accidental, civic service: free trash pickup. The City of Denver restricts depositing large items in alley dumpsters, but Colfax crackheads are happy to retrieve old mattresses, broken bikes, busted fishing poles, spent refrigerators and unwanted Nagel prints — usually within five minutes of the item’s being set out on a sidewalk or in an alley. Like ants cleaning a discarded chicken carcass, the Colfax trash brigade sweeps the city clean.

There’s nothing worse than lugging around RTD bus schedules: The right one is never at hand, and when you do find it, hiding at the bottom of a bag, it’s crumpled and expired by months. Time to go paperless with RTD’s wireless services. At rtd-denver.com, you can download the schedule viewer onto any PDA, then synch regularly to keep data current and find out exactly when the next bus or light-rail train will arrive, or locate the best route to get somewhere. Now, that’s door-to-door service.

If you only go to a church service once a year, make it the Colorado Council of Churches’ Easter Sunrise at Red Rocks. For 58 years, Denverites have been hauling their blankets, parkas, umbrellas and Thermoses up a huge sandstone hill to find religion in the world’s most beautiful amphitheatre. Choirs, gospel singers, preachers, drummers, dancers and string players have all taken the stage to welcome spring and let the Spirit move them. But it’s hard to beat the opening act of the sun rising over the plains, illuminating the park’s giant red-rock flanks.

One February day, would-be customers of the Boulder Arts and Crafts Cooperative encountered this sign on the entrance: “We will be closed Tuesday, 2/21, for Feng Shui adjustments.” Where there’s a will, there’s a shui.