Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
239
varieties of tea fr om around the world. Among the choices ar e 15 kinds of D arjeeling,
Indian teas blended with r ose petals, and cer emonial Chinese and J apanese blends. You
can also get tea meals her e, featuring delightful sandwiches and individual pots of any
loose tea in the store.
HOLLYWOOD
HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD
(btw. Gower St. and La Brea Ave.) One of Los Angeles's
most famous str eets is, for the most par t, a cheesy tourist strip . But along the Walk of
Fame, betw een the T-shirt shops and gr easy pizza parlors, y ou'll find some ex cellent
poster shops, souvenir stores, and Hollywood-memorabilia dealers worth getting out of
your car for—especially if ther e's a chance of getting y our hands on that long-sought-
after Ethel Merman autograph or
200 Motels
poster.
Some longstanding pur veyors of memorabilia include
Hollywood Book and Poster
Company,
6562 H ollywood Blvd. (
&
323/465-8764;
www.hollywoodbookandposter.
com), which has an excellent collection of posters (from about $15 each), strong in hor-
ror and exploitation flicks. Photocopies of around 5,000 movie and television scripts are
sold for $10 to $15 each—
Pulp Fiction
is just as good in print, by the way—and the store
carries music posters and photos.
The legendary
Fredericks of Hollywood,
6751 Hollywood Blvd. (
&
323/957-5953;
www.fredericks.com), located just a block east of Hollywood & Highland, is worth a stop
if you're looking for devilish dainties. The flagship store features lingerie worn by celebri-
ties like Sharon Stone, Julianne Moore, and Halle Berry.
LARCHMONT BOULEVARD
(btw. Beverly Blvd. and 2nd St.) Neighbors congregate
on this old-fashioned street just east of busy Vine Avenue. As the surrounding Hancock
Park homes become increasingly popular with artists and young industry types, the shops
and cafes lining Larchmont get more stylish. Sure, chains like Jamba Juice and the Coffee
Bean are infiltrating this formerly mom-and-pop terrain, but plenty of unique shopping
awaits amid charming elements like diagonal par king, shady tr ees, and side walk bistro
tables.
One of L.A.'s landmark independent bookstores is
Chevalier's Books,
126 N. Larch-
mont Blvd. (
&
323/465-1334
), a 60-y ear Larchmont tradition. I f your walking shoes
are letting y ou down, stop into
Village Footwear,
248 N. Lar chmont Blvd. (
&
323/
461-3619
), which specializ es in comfor t lines like J osef Siebel. Or even better, stop in
for a foot—or full body—massage at
Healing Hands Wellness Center,
414 N. Lar ch-
mont B lvd. (
&
323/461-7876;
www .healinghandswc.com), which has affor dable
1-hour massages star ting at $55. An entir e afternoon of pampering can be had at
Le
Petite Retreat Day Spa,
331 N. Lar chmont Blvd. (
&
323/466-1028;
www.lprdayspa.
com), which offers great packages for couples or a girls' day out.
MELROSE AVENUE
(btw. Fairfax and La B rea aves.) It's showing some wear—
some stretches have become do wnright ugly—but this is still one of the most ex citing
shopping streets in the country for cutting-edge fashions (and some eye-popping people-
watching, to boot). M elrose is always an enter taining stroll, dotted with plenty of hip
restaurants and funky shops selling the latest in clothes, gifts, jewelry, and accessories that
are sure to shock. Where else could you find green patent-leather cowboy boots, a 19th-
century pocket watch, an inflatable girlfriend, and glo w-in-the-dark condoms on the
same block? From east to west, here are some highlights:
l.a. Eyeworks,
7407 Melrose Ave. (
&
323/653-8255;
www.laeyeworks.com), revolu-
tionized eyeglass designs from medical supply to stylish accessor y, and now their brand
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