Vacations Blog

From guest blogger Marsha Takeda-Morrison of Sweatpantsmom

I was at the mall this past weekend (picking up underwear, totally not a luxury item) and was noticing how crowded it was.  What were all these people doing here, spending all of their hard earned cash? Didn’t they realize we were in a recession, heading towards what some experts believe could be a full-blown depression? Shouldn’t they be throwing money towards their mortgage instead of at a new purse at Macy’s?

And then I realized that many of these people were not actually carrying bags of purchases.  A lot of them were families, strolling through the mall eating ice cream, or gaggles of teenagers walking and texting at the same time. Because shopping centers aren’t just about the shopping anymore – they’ve become destinations for recreation, socializing and dining.  Here are some of my favorite ‘shopping centers’ in L.A. that are not only good for the occasional impulse buy, but also for a family outing.

The Americana at Brand – this is one of the newest malls in the L.A. area, and for those that can’t bear to be too far away from their Juicy Couture, there are luxury apartments right on the premises.   The L.A. Times summed it up nicely when it described it as “luxurious living and consumptive indulgence.” It’s a great place to walk around, and an old-fashioned double-decker trolley takes you for a tour around the entire grounds.  They have mostly upscale boutiques here – Ed Hardy, Kate Spade and Kitson, with H&M thrown in for the bargain hunters. We did more snacking and people-watching the last time we were there; the $145 t-shirt that my daughter wanted was not in the budget for that week.

The Grove – This is one of my favorite places to shop and hang out, but mostly for the old Farmer’s Market that is located just west of the newly developed shopping plaza.  I prefer wandering around the stalls of produce to plunking down a week’s worth of pay for a pair of socks at Nordstroms, but that’s just me. Also, you’d be better off grabbing a meal at one of the many outdoor eateries in the old Farmer’s Market – better, more original food than what you’ll find at The Grove, where the Cheesecake Factory is the most popular choice.  (Call me crazy, but I’ve never quite grasped the appeal of the Cheesecake Factory – overpriced, gut-busting, gazillion-calorie portions of mediocre food.) But head on over to The Grove for their Vegas-style water show that takes place in the central fountain every 30-minutes.  The kids love it, and you might just catch a sale at the Crate and Barrel located nearby.

The Beverly Center – This is truly an L.A. shopping experience, not just because of the multiple levels of stores, but you’re guaranteed to see a celebrity or two.  I once stood in line behind Brooke Shields buying pantyhose at Bloomingdales, and a friend once (literally) bumped into Nicolas Cage.

Third Street Promenade – Not really a shopping center as much as a shopping corridor, the Promenade is one of the most popular places to shop, eat and relax in an outdoor setting.  Just blocks away from the beaches of Santa Monica, it’s a great place to just grab a coffee and a seat and enjoy the various amateur performers that are a popular draw.  The Good: Seis Cuerdas.  The Not So Good:  The guy doing a really bad Michael Jackson impersonation to a horribly scratched recording of ‘Billie Jean.’

Photo: Stock.Xchng

From guest blogger Marsha Takeda-Morrison of Sweatpantsmom

Just because our country’s in a recession doesn’t mean you can’t afford to go on that Girls’ Getaway you’ve been planning. You’ll just have to make some, uh, adjustments. For example, maybe you used to splurge on a four-day cruise on a private yacht where you’d sip Cristal out of a Manolo, but now you might just have to settle for a four-minute putt on the Balboa Island Ferry to pick up a Coke.

Here are some other ideas for you to stretch those pennies:

Before: Napa Valley Wine Train Tour, where an elegant rail car takes you through the scenic majestic wine region while enjoying gourmet meals and expensive vintages.

Now: Los Angeles wine tour, where you and your gal pals pile into your van and enjoy a five-hour tour of all the BevMo’s within a forty-mile radius. Crash at a local hotel, where you’ve only paid for two guests and then snuck-in your other three friends. Proceed to ‘sample’ all the varietals you’ve purchased straight out of the bottle. Splurge and split that $10 can of Pringles from the minibar.

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Before: “Sex And The City” weekend in New York City. Make like Carrie and her friends and take the city by storm: Designer boutiques during the day, fine dining and dancing at night. Stay at the posh Carlyle Hotel, featured in the movie.

Now: “Knocked Up” weekend in L.A. Drive by the Wilshire Boulevard offices of E! Entertainment, which is where Katherine Heigl’s character worked. Then head to the dive-y Del’s Saloon in Santa Monica to enjoy a couple of brewskies and to see where scenes from the movie were filmed. Then head on over to your brother’s friend’s house to play video games and pass the bong around, just like Seth Rogan and his pals did in the movie! Remember to bring along a condom so life doesn’t end up imitating art.

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Before: A spa getaway at La Quinta where you and your BFFs would enjoy pampering massages, spa cuisine and luxurious rooms.

Now: Head to the beach, where you and your posse can frolic in the healing waters of the Pacific. (Be on the lookout for signs of raw-sewage spills.) Take a barefoot walk in the sand for an instant pedicure! Save on meals by packing your own sandwiches and share a twelve-pack of water from Trader Joes.

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Before: Three-day shopping extravaganza to Fashion Island in Newport Beach. At night, rest your Bloomingdales-weary body at a nearby swanky hotel.

Now: Split the gas three ways for a trip out to the Outlets in Cabazon. Go ahead and have lunch in the food court, but remember to bring along the other half of that six-pack from Trader Joes so you don’t have to part with $2 for water. Sorry, you can’t afford a hotel, but if one of your girlfriends agrees to host a sleepover you can stay up all night admiring each other’s new purses.