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Farmers Market and The Grove Review

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Farmers Market and The Grove

Address: Farmers Market, 6333 W. 3rd St.; The Grove, 189 The Grove Dr., Fairfax District, Los Angeles, CA, 90036 | Map It
Phone: 323/933-9211 Farmers Market; 323/900-8080 The Grove
www.farmersmarketla.com

Category: Markets/Bazaars
Location: Wilshire Boulevard, Museum Row, and Farmers Market

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Fodor's Review:

The saying "Meet me at 3rd and Fairfax" became a standard line for generations of Angelenos who ate, shopped, and spotted the stars who drifted over from the studios for a breath of unpretentious air. Starting back in 1934 when two entrepreneurs convinced oil magnate E.B. Gilmore to open a vacant field for a bare-bones market, this spot became a humble shop for farmers selling produce out of their trucks. From this seat-of-the-pants situation grew a European-style open-air market and local institution at the corner of 3rd Street and Fairfax Avenue.

Now the market includes 110 stalls and more than 20 counter-order restaurants, plus the landmark 1941 Clock Tower. In 2002 a massive expansion called The Grove opened; this highly conceptualized outdoor mall has a pseudo-European facade, with cobblestones, marble mosaics, and pavilions. Los Angeles history gets a nod with the electric steel-wheeled Red Car trolley, which shuttles two blocks through the Farmers Market and The Grove. If you hate crowds, try visiting The Grove before noon for the most comfortable shopping experience. By afternoon, it bulges with shoppers and teens hitting the movie theaters and chain stores such as Banana Republic, Crate & Barrel, Barnes & Noble, and J. Crew. The parking structure on the east side handles the cars by monitoring the number of spaces available as you go up each level, combined with the first hour free, which helps to make parking less of a pain. The Grove really dazzles around Christmas, with an enormous Christmas tree and a nightly faux snowfall until New Year's Day.