AirTran: 10 Things You Must Do in Jax

[Adam W]

People love shopping. And most airplane mags point people in the direction of the local shopping district. That's usually the place where all the big name and high end retailers are.

This is certainly true, but it is a phenomenon I don't really understand.  What is the purpose of traveling to another place to shop at all the same stores you can find in your own town?

Yeah, I don't *quite* get it. I suppose that's just what some people do. I guess I get why people go shopping in NYC or whatever - especially years ago, in the days before the internet, when you basically had to go to one of a few cities to shop at certain stores.

On the other hand, when the dollar was weak and the pound was strong, I would go and shop at SJTC when I was in town and get everything for about half-price. Those days are long-gone 

[ben says]

Whenever we have friends in from out of town we take them to the Roosevelt Chamblins.  Every time their jaws drop open, eyes bug out and they wander for hours in a daze of booklust.  Even people from NYC say they have never seen a book store so large, complete and well organized.

Our friends from St. Petersburg always insist an a re-visit and leave with their arms full; and St. Pete has Haslam's!

The Cummer should also be on that list.  There are art lovers from Europe who have come here specifically to see it.

+1. Out of towners LOVE Chamblin's. Really one of the best bookstores in the whole country.

Recommend to your NYC friends: http://www.strandbooks.com

People love shopping. And most airplane mags point people in the direction of the local shopping district. That's usually the place where all the big name and high end retailers are.

This is certainly true, but it is a phenomenon I don't really understand.  What is the purpose of traveling to another place to shop at all the same stores you can find in your own town?

Yeah, I don't *quite* get it. I suppose that's just what some people do. I guess I get why people go shopping in NYC or whatever - especially years ago, in the days before the internet, when you basically had to go to one of a few cities to shop at certain stores.

On the other hand, when the dollar was weak and the pound was strong, I would go and shop at SJTC when I was in town and get everything for about half-price. Those days are long-gone 

I've always found people's fetish with shopping ridiculous in general, but even more so people's fetish with shopping for the same items in different locations.

I do find it hilarious that the Japanese upper class send their children off to go school shopping in Paris London Milan and NYC because it's so cheap!!

[coredumped]

Seriously? Brew bus?

What's wrong w/the brew bus? I've never been on it, but plan to. I think it's a great idea.

[L.P. Hovercraft]

I know this is not popular but SJTC has goods you can't get in local shops.

I'm not the biggest fan in the world of the SJTC and only venture out that way rarely, but to put a positive spin on the place, I will say the Total Wine there has a pretty good selection of booze.  And they're the only place locally I've found that carries aged Martinique rum, and you can't make an authentic Mai-Tai without the stuff. 
So, my liver salutes you, Total Wine at the Town Center!

Just wish this place was closer to the core though, instead of at that godforsaken, traffic ridden, consumerist hellhole pile of festering--oops, sorry, couldn't help myself there.

[birddog]

I agree with Captain Zissou: "brew bus"?  It was probably "brew bus" rather than use up the list of ten with the names of various ale houses.   And with JeffreyS, I too am surprised the River Walk didn't make it.  Perhaps they don't want to make people walk?

[I-10east]

I 'sorta' get the whole 'anti-suburban' thing on MJ, but seriously, leaving SJTC off the list? Keep on acting like that mall isn't a major place to visit in Jacksonville. A view from a handful of hardcore urbanists (urging you not to go), versus everyone else in Jax(saying go there). As I hypothetical tourist, which opinion should I consider, hmmm....

[JFman00]

I 'sorta' get the whole 'anti-suburban' thing on MJ, but seriously, leaving SJTC off the list? Keep on acting like that mall isn't a major place to visit in Jacksonville. A view from a handful of hardcore urbanists (urging you not to go), versus everyone else in Jax(saying go there). As I hypothetical tourist, which opinion should I consider, hmmm....

It's not so much that it's a destination that's frustrating, it's that the most interesting shopping experience Jacksonville has to offer is a run-of-the-mill suburban mall. There's literally nothing unique, or uniquely Jacksonville about it.

[I-10east]

^^^Name the so called 'unique' malls in the US? You probably can list them on one hand, definitely the Mall of America up there in Minny, maybe that mall in Beverly Hills, I can even think of anymore. Just because a mall isn't unique, doesn't mean that can't be very popular, and a draw to the city. No one would be questioning a mall like the Mall of Millennia as a draw to Orlando, and it isn't totally 'unique' by your standards either.

[JFman00]

^^^Name the so called 'unique' malls in the US? You probably can list them on one hand, definitely the Mall of America up there in Minny, maybe that mall in Beverly Hills, I can even think of anymore. Just because a mall isn't unique, doesn't mean that can't be very popular, and a draw to the city. No one would be questioning a mall like the Mall of Millennia as a draw to Orlando, and it's isn't totally 'unique' by your standards either.

That's exactly the point. Instead of Chicago's Michigan Avenue (which has a popular mall on it), or New Orleans' Magazine St or Georgetown in DC or Lincoln Road in Miami Beach or any other one-of-a-kind urban shopping district, Jacksonville's most interesting contribution is a mall. Pensacola's Cordova Mall is the 3rd most popular tourist destination in the Panhandle, but you don't see them bragging about that.

And as someone not originally from Florida, I had never heard of Mall of Millennia until you mentioned it.

[CityLife]

^^^Name the so called 'unique' malls in the US? You probably can list them on one hand, definitely the Mall of America up there in Minny, maybe that mall in Beverly Hills, I can even think of anymore. Just because a mall isn't unique, doesn't mean that can't be very popular, and a draw to the city. No one would be questioning a mall like the Mall of Millennia as a draw to Orlando, and it isn't totally 'unique' by your standards either.

You've visited a city in your life right? Most big/medium cities have urban shopping districts that make the Town Center look backwoods and tacky. Heck plenty of small cities in the south like Sarasota, Palm Beach, Key West, New Smyrna Beach, St. Augustine, Savannah, Asheville, etc, etc have very cool true urban "Town Center" type retail districts. The point is that we shouldn't celebrate a horrifically designed, faux "town center", that is essentially some brick and mortar plopped in a sea of asphalt. You seriously need to get out of Jacksonville, if you think the Town Center is something to be celebrated.

As for the list...often times lists like this are influenced by marketing firms or someone trying to get their business some publicity. I know of one high profile "best of ranking" that was completely influenced by a marketing firm...in fact the marketing firm even pitched the "best of ranking" to the publication and paid for it.

[ben says]

^^^Name the so called 'unique' malls in the US? You probably can list them on one hand, definitely the Mall of America up there in Minny, maybe that mall in Beverly Hills, I can even think of anymore. Just because a mall isn't unique, doesn't mean that can't be very popular, and a draw to the city. No one would be questioning a mall like the Mall of Millennia as a draw to Orlando, and it isn't totally 'unique' by your standards either.

You've visited a city in your life right? Most big/medium cities have urban shopping districts that make the Town Center look backwoods and tacky. Heck plenty of small cities in the south like Sarasota, Palm Beach, Key West, New Smyrna Beach, St. Augustine, Savannah, Asheville, etc, etc have very cool true urban "Town Center" type retail districts. The point is that we shouldn't celebrate a horrifically designed, faux "town center", that is essentially some brick and mortar plopped in a sea of asphalt. You seriously need to get out of Jacksonville, if you think the Town Center is something to be celebrated.

As for the list...often times lists like this are influenced by marketing firms or someone trying to get their business some publicity. I know of one high profile "best of ranking" that was completely influenced by a marketing firm...in fact the marketing firm even pitched the "best of ranking" to the publication and paid for it.

+10000

[I-10east]

You've visited a city in your life right? Most big/medium cities have urban shopping districts that make the Town Center look backwoods and tacky. Heck plenty of small cities in the south like Sarasota, Palm Beach, Key West, New Smyrna Beach, St. Augustine, Savannah, Asheville, etc, etc have very cool true urban "Town Center" type retail districts. The point is that we shouldn't celebrate a horrifically designed, faux "town center", that is essentially some brick and mortar plopped in a sea of asphalt. You seriously need to get out of Jacksonville, if you think the Town Center is something to be celebrated.

Dude, I just came back from LA, is that far enough for you? Are those places that you've listed 'unique'? No, so don't try to act like they are some damn can't miss world class destination like Times Square or something. The faux town center, or whether this other one has a particular store that the STJC don't have is semantics, the point is that they can be put in a category of an average upscale mall/town center with nothing truly 'unique' about it is all that I was saying. The Mall of America has a big time amusement park, Nickelodeon Universe (which I have been to BTW since I never 'go anywhere')right dab in the center of it with tons of anchor stores; What does Asheville's mall have to make it unique? Yeah, I thought so. I find it hard to believe that every else is wrong (the Nat'l media at that) except a few local SJTC haters.

[CityLife]

You've visited a city in your life right? Most big/medium cities have urban shopping districts that make the Town Center look backwoods and tacky. Heck plenty of small cities in the south like Sarasota, Palm Beach, Key West, New Smyrna Beach, St. Augustine, Savannah, Asheville, etc, etc have very cool true urban "Town Center" type retail districts. The point is that we shouldn't celebrate a horrifically designed, faux "town center", that is essentially some brick and mortar plopped in a sea of asphalt. You seriously need to get out of Jacksonville, if you think the Town Center is something to be celebrated.

Dude, I just came back from LA, is that far enough for you? Are those places that you've listed 'unique'? No, so don't try to act like they are some damn can't miss world class destination like Times Square or something. The faux town center, or whether this other one has a particular store that the STJC don't have is semantics, the point is that they can put in a category of an average upscale mall/town center nothing 'unique' about it is all that I was saying.

Times Square is a world class destination? Hilarious...Its probably the single most despised spot in Manhattan by New Yorkers.

Every single place I listed is a unique and interesting place. In fact people travel from all over the region and country to go to those places, primarily for their character. Only people with Gumpian IQ's go to New York for Times Square.

[I-10east]

^^^I have to agree with you about Times Square from a New Yorker POV, but it still is obviously a draw for tourists. You still haven't told me what is unique about those places, so much so, that it makes the SJTC look like a flea market, I'm still waiting....I'll tell you what, I'll spot you one, start with Sarasota. I'm quite sure that I'll be headed down there in no time after you describe it; I'll be in awe....

[CityLife]

My family has strong roots in NYC and while Times Square may have historically meant a lot to New Yorkers and Americans...it is now despised by many as an example of the commercialization of Manhattan and the loss of the true New York. My grandfather was one of the pioneers of the hotel/restaurant management business in the 20th century and I'm pretty sure he's rolling in his grave at the thought of Applebee's, Hard Rock Cafe, Olive Garden, etc type restaurants in Times Square.