In the day and age of online shopping it is harder for the traditional brick and mortar malls to…read moresurvive. I see the effort that the company is making to draw more shoppers to visit the mall. They have been doing lots of improvements on the property and new tenants into the space. I've visited several new shops in the mall. Going to Round1 and Chagee to speak of a few new locations. They also hosted several community events to bring more traffic to the space.

There aren't many indoor malls in the OC area so I decided to check out The Shops. The mall is…read morehidden away from view from the Main Street but parking is relatively easy to find. The mall reminds me of the malls from the 80s except a lot more run down. It was fairly empty for a Saturday which is when I would expect to see the most people. A lot of nostalgic stores were there including a Spencers. There was a decent selection of stores from high end to normal. Majority of stores were on the normal side. The food court was a good size with a large selection. It is large and spacious with plenty of room to go mall walking on those really hot days!

What a fun and gorgeous addition to SJC! We visited on a busy Saturday and parking is a challenge…read morebut we were able to find a spot after circling around for a bit. Love the open air feel and selection of shops, restaurants and bars. The huge lawn in the middle of the center is a gathering place for families and kids along with groups of all kinds. Lots of tables and chairs available for hanging out or bringing food purchased at the food hall which has some delicious selections. I love how this area seamlessly connects to the Los Rios Historic District and the train depot. You could hop on the train, take it to SJC and spend a couple of hours wandering around both, shopping, getting a meal and grabbing a few drinks. A perfect place for families, couples and friends to spend time together in the beautiful weather.

River Street Marketplace is a development and shopping area located in San Juan Capistrano. There…read moreis ample parking ($2/hour) but you can also take the train as the Metrolink station is right there. It reminds me of the SoCo plaza in Costa Mesa but it has a pretty common vibe where there are indoor shops, outdoor seating, play areas, and restaurants. This place in particular also has some old school charms like the River Street Ranch (a petting zoo) with modern boutique shops and a food hall. It's a place to hang out when it's nice outside and it's packed with people.

A very calm and quieter outlet in the most southern part of the O.C. It's an outdoor outlet, with…read moreabout 100 or so shops. It's a great place to take a nice walk, while doing your shopping. Of all the stores I visited, the customer service was very chill or beachy, where no one really bothers you or try to sell you anything. Visitors and shops all seem pretty friendly. There's multiple parking lots in the area. You can also take the trolly to the outlets, if you're traveling by train. Only takes about 25 minutes if it's not too busy, or a full trolley ride. I didn't see much food choices here. but a few coffee shops. There's a noodle place that I saw that looked interesting. Maybe at my next visit.

The shops aren't too busy which is nice (expect for cars and coffee Sunday mornings from 8am-11am…read moreit's packed). The bathrooms are VERY nice and even have a lounge area! The trolly is sometimes delayed so don't relay too heavily on the timing estimate of 15-25 minutes but it's still worth waiting for if you want to head to the beach! I recommend parking in the back of the outlets for the parking is normally empty!

This is one of my favorite outdoor malls in the Orange County area for mall walking. As it is…read morelocated near the beach, the weather is always nice and there are plenty of places to sit and rest your feet at this mall with a nice view of the beach. The mall does tend towards high end stores with a small smattering of standard stores but in general, there are a wide variety of stores. Plenty of dining options from high end or quick casual. You can even do your grocery shopping here as there is a Whole Foods market. They occasionally have special events. I happened to be here during the Lunar New Year event so one of the areas was decked out with Year of the Horse decorations. I also always walk by the Koi pond to see how the fishes are doing. Staff has always been friendly and helpful when I visit.

As outdoor mall in the affluent community of Newport Beach, Fashion Island opened in 1967, making…read moreit one of the older malls in the area. It's had it's share of anchors leaving (think Circuit City and Forever 21), but the owner (Irvine Company) continues to pour money into it, to keep it fresh and relevant. As an example, when Forever 21 declared bankruptcy and closed its store in 2019, the building was demolished in 2022 to make way for a new Restoration Hardware gallery store...which we found to be quite nice. Parking is plentiful, (mostly) covered, and free, with a pedestrian bridge on the 3rd floor taking one to the main part of the mall. And it seems to be one of the most dog friendly malls in the area, which is saying a lot. One will see a lot of signs for something called 'The Lot', which is a high end, ultra-luxury, cinema/cafe/restaurant, geared towards the clientele that the area feeds.

Irvine Spectrum Center is one of my favorite places to spend an afternoon or evening. The layout is…read moreopen and easy to walk, and there's a great mix of shopping, dining, and entertainment all in one spot. It has a lively atmosphere, especially at night when the lights come on and everything feels more vibrant. Parking can get a little hectic on busy weekends, but if you're patient you can usually find a spot without too much trouble. There are plenty of places to grab a bite, from casual snacks to sit-down restaurants, and it's also a nice place to just stroll around and people-watch. The giant Ferris wheel and outdoor seating areas give it a fun, almost vacation-like vibe. Overall, it's a clean, well-maintained shopping center that's great for meeting friends, going on a casual date, or just getting out of the house for a while.

I think this is a nicer shopping area than most others. It has a decent blend of popular/big-chain…read morestores, smaller stores, restaurants, and other things (like a movie theatre, carousel, and jungle gym). We went into a few stores to look around and enjoyed our time here. They basically have something for whatever you're in the mood for. It definitely is a very crowded place. There's a reason why they have soo many parking lots/areas. I'm glad we were able to come at a less busy time, but I'm sure weekend are extremely crazy. I liked the mall enough where I would come back.

i still recall my eyes getting big as we drove into this plaza from the very first visit which was…read moreback in (sep.2018). it is so pretty and i love the architecture and the beautiful mature tall trees that i like to dana point trees, bc you can find them everywhere in dana point. monarch bay plaza has a long history of service to the local communities of monarch beach, dana point, and laguna niguel dating back to the early 1960s when it became dana point's #first shopping center!!!!! when rancho niguel, one of the original spanish land grants of the 1800's, was purchased for residential development in the 1960s, monarch bay plaza was built to serve the residents of the nearby communities. since that time, monarch bay plaza has been a major shopping destination for local residents and visitors alike, providing a wide array of merchandise ranging from daily household necessities to luxury goods and business services. the anchor store is gelson's and as time has passed and the area has grown, monarch bay plaza now finds itself surrounded by the championship monarch beach golf course and two of california's finest world-class resort hotel and convention complexes - the ritz carlton and the monarch beach resort. visitors from around the world come to this romantic destination getaway. other stores at this plaza are: angelina's pizza donut star ichibiri japanese restaurant salt creek grille starbucks coffee ​stella's serious italian ​coastal accents cvs pharmacy marinelli fine jewelry meesh boutique millie clothing boutique monarch silks fine boutique ​unique accents vogue kitchen & bath ​wild's animal supplies ​bay beauty bronzed bunny ego salon ​​gritcycle fitness ​​oc happy tails dog grooming ​paradise nails ​​ray's barber place ​so cal boot camp & personal training ​cc tailors chase bank chevron home care assistance kelly mcdonough, dds mathnasium math learning center monarch bay cleaners monarch bay montessori academy monarch bay optometry pacific sotheby's real estate the ups store that's a long list!

Quaint little plaza located across the street from the harbor. It has a couple big restaurants;…read moreMahe Steak & Sushi, & Jimmies Famous American Tavern (JFAT), RJ's Cafe and a couple other smaller cafes and some dessert options. There are also some small businesses: wellness center, hearing aides, real estate office, cafe & catering, nail salon and some others. It is decorated with lots of lush green plant life & a water fountain. They provide valet parking for the bigger restaurants: Jimmies & Mahe. Entrance is off of Golden Lantern Street. Cute place to take a walk after eating. Everything was closed while I was here (at 7pm) except for the 2 main restaurants & maybe 2 small businesses.

What can I say.. this place is soo nice!! I love coming here when I get down south! There is much…read moreto see and do! I recommend it for a day to get away to chill and eat at the restaurants

Gorgeous ambiance and it has the largest Trader Joe's I've ever seen! Fully stocked shelves and…read morewide aisles and lots of room to stand and ponder. If you should get something or not many other wonderful stores here as well and so close to the beach it's beautiful.

The parking... ugh the parking! I wish there was a way to combat this problem, but the only way you…read morereally can is if you carpool. Dinner time on any day but especially weekends are a special kind of hell. Once you find a parking space though, you get to enjoy the fruits of the Crystal cove shopping center! The landscape is beautifully kept, and the architecture is grand and welcoming. There is light jazz music in the background playing in every corner. There are plenty of outdoor tables with heaters and umbrellas. There are a couple outdoor fire pits as well. There is free WiFi so you can do some computer work if you so please. This shopping center is home to 2 of my favorite places- parakeet and bear flag. You also get a nice view of the ocean :)