Shop ‘til you drop” is a mantra for many Americans, and with all the unique and fascinating shopping malls in this country, shopping is a popular pasttime. Here are our top choices in the country for the most entertaining places to go on a shopping spree.
Embarcadero Center: San Francisco, California
Located in the heart of San Francisco's downtown waterfront area, Embarcadero Center offers top-notch shopping, dining and entertainment, making it a popular destination for San Francisco visitors and residents alike.
Spanning eight city blocks and encompassing three levels of open-air, landscaped terraces, the center is home to more than 140 shops, including national retailers such as The Nature Company, Liz Claiborne, Waldenbooks and The Gap, and several stores unique to this unique city, several restaurants and two world-class hotels, the Park Hyatt and Hyatt Regency.
There are numerous entertainment opportunities, events and activities including a theater complex; SkyDeck, an indoor/outdoor observatory deck offering 41-story high views; walking tours of its renowned sculpture collection; ice skating in the winter; and, signature open-air parties.
The Galleria: Houston, Texas
The ultra-modern Galleria offers more than 300 shops, movie theaters and restaurants, plus a professional-size skating rink, two swimming pools, a glass-floored jogging track, two hotels and ornate street lamps and signage, highlighting Houston's love of modern architecture.
With names like Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Tiffany’s, you'd think everything might cost a fortune but there are plenty of bargains to be had from stores such as J.Crew, The Original Levi’s Store, Abercrombie & Fitch, and even a Y’alls Texas Store, where you can find all kinds of Texan souvenirs.
The giant fantasy playground was inspired by Milan's classic Galleria of the 1860s, an exclusive group of cafes and boutiques inside a glass-covered atrium, but it has evolved into its own distinctive character.
Mall of America: Bloomington, Minnesota
Shopping addicts make the pilgrimage to the Mall of America from all over the Midwest – and far beyond, including Japan and the United Kingdom. Opened in 1992, the mind-boggling 4.2-million-square-foot shopping mecca has fast become the country's most visited destination. It incorporates over five hundred stores, with Camp Snoopy, a seven-acre theme park in the center of the complex. The Mall also includes:
- UnderWater World, featuring more than 3,000 living sea creatures
- Chapel of Love retail store, where more than 1,500 couples have legitimately tied the knot
- NASCAR Silicon Motor Speedway, simulated stock-car racing at 195 miles per hour
- LEGO Imagination Center, an enormous four-story LEGO showplace
- Golf Mountain, a challenging 18-hole miniature golf course that always offers perfect weather
There's also a comedy club, several dance and music bars, a 14-screen cinema and a vast array of eateries – including Café Odyssey and Rainforest Cafe, the latest in "diner-tainment" with international foods served in simulated mythological and global settings.
The Mall also offers tours, which highlight Brainstorms (a science and educational store), the custom-made Basic Brown Bear Factory (where you can custom-design a cuddly companion), Lake Wobegon USA (an eclectic giftstore inspired by folksy Minnesota humorist Garrison Keillor's fictional community) and a hands-on demonstrations at Oshman's Super Sports USA. Other stores in the mall include, FAO Schwarz, Bloomingdale’s, Oshman’s, Nordstrom and Sears.
The Third Street Promenade: Santa Monica, California
Third Street Promenade — an exciting open-air pedestrian street – pulsates with an international mix of people, not to mention celebrities, enjoying an eclectic blend of restaurants, retail shops, movie theatres and nightclubs. The best in dining, shopping, entertainment and a non-stop variety of street performers combine to make downtown Santa Monica – only steps from the beach – and the Third Street Promenade a favorite destination for visitors and residents alike.
Anchored by Santa Monica Place, Third Street Promenade offers three levels of 140 exciting shops including Macy's and Robinsons-May along a three-block stretch on 3rd Street. The Promenade boasts a growing number of unique bookshops, antique stores and memorabilia shops, including:
- Puzzle Zoo – mixes sci-fi toys and puzzles
- African Arts Etc. – an incense-filled emporium filled with authentic folk art
- Z Gallerie – offers a wide selection of furnishings, art, and home textiles, plus culinary and decorative accessories
- Vintage Animation Gallery – offers original animation artwork from Disney, Warner Bros., Hanna Barbera, MGM and Walter Lantz, etc.
You’ll also find some of the usual upscale specialty shops like The Gap, Guess, Banana Republic, the Disney Story, Pottery Barn and Barnes and Noble.
After dark, and especially on the weekend, the Promenade comes alive, as dozens of clowns, musicians, comedians, escape artists, mimes, one-man-bands, and other street performers entertain large crowds. There’s also the Magicopolis, a magic club on the Promenade, which includes two theaters: one for major tricks and another for “close-up sleight-of-hand” tricks.
Whatever you’re looking for, the Promenade is great for taking a stroll, window-shopping, having lunch, seeing a movie, looking for celebrities or seeing live entertainment.
South Street Seaport: New York City, New York
From China clippers to Long Island Sound steamboats to Trans-Atlantic cargo ships of the 17th and 18th century to present day shops, restaurants and museums, the South Street Seaport, once called the “Street of Ships,” has remained a key ingredient to the success of New York City.
Conveniently located on the waterfront in historic downtown Manhattan, the Seaport is home to more than 120 exciting shops, restaurants, eateries and unique pushcarts filled with the distinctive gifts, tastes, and styles of New York City. The Seaport boasts stores like Ann Taylor, Talbots, Brookstone, The Body Shop, Coach and J. Crew, but you’ll also find unique and eclectic shops and galleries found nowhere else in the world.
Quaint cobblestone pedestrian-only streets and scenic views of the Brooklyn Bridge give a welcome and peaceful respite from everyday living. Since its restoration in the late 1960s, the Seaport has gone through a period of intense growth, including the South Street Seaport Museum, the Pier 17 Pavilion and the renovated Fulton Fish Market.
The South Street Seaport Museum, founded in 1967, traces the history of the Port of New York, and its commercial and cultural impact on the city, the state, and the nation. Pier 17 Pavilion offers more shopping choices and the Fulton Fish Market Building is the perfect place to experience the real side of New York and see the city's marketplace and commerce in action.
Michigan Avenue: Chicago, Illinois
Every city has its notable shopping district and Chicago is no different. Whether you’re in the mood to get some serious shopping done or prefer to keep your credit card concealed while window shopping and people watching along Michigan Avenue, better known as the Magnificent Mile, Chicago is the perfect city.
The stretch of Michigan Avenue, beginning at the river and running north to the lakeshore, is lined with stores. As you walk north, you’ll pass the Tribune Building (home to the Chicago Tribune), Allen Edmonds, Kenneth Cole, Burberry’s, Brooks Brothers, Crate & Barrel and Ann Taylor. There’s also Virgin Megastore, Tiffany’s and Pottery Barn.
For a truly brand-named meal, stop into the Ralph Lauren restaurant before crossing Chicago Avenue. Supposedly the beef items on the menu come from a stock raised exclusively for Ralph Lauren.
At Water Tower Place, an eight-floor mall, you’ll find Marshall Fields, Lord & Taylor, Alfred Dunhill, the Warner Bros. Store and others. For high-end shopping, walk to 900 North Michigan Avenue, a six-floor mall, where Bloomingdale’s has shopping areas on each floor and J. Crew is one of the larger specialty stores.
For a perfect way to wind down your day, eat at Café Spiaggia, an offshoot of Spiaggia, one of Chicago’s most famous Italian restaurants. Café Spiaggia, located at 980 Michigan Avenue, offers a casual, relaxing dining setting and beautiful views of Lake Michigan.