Los Angeles Shopping

You can buy virtually anything, anywhere, anytime in LA. The big department stores or the exclusive Rodeo Drive will have it if the ubiquitous run-of-the-mill retailers don't, and if all else fails try LA's massive malls , which often resemble self-contained city suburbs as much as shopping precincts. The antiseptic CityWalk mall at Universal Studios distills a dozen LA neighborhoods into cutout facades fronting all the national chain stores, complete with a sandy beach. At the central seven-acre Beverly Center , at Beverly and La Cienega boulevards, you'll find designer stores, fourteen cinemas and ample opportunities for star-spotting, all above a giant parking garage. Another local favorite is the Century City Mall , 10250 Santa Monica Blvd, Century City, aimed at middle-class and upscale - but unpretentious - buyers. West Hollywood and Melrose Avenue hold many of the city's trendier boutiques.