Santa Monica: The New Place To Be
This wasn’t just a facelift. It was a complete re-do of a ship that had long since sailed, one that took two years and cost several hundred million dollars. So when the curtain came up on the new Santa Monica Place last week, she was bold, beautiful, exciting and enticing, urging one and all to take out their wallets and spend, spend, spend. Bloomingdale’s was first to open its doors in a sneak preview of its boutique-style store, not anything like the Century City outpost and similar in feel to the Soho emporium. Curated for the local market with an edited collection of clothing, accessories and cosmetics—and reportedly the largest sunglasses wall in the country–Bloomies handed every invited guest a $25 gift card to get the shopping party started. The other department store anchor, Nordstrom, will open by the end of the month, creating even more of a frenzy.
The new CB2 store is already wowing crowds with its stylish and eminently affordable housewares, furniture and home accessories. Most of the shops are open already, and if you’re looking for trendy casual wear, this is the place, with Joe’s Jeans, 7 For All Mankind, Betsey Johnson, Fluxus, Kitson, Eva Varro, Juicy Couture and the ultra-hip All Saints vying for your business. Older-school brand names include Burberry, Louis Vuitton, Coach, Kenneth Cole, Michael Kors, Tory Burch and the still to open Tiffany & Co.
But the piece de resistance is the spectacular third-floor dining deck, with ocean and 3rd St. Promenade views, featuring six “chef-driven” restaurants—meaning non-chain eateries providing a new dimension to the local dining scene, like Xino, the Sandia, Zengo and Sonoma Wine Garden, which features walls made from wine crates, a 300-bottle chandelier and an ocean-view deck. They’re expansive, expensive and it remains to be seen whether they’ll work in “this economy,” but we wish them the best. Meanwhile, there’s a fast-food court for hungry habitants with lighter wallets to grab a bite with the same great views. And it’s not the same old, same old there, either. Sarku Japan, Stefano’s Pizzeria and Sushi Itto are open, soon to be joined by Pinches Tacos and Fatburger.
