Rodeo Drive Hollywood California

Rodeo Drive Hollywood California -

In the heart of Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive stretches from Wilshire Boulevard in the south to Sunset Boulevard in the north. The northern end is an affluent residential enclave of homes original owned by movie stars and studio executives, but the most famous section is the exclusive shopping between Wilshire and Santa Monica Boulevards. Within three blocks are shops and boutiques of the world's top designers such as Coco Chanel, Luis Vuitton, Nina Ricci, Hermes, Armani, Dior, Versace, Gucci and the jewelers, Tiffany and Cartier.

At the corner of Wilshire and Rodeo is 2 Rodeo, a unique shopping venue that blends classic Italianate architecture with the charm and romance of old middle European, complete with magnificent fountains, an Italian piazza, marble-fronted buildings and cobble-stone streets, offering numerous photo opportunities.

The stretch of shops and boutiques on Rodeo Drive is only three blocks long. It begins at Wilshire Boulevard on the south, and runs north to Santa Monica Boulevard, where the commercial section of the street gives way to an affluent residential neighborhood. But those three short blocks constitute the most famous shopping district in America, and probably the most expensive three blocks of shops in the world.

It is here that the rich & famous do their shopping, and where tourists window-shop while trying to spot movie stars on the fabled street.

The most celebrated clothing designers in the world have boutiques here: Armani, Gucci, Christian Dior, Coco Chanel, Ralph Lauren, Valentino... The jewelry stores boast names like Cartier and Tiffany. Other nearby stores include I. Magnin, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Yves Saint Laurent, & Pierre Deux.

In fact, Rodeo Drive is home to the single most expensive store in the world: Bijan (at 420 Rodeo Drive). You must make an appointment in advance just to shop at Bijan (which was named after its Iranian owner). On a typical visit, Bijan's average customer spends in the neighborhood of $100,000 on men's fashions, which range from a $50 pair of socks to $15,000 suits.

Located at the northeast corner of Wilshire & Rodeo, the "Two Rodeo" center creates the illusion of two small, parallel streets, cleverly designed so that they both appear to be at ground level. Built at a cost of over $200 million, Two Rodeo attempts to re-create a romantic version of an old European avenue. In practice, though, this gleaming new addition most resembles a movie set, or perhaps a Disneyland pastiche such as New Orleans Square.

Rodeo Drive is probably the single most famous, most prestigious shopping street on the planet, and it anchors a larger shopping district that is absolutely without equal.