Los Angeles Shopping Tips by Dabs Top 5 Page for this destination

The Grove: Shopping near the Farmers Market The Grove Review

Next door to the Farmers Market is an outdoor shopping mall called the Grove anchored by Nordstrom with lots of other mid to high end retailers such as Barnes and Noble, Coach, Crate & Barrel, Gap and Victoria's Secret. For a full listing, see the attached website.

There are also several restaurants including Maggiano's (Italian) and Morel's (French bistro) and movie theaters.

Although it's perfectly walkable, there is a street car that runs from the Farmers Market to the Grove. Parking is free for the 1st hour, with validation for the 1st 2 hours. You can also park here for the Farmer's Market.

Directions: next to the Farmers Market, follow the signs for the Grove parking which is cheaper than the Farmers Market parking

Theme: Other

Website: http://www.thegrovela.com/

Bottega Louie: Macarons!

While I like macarons, I'm not a true aficionado. At $2 per macaron, I bought myself a small sampling of the flavors I thought looked interesting and then a gift box of 13 for a friend who loves them. A couple of the flavors I chose were just OK but the salted caramel ones were delicious! Still $2 per macaron? But when I challenged my husband to make them, macarons are definitely an art, his 1st batch came out the size of oranges and the 2nd batch looked just like little meringues, maybe it's best to leave the baking to the professionals.

What to buy: Macarons of course!

What to pay: $2 per macaron, no discount for gift boxes

Address: 700 S Grand Ave

Directions: Downtown Los Angeles, 7th and Grand, very close to the 7th Street/Metro Center metro station

Theme: Food and Drink