Off to San Diego... Any stores that I simply should not miss?

For shopping head north to Orange County's Fashion Island or South Coast Plaza. San Diego is pretty generic (even more generic than the stores at the above places). The shopping centers at Horton Plaza and Seaport Village don't offer much that's different from your home town mall.

TedTurner is basically correct. San Diego, especially in Downtown, is not a Shopper's Paradise. There are lots of stores, and Horton Plaza is a nice big mall-- but you don't see anything particularly unique. Horton Plaza does have a Nordstrom, if you're into Overpriced Anchor Department Stores.

Up in Hillcrest you might find some slightly offbeat furniture stores (including consignment shops) and funky boutiques, but it's not cutting-edge. SD is a pretty middle-of-the-road town as far as that stuff goes-- you won't find anything like Melrose Ave up in LA.

Get in a car and head up I-5 to Carlsbad (maybe 30 minutes north), and there's a somewhat upscale outlet mall (again, nothing new, just a bit cheaper than at your neighborhood mall). End-of-season bargains, slightly-irregulars, junk that just doesn't sell in southern CA, etc.

Continue up onto the I-405 and you can indeed hit South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. The attraction here is the assortment of VERY high-end boutiques (Cartier, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Armani, Emporio Armani, Versace, Tiffany's, Donna Karan, etc.) under one roof. From there, you can head all the way down Harbor Blvd to PCH, then head to Fashion Island in Newport Beach. The attraction there is the Needless Markup-- er, Neiman-Marcus-- and similar upscale stores in an outdoor mall. But bear in mind that these are at least an hour out of SD.

Also a nice mall (although pretty generic, too) is University Towne Center in La Jolla. They have a Nordstrom's and a pretty nice independent clothing store (the name of which I have forgotten) on the first floor.

The best shopping is the Fashion Valley Mall. Lots of good shops and food. La Jolla is a great place to check and shops. Lots of unique shops and just a pretty place.

4Janet is right! In San Diego, go to Fashion Valley. South Coast Plaza - in Orange County - is great, BUT it's not in San Diego!

Here's the list of stores at Fashion Valley
http://www.simon.com/mall/directory.aspx?ID=765
(I didn't notice anything that's unique to San Diego other than a few jewelers. It's the same mall stores as in every major city).

in addition to the above great suggestions i would suggest The Gap in the mall next to Horton Plaza about one mile away on the left. its not the usuall gap.

have fun!

I stumbled across a great shop while strolling in La Jolla: Africa and Beyond (Ethnic Arts and Crafts). It's on 1250 Prospect St. They have a lot of expensive and exquisite handicrafts, but I bought small interesting trinkets to bring home for under $10 apiece, such as letter opener and bracelets made out of bone and a "tambourine" (I collect musical instruments) made out of wire and bottle caps. They have some really great CD's too. The owner told me they have trouble with telephone wires in Africa because people steal it and use the different colors to weave baskets and all sorts of practical objects.

I was in San Diego last week and went shopping on Black Friday. I agree, Horton Plaza is nothing special, same with UTC. I've heard Fashion Valley is nice, but it sounds like this one mall we have in Columbus.

Personally, I thought SeaPort Village had the most unique things, however, it was 100% touristy.

I liked Urban Outfitters in the GasLamp District. I know this is a big chain store, however, we don't have one in Cleveland

Some of the museum shops at the museums in Balboa Park had some great things. My favorite was the one at the Mingei Folk art museum. Everything from great scarves, jewelry, to home decor.

Hi Barbara!! I know it's sending Marian on a long drive to suggest South Coast Plaza or Fascist Island-- oops, FASHION Island. If she's having a serious Shopping Jones, Fashion Valley or Horton Plaza are just fine. But if she's looking for something more over-the-top glam, SCP or FI are a manageable drive away!

Hi rjw! I love South Coast Plaza and so, unfortunately, does my daughter! I think it really depends on how much time Marian has. If she's only here for a few days, then it would be better to stay in San Diego. SCP is a whole day, or even overnight (there's a reason that Westin is there!) trip.