We have 5 days in mid November to take a mini vacation and would like to find a place that has great shopping and is easy to get around in without a vehicle. NYC, anywhere in Florida and Chicago aren't options. Where can we go that has a great downtown, department and boutique store shopping, easy access to an airport, in addition to great restaurants?

Minneapolis has the Mall of America for shopping and the Guthrie Theater. I think there is transportation from the airport to downtown and transportation to the Mall.

http://www.minneapolis.org/

http://www.guthrietheater.org/

Charleston. I visited there in April and would go back in a heartbeat. The city is clean; there's lots of sights/history; you can find any tour you are interested in (ghost, garden, city, boat, horse/carriage, tea, etc.). There are lots of restaurants; ate the best crab cakes (my favorite) I ever had at Hanks. There are boutique shops as well. There is also a market that has existed since about the 1600's.

I stayed at a B&B on King Street and walked to EVERYTHING exept the two plantation bus tours: Boone Hall and Magnolia.

I look forward to revisiting Charleston! Don't miss it.

San Francisco

My husband and I were married in and have spent a lot of nice long weekends in Portsmouth, NH. There are lots of great restaurants and small shops, but it is also close to Kittery, ME which has great outlet shopping. You'll also get great leaf peeping that time of year! It is close to the Manchester, NH airport and about a 1.5 hour drive from Boston (which is also a great place to spend 5 days).

Asheville, NC. Stay at the Rennaisance hotel and you're in downtown. Great restaurants and unique shops. Asheville reminds me of a European city, downtown is the best area. Beautiful setting... should be cold but not unbearable.

Washington DC

Thanks for the replies. I'll be sure to research everyone's suggestions. We like to visit downtown areas that are safe, have been revitalized with department stores, galleries, boutiques, restaurants, and night life and are easily accessible to an airport and transportation.

So, if we decided on Boston, where is the best and safest area in the city to stay for department and boutique shopping, great restaurants, and nightlife?

toronto

San Francisco, hands down. Also consider Toronto or Montreal, CA. All with diverse and relatively compact downtown areas, and reasonably easy to get around by foot and public transit. The Toronto subway system is so clean, you can eat off the floors.