| One the greatest American pastimes is shopping. Whether you enjoy window shopping, buying knickknacks as a tourist, shopping online, or simply walking the local mall, there is something for everyone. Shopping has become central to our way of life, with brand names like Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger covering everything from perfume to designer jeans. First-rate shopping is easy to find with stores like Nordstrom, Nieman Marcus, and Bloomingdale’s in malls across the nation. The Mall of America is the nation’s largest, sporting a huge food court, an indoor amusement park, and shopping for all ages. A simple pair of jeans can turn into a day’s project, presenting choices like loose-fit versus boot-cut, flared versus tight, low-rise or the classic fit? Online shopping simplifies your search with websites like buyerdom.com and shopzilla.com, and the every popular Ebay. Magazines like Lucky Magazine and Domino Magazine feature online and local shopping guides from home décor to date night apparel. The Fashion Editor is one of the largest online fashion and trend setting guides, offering advice on the latest styles, the fashion industry, and famous stylists. It’s not just the ladies that find shopping addicting, with AskMen.com featuring monthly fashion and shopping question and answers. Of course, most men would rather be seen at the nearby Lowe’s or Home Depot for home fix-ups and furnishings instead. Sporting goods, electronics, and entertainment are big among most, and feature venues like BestBuy, RadioShack, and Sports Authority. After a long day, Barne’s & Noble and Borders are popular bookstores offering comfy chairs for shoppers to peruse their books in luxury before purchasing. With so many shoppers and so much to buy, yesterday’s purchases are quickly passed on to consignment shops and secondhand stores like Name Brand Exchange, sold at rummage sales, or donated to The Salvation Army and Goodwill. As one of the original 13 colonies, Virginia has a rich history, a promising future, and plenty to do and see. History and culture enthusiasts can visit actual battlefields of the revolutionary and civil war, the actual homes of famous patriots, and entire cities that transport you back in time to another era. For example, step into Colonial Williamsburg and you’ll think you’ve left the 21st century far behind. Realistic reenactments of famous events, true-to-life colonial architecture, and an entire colonial town where people act and dress the roles of their forbearers are bound to astound. Travel to the University of Virginia campus and visit breathtaking Monticello, the famous home of founding father former president, and author of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson. The state also has two major amusement parks, Paramount’s Kings Dominion, just north of Richmond, the state capital, and Busch Gardens in Williamsburg. Both have hair-raising rides, live stage shows, wild water parks, and plenty of food and festivities. However, for as much as they have in common, they each have something unique to offer. King’s Dominion has famous Nickelodeon cartoon characters roaming the park, as well as everyone’s favorite canine sleuth, Scooby-Doo. Comparatively Busch Gardens is divided into five countries, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Sweden. Each country has people wearing that country’s traditional clothing, faux cities modeled after the unique architecture of each region, and tasty cultural cuisine. From Germany’s beer garden to the Loch Ness Monster, one of the park’s most famous roller coasters, every visitor is sure to find something that he or she enjoys. And for animal lovers, there’s even a monorail safari that provides a wonderful, bird’s-eye view of exotic wildlife. Last, but certainly not least, is Virginia’s coastline, where visitors can soak in the sun in the summer months on a sandy beach wile gazing at the great Atlantic, collecting shells, or enjoying a pina colada and soaking in the sun. battlefields, Civil War, history, Revolutionary War, Colonial Williamsburg, Busch Gardens, Kings Dominion, rollercoaster, amusement park, University of Virginia, UVA, Atlantic Ocean, Monticello window shopping, online shopping, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Marc Jacobs, Prada, Marni, designer jeans, perfume, Nordstrom, Nieman Marcus, Bloomingdale’s, Mall of America, loose-fit jeans, boot-cut jeans, flared jeans, low-rise fit, classic fit, buyerdom.com, shopzilla.com, Ebay, Lucky Magazine, Domino Magazine, The Fashion Editor, fashion industry, AskMen.com, Lowe’s, Home Depot, home fix-ups, Barne’s & Noble, Borders, Amazon.com, RadioShack, CompUSA, BestBuy, Sports Authority, consignment shops, secondhand stores, Name Brand Exchange, rummage sales, The Salvation Army, Goodwill, sporting goods, electronics, furnishings, home décor
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