| 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. Iowa never comes up short when it comes to recreation, history, and family fun. The state is filled with campgrounds, nature trails, biking paths, golf courses, and the kind of towns that define America’s heartland. It’s a state of Amish buggies, white-tailed deer, geese, wildlife refuges, river valleys, and country inns. As for things to do and see, the Amana Colonies, one of Iowa’s major visitor attractions, comprises seven authentic German Villages formed over 150 years ago. The crafts and culture here remain as much testaments of the past as they do learning experiences of the present. The Herbert Hoover Birthplace is also a great historic site, fully restored, including Hoover’s home, personal library, and working ironsmith shop. Iowa’s border along the Great Lakes offers a multitude of opportunities for fishing, boating, waterskiing, jet skiing, and sunbathing. Also in the Northwest region are Sioux City landmarks and the trails of Lewis and Clark. Further south are the picturesque prairie lands and rolling Loess Hills. Iowa is also famous for its rodeos and game hunting. For a bird’s eye view of the land, take a trip in a hot air balloon over the tallgrass of the prairie and witness a place where the buffalo truly roam free. Or take your chances on a riverboat casino while traveling down the mighty Mississippi. Iowa is also home to “the world’s crookedest street”! Iowa, Amana Colonies, Herbert Hoover, Great Lakes, Sioux City, Loess Hills, Great lakes, Amish, Lewis and Clark 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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