Melrose Avenue is one of L.A.’s most famous streets, featuring a myriad of shopping, dining and entertainment destinations. Melrose runs north of Beverly Boulevard and south of Santa Monica Boulevard. Along its "west end," Melrose Avenue is all about strolling and shopping, so bring dough and plenty of it. The street begins at Santa Monica Boulevard where the cities of Beverly Hills and West Hollywood meet, otherwise known as the intersection of posh and funky


Start by heading east along Melrose LA’s chic design district, anchored by the vast green, red and blue buildings of the Pacific Design Center. In the complex's courtyard, you'll find MOCA Pacific Design Center, an offshoot of downtown's Museum of Contemporary Art; it's always free and usually exhibits work by noteworthy local artists. If you're feeling peckish, there's the upscale vegan fare at Gracias Madre, a Mexican-themed restaurant from the folks behind Cafe Gratitude. You won't have to declare "I am glorious" or "I am thriving" just to order a tempeh wrap or bowl of soup. It has a lovely patio like nearby Zinqué, a loosely French bistro that's as popular for power breakfasts as it is for sipping wine and cheese in the late afternoon. If you'd rather have your vino at home, turn down La Cienega and pop into the cave-like Du Vin Wine & Spirits where knowledgeable staffers who will help you sort through the well chosen selection of wines and liquors.

Continuing east, you'll hit a slew of stores on Melrose stocking everything you need to outfit your home: antique and contemporary rugs at Woven or Mansour Fine Rugs; one-of-a-kind bathrooms and kitchen fixtures (perhaps inspired by the controls of a Victorian boiler room) at Waterworks; Eames loungers, Nelson pendant lamps and other classics of modernist furniture at Design Within Reach. You can outfit yourself with buttery soft leather jackets from Rag & Bone.