Main Street (between Pacific St. and Rose Ave., Santa Monica and Venice blvds.)
An excellent street for strolling, Main Street is crammed with a combination of mall standards as well as upscale, left-of-center individual boutiques. You can also find plenty of casually hip cafes and restaurants. The primary strip connecting Santa Monica and Venice, Main Street has a relaxed, beach-community vibe that sets it apart from similar strips. The stores here straddle the fashion fence between upscale trendy and beach bum edgy. Highlights include Obsolete, 222 Main St. (near Rose Ave; tel. 310/339-0024), the most hip antique store I've ever seen. Collectibles range from antique carnival curios to 19th-century anatomical charts from Belgium (you'd be amazed at how much some of that junk in your attic is worth). C.P. Shades, 2937 Main St. (between Ashland and Pier sts.; tel. 310/392-0949), a San Francisco ladies' clothier whose loose and comfy cotton and linen line is carried by many department stores and boutiques. Horizons West, 2011 Main St. (south of Pico Blvd.; tel. 310/392-1122), sells brand-name surfboards, wet suits, leashes, magazines, waxes, lotions, and everything else you need to catch the perfect wave. If you're looking for some truly sophisticated, finely crafted eyewear, friendly Optical Shop of Aspen, 2904 Main St. (between Ashland and Pier sts.; tel. 310/392-0633), is for you. Ask for frames by cutting-edge L.A. designers Bada and Koh Sakai. Outdoors types will get lost in 5,600-square-foot Patagonia, 2936 Main St. (tel. 310/314-1776; www.patagonia.com), where climbers, surfers, skiers, and hikers can gear up in the functional, colorful duds that put this environmentally friendly firm on the map.
Montana Avenue (between 17th and 7th sts., Santa Monica; www.montanaave.com)
This breezy stretch of slow-traffic Montana is one of my favorite regentrified parts of the city. It's gotten a lot more pricey than in the late 1970s when tailors and Laundromats ruled the roost, but the specialty shops still outnumber the chains. Look around and you can see upscale moms with strollers and cellphones shopping for designer fashions, country home decor, and gourmet takeout.
Montana is still original enough for residents from across town to make a special trip here, seeking out distinctive shops like Shabby Chic, 1013 Montana Ave. (tel. 310/394-1975), a much-copied purveyor of slipcovered sofas and flea-market furnishings, while clotheshorses shop for designer wear at minimalist Savannah, 706 Montana Ave. (tel. 310/458-2095); ultrahip Jill Roberts, 920 Montana Ave. (tel. 310/260-1966); and sleekly professional Weathervane, 1209 Montana Ave. (tel. 310/393-5344). Upscale moms can find tiny fashions at Real Threads, 1527 Montana Ave. (tel. 310/393-3175). For more grown-up style, head to Ponte Vecchio, 702 Montana Ave. (tel. 310/394-0989), which sells Italian hand-painted dishes and urns, or to Cinzia, 1129 Montana Ave. (tel. 310/393-7751), which features a smattering of both Tuscan and English home accessories. If Valentine's Day is approaching, duck into Only Hearts, 1407 Montana Ave. (tel. 310/393-3088), for heart-themed gifts and seductively comfortable intimate apparel. The stylish choice for lunch is Wolfgang Puck Cafe, 1323 Montana Ave. (tel. 310/393-0290).
Third Street Promenade (3rd St. from Broadway to Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica)
Packed with chain stores and boutiques as well as dozens of restaurants and a large movie theater, Santa Monica's pedestrians-only section of Third Street is one of the most popular shopping areas in the city. The Promenade (www.downtownsm.com) bustles on into the evening with a seemingly endless assortment of street performers and shoppers. Stores stay open late (often till 1 or 2am on the weekends) for the movie-going crowds. There's plenty of metered parking in six structures along Second and Fourth streets between Broadway and Wilshire Blvd., so bring lots of quarters.
Highlights include Hennessey & Ingalls, a bookstore devoted to art and architecture; Midnight Special Bookstore, a medium-size general bookshop known for its good small-press selection and regular poetry readings; Restoration Hardware, 1221 Third Street Promenade (tel. 310/458-7992), the retro-current source for reproduction home furnishings and accessories; and Puzzle Zoo, 1413 Third Street Promenade (tel. 310/393-9201), voted "Best in L.A." by Los Angeles magazine, where you'll find the double-sided World's Most Difficult Puzzle, the Puzzle in a Bottle, and many other brain-teasing challenges. Music lovers can get CDs and vinyl at Hear Music and Pyramid Music and can check out the rock 'n' roll collectibles at Mayhem.
Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice has the most eclectic array of non-corporate shops, galleries, and restaurants in the city (such the refreshing change). You can easily spend the entire afternoon here pouring over vintage clothing, antique furniture, local art, and amusing gifts. Take a break to eat at Joe's, one of the best mid-priced restaurants in L.A.. Free 2-hour street parking, even.
