This is primarily about shopping but there are some choice tidbits in
here about other things as well so at least take a quick look.
I'm a big fan of antique fairs and flea markets. I try to find them in
every city I travel to. I've written up something for our website
about them at: http://arlis2001.ucsd.edu/shop.html so go there if you
want to know more. I'll briefly note here that my favorite flea market
is being held on April 1st at Pasadena City College. I highly
recommend it if you can tear yourself away from the conference.
I love museum gift shops and sometimes I skip the museum entirely and
just go to the shop. If you remember reading my sneak preview of the
Autry Museum you already know I like their gift shop. It has some
wonderful things, all in keeping with the Western theme. The
Huntington Library gift shop is full of gorgeous things, many featuring
flowers and gardens. The Museum of Contemporary Art store has a great
selection of items with a very modern edge, including some very fun
jewelry and good kid stuff. You can also get a nice lunch at
Patinette, the museum's café. The Gallery Bookstore at the UCLA Hammer
Museum has an excellent selection of books, and good jewelry too. The
Carole and Barry Kaye Museum of Miniatures is a must see for anyone
interested in things done on a smaller scale. This isn't just about
dollhouses, trust me. You'll have to get there before March 31st, it
will be their last day at 5900 Wilshire Blvd. Their gift shop is like
Aladdin's Cave for collectors and miniaturists. See their website at:
http://www.museumofminiatures.com/. There are many, many other gift
shops but I'm going to end this by telling you about the Richard Nixon
Library and Birthplace. I have to admit that my only visit was for the
"Barbie as First Lady" exhibit, and that would be hard to top. I did
find the life size statues in the World Leaders exhibit rather amusing
and was quite fascinated by the section on POW's. The gift shop is
worth a look just for all "The Day Nixon Met Elvis" material (I am the
proud owner of a float pen).
There are a number of great shopping streets and districts in Los
Angeles. Here are some that members of the local arrangements
committee can recommend:
Beverly Center/Third St. - The Beverly Center is an upscale
multi-story mall and I'm only mentioning it for two reasons, it is on
the corner of La Cienega and Third, and is a pretty good star spotting
place. Third St. has an eclectic mix of shops and restaurants,
including the excellent Cook's Library for you cookbook aficionados.
Abbot Kinney - Located in Venice this street is a mix of antique shops,
galleries and restaurants. It seems to have become a real center of
shops devoted to 50's modern furniture and accessories. We can
recommend some fine eating at Joe's (1023), Fabio Ristorante (1025),
Lilly's French Café and Bar (1031), and Hal's Bar & Grill (1349).
Santa Monica - There are three distinct shopping areas in Santa Monica,
Montana Avenue, the Third Street Promenade and Main Street. Montana is
the most upscale of the lot with a number of designer shops in addition
to the ubiquitous chain coffee emporiums and nice restaurants. Third
Street Promenade is three blocks chock-full of movie theaters, clothing
stores, restaurants, street performers, and a couple of excellent art
related bookstores, Hennessey & Ingalls and Arcana Books on the Arts.
Main Street is a fabulous mix of the more upscale Santa Monica and the
funkier Venice. Dine at Wolfgang Puck's Chinois on Main, Lula's, or
the Rose Café, or, just walk around and enjoy the ambience.
Melrose Avenue - If notoriously trendy and Hollywood hipster are what
you are looking for in a shopping area, this is the place. I feel very
old just driving down the street. If you're looking for funky clothing
or want to catch the newest Groundlings performance Melrose is the
place to be.
La Brea Blvd. - Whether you want to dress yourself or your home you'll
find something on La Brea that works for you. American Rag Cie is one
of the must see stores, "People on the cutting edge of European
fashion" shop there according to the staff. They also have a nice
little café. Liz's Antique Hardware at 453 So. La Brea is a fun place
to shop at even if you aren't doing any restoration work.
Beverly Hills - Rodeo Drive is just one of the streets in Beverly Hills
where fine shopping takes place but if you truly want to see how the
rich are different I can't think of a better place to go. It isn't all
about Fred and Giorgio though so don't pass up an opportunity to walk
around, window shop, have lunch, and visit the Museum of Television and
Radio (the building is a Richard Meier & Partners design).
Best Little Known Shopping Secret Nearest The Wilshire Grand
The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (919 So. Grand) has
two shops, which they call their Scholarship Stores. One of them has
designer and vintage clothing and accessories, the other is stocked
with manufacturer overstocks, out of season items, etc. New stock
comes in all the time so you'll never know what you might find. My
really cheap purchases were bags of buttons for 50 cents each and a bag
of hair accessories and costume jewelry for $1 (there must have been
about 50 items in the bag, most were multiples of the same items).
While you are there visit the Gallery for the 9th Annual Exhibition
"Art of Motion Picture Costume Design" featuring the best costume
designs from the Year 2000 films. If you aren't taking the Museum of
Neon Cruise you can walk around the corner and visit the Museum of Neon
Art, it's in the same block.
Garment District / Costume Jewelry (information from Debbie Barlow
Smedstad)
The best stores are on Olympic between Los Angeles Street and Santee
Street (the south side), and on Santee Street and Olympic (both sides
of the block walking south from Olympic). There are a few on Los
Angeles Street just north of Olympic as well. Be Warned! You will see
a lot of junk but there are gems lurking if you have patience and time.
Years of shopping these stores has shown me that many of the items I
have picked up here end up in the department stores and boutiques about
six months to a year later.
Bead Stores - see the conference website for details:
http://arlis2001.ucsd.edu/beads.html The two best in the same area are
Beads and Trims (at the corner of Maple and 8th), and Bohemian Crystal
(just south of 8th on Maple, east side of the street).
Dawn Henney
Publicity, ARLIS/NA 2001 conference
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