May 2008 marks Condé Nast Traveler's 250th issue, and in celebration (and, less happily, in recognition of the dollar's feeble state), we asked four of our favorite tastemakers in four of our favorite American cities how they'd spend $250. Who says there's no such thing as a cheap thrill?

LOS ANGELES
Cameron Silver, owner, Decades vintage clothing store

Start your day with breakfast at the Fountain Coffee Shop at the Beverly Hills Hotel—they've got the best crispy bacon and breakfast potatoes in town, and the grapefruit juice is squeezed fresh (9641 Sunset Blvd,; 310-276-2251; breakfast, $30). After that, it's off to the Virginia Robinson Gardens just minutes above Sunset Drive, where you can walk off that bacon while admiring this garden oasis-call ahead for information about the guided tour (310-276-5367; robinsongardens.org; admission, $10). After a ridiculously good cup of late-morning coffee at Teuscher Chocolates (9548 Brighton Way; 310-276-2776; coffee, $3), head off to Schindler's Kings Road House. Formerly owned by architect Rudolf Schindler, it's one of my favorite historic monuments and a prime example of Los Angeles mid-century architecture, not to mention its bohemian history (835 North Kings Road; 323-651-1510; admission, $5). By now it'll be around 1:30 or so, which means it's time for lunch. Forget what everyone tells you and forgo the always crowded Ivy on Robertson Boulevard for M Café de Chaya—it's all organic and macrobiotic but much more casual and just as celebrity-studded. I love the brown rice sushi and kale salad (7119 Melrose Ave.; 323-525-0588; entrées, $11-$14). Continue the healthy-living trend with a hike through Griffith Park, and make sure to stop by the amazing and recently renovated Griffith Observatory, where you should buy a ticket for the Samuel Oschin Planetarium (213-473-0800; griffithobservatory.org; admission, $7). Next, it's time to go to the Farmers Market at Third and Fairfax for a dose of kitsch—this is the perfect place to pick up some silly Hollywood souvenirs or just do some people-watching, which never disappoints. If you want a more conventional retail experience, the Grove shopping mall is just next door. While you're here, swing by Erewhon Market's Tonic Bar, where a natural and custom-blended elixir will rev you up for a night on the town better than any cocktail (7660-B Beverly Blvd; 323-937-0777). You're then off to Musso & Frank, the oldest restaurant in Los Angeles, for a classic dinner of salad with Roquefort dressing and a filet mignon with a baked potato and, if you're feeling decadent, a vodka martini with extra olives (6667 Hollywood Blvd.; 323-467-7788; entrées, $12-$27). Follow dinner with a performance at the Redcat; this intimate performance space sits adjacent to Frank Gehry's astonishing Disney Hall, and its great alternative programming attracts an eclectic, art-loving crowd (631 W. 2nd St.; 213-237-2800; shows, $10-$35). Finally, no visit to L.A. is complete without a trip to the Arclight, a stadium-seated movie theater, where you can choose your seat in advance and watch the film with a glass of wine in one hand and a chicken-sausage pesto hot dog in the other; it's the perfect midnight snack, and so L.A. (6360 W. Sunset Blvd.; 323-464-4226; tickets, $12).