Shop till you drop and San Diego's malls and retail outlets.
For better or for worse, shopping malls have become the town squares of American society. Entertainment, along with shopping, is the name of the game for malls these days. So, a trip to the mall means a little shopping, something to eat, then catch a movie. And some malls do the entertainment thing better than others (Westfield Shoppingtowns notwithstanding). Here's my subjective take on the malls around San Diego County. I won't include <a href="http://sandiego.about.com/od/shopping/tp/big_box.htm"><b>"big box" centers</b></a>, only your traditional shopping malls.
The class of San Diego malls, Fashion Valley has arguably the best of the upscale stores. Nordstrom, JC Penney, Macy's, Nieman Marcus and the new Bloomingdale's anchor this well appointed two-level outdoor mall.
The class of San Diego malls, Fashion Valley has arguably the best of the upscale stores. Nordstrom, JC Penney, Macy's, Nieman Marcus and the new Bloomingdale's anchor this well appointed two-level outdoor mall.
Westfield's Mission Valley Center is an older mall located in San Diego's Mission Valley.
This quaint mall in La Mesa is the shopping center that time forgot.
Located in the South County area, Plaza Bonita is the Westfield indoor, two-level counterpart to Plaza Camino Real.
Plaza Camino Real serves the North County Coastal area (Encinitas, Carlsbad, Oceanside).
Parkway Plaza is the regional mall serving East County. This indoor, single level mall is a necessity in scorching El Cajon.
North County Fair serves the North County bedroom communities. This large, two-level indoor mall has your usual allotment of department stores and shops.
UTC is a pleasant outdoor mall. Located in the Golden Triangle area (and slated for a refurbishing), it caters to the yuppie/soccer mom crowd.
Horton Plaza's construction in the mid-1980s jump-started the Gaslamp renaissance. Its multi-level, somewhat confusing whimsical architecture is a must-see for any San Diego visitor.
The class of San Diego malls, Fashion Valley has arguably the best of the upscale stores. Nordstrom, JC Penney, Macy's, Nieman Marcus and the new Bloomingdale's anchor this well appointed two-level outdoor mall.
Otay Ranch Town Center is a shopping mall in the Eastlake area of Chula Vista
Here are my picks for the best garden nurseries in San Diego County.
I don't consider myself a mall rat, much less a shopaholic, yet at the same time, I'm not averse to hitting the local malls to do some shopping. In fact, if my intention is to buy something, I quite enjoy going to the shopping mall. Here are my subjective selections for the top malls around San Diego County. I won't include "big box" centers, only traditional malls.
Otay Ranch Town Center, located in Chula Vista, is San Diego's newest and first regional shopping mall to open in 20 years.
Every suburb has one and they're distinguished by the "big box" stores that are the main tenants. Her's your guid to the top big bix shopping centers around San Diego.
San Diego County has a number of impressive outlet shopping centers that feature big name merchandise and discount prices.
Where to find vintage vinyl records and just plain cool music? San Diego still has a few actual record stores.
As we enter the summer season in San Diego, one thing is as certain to be found around the county as a warm sunny day: crops of fresh produce ripe for the picking. Oh, no, we’re not talking about those big, perfectly scrubbed and decidedly tasteless things you find in your local supermarket, force-ripened and grown in some foreign land.
Whether you live here or are visiting San Diego, at some point you're going to need some food...or toilet paper. And the likelihood that you'll need to find a grocery store for some reason is pretty good.
