My husband and I have recently been struck by this burning desire to be in Denver during the Democratic National Convention at the end of August. Because hotels are all booked up by the Democratic Convention Committee, we've started looking to Craigslist to rent a private residence/condo/apartment for the week (last week in August).

We quickly found that knowing NOTHING about Denver is a serious handicap -- wouldn't know one neighborhood from another, and now we're looking for some guidance.

Anyone have suggestions of nice neighborhoods within a mile or two of the Pepsi Center? By "nice" we mean hospitable to tourists, with a few good restaurants, maybe a park to run in, a shopping district, a bus line, that kind of thing.

And if not within a mile or two, what are your favorite neighborhoods in Denver?

You may want to try the www.vrbo.com website and in your request ask how close this home/condo/apt is to the Pepsi Center.

To get you started, off the top of my head, the following neighborhoods would meet your requirements--the Baker neighborhood, Golden Triangle, Capitol Hill.

You could stay as far out as the Tech Center and take the train to downtown very easily. Tech Center is Littleton/Centennial/Cherry Hills/Park Meadows area. There are other areas served by the light rail also.

Have heard that the light rail is stopping a couple of stops before the Papsi Center for security, you may want to check that out if you are planning on the light rail.