Rodeo Drive – synonymous with high fashion, wealth, movie stars and the world’s powerful elite – is one of my favorite people watching spots because we are all actors in our imagination. Quick word of caution before we set out. Rodeo Drive is pronounced ‘roh-DAY-oh’ and not like a cowboy rodeo that involves barrels, roping bulls and clowns.
That said, while Rodeo Drive is a 2 mile (3.km) long street stretching from Sunset Boulevard to Beverly Drive; it is the 3 block stretch of Rodeo, north of Wilshire Boulevard and south of Little Santa Monica Boulevard, that epitomize the dreams of millions.
The history of Rodeo Drive is a tale that travels from status as a Lima Bean field in the early 1900s to its current position as epicenter of luxurious fashion and lifestyle. For over half a century Rodeo Drive was basically a local shopping street that had everything the community needed. From the grocery store (Ralphs) to 31 Flavors Ice Cream and a See’s Candy to a ballet school and a hardware store.
A bit of history: The Ballet School was owned by David Lichine and his wife, ballerina Tatiana Riabouchinska. Lichine is best remembered as the star of Ballets Russes, the choreographer of ballets (Graduation Ball and Prote) and as a film dancer and choreographer for Disney’s Fantasia and for Cyd Charisse in The Unfinished Dance (1947). The ballet school trained any number of Beverly Hills kids for nearly three decades from 1953 onward.
With the 1967 opening of Giorgio Beverly Hills the first inklings of Rodeo Drive’s change began. By 1970 Aldo Gucci, Van Cleef & Arpels and Vidal Sassoon had moved in. It was the opening of a new wing of the Beverly Wilshire Hotel that sparked the creation of an international fashion image. In 1977 the Rodeo Drive Committee "launched a publicity campaign designed to make everyone around the world think of Rodeo Drive as the shopping street of the rich and famous."
Today the 3 blocks have over 100 world-renowned stores, hotels and eateries. Stroll along the European-styled cobblestone walkway of Two Rodeo; at the base of Via Rodeo and Rodeo Drive is the iconic street sign seen in so many movies that draws visitors for a photo or two.
On Rodeo Drive, between Dayton Way and Brighton Way, is Anderton Court, one of the 20th century's most famous Frank Lloyd Wright designs. The three story building houses six boutique shops and has no steps but relies on a series of ramps to move between floors. Constructed in 1952, it was the iconic architect's final completed structure in Los Angeles, making it an unofficial and permanent monument to the architect.
Now on to the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style® where plaques are inlaid in the sidewalk honoring fashion icons, among them Princess Grace of Monaco (Grace Kelly) and Salvatore Ferragamo. The 14 foot (4.2m) tall sculpture, “Torso” by artist Robert Graham, is carved from solid aluminum blocks and mounted on a bronze pedestal.
At the base of Rodeo Drive, on Wilshire Boulevard is one of Beverly Hills' oldest and most luxurious hotels, Beverly Wilshire, a Four Seasons Hotel. Constructed in 1928, the hotel has been home to many stars including Warren Beatty, John Lennon and Elvis Presley.
Rodeo Drive is home to the single most expensive store in the world, Bijan (Mens clothing and by appointment only) at 420 Rodeo Drive and where the final treasure is to be spotted. Always parked in front of the store is either a black and yellow Bugatti Veyron or a special edition yellow Rolls Royce named for the store’s original owner Bijan.
If you are lucky enough to be visiting during the Christmas season make sure to head to Rodeo Drive as the lights are pure fairy-tale magic. Year-round do go during the weekdays because weekends are simply too crowded with tourists.
Chick Flick Trivia: In Pretty Woman Julia Roberts was snubbed in a woman's clothing store called Boulmiche located just a few steps west of Rodeo, at 9501 Santa Monica Boulevard and she and Richard Gere stayed at the Beverly Wilshire.
