Most days you'll find me hanging out in this "mall"…read more I add parentheses because it's not a) lit with fluorescent bulbs b) full of teenagers or c) packed with chain stores. In fact, it's a lovely open air thoroughfare lined with quaint / useful / delicious stuff. First there's the ALL DAY BREAKFAST at Uncle Albert's Cafe (I stand by the all caps excitement); then there's the local Coles, which I actually like and they know us there; then there's coffee and baked goods; gifts; magazines and books; and a travel agent if you want to book an impromptu trip to Paris while on a sugar high. Ahem. Yeah. Nice!

Norwood Mall is located just opposite Cibo's on the parade, right next to Dillon's. First of all,…read moreif you don't find a parking space on the side of the road, there's heaps at the back of Norwood Mall. There's a rather small Coles in here and a random mix of other shops like souvenir and gift shops, chocolate shops, a newsagents, a dry cleaner etc. My favourite place is the greengrocer right at the entrance (when you come to the Parade). They often have great deals and better prices than supermarkets, plus all their fruit and veggies are really fresh. If you continue walking you'll find a great fresh pasta shop on your left, followed by a nice little gift shop that sells things like candles, soaps, cards etc. Another tip is the newsagents in the middle of Norwood Mall; they usually have a large table outside with heaps of books that are hugely discounted. Worth having a look at!

The actual Parade Central is okay - but I mainly come here for the movies…read more My family and I used to come to the Billy Baxters a lot, then we went through a Primo phase, then both those places went to shit so now we just come for the movies. Parade Central also has a Subway and Sakura Sushi - both of which aren't too bad for a pre-movie snack. The underground car park isn't free, but if you watch a movie you get the first three hours free - just don't forget to get your card stamped at the movie counter!

Parade Central is a big complex full of shops, entertainment venues and other services, but for me…read moreit means one thing: THE MOVIES. The Hoyts Cinema complex in here is actually the only reason I ever visit. All the businesses in the mall seem to cater for the movie-going crowd, with movie and dinner deals at the cafes, kid's entertainment and a few fast food places. As a local, there are actually no businesses in here which I visit on a regular or even semi-regualr basis. The building itself is a bit confusing and kind of empty compared to other malls further along the city-end of the Parade - there are a few shops but nothing to make you want to do a special trip here. The parking is really good however, if you're not a local (just enter off of George Street).

I love the nostalgia of the amazing architecture, mixed with very modern shops and lively crowds…read more Spent a good amount of time at one of the craft and artisan made shops, then had some tea at an adorable cafe called Cielo. Even if you do not want to shop, this place is worth a quick walk through to appreciate its old world charm.

Now the Adelaide Arcade is a destination in its own right, did you know that? Not just as a…read moreshopping centre, but as a historic building of interest. I should know, one of my first jobs out of school was working at the Industrial First Aid Service which was upstairs at the Adelaide Arcade where I used to put aspirin into aspirin jars, stick on the labels and place them into First Aid Kits; and need I mention that was in the last century! Yes, well, the actual Arcade itself was built long before that - in fact around about one hundred and fourteen years before I was born in 1885. The history web page will tell you they threw the place up almost as fast as a catwalk model throws up her Christmas dinner, and it has been a destination for the refined shopper ever since. Adelaide has a great deal of old historic buildings but nothing quite like the Adelaide Arcade. It is a rather lovely spot and sort of similar to the Queen Victoria Building in Sydney, if you stretch your imagination just a touch. The difference is that the QVB in Sydney sat idle and filled with the poop of pigeons for decades, while the Adelaide Arcade has been operating since it opened. If you have time you should go up onto the rarely visited first floor and have a look in their little museum, it's a cute little spot with some significant information on show. Free of charge and fine for kids. In fact it's a special spot that you can take the kids and help them feel they've had something special that will cost you nothing. Kids as young as six or seven upwards will enjoy the display as long as you can drum up a little enthusiasm for it yourself. I've taken a couple of pictures of the FREE permanent exhibition for you to appreciate so you know what you are looking for, do check them out. Read up at the 'history' section of their website before you go so you can brag knowledge to the kids (or guests) before going - they'll think you're a star! http://www.adelaidearcade.com.au

Rundle Mall Plaza is a stylish old grey building on the outside and a hub for computer lovers and…read moregamers on the inside because it houses shops like JB Hi Fi and Apple and other computer game stores, along with the usual feast of clothing stores and beauty shops. It used to be the David Jones building many years ago. There is a large newsagent that has a lot of stationery and upstairs you have Spotlight and Harris Scarfes which is a uniquely South Australian department store often selling clothing, housewares and kitchenware at pretty good sale prices. I recently saved a couple of hundred dollars on a cast iron cooking pan here so I think it is pretty good. I have purchased many a DVD and CD from the JB Hi Fie store and have enjoyed a quiet coffee up the back of the foyer in the cafe.

Great location, and pretty much everything you'll need. I don't know what parking is like, here…read morethough, as the only time I've been here in the last decade, I walked from my hotel on South Terrace. If you're shopping for jewellery, this is probably one of the better hotspots for that sort of stuff, as every second shop appears to be a jeweller, inside and out. There are some great shops. JB Hifi, EB Games, Lincraft, Myer, pretty much everything you'll find here. I didn't remember there being so much stuff here, but there is. The food court has a lot of variety, which I wasn't expecting.

Adelaide Central Plaza is one of those cool places in the hot weather that Adelaide is prone to,…read morewhere you know it is air conditioned and below the ground, so there are less likely to be flies annoying you while you try and relax and eat. It is a food hall essentially but does have a range of stores and services built in as well; quite a few decent male clothing stores on the slightly higher end price wise, but good stuff - I bought a pair of ankle boots at one of them recently, marked down from $300.00 to $125.00 so pretty good bargains at the right time of year. Food wise it is a reasonable spread of Asian, Mexican and if you wander into the David Jones Department Store food hall you get sushi and regular Anglo type seafood platters (fish and chips) and a glass of wine. There are stores for hair dressing, electronics stores and a newsagent among the other specialty shops you'll find in here, and if it is a really hot day you can come up into Rundle Mall via the entrance at the rear avoiding a little more of the topside heat. The toilets are usually clean and there is always paper available certainly in my experience in the 'Mens'.

This has always been my favourite Rundle Mall food court, although truthfully since the Myer Centre…read morehave done theirs up my loyalty is wavering. My two favourite places here to grab a bite to eat are T-bar and the sushi place inside Food Glorious Food. I often stop in at the newsagency to buy pens or magazines, and the chemist for medicine, tissues, hair ties, or any thing vaguely chemisty. I also love broswing through Bed Bath and Table. The main drawcard for me is the free wifi. I'll either grab a chai smoothie from T-bar, or just find myself a table, and set up my computer to do some work. There are bandwidth limits, but I've never experienced a slow down. I sometimes work here for hours, when I'm finding too many distractions at home. There are plenty of other stores like The Body Shop, Pumpkin Patch, and I think Esprit might still be up the top, but I rarely venture above the food court unless I'm going to David Jones.

Zara, oh how I have missed you!! Having been blessed to have travelled a fair bit I have shopped…read moreat Zara chains in Europe and also interesting out of the way places such as Manilla, One thing I could always count on is that I could find any basic item or something more interesting at a good price in almost any country. It is interesting to note that many Adelaideans have been disappointed but that's because their expectations were probably along the lines of a new high end fashion store, which it isn't. They stock the most amazing range of shoes but compared to the clothing they are a litttle more pricey. The clothes that I have bought years ago are still going strong and the quality is definitely there for the price. The day I swept in to the new store with my daughter in tow I was really delighted with the store: spacious and well laid out, however I did't go on a busy day. My daughter bought a beautiful camel tailored jacket for $80 which was fully lined and well stitched. Most clothing in this price range elsewhere is pretty cheaply made. The only reason I didn't give Zara five stars was the staff. Unbelievable, that with all the launch and fanfare that they didn't get this right. First of all it was hard to get hold of a staff member even on a quiet day and the staff manning the changerooms were very disinterested and didn't show any desire to help out. In the end I did find someone on the check out that showed some initiative and desire to help. Another tip; Beware of the sizing, don't be dismayed if you have to try clothes that are one or two sizes bigger than normal as they are cut for the Asian market. My daughter, who is usually a small or extra small needed a medium. Although, again I think they should have corrected this as women generally don't like buying clothes that make them feel like they have put on weight. So, typically wonderful Zara but woeful service and strange sizing.

Now I did hear all the hype, live radio broadcasts and Internet raves of Zara and thought - oh man,…read moreanother snobby store I will love in the window of and wish of buying. But since I visited Burnside shopping centre today, one of about four times ever, I was quite surprised how nice the store is, how friendly the staff were and the quality and price of the clothing. I said to my partner, let's just look quickly for a laugh so we know what everyone is talking about. But when I met up with him in the men's section, I said - there are actually a few things here I wouldn't mind, and can afford! And he said the same. There were no lines, great considering it was 4pm on a Sunday, and the staff and other shoppers were fine. I wasn't bothered too much by fake assistants, I happily browsed and walked around with a surprised, but happy, look on my face. Meanwhile the swarms of security watched over my shoulder it felt like. But I will be returning, and so will my partner, and we probably will buy a thing or two. Not just because it has Zara written on it, but because we actually liked the product and found the experience in store pleasurable.