Attention all you shopaholics and fashionistas. If you’re anything like me, you’re always on the quest for the perfect shopping environment. That perfect balance between great stores and affordable ones that you love to browse. Also for me, there has to be enough for my husband to do. Since he’s paying, I need to make sure hes surrounded by food and Victoria’s Secret. It also helps to have a comfy chair and a plasma screen nearby.

I thought my quest was finally over when I heard about The Americana. Here would be a shoppers Eldorado. Sadly, I was bitterly disappointed this new shopping destination for Angelinos located in Glendale. It promised so much coming from the same developers who brought us The Grove in LA.

The Americana has all your chic boutiques: Juicy, Ed Hardy, Kitson along with your more traditional stores like J Crew, Guess and A/X Armani Exchange. It also has its share of restaurants: Katsuya (excellent sushi), Cheesecake Factory (how can you go wrong?) and Pinkberry (the best frozen yogurt ever!). They also have a Barnes & Noble and Pacific Movie Theater. A little formulaic but a nice blend of stores.

Alas, it does not compare to The Grove. The Americana is missing something. I’m not sure if its missing the casualness and laid back feeling of the Grove or the variety that the Grove has to offer. I know one thing that’s missing for sure affordable shopping!

H&M and Barnes & Noble were the only two stores I could actually afford to buy anything from. It’s no fun to shop when all you can do is look. Plus there was no Victoria’s Secret.

So my quest continues. As much as it tortures my husband, I will continue to search high and low for my shoppers paradise. Where will my search lead me? Who knows? Any ideas?