University Village Aptly named and overwhelmingly successful, this open-air lifestyle center sits on prime real estate adjacent to the sprawling University of Washington campus. Catering to UW’s 35,000 students as well as young, affluent families, U-Village is built around a central pedestrian axis and achieves a genuine "village" feel by limiting parking within its system of sidewalks, canopies and outdoor seating areas. An abundance of trees, sculpture and water features also distinguish this center from its open-air counterparts, as do thoughtful customer amenities and park-like settings for outdoor furniture and gathering spaces. Take a virtual tour.

The center’s 100 or so specialty stores—a good balance of familiar chains and regional and local boutiques—are upscale in nature and dispersed among nine uniquely designed buildings, another means of creating village ambience. Along with anchors Barnes & Noble, Crate & Barrel, Eddie Bauer and Gap, you’ll find Portland-based organization retailer Storables; Crate & Barrel’s kids’ offshoot The Land of Nod (one of only four in the U.S.); high-end fashion boutique Mercer, one of four west-coast stores, each enveloped in dramatically lit white sheers; activewear chain Lucy, with salon-inspired fitting rooms; and Ralph Lauren's vintage-prep Rugby concept (one of ten in the U.S.).

If you're interested in independents, don't miss Fran's Chocolates, a tiny but ultra-sensory boutique from Seattle-based but nationally acclaimed artisan chocolatier Fran Bigelow; the tastefully colorful Mrs. Cook's (pardon the pun), a 32-year-old culinary emporium and Seattle institution; Ravenna Gardens, an exquisite plant and home accessory shop catering to Northwest gardeners; and The Confectionery, a pink and white la-la land of sweets.