On the Road:
Shop Till You Drop
(A Bundle)
On Rodeo Drive |
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f you think Rodeo Drive is a series of snooty stores with scornful staffs, you're in for a pleasant
surprise. True, this legendary street does offer three blocks of the world's most expensive shops, and
you can't even enter one of them, Bijan, without an appointment. But Bijan is the exception. You'll be
welcome at Armani, Christian Dior, Fendi, Chanel, the shops in Anderton Court (one of Frank Lloyd Wright's
few forays into retail architecture), and the street's two glittery Cartiers, even if you're "just
looking." At Two Rodeo Drive, an upscale shopping center masquerading as a cobblestone piazza, you'll
find free valet parking for two hours.
In addition, Rodeo Drive has always offered more than just pricey stores. The street boasts two
verdant parks (Beverly Gardens and Will Rogers Memorial), lavish homes, and two five-star hotels (the
Regent Beverly Wilshire and the Beverly Hills Hotel). At the Regent, where Richard Gere and Julia
Roberts found love in the film Pretty Woman, you'll find high tea served in the Lobby Lounge
Restaurant. At the kitschier pink-plaster Beverly Hills Hotel, drinks and star spotting are the
order of the day in the Polo Lounge. Of course, if you're on a strict budget, skip the hotels and
head back to Two Rodeo Drive, where McCormick & Schmick's Fish House serves $1.95 hamburgers at happy
hour. You'll be chowing down on Beverly Hills's best bargain.
Where it is: Running right through the middle of Beverly Hills, Calif., from Sunset to
Wilshire Boulevard (a short spur continues south of Wilshire, but it's occupied by homes of
no great interest).
Who will like it: Stargazers, young and old; free spenders and avid window-shoppers; strollers
seeking relief from autocentric Los Angeles.
What's there: Landmark five-star hotels, elegant homes, celebrities, and, famously, some of
the world's most expensive shops.
When to go: Midweek, to avoid the biggest crowds; early Sunday morning, for the most peaceful
window-shopping; evenings during the holiday season, to admire the thousands of twinkling lights and
other decorations that bedeck the avenue.
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