Standing on the marble steps of Alaska's Capitol, a visitor peers down Main Street in Juneau. Maybe she's ready for lunch or a coffee break after a busy morning of meetings. Maybe she needs copies, or aspirin or a stroll in the forest for fresh air. All this and more can be found within a few minutes' walk of the Capitol's marble pillars.

Two dozen downtown restaurants offer everything from breakfast and tasty latté to an elegant meal. Food carts at the corner of Third and Seward and elsewhere provide quick salads and sandwiches, and late­night eateries offer midnight snacks.

Some of the closest: Rainbow Foods, on the corner of Second and Seward Streets, is a health food store with groceries, remedies and a fast lunch counter. Tramar's Franklin Street Diner, just a block down the street from the Capitol, offers three square meals of the standard all­American fare. El Sombrero at 157 Franklin St. is a family owned establishment serving Mexican food quickly. Nearby fast-food franchises include McDonald's and Subway, three blocks down Seward Street from the Capitol.

For copies, faxes, Internet services and such Copy Express at 223 Seward is about two blocks down the hill. Another block down the street, Mail Call has stamps and postal services. A postal contract station is just another couple blocks away, at 127 Franklin St.

For aspirin and that misplaced toothbrush, Juneau Drug is on the corner of Seward and Front Streets downtown.

For a breath of fresh air a 10­minute walk takes you out of town and back into the Gold Creek Basin, where Joe Juneau and his partner found the gold that built the town more than a century ago. Mountains 3,500 feet high flank the canyon, and birds and running water can provide a pleasant respite from the hectic pace of the session. Just walk two blocks down Fourth Street to Gold Street and head up the hill. The street doglegs into Basin Road. A side trail ­ known as the flume ­ at the bridge over the creek loops back to town. For a longer walk, Perseverance Trail heads back into the hills at the end of the Basin Road, but beware of avalanche danger during winter.

The Alaska State Museum is five minutes from the Capitol ­ just down the staircase where Fourth Street becomes Calhoun Avenue and across the Centennial Hall parking lot. An exhibit of paintings by Alaska master Sidney Laurence is on display. An exhibit of outstanding contemporary photography by Alaska photographers is on show this winter, and ³Earth, Fire and Fibre,² an exhibit of ceramics, weaving, carving and other work by Alaska artists, goes up in March.

The state museum also has the work of artists Carol Hilgemann and Dan Mohr on display, as well as a wealth of artifacts and natural history displays.

The Juneau­Douglas City Museum, right across Main Street from the Capitol, is closed in January for upgrades. It will reopen in February with exhibits on the history of the capital city and a kids activity room. Open hours usually are weekday afternoons and Saturdays, and admission is free in the winter.

For a taste of downtown Juneau nightlife, several bars have live music on the weekends and open mike performances on Thursday nights. The Alaskan Bar and Hotel on Franklin Street consistently offers live music. The Imperial Saloon, a block away on Front Street, often has live music, and both host Thursday night open mikes for guest performers.

Juneau has an active contra dance scene, with dances on Thursday and Saturday evenings downtown. Juneau's 20th Century Twin Theater is right downtown on Front Street, presenting Hollywood's latest fare.

For the complete lowdown on arts and entertainment, check This Week in each Thursday's Juneau Empire.

For karaoke, The Viking Lounge at 218 Front St. and the Rendezvous at 184 South Franklin St. are popular downtown. The Viking and Hangar on the Wharf have pool tables.

For late-night snacks, Pel' Meni in the Merchants Wharf Mall at the end of Main Street offers quick Russian dumplings.

As summer approaches, the visitor industry gears up for the three­quarters of a million cruise-ship tourists who come to Juneau every summer. There's a definite increase in activity and dozens of seasonal gift shops open.