Going to San Diego, need buying advice...

[knowledg333]

Hi Friends,

I'm going on a class field-trip in February, and I need some buying advice. I'm from Edmonton, Alberta, and I don't have an Apple Store here, so I'm pretty excited to get my first look inside one (or perhaps all of them in the San Diego/LA area). I'll be going with approximately $1100 US to spend. I'm thinking an iPod nano will be something I buy for sure, but I'm not set on that just yet. Are the red nanos available in the Apple Stores?

Also, is there any cool stuff that might only be available in the US that I should consider buying?

If the Feb. 1st event rumor is true, what might be released that I should think about purchasing?

Of the San Diego stores (UTC and Fashion Valley), which one is better? Of the Los Angeles stores (Century City, The Grove, and Beverly Center) which one is the best? I'm curious because I want to be effective with my limited free time.

One last thing.... I haven't been to the US in a while, and was wondering if there are any non-Apple products I should consider shopping for (sorry for being off-topic). Anybody know of a good place in San Diego to go shopping? (particularly where I could get some killer deals)

Thanks friends!
-Michael-

PS - any sights I should see?

 

[CanadaRAM]

Watch out for US exchange. The official bank rate to buy US is 1.1984. The Visa or Mastercard rate is 2% - 2.5% worse, or about 1.22

iPods are cheaper in Canada than they are in the USA,

iPod Shuffle from Apple USA: US$79 or CAN$94.67 if paid cash, or CAN$96.38 on CC
iPod Shuffle I bought last weekend: CAN $84.95

Do a serious comparison of Canadian prices before you leave; you will see that Apple Canada has not adjusted their prices upward with the change in the exchange rate so temporarily, you are getting a break.

Also, if you purchase more than your personal limit for importing for the length of your trip, you are going to pay State and Local taxes in the US, then GST and PST at the border when you come home -- plus if your items are made in China (like most Apple products) they are not duty-free under NAFTA because its the country of manufacture (not the country of sale) that counts. On some items you may have 6.9% duty to pay on top.

 

[McGarvels]

Hi Friends,


Of the San Diego stores (UTC and Fashion Valley), which one is better? Of the Los Angeles stores (Century City, The Grove, and Beverly Center) which one is the best? I'm curious because I want to be effective with my limited free time.

One last thing.... I haven't been to the US in a while, and was wondering if there are any non-Apple products I should consider shopping for (sorry for being off-topic). Anybody know of a good place in San Diego to go shopping? (particularly where I could get some killer deals)

Thanks friends!
-Michael-

PS - any sights I should see?

Hey Michael,

I went to school at UCSD and absolutely love the UTC Apple Store. It is amazing and much better than the Fashion Valley store. The UTC store also seems to have much better ambiance as well. Moreover, if you go to the UTC store you will be in the La Jolla area already, and you shouldn't miss going down to La Jolla Shores to see the world renowned beach. Additionally, in downtown La Jolla there are a group of sea otters that you will be able to see.

As far as shopping goes however, if you want deals you should not go to either UTC or Fashion Valley as they both extremely expensive. What you might want to consider doing is going up to Carlsbad (about a 15-20 min drive north on the Interstate 5) to all the factory outlets up there where they have cheap discounted designer clothers. Please see this link.

I am also originally from LA and I would definitely suggest The Grove apple store seeing as it is one of the best places to visit. Not to mention you might see at least a couple of Hollywood stars at the same time (if you're into seeing stars that is). The Beverly Center is okay as well.

As far as seeing stuff in LA, you should definintely visit Hollywood and do all the tourist attractions there including the walk of fame with all the hollywood stars and also seeing Santa Monica pier is a must. Downtown LA itself is quite amazing but make sure to go during the day, lol. Anyways, hope this was helpful.

Cheers.