Don’t let the heat fool you. Just because it’s hotter than molten lava outside doesn’t mean that the holidays won’t be here before you know it. Seriously, they’re coming. Read More »
Berries at the Chesterton European Market
I visited my friend Heather over the 4th of July weekend. She advised me that flying Southwest Airlines from Phoenix to Chicago Midway would be easier, cheaper, and less crowded than flying into nearby Chicago O’Hare. I was more than willing to follow her advice, and was ecstatic to leave the 110 degree weather in Arizona for the MUCH preferred high 60’s/low 70’s Northwest Indiana was currently enjoying.
I saw a lot of the area while I was there, including a trip to downtown Chicago and Wrigley Field, but for this entry I wanted to focus on what I’m missing the most about Indiana (other than my friend, of course).
The Chesterton European Market.
I spent the better part of last Tuesday’s lunch hour checking out the Concord Farmers’ Market in Todos Santos Plaza.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past several years, you’ve probably noticed these outdoor grocery stores popping up all over the place. In addition to Concord you can hit Farmers’ Markets in Clayton, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill and dozens of other Bay Area cities.
Winter Wonderland at The Grove
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, shopping in L.A. is a more than a passing fancy- it is a way of life. Shopping is the cause and cure of all that ails the City of Angels. Well, shopping and the Lakers, but you get the idea.
When the holidays roll around it all goes into high gear. A higher gear. It’s a blur, really.
We talked earlier about The Americana at Brand and the seasonal delights it offers to locals and visitors alike. It’s a great place. However, The Grove is the original in that respective mold and it still the best. Not only that, unlike The Americana, it is upscale but still affordable.
It’s a place to see and a place to be seen. Celebrities are everywhere.
The seasonal decor is very festive. There is a musical water show in the fountain, live bands and a very quaint cottage in which Santa spends his days gathering Christmas wishes from children, starlets and even canines. It snows twice nightly.
One of my favorite things about The Grove is that it is adjacent to a Farmer’s Market that houses some of the best food in the area, from crepes to BBQ. It is in this market that you will find a little bar that serves Anchor Steam’s Xmas Ale on tap, and that is the greatest gift of all.
The Grove is holiday shopping at its best, and it represents L.A. pretty well, too.
If you’re planning a trip, check out Los Angeles flight deals.
All photos by Tricia Honea
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
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