Best Places to Shop in San Diego
September 15th, 2008
(cc: photo credit: Bernard-SD)
It seems a waste to spend the day inside when you’re in San Diego, after all it’s hard to find another city in the world with weather this consistently beautiful. But shopping must happen, whether you’re just picking up a souvenir or if you’re a seasoned mall veteran, there’s always a need and San Diego is able to provide you with ample shopping options.
For starters, there are the malls, scads of them in San Diego County, and you can probably find everything you need there, but for a more interesting shopping excursion there are specialty boutiques. And let’s not forget the frugal ones in the crowd, there’s always an outlet mall for deals.
For the best of everything in just one place, Fashion Valley is the place to go. The beautiful outdoor shopping center has more than 200 stores and restaurants with some pretty impressive big name anchor stores such as Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy’s, and Bloomingdale’s. With so many incredible stores in one location you would think that would be enough, but Fashion Valley ups the ante by adding such exclusive high end stores as Tiffany & Co., M.A.C., Louis Vuitton, A/X Armani Exchange, Coach, Max Studio, BOSS Stores, Burberry, and Gucci. On top of that, almost every flavor of food you want AND an 18 screen AMC Theatre.
How do you top Fashion Valley? Well, you probably can’t, especially if fashion drives you, but there are other things to look for when shopping for well…shopping. Westfield Horton Plaza offers good shopping with Nordstrom and Macy’s serving as the anchors an some specialty stores such as BCBG, Bebe, Louis Vuitton, and Levi’s. There is also a variety of food choices but most of them are fast food. But the one thing that really makes Westfield Horton Plaza so special is its architecture. Created in the 1980’s by someone who may possible have had a screw loose. This multi-level outdoor complex resembles a European villa with little hidden treasures around every corner. It’s considered a tourist attraction too many but it’s also convenient to locals, situated right in the center of downtown San Diego. Maybe it’s not the best place to find everything you need, but it’s definitely got quirky down pat.
For shopping and a little bit more, give Westfield University Town Center a try. Yes, it’s another mall in the Westfield group, but this one has its own attitude. Built in the late 1970’s this mall was designed to accommodate several different cities and host a spate stores that appeal to everyone. But the one real notable feature of the University Town Center mall is the ice skating rink. A fad in the ’70s the mall ice rink has all but disappeared across the country but this one not only holds its ground, its flourishing. Maybe it’s the outdoor mall venue, maybe it’s the climate, or perhaps it’s just because local kids need something to keep them occupied, but the ice rink is still a very popular hangout for the locals. The stores are typical and feature nothing special and the food court is similar. But if you’re not as interested in shopping as hanging out and enjoying the day, then Westfield University Town Center is for you.
For outlet shoppers, there’s Las Americas Premium Outlets a fairly new outlet center and a very impressive one, being the largest in the region. Holding to the Hispanic influences of the region, the mall actually sits very near the Mexican border. The architecture is strictly Mexican influenced but the stores are ones that are familiar to people across the United States. Look for big savings at Adidas, Banana Republic, BCBG Max Azaria, Calvin Klein, Coach, Gap, Kenneth Cole, Neiman Marcus and many, many others. Of course there are also the standard restaurants so you can reload and get right back out for more deals. If you’re headed to Tijuana for the day, make sure to take a few hours to pop in to Las Americas Premium Outlets for outlet shopping at its finest.
Still another way to go with your shopping excursion is to look for big box stores. Several years ago these stores would pop up on the outskirts of a town and pretty soon a couple more would join them but there was no cohesive theme. This is beginning to change as the big boxes are realizing the value of an aesthetically pleasing atmosphere that gives its customers more options. Fenton Marketplace is just such a big box concoction with popular stores such as Lowes, Costco and IKEA and a few very well known restaurants. And to make the environment more appealing, in addition to the stores, the public library rests in this area and the grounds are meticulously groomed with beautiful landscaping, trellises blooming with flowers, a bubbly water fountain and even a statue of Mark Twain.
But the real consummate shopper isn’t interested in malls or outlets, they’re looking for something a little bit special, something unusual that can’t be found by everyone in every city. That’s when San Diego residents and tourists alike head to Seaport Village Seaport Village is a piece of prime real estate, located on the waterfront in old town San Diego. And if the view isn’t exceptional enough, the grounds are beautiful and extraordinarily quaint, and there is often live entertainment to make the experience that much more enjoyable. For the shoppers there are more than 50 unique boutiques where you can find just about everything you need and a whole lot of things you simply want; this is a great place to go for gifts. Unlike the typical mall, Seaport Village offers some exceptional dining alternatives. If you can, try to get in to one of the four restaurants with a view of the San Diego Bay, but if not don’t despair, there are several more exceptional places to eat without the view. And to top it all off, Seaport Village has something you’d be hard pressed to find in another mall, a 1890’s carousel.
Save on San Diego hotels here. The more you save, the more you shop!
Categories: Shopping
