10 Best Places to Shop in Los Angeles

10 Best Places to Shop in Los Angeles

If you are looking for the best places to shop in Los Angeles then you have come to the right place. While online shopping might be the thing, retail shopping is definitely more fun and great exercise.  Depending if you are looking for high end, designer brands, or fast fashion, these 10 best places to shop will be your go to.

 

 

1. ROW DTLA

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ROW DTLA is collection of retail outlets, pop-up shops, offices & restaurants in a 30-acre historic district of downtown la. It is newer construction that has lots of interesting restaurants as well as other stores. Therefore if you are looking for some fashionable chic apparel this is the place to shop. If you will not find the typical brand names, but trendy boutiques.

 

2. The Beverly Center

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Beverly Center is an enormous eight-story in-door mall located at the edge of Beverly Hills and West Hollywood, between La Cienega and San Vicente boulevards. Why Beverly Center is a great place to shop is because it has all the luxury brands like Prada and Versace to the more affordable premium brands like H&M and Express.

 

3. The Grove

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The Grove is a retail and entertainment complex located right next to The Original Farmer’s Market. It is know for some yummy eateries, movie theater, and the tram. What makes it one of the best place to shop is its ever changing pop-up shops and collection of fashion stores like Brandy Melville and Madewell.

 

4. The Santee Alley

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Santee Alley  is where you will find discounted bargains for accessories, clothing, toys, jewelry, shoes, perfumes, etc. It stretches about two blocks long with over 150 plus stores packed in an open alley. It is next to the Fashion District which is about another 100 blocks of stores. Hence, bring comfy shoes and cash for most is cash only. This is one of the best places to shop in Los Angeles because you will find many items at ridiculously cheap prices.

 

5. Glendale Galleria

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The Glendale Galleria is a large three-story regional shopping center and office complex located in downtown Glendale.  It is the fourth largest mall in Los Angeles County. What makes Glendale Galleria one of the best place to shop is because you will find chain stores that are more affordable like Cotton On, Charlotte Russe, and Papaya. You will also find all the known department stores like Macy’s and JC Penny.

 

7. The Americana at Brand

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The Americana at Brand is a large shopping, dining, entertainment and residential complex right across from Glendale Gallery. The outdoor structure and decor gives it a feel similar to The Grove from the tram to the outdoor fountain. What makes it a best place to shop is the combination of unique retail stores, restaurants, and entertainment.

 

6. Del Amo Fashion Center

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When you get to Del Amo, you can see why they are the 6th largest mall in the United States. Del Amo does not have luxury brand names like Beverly Center. However, it is still one of the best place to shop for all the stores that one might regularly shop at. Hence, it is definitely a shopping center worth checking out.

 

7. Santa Monica Place

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Santa Monica Place is a contemporary open-air mall anchored by Bloomingdale’s, an innovative Nordstrom concept store, and an array of the city’s best shops. This luxury shopping center is offers over 70 premier shops including Louis Vuitton and Tiffany & Co. You can take a break from shopping and sit outside in the pretty courtyard or have a meal at any of the delicious eateries.

 

8. Third St Promenade at Downtown Santa Monica

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After shopping at Santa Monica Place, you can head over to The Third Street Promenade. It about a four block street for shopping, dining and entertainment. It is considered a premier shopping and dining district catering to every shopper. You will found a huge range of trendy, modern, and hip fashion wear here.

 

9. FIGat7th

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One of the 10 best places to shop in Los Angeles, is FIGat7th.  It is an open-air shopping mall located in the Financial District of Downtown Los Angeles.  Might not have that many stores compared to the top list. However, it is still a great place to shop for you will still find popular stores like Zara, Bath and Body Works, MAC. Some of its current retailers also include Target, Victoria’s Secret, and Nordstrom Rack.

 

10.Citadel Outlet

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The list would not be complete without LA’s popular outlet located in the city of Commerce. With over 90 stores and restaurants, you can pretty much find whatever your heart desires without breaking the bank. You will find stores like Michael Kors, Nike, UGG, and Kate Spade.

 

 

 

The History of Those Beautiful Jacaranda Trees in Bloom Around L.A

History of Those Beautiful Jacaranda Trees in Bloom Around L.A.

Are you wondering where all these trees with beautiful purple flowers came from in LA?

Keep reading I’ll tell you how one woman changed the way LA looks with these Jacaranda Trees!

Jacaranda purple trees la 2

We owe these beautiful purple flowers tree to one amazing woman named Kate Sessions. Sessions was born in San Francisco in 1857. Fun fact, she’s also known as the “Mother of Balboa Park“! Sessions was educated in Oakland but moved with her family to Lake Merritt when she was just six. She attended University of California, Berkley with a degree in natural science. Sessions was always fascinated with all the different plants growing in all the exotic parts of the world. She started to bring seeds and plants from Europe, Mexico, and South America. At one point she became the most sought after landscape designer of her time.

Kate Sessions

1892, this was the year that Sessions would change California’s landscape forever! She leased out 32 acres of land owned by the city of San Diego (was known as City Park at the time). The field was a mess to say the least. She agreed to fix the situation by planting 100 new trees per year in the park and 300 additional trees per year elsewhere on public lands around the city of San Diego. That property was eventually renamed as what we know today as Balboa Park!

There a bronze statue at Balboa Park of sessions. If you are around San Diego..see if you can find it..

Sessions never married and live to the amazing age of 82, when she passed in San Diego on March 24, 1940.

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Entering the Hall of Fame – Kate Sessions

In 2006 Kate Sessions was inducted into the Women’s Hall of Fame from the Women’s Museum of California.

Purple flowers Tree California (Jacaranda Tree)

When spring is here, you’ll find the streets lined with these purple trees! Los Angeles has jacarandas as old as 100 years old. There is an estimated 20,000+ of them along public streets in the city. The city of Pasadena has a lot to see. You can view this as “L.A.’s Cherry Blossom” seeaon! The tree itself orginated from Brazil, Argentina and Boliva and can grow 25 to 40 feet tall and wide. They can also be found around some parts of orange county as well

purple flowers tree california jacarandas

Bloom time …

These purple flowers tree California bloom in …

May/June. Usually when the humidity is higher and daytime temperature don’t exceed the low 70s.

September: In the fall, there’s usually a secondary bloom. The leaves stay on the tree, mess these flowers less noticeable.

Where can you see Jacaranda Trees

Some of the many popular places for viewing the color include:

Paloma Street in Pasadena; Del Mar Boulevard in Pasadena

Stansbury Avenue in Sherman Oaks; Gothic Avenue in North Hills

North Whittier Drive in Beverly Hills; Index Street in Granada Hills

Los Robles Avenue in San Marino; and older residential streets in Hollywood

The Most Instagrammable Places in Los Angeles

1. Urban Light

Composed of 202 historic street lamps dating from the 1920s and 1930s, ‘Urban Light’ is a must-see sight when visiting Los Angeles. This large-scale artwork by Chris Burden became an instant landmark when it appeared outside LACMA in 2008.

5905 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles CA 90036

2. Hollywood Sign

For many, one of the first stops in La-La Land is the coveted Hollywood Sign. This Los Angeles landmark is situated on Mount Lee, in the Hollywood Hills area of the Santa Monica Mountains. Photos of these world-famous 45-foot-tall white letters are an absolute must during your time in LA.

Los Angeles, CA 90068

3. The Broad

If contemporary art is your thing, look no further than The Broad. Its dynamic collection features some of the best contemporary artists LA has to offer. The unique installations that encompass its walls offer the perfect photos to fuel your Instagram feed.

221 S. Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90012

4. Griffith Observatory

Aside from being one of Southern California’s best-loved attractions, Griffith Observatory offers some of the finest views of LA from anywhere in the city. Sitting on the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood in Griffith Park, this LA icon offers endless photo opportunities. It’s a particularly good place to experiment with different angles.

2800 E. Observatory Road
Los Angeles CA 90027

5. Santa Monica Pier

You know you’ve arrived in Santa Monica as soon as you spot the eye-catching Ferris wheel at the end of the pier, a popular place that attracts visitors from far and wide. When shot against a beautiful blue backdrop of sky and ocean, pictures of the pier’s colourful attractions will give your photos plenty of punch with little need for photo editing.

200 Santa Monica Pier
Santa Monica CA 90401

6. Heritage Square Museum

Heritage Square Museum is a living history and open-air architecture museum located beside the Arroyo Seco Parkway in the Montecito Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, in the southern Arroyo Seco area.

3800 Homer St.
Los Angeles, CA 90031

7. Korean Friendship Bell

The Korean Bell of Friendship is a massive bronze bell housed in a stone pavilion in Angel’s Gate Park, in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. 

3601 S Gaffey St
San Pedro, CA 90731

8. Union Station

Los Angeles Union Station is the main railway station in Los Angeles, California, and the largest railroad passenger terminal in the Western United States. Union Station is located on the original site of the Tongva village of Yaanga, which was “believed to have been the largest of the Tongva villages.”

800 N Alameda St
Los Angeles, CA 900121

9. Bradbury Building

The Bradbury Building is an architectural landmark in downtown Los Angeles, California. Built in 1893, the five-story office building is best known for its extraordinary skylit atrium of access walkways, stairs and elevators, and their ornate ironwork.

304 S Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90013

10. Old Los Angeles Zoo

Founded in 1912, this now-abandoned zoo offers past enclosure ruins, picnic space & hiking trails.

4801 Griffith Park Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90027

11. Lost Spirits Distillery

Lost Spirits Distillery – A creative California Distillery producing dense aromatic spirits designed to challenge even the most jaded palates.

1200 E 5th St
Los Angeles, CA 90013

12. Secret Swing Angels Point

Elysian Park is a hidden gem and an underrated park. The secret swing is a perfect spot to take pictures

Secret….
Los Angeles, CA 90031

13. Venice Canals

The Venice Canal Historic District is a district in the Venice section of Los Angeles, California. The district is noteworthy for its man-made canals built in 1905 by developer Abbot Kinney as part of his Venice of America plan.


Venice, CA 90027

14. Griffith Observatory

The Griffith Observatory is a facility in Los Angeles, California, sitting on the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood in Los Angeles’ Griffith Park. It commands a view of the Los Angeles Basin, including Downtown Los Angeles to the southeast, Hollywood to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest.

2800 E Observatory Rd
Los Angeles, CA 90027

15. Greystone Mansion

The Greystone Mansion, also known as the Doheny Mansion, is a Tudor Revival mansion on a landscaped estate with distinctive formal English gardens, located in Trousdale Estates of Beverly Hills, California, United States.

905 Loma Vista Dr
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

16. Angels Flight Railway

Angels Flight is a landmark 2 ft 6 in narrow gauge funicular railway in the Bunker Hill district of Downtown Los Angeles, California. It has two funicular cars, Olivet and Sinai, running in opposite directions on a shared cable, on the 298 feet long inclined railway.

350 S Grand Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90071

17. The Last Bookstore

Airy book & record store offering new & used items in a multilevel space adorned with local art.

453 S Spring St
Los Angeles, CA 90013

18. The Getty

The Getty Center, in Los Angeles, California, is a campus of the Getty Museum and other programs of the Getty Trust. The $1.3 billion Center opened to the public on December 16, 1997 and is well known for its architecture, gardens, and views overlooking Los Angeles.

1200 Getty Center Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90049

19. OUE Skyspace LA

Open-air observation deck providing 360-degree views of the city & a unique glass slide.

633 W 5th St #840
Los Angeles, CA 90071

20. Micheltorena Stairs

Micheltorena Stairs “A set of 205 steps from top to bottom in the heart of Silverlake area between Silverlake Blvd & Winslow Drive. 

3400 Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026

Callejones de Los Angeles vs Santee Alley Revealed

Callejones de Los Angeles or known as the alleys is referring to the bustling Santee Alley located at the Fashion District in Downtown LA. The Fashion District is about 107 blocks of stores that range from selling fashion wear, jewlery, flowers, textiles, and fabrics to food.  It is a shoppers paradise that welcomes businesses looking for wholesale or just the average shopper. If you a tourist looking for souvenirs to a local looking for something to do or shop, you will be impressed with the amount of things to see, eat, and buy.

                
photo credit Michelle Kroytor
The Fashion District   

About: The Fashion District consists of street level stores that specializes in wholesale and retail that includes women and men wear, kids clothing, shoes, accessories, purses, etc. It’s the center of L.A. fashion industry where you can find more than 2,000 independently-owned stores. You can find brands like Holy Grail, Nice Kicks and Urban Outfitters to brand name knock-offs. However, most stores are for wholesale buyers so you might need re-seller’s permit. Though there are over 1,000 stores that sell to the public at discounted prices.  Also, you will find L.A Flower District and the ever so popular Santee Alley

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Directions:  You can take take the Red Line of Go Metro and get off Pershing Square Station. It is also accessible from all major freeways and parking is all day with price ranging from $5-15 or you can park at metered parking. The Fashion District website also has a list of parking structures.

General Hours: Store hours are from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Monday to Sunday but on Sundays only about 20 percent of the stores are opened.

Tips: If you are looking for some great deals this is the place to go. Make sure you wear some comfortable walking shoes and cash for purchases. Some stores you can bargain the price or get a better deal if you buy more than one item. Most items are non-refundable so keep that in mind.

 

 

Callejones de Los Angeles
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Santee Alley

About: So remember I mentioned there are stores which sell to the general public? At Callejones de Los Angeles or Santee Alley is where you find discounted bargains for phone accessories, clothing, toys, jewelry, shoes, perfumes, etc. Here you can also experiences some amazing eats from Mexican fruit cups to freshly made tacos and birria from the street vendors as well as some restaurants. It stretches about two blocks long with over 150 plus stores packed in an open alley.

 

Phote credit The Santee Alley

 

General Hours: 7 days awake rain or shine from 9:30 am to 6:00 pm.

Directions: The Santee Alley is located between Santee Street and Maple Avenue, from Olympic Blvd to 12th Street. Use this link for transportation options https://fashiondistrict.org/stay/transportation. To find the prices of each parking lot you can use spothero.com

Tips: The parking facilities at 1030 S. Santee St and 1201-1247 S. Santee Street are about as close as you can get to there. Remember to bring cash because a majority of vendors and stores are cash only.  Go hungry because you will be able to try some really delicious street food. It is generally busier on Saturdays and less busy on Sundays.

 

Callejones de Los Angeles 2
Photo credit The Santee Alley