Unless You are Rich Dont Bother (Rodeo Drive (Beverly Hills))

Member Name: katygriff

Product:	Rodeo Drive (Beverly Hills)
Date:	25/10/09 (25 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Clean, Amazing Displays

Disadvantages: Unwelcome Atmosphere

Rodeo Drive was on our tour of Los Angeles when we were on our Honeymoon and I didn't know what to expect. I knew it was supposed to be quite a posh and expensive place but that didn't even prepare me for what it actually was. We stopped here for an hour and to be honest me in this sort of place an hour is more than long enough and here is why.

Location
Rodeo Drive is in Los Angeles California. It is in Beverley Hills which some people may have heard of as it is just a bit famous. This place is famous for its designer fashions and elegance and is renowned for being a place where you can sometimes spot celebrities. We were staying in Hollywood and it took us about an hour (I think) to get there. I am sure you would have to drive here and am completely unsure about public transport to get there. There is a parking area and there is a limited amount of time you can park on the streets.

Appearance
On initial thoughts Rodeo drive just looks like a normal street with a road in the middle and some shops. It is only when you start to look at the shops a little closer that you see how special it is. I wouldn't say it is a great looking place apart from one part that we walked to by the Versace shop and it looked very exclusive up there. So exclusive I almost didn't want to walk up there in my jeans, lol.

The one thing I did notice is how clean the whole place was and the shops are in extremely well kept order. I also noticed that although the place was full of cars, rodeo drive looks empty so I can kind of see why celebrities would like to come here. Unfortunately all I saw that day was a lot of tourists as it is a popular spot.

We did have a walk up to see the rodeo drive sign though which looked very nice so we got a picture.

Shops
There are quite a few nice shops here including Versace, Armani and Dolce and Gabbana. They had some amazing displays in the shops too so they really do look after them. We saw one which looked like a luggage shop and I can't remember what it was called. It had a stair case and there were dummies with luggage and then lots of colourful umbrellas. I know it sounds a little strange but trust me it looked amazing.

The reason I don't like the shops though is purely because I couldn't afford a single thing in them. Plus they looked amazing but totally uninviting and so many staff that I can imagine if you did walk in there you would just get stared at until you left. I am convinced this is a tactic to ensure that the shops don't get filled with people browsing and the celebrities can shop in peace.

Our tour guide was telling us that some of these shops don't even let you in to look unless you can guarantee a minimum spend so we didn't dare go in anyway. That is why I didn't much like Rodeo drive, I thought everywhere looks great but it just didn't inspire me to be there long as I felt unwelcome as I wasn't in designer threads.

Other Things
When we parked up I immediately saw a sign for a plastic surgeon which I thought was crazy on this street but doesn't surprise me. Also I didn't find one place to get a drink or some food. I am sure there must be places around but I didn't find anywhere.


Conclusion
I didn't like it here. I have to say that everywhere looked and appeared to be fantastic. It was clean, the displays were amazing and everywhere just generally looked very well looked after. Plus if you have money I bet this is a pretty nice place to come to. I think though that the flat atmosphere and the unwelcome atmosphere make for somewhere that I didn't want to be. I am glad I have been here to see it but unless you are rich it is not a fun place to go. Two stars from me.

Thanks for reading.

xxx

Summary: Undecided