Don’t judge a book by its cover. I remember Melrose Avenue during its heyday in the 80’s and 90’s. You could spend all day shopping, eating and people watching. Melrose lost some off its allure over the years, but now it’s coming back big time. 
I walked the stretch between Fairfax and La Brea earlier this week. I highly recommend footing this stretch, because you miss so much of this legendary street’s personality if you only view it by car. This area is much more hip and trendy than the west end of Melrose. The shop and restaurant owners have been extremely creative in showcasing their establishments. This is where you’ll find Christian Audigier, Ed Hardy, Affliction and dozens of smaller, privately owned stores that are usually open until 7pm or 8pm. Dine or drink at Vinoteque, The Foundry, LaLa’s Argentine Grill, The Darkroom, or The Village Idiot. On Sundays, make sure to hit the Melrose Trading Post at Fairfax High School. This is a local favorite for unique treasures, antiques and vintage clothing.
Head west if you want the higher end shops like Diane von Furstenburg, Fred Segal, Alexander McQueen, Maxfield, Marc Jacobs, Paul Smith, Diesel, Vera Wang and Vivian Westwood. Dine in this area at the Fred Segal café, Comme ca, Ago, Cecconi’s or soak up the Los Angeles lifestyle and sit outside at Urth Café. You may recognize this fantastic breakfast-lunch-dinner spot from its many scenes on HBO’s Entourage.
–Jimmy
