Oh, sure, there are the 37 kilometres of beach.
But who wants to waste time lounging in the sun, missing the real fun — the bargains — more than 300 stores full of them, with more on the way.
Fort Lauderdale's Sawgrass Mills, touted as "the world's largest discount and entertainment mall," may not seem like your typical tourist attraction. But it is.
In fact, it's a 2.3-million-square-foot amusement park for adults that draws 26 million visitors a year — about 11 million more than Disney's Magic Kingdom in Orlando.
Tourism in the Greater Fort Lauderdale area was a $7.4 billion business last year, and about $2 billion of that came from retail recreation, says Nicki Grossman, president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Visitors and Convention Bureau.
"Shopping — especially value shopping — has become a motivating force. There are hundreds of beach destinations around the U.S., and we're always competing for people who want to go to the beach," says Grossman.
"But what you have to offer in addition to that will generally help people decide where they want to go. And shopping is high on the list."
Sixteen-year-old Shannon and I have come well prepared for this mother-daughter-MasterCard bonding moment. Shannon has plotted her attack via the Internet from home, drawing up a checklist of to-do stores like Hot Topic, with its music-branded clothes, and Vans Skateboarding store, neither of which can be found in Canada.
She's on the hunt for cool T-shirts and skate shoes. I, on the other hand, am braced for major hand-to-wallet combat given that the snowless state is overflowing in this post-Christmas sales period with all the ceramic Santas my Beaches home can handle, all of them at 50 to 75 per cent off.
But navigating this massive mall as a team with such different missions quickly becomes so stressful, we're forced to abandon our No. 1 rule — try to stay together on foreign soil.
Instead, we use our cellphones as vital communication links, which nets us about $15 in roaming charges, but leaves us free to careen from age-appropriate store to age-appropriate store, and then meet up from time to time to raise our bags in victory.
It's hard to know where to start here, especially during hot sales periods post-Thanksgiving and post-Christmas, made all the more appealing by the strength of the Canadian dollar and the phenomenal selection in stores like T.J. Maxx and Burlington Coat Factory. (Who knew a coat store would sell everything but the kitchen sink?)
And the choice is about to get bigger, given that the mall is undergoing a more than 100,000 square foot expansion to make way for its first upscale designer stores — the fourth expansion since it opened 13 years ago. This mall not only helped revolutionize shopping in this sunny state, but boosted tourism. (Some 30 per cent of its visitors are from out of state.)
It's hard — especially coming from Canada — not to be awestruck at the selection, including fine dining (it will soon be up to 10 restaurants), novel kids play areas like Wannado City, and every brand-name discount outlet imaginable.
It's enough to make you consider forking over $3 U.S. for a SmarteCarte — clever indoor SUVs of shopping with a garbage-bag sized net for purchases and a seat on wheels for when you've shopped until you've dropped. But that would mean buying an extra suitcase — a top-selling item here.
"People love to bring home something good from vacation, especially really good deals," says Michael Goodman, a spokesperson for Sawgrass Mills. "I remember running into a family from Latin America who were on their third day at the mall. They literally had a list with them from all their family members with things to bring back — jeans, shoes, clothes — that were too expensive at home."
It would have been nice to have a relaxing dinner, or at least a slice of Margarita pizza from Wolfgang Puck Express or Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake from the famous Cheesecake Factory.
But who has time for food when the hours have flown by so quickly, the massive glass doors are about to be slammed shut on our vital reference point — the JC Penney Store.
Luckily we get there just in time and I've done some critical advance planning of my own. I've rented a bright yellow Volkswagen Beetle — figuring what the bug lacks in trunk space, it makes up for in sheer visibility.
As we stroll out the store doors and stare at the sea of cars in this 11,000-car parking lot, I realize that is the smartest money I've spent today.
It takes a little squinting, and a minute or two to get our bearings, but there — like a little beacon of light — is the only bright yellow Beetle for miles.
03/2005
