Americana Center

Posted by Malcolm Johnson

This one, built by the same guy who built the Grove (See, The Grove), and roughly the same idea.  It’s got some notable chain shopping, but seems a bit more family oriented than the Grove.  The odds of you seeing a trio of Playboy Playmates shopping in jeans and bikini tops (as I have at the Grove) are remarkably low.

Amoeba Records

Posted by Malcolm Johnson

Greatest…Record Store…ever. And yes, they still sell (and buy) records.

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Beverly Center

Posted by Malcolm Johnson

Have not been here in a while, but in its day, it was second only to Rodeo Drive as far as shopping was concerned…only, you know, indoors.  Its place in the “gotta be there to be seen there” food chain has been replaced by The Grove.  (See, The Grove or Farmer’s Market)

Bird & Pick

Posted by Malcolm Johnson

The kind of Tea Shop of the kind you might find in Beijing…only Americanized.

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Farmer’s Market

Posted by Malcolm Johnson

America’s first eatery?

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Grove, The

Posted by Malcolm Johnson

Built by a Wealthy Developer who wants to run for Mayor…apparently.  This is self-contained outdoor mini-mall with some cool, if incredibly well-known chain stores.

Kodak Theatre / Grauman’s Chinese Theater

Posted by Malcolm Johnson

Current location for the Oscars.  Worth a look if you want to say you’ve been there.  It’s primarily a shopping mall/food complex now.  Nearby is the famous Grauman’s Chinese Theater.  Mr. Grauman, who was neither famous nor Chinese, got a bunch of Stars to put their hands in the cement, and its been a tourist attraction ever since.

Laguna Beach

Posted by Malcolm Johnson

Where the Rich and Republican live and play.  Orange County being the only place in Southern California where you’ll still see a lot of John McCain for President T-shirts and bumper stickers.  Despite that it is GORGEOUS.

Little Tokyo

Posted by Malcolm Johnson

Another area created because Asian Immigrants were restricted as to where they could go.  (See, Chinatown).  This area has the added tragic element as the embarkation point for many Japanese-Americans who were sent off to internment camps in World War II.  Fortunately, the Japanese-American community stayed strong, survived the ordeal, came back and thrived.  Now there is an ultra-modern Museum called the Japanese American National Museum on the spot, and a bunch of little souvenier shops and Restaurants all over the place.

Olvera Street

Posted by Malcolm Johnson

A lovely Mexican Marketplace near Union Station.  The hub of original Mexican Culture in Los Angeles.  Ironically, very close to Chinatown.