Los Angeles & Southern California - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [257]
Plus, vintage shopping is the gift that keeps on giving. If you run out of cash at one of these stores and want to sell the shirt off your back, ask. You just might find a buyer.
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Sports
The San Diego Padres Major League Baseball team began the 2004 season in the new PETCO Park (Map; 619-795-5000, 888-697-2373, for tickets 877-374-2784; www.padres.com; 100 Park Blvd; tickets $7-67; season Apr–early Oct) stadium right in the middle of downtown San Diego. Tickets are usually available at the gate unless it’s a game crucial to the standings or the LA Dodgers are in town.
The San Diego Chargers National Football League team share Qualcomm Stadium (Map; 619-280-2121; www.chargers.com; 9449 Friars Rd; tickets from $54; season Aug-Jan), in Mission Valley (there’s a trolley stop right in front). It was originally named for sports journalist Jack Murphy, who worked to bring the Chargers to town in 1961, and the Padres in 1968.
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SHOPPING
Souvenir hunters will find stuffed Shamus at SeaWorld, realistic-looking rubber snakes at the zoo, or reprinted historical photos at the Museum of San Diego History. The Spanish Village area of Balboa Park is a good place to find paintings (mostly watercolors) of local scenes.
For general shopping, Westfield Horton Plaza Center has the highest concentration of shops, most of them chain stores, a multiscreen cinema, two live theaters and a variety of eateries. The San Diego Trolley green line (or your car) takes you to each of three large malls in Mission Valley, where shoppers can spend a day; all have movie theaters for nonshoppers and the usual array of restaurants. Premier shops at Fashion Valley (Map; 619-688-9113; www.simon.com; 7007 Friars Rd; 10am-9pm Mon-Sat, 11am-7pm Sun) include Tiffany & Co, Burberry, James Perse and Restoration Hardware, and department stores Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy’s and Nordstrom. Westfield Mission Valley (Map; 619-296-6375; www.westfield.com/missionvalley; 1640 Camino del Rio N; 10am-9pm Mon-Sat, 11am-6pm Sun) houses upscale discount outlets, including Nordstrom Rack, and the Inflatable World mini-amusement park for kids. Hazard Center (Map; www.hazardcenter.com; 7510-7610 Hazard Center Dr; vary) is the smallest of the three but has a large Barnes & Noble bookstore.
Given that adventure-sports gods Tony Hawk and Shawn White are San Diegans, surf and skate clothing are natural purchases here. There’s a strip of stores including Quicksilver, Volcom and Skatewear in the Gaslamp Quarter, on 5th Ave between J St and Island Ave.
Nearby are two respected art galleries, among a growing contingent in the Gaslamp. Check local listings or phone to see what’s on at Gallery 5+5 (Map; 619-374-7119; 544 Sixth Ave) and Michael J Wolf Fine Arts (Map; 619-702-5388; 363 5th Ave) and other venues around town.
Adams Avenue (Map; store directory 619-282-7329; www.adamsaveonline.com) is San Diego’s main ‘antique row,’ and cuts across some of San Diego’s less-visited neighborhoods. You’ll find the greatest concentration of shops around Normal Heights between the I-805 and I-15. The area has dozens of shops selling furniture, art and antiques from around the world. For other antique shopping, check Newport Ave in the Ocean Beach neighborhood Click here.
The depth and breadth is awesome at the weekly flea market Kobey’s Swap Meet (Map; 619-226-0650; www.kobeyswap.com; 3500 Sports Arena Blvd; admission Fri 50¢, Sat & Sun $1; 7am-3pm Fri-Sun; ) in the parking lot of the San Diego Sports Arena, and often the bargains are too. Look for all sorts of new and used items including sunglasses, clothing, jewelry, produce, flowers