Well, with this entry, I'm going to stretch the topic of "only-in-San-Diego shopping" a bit. "The Shops at Las Americas" is an outlet mall--and a GOOD one--but it pretty much provides the same shopping experience as any other outlet mall. What's different for you here is the experience of shopping RIGHT on the border of Mexico. Seriously, you can see the tall wall that keeps the Mexicans over in Mexico, and border patrol cars keeping a watchful eye for wall-breachers.
Camino de la Plaza, the street on which The Shops are located, is the very LAST exit-street from the freeway before coming to the Mexican port of entry. As you exit I-5 and head west towards the mall, you'll pass several large parking lots hawking "24 hour parking" for people crossing into Mexico on foot and places selling "Mexican auto insurance" for those who want to brave the traffic in TJ. Empty-handed gringos are rushing towards the border so they can do some souvenir shopping in Mexico, and package-laden Mexicans are plodding back home, pleased with their purchases on OUR side! If you're not planning on taking a side trip into Tijuana, I'd recommend visiting the outlet mall just to feel a little of the "international flavor" that permeates this area.
As for the mall itself, it's recently undergone an expansion. Now there are over 100 stores to serve you, including many "big names." In the "clothing" category, you'll find (among others) Liz Claiborne, Tommy Hilfiger, Polo Ralph Lauren, Kenneth Cole, Brooks Brothers, Calvin Klein, Banana Republic, Geoffrey Bean, and Neiman Marcus Last Call. My stepdaughter's favorites are the youthful, trend-oriented stores Papaya and Charlotte Russe. For footwear, shops include Nine West, Adidas, Nike, Puma, Skechers and Vans. For kids, there's KB Toys, the Toy Train, Sanrio, The Children's Place, Old Navy and The Gap. The mall's a bit short on dining opportunities, with only 3 fast food outlets in the food court and McDonald's and IHOP out in the parking lot. An older strip-mall, the San Diego Outlet Center, is right across the street. It has a Ross, Marshall's, Carter's, OshKosh, Nine West, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and several others, plus a Taco Bell and Chinese fast food.
Together, these two outlets provide a complete shopping experience. After spending time at them, you just might lose your desire to cross into Tijuana to shop! You'll find everything you wanted right here on the U.S. side of the border!