Photo by Erin Groves
Students find retail therapy Valencia’s main shopping area proves to be a comfort zone for some FSU students By Erin Groves
I
f you are looking for a relaxed shopping day, Carrer de Colón is not the place for you. Located in the heart of Valencia, the Colón shopping street is the busiest beehive of all shopping districts in the city. If you do not know where you are going while on Colón Street, you must move aside because the locals and shopping veterans will rush past you. “Many of my friends live above the stores on Carrer de Colón and have to navigate through the crowds of people to get to their daily jobs,” says Sofia Nordlund, an FSU program assistant (PA) who grew up at alternating times in Valencia and California. Added to the daily hustle and bustle of the Valencian locals getting to their respective jobs are the large numbers of tourists and shoppers looking to visit the shops and restaurants on Colón Street. Valencia is the third largest city in Spain and has the shopping district to prove it. With a population of 822,000 people (according to worldpopulation.com), Valencia holds about the same number of people as Charlotte, North Carolina or San Francisco, California. As you can imagine, the shopping district gets quite crazy in Valencia. “The shopping is very similar on Colón Street to back at home in California. I’m very glad because it makes me feel like I am back at home,” Nordlund says. With the Metro, two train stations, major roadways, department stores, markets, and countless shops nearby, Colón Street is bursting with activity. And with city Bus 5 being a straight shot from
28 Nomadic Noles // Summer 2018
the FSU Garnet building to Colón Street, students have no trouble spending their souvenir money. Shops galore The variety of shops found on Colón Street include some of the world’s largest franchises, such as H&M, Zara, Sephora, Adidas, and Apple, but there are local shops, too. Many students even believe they have found “hidden gems” on Colón Street. “The fashion in Valencia and all of Europe is so different from the Nike shorts and XL T-shirts I usually wear at home,” says Elise Anderson, an FSU nursing major. “I needed to buy new clothes because what I packed for my trip did not cut it.” Women’s clothing stores such as Brandy Melville, Mango, Pull & Bear, and Subdued are rarely found in the States but are conveniently located on Colón Street. Some students choose to fit in with the Valencian culture and dress like the locals, while others choose to keep their style and wear only American clothes. Colon Street is a popular men’s shopping destination, too. “When I went clothes shopping here, I really noticed the difference in the fit of the men’s clothing. Everything is much tighter and longer,” said FSU economics major Hunter Perez in summer 2018 while looking to purchase clothing that fit in with the locals. Before traveling to Valencia, many students tried to stock up on what they could in hopes of not having to buy anything while abroad.
