5 Best US Cities for a Shopping Trip

• By: Editor
• On: 29/Jan/2009
• In: USA Travel Tips

Shopping in the USA

For the best of high street shopping, and of course for those all imprtant designer labels, shopping in the USA ticks all the right boxes!

The most famous shopping city in the US is no doubt New York. Probably due to such tv shows as Sex and the City, it's very much the fashion capital of America.

New York is the biggest city in the USA and the scale and variety of the shopping in the city is unmatched. The main shopping areas are on the island of Manhattan and these include Madison Avenue, Fifth Avenue, 57th Street, Times Square Shopping and the Lower East Side.

On Madison Avenue you'll find such shops and designer boutiques as Barney's New York, Calvin Klein, DKNY, Dolce & Gabbana, FAO Schwarz, Gianni Versace, Giorgio Armani, Madison Ave. Books, Prada, Valentino, Yves St. Laurent as well as many others.

On Fifth Avenue (which runs parallel to Madison Avenue) you'll find even more top class high street stores. The list includes Bergdorf Goodman, Bulgari, the Disney Store, Gucci, H. Stern, Louis Vuitton, the NBA Store, Saks Fifth Avenue, Tiffany & Co. and plenty more. Don’t forget to have a quick look around Saint Patrick’s Cathedral or the Trump Tower while you are in the area, preferably before you start shopping.

And a few other places include Bloomingdales (aka Bloomies), has all the requisite big-name designer labels; SoHo, though originally an arts district, it has become famous as a shopping destination; and the biggest store in the world Macy’s which has anything and everything.

Another very popular shopping town, aided by movies and yet more tv shows, would be Los Angeles. In this city your prime destinations will be the shopping malls as well as other individual stores also found in New York.

The main malls you'll want to visit include the Hollywood & Highland Mall, found close to the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Chinese Theatre; the Grove at Farmers Market, an outdoor market place with many of the usual stores such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Banana Republic, amongst others; and the Beverly Center, an 8 story building found in-between Beverly Hills and West Hollywood.

The most famous shopping area in Los Angeles is probably Rodeo Drive. This is very much a high priced area known for its designer labels and Haute couture. So even with the exchange rate you will be paying top dollar. Another popular area is Melrose Avenue.

Another retail hotspot is Boston. This city is the largest city in New England and is known for its large Irish diaspora. The two biggest shopping districts are the Back Bay and Downtown Crossing areas.

There are also two shopping malls in the city centre: the Cambridgeside Galleria, has it all from department stores, a Best Buy, clothing stores, bookstores, a food court, and a Cheesecake Factory restaurant; and the Copley Place and Prudential Center, where you'll find all the best clothing stores, bookstores as well as upscale shopping.

In mainland USA’s most southern state you will find the city of Miami. This city has a huge Latin American population and its shops enjoy that distinctive flavour. The main shopping areas are Colins Avenue, between 15th and 3rd Streets which has a wide variety of shops; and Lincoln Road, on South Beach, with a large range of stores and on Sundays there is a farmers market.

There are also a number of malls in the city which should have almost everything you need. These include the Aventura Mall where you'll find all the big names and a 24-screen movie theatre for when you need a break; Bal Harbour Shops, which has shops to cater for any budget; Lincoln Road Mall, an open-air mall with plenty of shops and restaurants; and Dadeland Mall, which was one of the first malls built in the USA and it continues to be home to the biggest names such as Macy's and Saks Fifth Avenue.

The capital city of the USA, Washington DC, has more than just a lot of museums and historical monuments. The Chevy Chase shopping district is Washington's main upscale fashion district, though you could also try visiting Georgetown, which has a nice variety of shops ranging from mid to high end retail shops. The downtown Verizon Center/Chinatown area has also enjoyed a boom of late and has a lot of new shops and attractions.

Some more unusual shops include Reiter's Scientific & Professional Books, which is the leading scientific, medical and technical bookstore on the east coast of the USA. There's also the U Street corridor with all its independent boutique stores, vintage clothing shops, home furnishing stores, and antique retailers.

Having a car means not having to lug lots of shopping around. So if you want to get a rental car at one of these shopping meccas you can see all our options on our car hire USA page.

So if you have any questions or suggestions about how to make the most of shopping in American cities why not leave your message in the comment box below.