Shopping in San Diego


     Shopping areas in San Diego embrace many cultures and styles. From historic shopping districts and antique rows to farmers markets and modern malls, almost anything is available here. Check out Mexican plazas just across the Mexican border in Tijuana, and don't miss downtown San Diego's Westfield Horton Plaza.

Antique Stores
     Cracker Factory, 448 W. Market St., is an antique buff's delight. Within the three-story building more than 10 dealers display antiques and collectibles. Northeast of the city center and comprising approximately 35 blocks, Adams Avenue Antique Row and Adams Avenue Book Row extend from University Heights through Normal Heights and into Kensington Park.

     Ocean Beach, west off Sunset Cliffs Boulevard via I-8 (Ocean Beach Freeway) is an antiques-lover's paradise, and Newport Avenue is the center of the action. The Ocean Beach Antique Mall and Newport Avenue Antiques display vintage jewelry, art glass, period furniture, china, pottery and '50s fashion accessories from hundreds of dealers.

Malls
     Mission Valley has two large shopping centers -- Fashion Valley and Westfield Mission Valley. The two centers are within a few minutes of each other and have a combined total of more than 340 stores and restaurants. Fashion Valley, at SR 163 and Friars Road, is anchored by JCPenney, Macy's and Neiman-Marcus, while Mission Valley, at I-8 and Mission Center Road, offers Macy's and Robinsons-May.
Other regional shopping centers include Grossmont Center in La Mesa, near the intersection of the I-8 and SR 125, and La Jolla Village Square, west of I-5, and Westfield UTC, east of I-5, in La Jolla. These contain a variety of department stores, including Macy's, JCPenney, Robinsons-May, and Saks Fifth Avenue.

Outlets
     Prices are discounted up to 40 percent at area factory outlet centers. The Shops at Las Americas, 4211 Camino de la Plaza, is the region's largest outlet mall. More than 90 stores, including Banana Republic, Bass, Mikasa, and Nike, offer great savings on clothing, leather goods and housewares and other goods.

Specialty Shopping
     Along the southern end of the Embarcadero are boutiques featuring jewelry and sea-related items. San Diego's historic Gaslamp Quarter, while primarily a dining and nightlife center, also is interspersed with fashionable boutiques and galleries.

     Ferry Landing Marketplace in Coronado is a similar, although smaller, waterfront village of shops. There are casual eateries as well as Peohe's, a sit-down seafood restaurant with outstanding city views. Landscaped walkways and gardens as well as bicycle paths attract as many lovers of the outdoors as shoppers. Clowns and other street performers entertain on weekends.

     La Jolla's exclusive Prospect Street makes for exquisite browsing with its art galleries and exclusive boutiques. La Jolla's Coast Boulevard has more casual shops, plus beautiful vistas of the Pacific coast. Ocean-side shopping can be found a bit farther north at Del Mar Plaza, a complex of chic shops and restaurants hidden behind boulder walls. Also visit Seaport Village for some eclectic bayside shopping. Click Here for more info

     Among historic sites in Old Town are numerous attractive shops that re-create a 19th-century shopping atmosphere. Shoppers in San Diego also will be lured to the Mexican border city of Tijuana. Because of its free port status, Tijuana offers tempting bargains on imported goods. Prices of Mexican products also are reasonable. Major shopping areas include Mercado de Artesanias (Mexican Arts and Crafts), Plaza Rio Tijuana Shopping Center and Avenida Revolución, the city's oldest tourist shopping area.