The Downtown Crossing that I am writing about now is so different from the one I would’ve written about a few years or even months ago. Stores have come and gone as happens often in a busy place like Downtown Crossing. The flagship Filene’s store was closed for good in 2006, while the thrift mecca of Filene’s Basement closed this September, but is set to open again in 2009. Despite all the changes, it still holds its own as a true shopping destination here in Beantown.

You should still visit Downtown Crossing as it has the only Macy’s in the Boston metro area, as well as the home of places like The Last Hurrah restaurant (where Malcolm X was a bus boy and JFK apparently proposed to Jackie O), the Beantown Pub, Suffolk University Law School and the Orpheum Theatre (a beautiful but run down old Victorian theater that mostly hosts mainstream and “indie” bands).

DSW sells discounted shoes on two floors and is a favorite for fashionistas to break the bank, while still trying to save a buck or two on designer shoes. Probably the most popular spot after Macy’s is the store H&M, which opened a few years back and, at the time, was the biggest thing in Boston shopping. H&M is the place to go for cheap clothes and accessories that are made well and still look good.

Along the way, there are still street vendors selling knick-knacks and T-shirts with Boston, Harvard, and MIT emblazed on them along with souvenirs. Marshall’s and TJ Maxx are still going strong, with CVS (when is there not a CVS nearby?!), a smaller version of Foot Locker, Cohen’s Eye Care and Claire’s all there as well. Downtown Crossing is a place populated with banks and businesses, but there is still plenty of shopping and eating to be found.

Borders is a three floor bookstore where one can find pretty much anything they may want to read, from Twain to Manga. With restaurants like the high end Locke-Ober to the trendy Silvertone, there is always something to do in Downtown Crossing. Sure, it is not what it used to be, but it is still a great place to go on a nice summer’s day to do a little shopping and a lot of people watching.