3rd Street Promenade

Third Street Promenade is just one of many places in L.A. where buskers, performers, tourists and other strange oddities gather together.

A completely pedestrian area of shops, restaurants, bars and cafes, it's full of fun things to do, buy and see.

From the enormous Apple store to the gigantic Sephora to the cinema playing the newest releases to the huge Old Navy, there's something for everyone. There aren't too many boutique or independent retailers, as the rent is too high, so it's mostly chains, albeit decent ones.

The dining is pretty good, with a traditional English pub, a nice Italian eatery and several other offerings.

It takes about 15 minutes to amble from one end of the Promenade to the other, but it's worth it doing two loops as you can go down one side that way, and the other side this way!

But the best thing about 3rd Street is the performers. I've seen a traditional Peruvian Indian band with pan flutes and drums, a contortionist/gymnast fellow who could bend thid way and also that way, and Spanish guitarist who could charm the lead out of a pencil, so to speak.

There are always singers and bands, and they're pretty decent - not rock-heavy or anything too noisy (no huge PA systems allowed on 3rd Street), but fun stuff that attracts a good crowd.

The magicians and illusionists are always really fun if you are lucky enough to catch them, and always a bit cheeky as well.

It's best to enjoy 3rd Street at night, in my experience, especially a weekend night, as the fairy lights in the trees are gorgeous, there are more people (which creates a better ambience), and more performers. During the day, you mainly get people collecting for charity or busking with their traditional Armenian harpsichord.