Beverly Hills
Day Note:
This is a great excursion to find out the real substance behind Beverly Hills other than Rodeo Drive. Start out early by going to the Getty Center. While not technically in Beverly Hills, it is close by and provides a great aerial view of the greater Beverly Hills area. View world class art, especially the illuminated manuscripts exhibit. Afterwards, grab a bite at the Ivy to power lunch with the stars. Avoid the paparazzi if you can. Next, take a tour...
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The Getty Center
Contact:
- +1 310 440 7300
- visit website
Location:
- 1200 Getty Center Drive
- Los Angeles,CA90049
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Map
Description:
The Getty Center opened in 1997, and the Los Angeles architectural scene has never been the same. It houses pieces from the Getty collection in addition to travelling exhibitions. The Illuminated Transcripts collection at the Getty Center is world famous. Originals by Gauguin and Van Gogh are sure to excite the senses. In addition to the pieces and artifacts, the museum's architecture and landscaping play an important role in its popularity. The outside gardens are exhibits worthy of display in and among themselves. The museum is free, but there is a charge to park. Half the fun is taking the funicular tramway to the top of the Santa Monica Mountains.
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The Ivy
Contact:
- 310 274 8303 / 310 866 258 5547
- visit website
Location:
- 113 North Robertson Boulevard,at Alder Drive
- Between 3rd St and Beverly Blvd, West Hollywood
- Los Angeles,CA90048
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Map
Description:
If you're willing to endure the cold shoulder to ogle L.A.'s celebrities and pay lots for a perfect meal, the Ivy can be enjoyable. This snobby place attracts one of the most industry-heavy crowds in the city and treats celebrities and nobodies as differently as Brahmins and untouchables. Just past the cool reception lie two disarmingly countrified dining rooms filled with rustic antiques, comfortably worn chintz, and hanging baskets of fragrant flowers. Huge roses bloom everywhere, including out on the charming brick patio (where the highest-profile patrons are seated and dutifully ignore the stares). The Ivy's Caesar salad is perfect, as are the plump and crispy crab cakes. Recommended dishes include spinach linguine with a peppery tomato-basil sauce, prime rib dusted with Cajun spices, and tender lime-marinated grilled chicken. There's even a great burger and kick-ass fried chicken. The wine list is notable, and there's always a terrific variety of desserts (pink boxes are on hand for chocolate-chip cookies to go).
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Beverly Hills Trolley Tour
Contact:
- +1 310 285 2438
- visit website
Location:
- Corner of Rodeo Drive and Dayton Way
- Southeast corner of intersection
- Los Angeles,CA90210
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Map
Description:
Beverly Hills is world famous for its designer shops, haute couture and expensive hotels. The Beverly Hills Trolley is an excellent way to experience the shopping, dining and opulent lifestyles of 90210. The tour takes approximately 40 minutes, and there is no easier way to experience Rodeo Drive and the mansions on Sunset Boulevard than the Beverly Hills Trolley. The Trolley can be picked up on the corner of Rodeo and Dayton from 11 am – 4 pm.
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Peninsula Spa
Contact:
- 310/551-2888
- visit website
Location:
- 9882 S. Santa Monica Blvd
- Near Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills
- Beverly Hills,CA90212
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Map
Description:
Condé Nast Traveler recently rated the 4,600-square-foot Peninsula Spa number one in Service and number two in Treatments for Urban Spas, and indeed, this is one of the top spots in the U.S. for pampering. Sure, it's pricey, but what would you expect from the only hotel in Southern California to earn both the AAA Five Diamond and Mobil Five Star awards for 13 straight years? Bonus: The spa just had a $7-million revamp, adding an extra 1,000 square feet of space, with mosaic tile work in serene shades of blue and pure white Calacatta marble. The spa is the first in North America to offer Shiffa precious gem oil treatments, which contain rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and diamonds, and are said to bring healing powers. In addition to the seven treatment rooms, you can opt to have some services in one of the Peninsula's famed cabanas overlooking the 60-foot lap pool. They even offer a good selection of services geared toward the guys, such as the 50-minute Men's Foot Recovery and 60-minute Gentlemen's Facial Rejuvenation. The Roof Garden restaurant is the perfect spot for a pre- or post-treatment lunch or tonic. And don't be surprised if you spot an A-lister, as the Peninsula is a perennial celeb favorite.
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Museum of Tolerance
Contact:
- 310/553-8403
- visit website
Location:
- 9786 W. Pico Blvd
- At Roxbury Dr
- Los Angeles,CA90212
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Map
Description:
The Museum of Tolerance is designed to expose prejudices, bigotry, and inhumanity while teaching racial and cultural tolerance. Since its opening in 1993, it's hosted 4 million visitors from around the world, including King Hussein of Jordan and the Dalai Lama. It's located in the Simon Wiesenthal Center, an institute founded by the legendary Nazi hunter. While the Holocaust figures prominently here, this is not a Jewish museum -- it's an academy that broadly campaigns for a live-and-let-live world. Tolerance is an abstract idea that's hard to display, so most of this $50-million museum's exhibits are high-tech and conceptual in nature. Fast-paced interactive displays are designed to touch the heart as well as the mind, and engage everyone from heads of state to the MTV generation.
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Crustacean
Contact:
- 310 205 8990
- visit website
Location:
- 9646 Little Santa Monica Boulevard
- At Bedford St, Beverly Hills
- Los Angeles,CA90212
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Map
Description:
This is one of the most popular restaurants in Beverly Hills. The Euro-Vietnamese interior has been designed by Elizabeth An. To enter the main dining area, you must walk through a beautiful aquarium passageway called Walk on Water. The food is divine, and on Friday nights a flurry of celebrities can be seen dining here. It has been profiled many times in reputed papers and magazines, such as The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Le Figaro, Food and Wine, and Bon Appetit.
