City: Boulder, CO

Category: Shopping

Description: This is the kind of low-key, small-scale shopping area that any neighborhood would want. You won’t find choices galore here, but you’ll notice just how lovely and cozy a small neighborhood shopping center can be. The area fits its neighborhood well. Kids arrive from the bike trails to pick up videos, wander into the pet store, and stop for ice cream. Families and friends winding down after work fill the restaurants, which serve Chinese food, Italian food, and sandwiches. The Nomad Players, a well-regarded community theater group, performs in the Quonset just east of the center. North Boulder Market, which anchors this little shopping center, is a good basic grocery store, with one of the better meat departments in town and a more-than-adequate deli. A video outlet, liquor store, florist, and pet supply store round out the shopping opportunities.