Farmer's Market loot.

In Arizona, we have the luxury of year-round Farmer’s Markets. There’s nothing like having access to fresh fruits and vegetables in the middle of January to cheer up your winter blues! What you see here are the results of last Sunday’s trip to the Ahwatukee Farmer’s Market. $40 got me radishes, spinach, baby onions, organic cider, spaghetti squash, tomatoes, a sample of microgreens, peach-blackberry preserves, French Roast coffee, hot sauce, and the best darned granola I’ve ever eaten in my LIFE.

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The Americana at Brand - Christmas Time

There are many reasons to take a vacation in Los Angeles.  The L.A. area has something for everyone, and the holiday season is no exception.  Don’t let the lack of snow fool you.

A favorite pastime of locals and visitors alike is shopping.  Granted, this holds true regardless of season, but the holiday months really turn it up a notch.

Should your vacation plans find you in Southern California, namely Glendale, then you must stop in at The Americana at Brand.  Much like its sister location The Grove, The Americana is not just a place for shopping, but rather an experience.  There are stores, many of which most people can’t afford, and great places to eat, but it is the overall atmosphere that really sets the mood.

For Christmas they have lighting and decorations strung over the entire property, and many of the tenants that live above the stores in the luxury apartments decorate their balconies as well.  It’s quite festive.  If you only have a limited time to commit to your visit consider timing your arrival just prior to sunset.  This will allow you to appreciate the transformation of The Americana from sunny and hip to a winter wonderland (but still hip).

Santa will be visiting The Americana every night in December through Christmas Eve.

The Glendale Galleria is directly across the street and there is ample parking for both locations.  The Americana also has a nice gated play area for children.

All photos by Whit 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