Information
Los Angeles Hotels
Los
Angeles Airport
Los
Angeles Tourism Guide
Los
Angeles Basic Info
Los
Angeles Shopping
Los
Angeles Tips to
traveller
Top
Destinations
Paris
Travel Guide
Tokyo
Travel Guide
Beijing
Travel Guide
Madrid
Travel Guide
London
Travel Guide
Toronto
Travel Guide
Houston
Travel Guide
Bangkok
Travel Guide
Frankfurt
Travel Guide
Las
vegas Travel Guide
Singapore
Travel Guide
New
York Travel Guide
Amsterdam
Travel Guide
Hong
Kong Travel Guide
Los
Angeles Travel Guide
Shopping
Paris
Shopping
Tokyo
Shopping
Beijing
Shopping
Madrid
Shopping
Berlin
Shopping
Toronto
Shopping
Houston
Shopping
Bangkok
Shopping
Frankfurt
Shopping
Las
vegas Shopping
Singapore
Shopping
London
Shopping
Amsterdam
Shopping
Hong
Kong Shopping
New
York Shopping
|
Los Angeles
Shopping
SHOPPING
IN THE CITY
Shopping
is another top attraction of the LA area, with such massive
shopping opportunities as the three-story Beverly Center. Shopping
districts are many, and trendy, upscale boutiques seem to be around
ever corner. Savvy shoppers make the most of the city by planning
before they indulge in retail therapy.
If
money is truly no concern,
then stroll through the
ultra-posh shops on Rodeo Drive, which is within the Golden Triangle
(bordered by Santa Monica Boulevard, Wilshire Boulevard, and Canon
Drive). Famous site of Julia Roberts' triumphant Pretty Woman shopping
spree, the venerated street boasts the finest retailers –
Cartier, Gucci, and Tiffany among them.
Well-heeled
hipsters prefer Robertson
Boulevard (between Beverly
Boulevard and Third Street). Impossibly cool clothing, makeup, and home
decor shops line the street, including celebrity fave Kitson Boutique.
Melrose Avenue (between San Vicente Boulevard and La Brea Avenue)
caters to the same crowd; check out Von Dutch and Agent Provocateur.
In
the market for antiques?
Check out Third Street (between
La Cienega Boulevard and La Brea Avenue), a funky, eclectic area known
for unique gift and specialty stores. While the sheer multitude of
attractive boutiques and stores in LA is staggering – and
most of them are exclusive, upscale, and one-off to boot –
just focus on a few must-have items in your price range for a relaxed
day of hitting the shops!
Rodeo
Drive/The Golden Triangle
Santa Monica Boulevard, Wilshire Boulevard and Canon Drive.
The so-called Golden Triangle holds more wealth and fine stores than
most small countries. At its center is the renowned Rodeo Drive. It is
the street on which Julia Roberts had her shopping spree in "Pretty
Woman." It is the street that sports designer stores such as
Tiiffany's, Cartier, Chanel, Bally, Gucci and other well-heeled
notables. This is also the street that few people who don't spend their
life in front of the camera can afford. On nearby Wilshire Blvd., there
is the Regent Beverly Wilshire (seen in "Beverly Hills Cop"), Niketown,
Barneys, and, yes, the "Winona" Saks Fifth Avenue. And throughout the
Triangle, you will see a curious collection of nouveau riche types
sauntering about that will make you feel like you're watching an
episode of "Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous: The Reality Show."
Robertson
Blvd
Between Beverly Blvd. and Third St.
This small street could be seen as a diorama for hip LA.
Featuring the exclusiveness of Beverly Hills and the cutting-edge cool
of Melrose, this small stretch is where Hollywood hipsters with real
money shop. There are Curve's modern edgy outfits, high-end Maxfield's
discount outlet, Maxfield Blue, an Industry MAC store, and a shimmering
Georgio Armani Home store. Slip into some Hogan shoes, or grab a gift
at Kitson's, which has items for everyone from 6 months to 60. This is
also the place to spot celebrities, usually noshing at the Ivy, one of
the best restaurants in the city, or the Newsroom Café
across the street in a building housing New Line Pictures and a great
kids bookstore named Storyopolis.
Melrose
Avenue
Between San Vicente and La Brea Ave.
This is the tale of two streets. Since the early '80s, the stretch of
Melrose between Fairfax and La Brea avenues has defined hip shopping in
LA. The storefronts alone are works of pop art, and the
approximately dozen blocks are still packed with hipsters trying to
score the latest cool attire. Check out Red Balls, Slow, and Von Dutch
for great clothing. Aardvark's and Wasteland specialize in secondhand
items. On west side of Fairfax Avenue, Melrose has emerged as a
high-end paradise. Lower-key stores such as miu miu, the legendary Fred
Segal's, Costume National, and Forinara all have made it a deserving
alternative to the Robertson Boulevard experience. Everything from
lingerie at Agent Provocateur to great home accessories at designer
Jonathan Adler's store round out this definitive L.A. shopping
experience.
Beverly
Blvd
Between Martel Ave. and La Brea Ave.
A quieter, more sophisticated cousin to its northern neighbor Melrose,
this sleepy street features an eclectic array of stores. There is
Beige, one of the best boutiques in the city, the men's store K. Bond,
which features exclusive selections from European designers.
The latter is like the boulevard on which it sits: cool and laidback,
and there is no pressure to buy. Erewhon is an upscale health food
store whose deli has great food served by extremely rude food jockeys.
That's what happens when you're a frustrated actor. And from the "Only
in L.A." file, at Fifi and Romeo you can buy matching sweaters for you
and your dog.
Third
Street
Between La Cienega Blvd. and La Brea Ave.
This street has grown to become a great shopping walk. There are a slew
of fantastic antique stores, wonderful boutiques such as Aero &
Co and Polka Dots & Moonbeams, and specialty stores such as
Zipper's modern home accessories and unique gifts. Grab a healthy bite
at Real Food Daily, some diner fare at the tiny Who's on Third, or some
succulent tapas at the Spanish eatery Cava. Further east down the
street is the new upscale restaurant A.O.C., owned by the chefs behind
the acclaimed Lucques and Border Grill. And if the trip down this
quaint street isn't enough, score a guidebook to virtually anywhere
else in the world at the small-but-packed Travel Bookstore.
Montana
Avenue
Around 15th St.
This street tucked away in Santa Monica caters to mostly the "Industry"
types who flock to this sunny oasis of stores sequestered in a secluded
upscale neighborhood. Cafes and quiet boutiques provide a backdrop, as
the upscale clientele lazily stroll down the street, many walking
pooches or window-shopping. The gem in this street's string of stores
is Pearl, owned by Jack's daughter Jennifer Nicholson. Check out her
own cool line of clothes as well as accessories from the hottest new
designers.
La
Brea
Between Wilshire Blvd. and Hollywood Blvd.
This boulevard is seen by most as a major north-south tributary and by
others as a east-west dividing line between the west side of L.A. and
the rest of the city. So it is easy to overlook the many fine
establishments. If you want to uncover that rare piece of hardware for
your house (Liz's hardware), a great skirt or jeans at L.A.'s best
vintage store (Jet Rag), some simply great duds (American Rag), an
obscure foreign film (Rocket Video), or the best hot dog in the city
(Pink's), you can find it here. You can even do lunch at a flower shop
(Rita Flora) or find amazing Peking Duck (Lucky Duck).
Downtown/Santee
Alley
Downtown between Santee and Maple Sts and Olympic Blvd. and 12th St.
The fashion district of L.A conjures
images of sweatshops, but in reality there is a fascinating collision
of cultures that makes this area a great microcosm of LA in
all its shine and grime. Called a bargain hunters paradise, Santee
Alley features lots of knockoffs of designer shoes and clothing at
really low prices. A great time to go is the first Friday of every
month, when the California Mart has sample sales. And the wares aren't
limited to clothing. You can find everything from reams of fabric to
Powerpuff Girl piñatas.
Los Angeles
Hotels
Los
Angeles
Airport
Los
Angeles
Tourism Guide Los
Angeles
Basic info Los
Angeles
Shopping Los
Angeles
tips to
Traveller
|
