Other popular stores include Laura Ashley, the Metropolitan Museum of Art gift shop, Bloomingdale's, Guess, J. Crew and Origins. Just east of Century City, the year-old Avalon Hotel on Olympic is a hip alternative for this part of town. Formerly the Beverly Carlton Hotel, this Gen-X boutique hotel has been completely renovated with beautiful new interiors in the midcentury modern style original to the 1948 buildings. The spa facilities at the Regent Beverly Wilshire, for example, are extensive and secluded, and you don't have to be a hotel guest to book services plus lunch by the pool. Scattered around the retail flatlands area of Beverly Hills, you'll still find Christofle, Cartier, Emporio, Armani, Hermes and the like.
Most visitors end up requesting several shows and spending more than an hour at the consoles.
Some traditional exhibits can be seen here, too, including a fine selection of Al Hirschfeld caricatures of celebrities. There are interesting dining options in the flatlands, including Wolfgang Puck's ObaChine, an antiques-filled space with sushi and satay bar downstairs and Pacific Rim cuisine in an elegant atmosphere upstairs. For something a bit different, on Beverly Boulevard just west of Beverly Center is the quaint and quirky Mysterious Bookshop, where collectible mystery and suspense novels are sold. For sheer shopping density, Beverly Center and environs are unbeatable. Outside, well-heeled locals support a range of interesting boutiques and specialty shops on Third Street.