Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
237
Tips
A Little Bit o' Country
With its red barn facade and easygoing neighborhood vibe, the
Brentwood
Country Mart,
which was built in 1948, has r ecovered rather nicely from a major
face-lift in 2006. It's one of the easiest places to shop in L.A. because so many
chic stores are in one spot, and parking is free. Be sure to visit the menswear out-
post Apartment Number 9, the upscale beauty shop Marie Mason Apothecary,
and the first City Bakery west of Manhattan (a great place for an inexpensive
lunch). The Mart is located at 225 26th St., just off San Vicente Boulevard in Brent-
wood (
&
310/451-9877;
www.brentwoodcountrymart.com).
with towering palms; and
2 Rodeo
(www.tworodeo.com), a cobblestoned Italianate piazza at
Wilshire Boulev ard. The 16-squar e-block ar ea surr ounding R odeo D rive is kno wn as the
Golden Triangle. Shops off Rodeo are generally not as name-conscious as those on the strip
(and you might actually be able to afford something), but they're nevertheless plenty upscale.
Little Santa Monica Boulevard has a particularly colorful line of specialty stores, and Brighton
Way is as young and hip as r elatively staid Beverly Hills gets. Parking is a bargain, with nine
city-run lots offering 2 hours of fr ee parking and a flat fee of $2 after 2pm.
The big names to look for her e are
Prada,
343 N. R odeo Dr. (
&
310/278-8661
);
Chanel,
400 N. R odeo Dr. (
&
310/278-5500
);
Bulgari,
201 N. R odeo Dr. (
&
310/
858-9216
);
Gucci,
347 N. Rodeo Dr. (
&
310/278-3451
);
Hermès,
434 N. Rodeo Dr.
(
&
310/278-6440
);
Louis Vuitton,
295 N. R odeo D r. (
&
310/859-0457
);
Polo/
Ralph Lauren,
444 N. Rodeo Dr. (
&
310/281-1500
); and a three-story
Tiffany & Co.
that's one of the largest Tiffany stores in the world, 210 N. R odeo Dr. (
&
310/273-
8880
). There's also the ultrachic clothiers
Dolce & G abbana,
312 N. R odeo D r.
(
&
310/888-8701
); British plaid palace
Burberry,
9560 Wilshire Blvd. (
&
310/550-
4500
); and
NikeTown,
on the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Rodeo Drive (
&
310/
275-9998
), a behemoth shrine to the r eigning athletic-gear king.
Wilshire Boulevard is also home to N ew York-style department stores (each in spec-
tacular landmark buildings), like
Saks Fifth Avenue,
9600 Wilshire Blvd. (
&
310/275-
4211
);
Barneys N ew York,
9570 Wilshire B lvd. (
&
310/276-4400
); and
Neiman
Marcus,
9700 Wilshire Blvd. (
&
310/550-5900
).
When all that walking and gawking tir es you out, do what all the B everly Hills beau-
ties do: H it a spa.
Thibiant Beverly Hills Day Spa,
449 N. Canon D r. (
&
310/278-
7565;
www.thibiantspa.com) has been offering classic tr eatments since the 1970s. Guys
have a place of their o wn at the high-end barbershop , the
Shave,
230 S. B everly Dr.
(
&
310/888-2898;
www.theshavebeverlyhills.com). You don't need to stay in one of the
fabulously luxurious Beverly Hills hotels to get all the pampering ser vices. At the
Spa at
the Four Seasons
(p. 257), California-flavored treatments use everything from tequila to
caviar in decadent massages and facials. The
Peninsula Spa Beverly Hills
(p. 257) uses
diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and sapphires in some of their signatur e treatments. At the
Beverly Hills Hotel Spa by La Prairie
(p. 80), the facials and massages ar e some of the
most expensiv e in to wn, but it 's a gr eat r eason to spend a decadent day at the “P
9
ink
Palace” without having to drop $1,000 a night on a r oom.
THE SUNSET STRIP
(btw. La Cienega Blvd. and Doheny Dr., West Hollywood) The
monster-size billboards advertising the latest r ock god make it clear this is r ock-'n'-roll
