Jaunted

Of course, we aren't saying Marina Del Rey is the end all be all for shopping in West LA. But the Waterside Shops are good for locals living nearby, as well as students and families of students over at Loyola Marymount University. The shops are also close to some hotels in the Marina such as the Marina Marriott and the Ritz-Carlton.

Waterside used to look like a regular old linear strip mall until Caruso bought it and redeveloped it to look like an Italian village which is trademark Caruso. Much like The Grove and The Commons, Waterside has Mediterranean-style rooftops and storefronts.

There are also a handful of the same stores that open in every Caruso property like m.fredric (a trendy boutique clothing store owned by Maroon 5's Adam Levine's dad) and Brighton Collectibles. Rounding out the stores are a Pier 1, a Jill Roberts boutique store, a White House/Black Market, another boutique store áme mi, a lingerie store Lacy Lady (where you can buy a bikini made of candy) and H.P. Swimwear.

But two stores really stand out for us. First, the West Marine store which is technically a store full of nautical necessities but which also has a bunch of fun stuff to bring to the beach. Then there's Beyond Scents which is a treasure trove of collectibles from glittery frames to cute stationary to serve ware and rhinestone-studded flip-flops. If you need to buy a gift or just want to treat yourself to something fun, you can find it here.

Yet the best part about Beyond Scents is the Scents part. Shop manager Bella DeCou has a mini-perfume laboratory behind the cash register where she can mix any scent for you to create perfume, hand lotion or bubble bath.

As for dining there's a standard California Pizza Kitchen and a Rainbow Acres health foodstore with a dine-in counter. There's also a Cold Stone Creamery and a Chipotle--the latter which is especially good news for Westsiders because otherwise we have to schlep over to Beverly Hills for those amazing burritos.

But the real dining highlight is the Le Marmiton French bistro which has a Happy Hour menu from 4 to 6:30pm that includes martinis for $6.95 (we like the sweet French martini), standard cocktails (vodka, tequila, gin, rum, etc) for $4.95 and a light appetizers menu for $2.95. Beer and wine is also available for $2.95 and $3.95 respectively.

Even better, you can enjoy all this at this bistro's outdoor dining section which has little lights strung along the tree branches overhead and sits next to a small water fountain, transporting you out of the marina district for a little bit.

Insider Tip: If you're stuck in Marina del Rey and still want to do more shopping (although we hope not), then head up north on Lincoln Boulevard to the larger Villa Marina Marketplace for some more stores like Barnes & Noble, Express, Gap, Ann Taylor, and etc.

Related Stories:
· The Waterside Shops [Official Site]