Page 37 - 2020 Travel Guide to California

north and south, and Broadway and Olive to
the east and west. Behind a facade of bas-
reliefs of Babylonian princes and heraldic
griffins, the Citadel Outlets holds 700,000
square feet of retail bargains inside a one-
time 1929 tire plant modeled on an ancient
Assyrian palace. And between the Farmer’s
Market and The Grove shopping center, the
Grove Trolley provides shoppers free rides
along First Street. Also check out LA’s Bev-
erly Center, having just completed a $500
million reimagination.
The West Hollywood Design District fea-
tures high-end fashion, interior design,
furniture, decorative arts and luxury brand
stores on Melrose Avenue and Robertson and
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 South
Grand Avenue to the museum shops of The
Broad and the Museum of Contemporary
Art, Los Angeles. 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 150 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 150 shops and
restaurants and a luxury cinema.
Beyond the malls, Laguna Beach’s stylish
art galleries line streets sloping to a pretty
beach. And, if heading to Palm Springs,
stop at Desert Hills Premium Outlets in
Cabazon, and The Gardens on El Paseo and
El Paseo Village in Palm Desert.
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.
SHOPPING IN PASADENA, left;
Rodeo Drive shopping district in
Beverly Hills, opposite.
2020 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA 35