Jaunted

· Los Angeles
Our vote goes to Abbot Kinney Boulevard, which actually isn't in the city proper, but in Venice Beach. We're pretty well fed up with seeing teacup dogs in Louis Vuitton purses on Robertson Boulevard and dealing with aloof saleswomen in Beverly Hills. And while the oceanside city of Venice isn't immune to uppity shoppers (even locals have to admit that there's some active snobbery here), it is a little more laid back and has that comfortable "all is love" vibe.

Abbot Kinney is the place to go for green shopping (environmentally-friendly and, uh, otherwise), like at Vert, where you can find natural beauty products, or Eden's Green Closet, where stylish organic and recycled clothing is sold. Our favorite stop is Equator; they carry out-of-print collectable books, vintage Playboys, and cutting-edge photography collections in the hyper-modern space.

· Barcelona
Barcelona's El Born neighborhood has a similar bourgeois-bohemian vibe as Abbot Kinney. It's often swarming with people, and while plenty of them are tourists on their way to Museu Picasso, there are also well-dressed Barcelona women browsing in droves. It's super-trendy, as evidenced by the handful of expensive boutiques lining tiny streets. We remember being distracted by patent leather shoes and drape-y, avant-garde tops in store windows, but Xocoa was probably our favorite nearby stop. Their handmade chocolates are some of the best we've tasted in Europe, and they make amazing gifts if you can get them to survive the journey home.

·San Francisco
We hop back across the pond to Hayes Valley in SF, which wasn't always the shopping destination it is now. San Francisco has a touch of Barcelona's European sophistication, and like BCN, is still warm and welcoming. At some point boutiques started invading the neighborhood, along with really good restaurants, so making the trip deep into Hayes Valley offers an "in the know" local experience.

Go-to traveler store Flight 001 has an outpost here, while the mini-clothing museum that is Azalea is where you can find labels like See by Chloe and Swedish denim brand Cheap Monday. If you get tired, stop by the Blue Bottle Coffee Co. kiosk, grab a cup, and purchase some as a gift for the caffeine addict in your life.

· New York
Jettison yourself from Manhattan and land just on the other side of the East River in Brooklyn's DUMBO neighborhood, which stands for "Down Under Manhattan Bridge's Overpass." It's a refreshing break from the hectic and flashy stores of Midtown, and what you're met with are awesome views of the Brooklyn Bridge—which we suggest walking over to get back to the city—and a handful of really awesome storefronts with finely chosen merchandise.

powerHouse Books is one of our favorite stores, period, selling art books and stationery that demands to be displayed once you get home. In this relatively quiet, mainly professional neighborhood, the women's boutique to visit is Zoe, where we got lost for a good hour "oooh"-ing and "aaah"-ing over a Rag & Bone leather jacket and VPL by Victoria Bartlett dress. Expensive? Hell yes. But sometimes window shopping will suffice when you're in the mood to be around pretty things.

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· Shopping Travel [Jaunted]

[Photo: Abbot Kinney Online]