Page 39 - 2017 Travel Guide to California

Beverly boulevards. Sunset Boulevard’s world
famous Amoeba Music is the nation’s largest
music emporium, stocking an overwhelming
selection of vinyl, CDs, tapes, posters and col-
lectibles—at rock-bottom prices.
In Santa Monica’s breezy, three-block
pedestrian shopping mecca, Third Street
Promenade, find the usual mall suspects,
Anthropologie, Zara and Gap, as well as
celebrity-soaked cafés and eateries.
Artsy shoppers should head to nearby
Venice Beach’s hip art galleries, bookstores
and vintage shops. For bargains, drive north
to Camarillo’s giant 160-store Camarillo
Premium Outlets.
In Orange County, quintessential SoCal
shopping experiences await in huge open-
air malls, complete with valet parking.
Inspired by Spain’s Alhambra, the Irvine
Spectrum Center holds 130 stores, restau-
rants and a 21-screen cinema, anchored by
Nordstrom and Target.
Fashion Island, with its casual resort set-
ting featuring splashing fountains and a koi
pond, overlooks the Pacific. Leading with
Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdale’s, this
coastal center has more than 100 shops and
36 restaurants.
Beyond the malls, Laguna Beach’s stylish
art galleries line streets sloping to a pretty
beach. And, if heading to Palm Springs, stop
at the 180-store Desert Hills Premium Out-
lets in Cabazon for luxury designer brands.
Southward in San Diego, begin your
shopping trip with a delightful morning at
waterside Seaport Village. Then, hop on the
Coronado Island ferry and cruise to the
Coronado Ferry Landing Shops for more
sunny shopping.
In the city center, the 16½-block Gaslamp
Quarter features mall chains as well as hip
shops and art galleries occupying restored
Victorian buildings. San Diego’s own Rodeo
Drive—Prospect Street in La Jolla—has art
galleries, boutiques and sweeping Pacific
views. In coastal Carlsbad, north of San
Diego, you’ll find an elegant outlet mall, the
Carlsbad Premium Outlets.
Heading north? Check out the Outlets at
Tejon, found along Interstate 5 between Los
Angeles and Bakersfield, just south of the
Highway 99 interchange at the base of the
Grapevine. The sprawling, 400,000-square-foot
mall contains the usual, Nike and Polo Ralph
Lauren, and some newcomers to the outlet
scene, H&M and Pottery Barn, among the shady
walkways and Mission Ranch architecture.
Northern California Elegance
San Francisco’s massive malls and quirky
boutiques showcase the city’s European
style. Join the Prada-clad parade circling
downtown Union Square to max out your
platinum card in the upscale department
stores. Stroll down nearby Maiden Lane,
once lined with Barbary Coast brothels, for
more luxury.
Nearby, the Westfield San Francisco
Centre is an architectural gem with 155
stores, restaurants and two food empo-
riums under a stunning 1908 dome.
Don’t miss San Francisco’s great shop-
ping neighborhoods. On Chinatown’s
Stockton Street you can pick up Asian
antiques, silk clothing bargains or rare tea.
Herbal pharmacies proffer Chinese medic-
inal remedies, ginseng, deer antlers or
herbs costing $100 per pound.
Near Pacific Heights, Sacramento Street
houses fancy consignment shops, luxury goods
retailers and haute couture children’s boutiques.
Hippie culture thrives in Haight Street shops
selling incense, used records and vintage San
Francisco postcards, which make great gifts.
North Beach and Jackson Square are
famous for the legendary City Lights book-
store, Italian cafés and antique stores.
Japantown offers authentic Japanese goods,
tansu chests, bonsai and antique kimonos.
SHOPS AND CAFÉS on State Street, Santa
Barbara, left; shopping at Huntington Surf
& Sport, opposite top.
2017 T R AV E L G U I D E TO C A L I F O R N I A 37