?

Go over to Tijuana, great prices on lots of stuff. YOu can take the trolley down to the border and take a cab to the shopping districts.

Have a great time.

what kind of shopping? mall/department stores? fashion valley without a doubt. funky shops? hillcrest/uptown area. headshops? newport ave in o.b.

Any kind of shopping. We love it all...but especially Christmas present shopping as it will be Thanksgiving week.

Thanks! I don't think we want to go to Tijuana, although my dad wants to...

For malls, Fashion Valley is the best and it will be CROWDED when you are here. Try to take the Trolley from somewhere else to avoid having to try to park! La Jolla is fun to stroll and look at the shops, but all really high end shopping. If you want touristy stuff, Seaport Village is good.

I like Fashion Valley and the shops in La Jolla, many of which are pricey, but not all. Also, Horton Plaza if you're downtown. (See www.shopfashionvalleymall.com,
www.hortonplaza.shoppingtown.com)

If you like outlets and have a car, I recommend Carlsbad Company Stores, about 40 minutes north of downtown. (www.carlsbadcompanystores.com)

If you like open air markets, try Kobey's Swap Meet (www.kobeyswap.com)

You can't beat Horton Plaza in Downtown San Diego.

We were in Tijuana last week - lots of really tacky stuff, alcohol and prescription medications with prescriptions. Some interesting looking places to eat, but did not want to risk it. Took over an hour to cross border back to US because INS was arresting a bunch of people. An experience, but I certainly would not call it the best shopping. What kind of stuff - malls, touristy stuff, exclusive shops?

IMO Horton Plaza is the most overrated mall in SD.

The only thing it has going for it is its architecture and a Nordstroms.

Westfield came into town and bought up nearly every except for Fashion Valley and homogenized them all making them the McDonald's of the mall business.

I like Seaport VIllage. SOme different shops that you don't find in every suburban mall in the country. Also a very nice setting on the bay

lizzard, I absolutely agree with you. Westfield is just the worst thing to happen to shopping in San Diego.

I will "third" the comments about Horton Plaza. Was a must see 15 years ago. Not any longer. Don't bother unless you don't have a mall at home.

What is with Westfield, anyhow? They got all of the malls in the South Bay of San Francisco too.

They have a lot of malls in Ohio as well. Fashion Valley seems like my favorite mall in Columbus (but thats 2.5 hours away)..right up my alley.
I've been to Seaport Village before...but years ago.
And yeah Horton Plaza seems like any old mall.
Thanks for all the responses

Gee, I didn't know that Westfield had a presence in Sandiego too. They also have taken over malls in San Jose as well (Valley Fair and Oakridge).
I wouldn't be surprised if they work their way up north to the San Francisco area and buy out Stonestown Galleria, if they already haven't done so.

When I was in Sydney, Australia, I saw a Westfield Shopping Center(Centrepoint Mall, right in the heart of the Central Business District). Wonder if it's the same conglomerate.

Sorry, to burst your shopping bubble, but the shopping in SD is the pits! Depending on what you are looking for, you can find some cute kids clothes at the Gap outlet at the Carlsbad COmpany Stores. They have a Polo and a Barneys outlet their too.

I go to Newport when I need to buy anything special.

I agree with the other posters, Westfield has taken over and made every mall the same. Unless I need something at Nordstrom, I never go near a Westfield mall.

You said you go to Newport? Fashion Island?

We have no need for kids clothes, just for our greedy selves.

Fashion Island is nice. Some unique shops there. Much more upscale then your usual SD small. Balboa Island also has some fun shops. Again, it depends what you are looking for. I would stay AWAY from TJ althogether. Took some friends from Scotland seven years ago and I still have not recoverd!!!

This is a handy thread for me. My mom travels with me and she likes to shop when we travel. We wouldn't travel just to shop, but my mom pretty much goes anywhere that I want to go and does what I want to do just as long as she can make one shopping trip. I see it as a fair trade off.

BTW, Westfield took over one mall here in the Seattle area, but aside from the name, nothing changed about the mall itself.