For a movie project, we need to identify potential locations that are
commonly associated with ultra-luxury, rich or very rich people.  Some
are obvious, but I want to be as complete as possible, and consider
global ones as well as those in USA (Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Rodeo
Drive, Park Avenue NY, Monte Carlo, Swiss (banks), Cayman Islands
(again, banking), Las Vegas, French Riviera).  I would appreciate a
listing and, if it is not immediately obvious, why you have included
it on the list (for example, Moscow, because it now has many
billionaires).  I know this is an open ended question that is hard to
reply to.  I would be satisfied with 20 - 25 or so locations in
addition to those I have already noted.  Best guess is there is
usually some well-recognized (as implying rich people), exclusive, very pricey
residential or shopping neighborhood, district or street in major
cities in major countries --
Brazil?  Paris?  Germany?  Tokyo?  Other?  The more the better,
please, as long as I can tell why you have named a given location.

Hello again, inkvisitor

I've had computer problems and have had to reconstruct this list twice
so I'm going to post it in pieces, if you don't mind.  You know I'm
good for it from our previous transaction.  Right now, I need a couple
of aspirin. ;-)

1.  Avenue Montaigne and Champs Élysée
Paris, France (fashion capital of the world)

2.  Via Monte Napoleone, Via della Spiga and Galleria Vittorio Emanuele
Milan, Italy (lags just behind Paris in the fashion world)

3.  Bahnhofstrasse  (this is the shopping district in Zurich)
Zürich, Switzerland 

4.  Rue du Rhône
Geneva, Switzerland (jewelry capital rivaled only by New York)
http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgresults.cfm?destination=geneva@66&cur_section=sho&showover=yes

5.  Bond Street  (frequented by the elite since the 1850s)
London, England 

6.  The Ginza District (some of the most expensive real estate in the world)
Tokyo, Japan 7.  

7.  Avinguda Diagonal
Barcelona, Spain (a cosmopolitan city and home to world famous fashion 
house, jewelry designers, and art galleries)

8.  The Magnificent Mile, N. Michigan Ave. (comparable to NYC 5th Ave.)
Chicago, IL 

9.  Laugavegur
Reykjavík, Iceland
Skólavörôustígur is the city's most chic shopping street with Iceland 
being one of the most expensive countries in Europe.

10.  Boulevard de la Croisette
Cannes/Nice/Côte d'Azur's
http://poweredby.10best.com/Guides/list.process/ID_e11d52d1776f/SID_188

11.  Palace Gallery and Arcade
St. Moritz, Switzerland (Alpine getaway by German and Italian
aristocracy, movie stars, prominent politicians, financiers and
artists)

12.  Positano/Amalfi Coast, Italy (see photos; voted one of the best 
millionaire getaways by the Travel Channel)
http://www.terragalleria.com/europe/italy/amalfi-coast/amalfi-coast.all.html

13.  Kärntnerstrasse, Graben and Kohlmarkt
Vienna, Austria (old world charm)
http://info.wien.at/article.asp?IDArticle=3377

14.  Orchard Road
Singapore/Malaysia
http://www.marimari.com/content/singapore/shopping/orchad_road/orchad.html

15.  Peninsula Arcade
Beijing, China (5th most expensive city in the world)
http://beijing.peninsula.com/tph/location_04.html

16.  Maximilianstrasse.
Munich, Germany (said to be one the most expensive cites in Germany)
http://www.kasbah.com/highlights/germany_munich_maximilianstrasse.htm

17.  Nishi-Umeda District
Osaka, Japan
Bintang Walk (Asia's answer to the Champs Élysée)
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
http://www.bintangwalk.com

18.  South Beach/Miami (home to celebrities and Florida's nuevo riche)
http://travel.discovery.com/convergence/beachweek/southbeach.html
http://www.worth-avenue.com/

19.  Boca Raton/Palm Beach (Florida old money)
http://www.royalpalmplace.com
http://www.miznerpark.org/index.asp

20.  Bal Harbour, FL (more Florida old money)
http://www.balharbourshops.com/home.html


World's 10 most expensive cities
Tokyo
Moscow
Osaka
Hong Kong
Beijing
Geneva
London
Seoul
Zurich
New York
(Mercer Human Resource Consulting)
http://www.ired.com/news/mkt/eu-expensive.htm


I'll be adding more this evening since this list needs a few more
intercontinental entries.

Best regards,
V

---

Clarification of Answer by voila-ga on 06 Jun 2004 19:19 PDT

Piazza Di Spagna/Via Condotti/Via Borgognona (the Madison Avenue of Rome)
Rome, Italy
http://www.hotelstendhalrome.com/hotel_near_shopping_rome.htm

Queen Victoria Building (described by Pierre Cardin as "the most
beautiful shopping centre in the world.")
Pitt Street Mall  
Sydney, Australia
http://www.sydney.com.au/qvb.htm

Galleries Royales Saint Hubert/Rue Neuve  (on the oldest covered
shopping street in Europe; architecturally gorgeous; banking center)
Brussels, Belgium
http://www.alltravelbelgium.com/Belgium/Destination_Guides/Cities/Brussels.htm
http://www.virtualtourist.com/vt/574bf/c/1a1e/null

Promenade 1053
Davos-Dorf, Switzerland 
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/davos/2605010031.html 

Hyman and Cooper Avenue 
Aspen, Colorado

Vail Valley
Vail, Colorado
 
Camelback Corridor 
Phoenix/Scottsdale/Paradise Valley

Gstaad-Saanenland Tourismus Promenade
Gstaad, Switzerland

Oxford Street
London

Manezhnaya Square/Novy Arbat
Moscow, Russia

Kaufingerstrasse  
Munich, Germany

Myeongdong 
Seoul, South Korea

Ermou   
Athens, Greece
  
Grafton Street
Dublin, Ireland  

Karl Johan Gate 
Oslo, Norway  

Oscar Freire Jardins/Iguatemi/Morumbi      
Sao Paolo, Brazil
          
Kalverstraat 
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Ostergade
Copenhagen, Denmark 

Bloor Street 
Toronto, Canada
  
Wandujing 
Bejing, China

Preciados   
Madrid, Spain

City Centre  
Helsinki, Finland 
 
Na Prikope
Prague, Czech Republic                                                      

Baixa
Lisbon, Portugal

Ayalon Centre  
Tel Aviv, Israel  
                                                           
Biblioteksgatan  
Stockholm, Sweden

Vaci Utca 
Budapest, Hungary  

City Centre
Beirut, Lebanon
    
Mazaryk                    
Mexico City, Mexico  

Lambton Quay
Wellington, New Zealand

Bulevarul
Bucharest, Romania
                                        
Gediminas Avenue
Vilnius, Lithuania    

Linking Road    
Mumbai, India         

City Centre 
Bangkok, Thailand           

Calle Florida
Buenos Aires, Argentina    

Sandton City    
Johannesburg, South Africa      

Avenida de Boavista
Porto, Portugal

Rue Jean Medecin
Nice, France 

Portal de Angel/Paseo de Gracia
Barcelona, Spain

---

Request for Answer Clarification by inkvisitor-ga on 06 Jun 2004 23:44 PDT

Many thanks, Voila.  This is great addfitional info, and much
appreciated.  Just as a clarification back to you, I would note in
passing that there is no such place as "City Centre, Bangkok" (the
city is a hodgepodge and has no real center, and no place designated
as City Centre.  Also, the street in Beijing is Wangfujing, rather
than Wandujing.  It is near the Forbidden City and I have stayed there
several times.  Your info is nicely comprehensive, and I like your
research approach.

---

Clarification of Answer by voila-ga on 07 Jun 2004 05:37 PDT

Hello inksvisitor,

I failed to give you a couple of my research links last night: 
http://travel.discovery.com/fansites/worldsbest/xpensiveshoping/xpensiveshoping.html
http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=93735

Since this was a film and as a moviegoer, I tried to find you not only
rich but visually interesting shopping areas.  But you're correct I
didn't verify that long list as this was an incredible amount of work
for $11.25 and 4 stars.  I hope you'll forgive me.

Best,
V

---

Request for Answer Clarification by inkvisitor-ga on 07 Jun 2004 08:06 PDT

Hi Voila, and thanks again.  I went back to try to bump the 4 stars up
to 5 after your wonderful second batch of locations, but apparently
there is no revising a first rating.  Sorry for that.  Next time I
will know to wait until all is complete before rushing to rate.  Your
work is extremely useful and interesting.  You have a gift for
research, and for communication, a I noted by looking at some of your
answers to other questions.  Much appreciated.

---

Clarification of Answer by voila-ga on 08 Jun 2004 08:30 PDT

Oh, yeah, I'm regular magpie.  Just so you know, we'd also like that 
'bump' feature on our side of the screen.  Many a time, I've felt like 
posting a separate errata sheet with my answers and I edit for a 
living.  How pathetic is that?   I'm not a one-take kinda gal though. 
And, since you're a relative GA newcomer, correct, there is absolutely 
no rush in getting the rating posted.  There are no pneumatic Google 
tubes that shoot cash to our hovels in the hinterlands but I'll 
certainly suggest that.

Be assured a researcher will work with you towards satisfaction unless 
they're a total derelict.  Lean on that clarification button till you 
get service and give us some time to respond.  A lot of folks work 
several jobs and GA is just one of 'em so we're stretched a little 
thin.

For the record, we do look at our little twinklers as if they were our 
own personal movie reviews --  too few and we get shipped off to that 
Reseachers Rest Home in Englewood, NJ.

Gift for research, eh?  I call it a compulsion so I try to keep that 
pathology under control.  It was fun playing 'woman with a hefty bank 
balance' for a day but the time vs. reward ... eh, not so great.  When 
your picture goes wide, I'll be that greasy-palmed chick in the lobby 
with the Got Residuals? sign.

In the meantime, this project turned into one of those potato chip 
eating addictions:

Swiss Riviera
Vaud/Montreux/Valais (for the flat tax issue; more billionaires per 
capita)
http://swiss-bank-accounts.com/s/retrato/lematin.html
http://www.pilotguides.com/destination_guide/europe/switzerland/locations.php

The Hague
Royal City of the Netherlands (history, architecture, greatest number 
of square metres of shopping area in Holland)
http://home-2.tiscali.nl/~aarde01/history.htm
Hoogstraat and Noordeinde Streets
Winkelgebied Haagsche Bluf
http://www.haagschebluf.nl/intro_max.html

Newport/Providence/Barrington/Bristol, RI (nicknamed Hollywood of the 
East; yachting capital of the world)
http://www.quahog.org/factsfolklore/index.php?id=18

Greenwich Avenue/Greenwich/Belle Haven/Fairfield County, CN (Rodeo 
Drive of the Northeast, celebrities, NYC limo-commuters)
http://www.tourism.state.ct.us/TourismRegions/default.asp?region=southwestern

Osterville/Chatham/Hyannis/Cape Cod/Martha's Vineyard/Nantucket, MA
(Quaker inspired architecture; wealthy seaside resort towns)
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/capecodnantucketandmartha'svineyard/0381020851.html

Galleria in River Oaks, Houston (oil money; film locale)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houston,_Texas

Here's the Trip Planner if you have another city in mind:
http://www.10bestcityguides.com/pickLocation.process/OID_0D9A56E1/

And here's Christies Great Estates site for additional ideas:
http://www.christiesgreatestates.com/greatest_estates/index.htm
http://www.christiesgreatestates.com/significant_sales

Departures is always a good spot for an armchair fantasy trip:
http://www.departures.com/home.html

The crew's gotta eat:
http://www.dininginfrance.com/franceanywhere.htm

Neighborhoods/Districts/Enclaves:
Upper East Side/Sutton Place/Tribeca/Hamptons, NY
Malibu/Pacific Palisades, CA
Fairfield County, CN
Georgetown/Northern Fairfax County/Southeastern Montgomery, DC
Buckhead/Vinings/Brookhaven, GA
http://www.ggy.uga.edu/courses/geog3630_dgmartin/lect2022.html

{fini}

Loose cannon cheers,
V

p.s.  Absolutely no further thanks necessary.  If you feel so inclined,
you can always post me a separate question with my name on it.  Any 
further yak on this one and my "needs attention" light comes on backstage.

Many thanks, Voila.  I will look forward to seeing the additional ones
you note will be added shortly.  The list thus far looks fine, and
will be useful.  I note that it may not only be most expensive cities
(which can hit poor occupants as well as rich), but very exclusive
places -- Vail?  Aspen?  Some ritzy ski resort in Europe?  And isn't
there some place that the rich and powerful congregate on occasion --
Davos?  Anyway, your list is a great help and much appreciated!  Your
research and communication skills are excellent.

Costa Smeralda, Sardinia, Italy is pretty darn near the top in terms
of exclusivity.

The reference to Na prikope, Prague, Czech Republic is not really
accurate...the ritzy street is Parizska.

Sorry - forgot to add this link about Costa Smeralda...

http://www.travelintelligence.net/wsd/articles/art_3102.html

Maxicek, thank you very much.  Voila, I am speechless (which is not
typical).  So very helpful -- thanks!  I agree -- this is about as
comprehensive and useful a response as anyone might hope for.

Thanks for sharing, maxicek-ga.  I'd gone looking for a street in
Prague since I'd like to visit that city after having seen a few films
on this list:
http://www.myczechrepublic.com/czech_culture/filming_locations.html

I didn't find all that much on Parizka but a poster from Prague lists
the chic areas as:
Vaclavske nam/Na Prikope/Parizka
http://216.239.57.104/search?q=cache:CcWO9qhxUHsJ:www.expats.cz/boards/ubb-get_topic-f-3-t-002088.html+parizka&hl=en

So I guess we have Prague covered?

The long prwire list was generated from a 2002 annual report by
Cushman & Wakefield Healey & Baker and included the most costly rents
for retail stores calculated by per square metre.  Doesn't always pan
out to *the* costliest shopping streets but pretty darn close.  I spot
checked a few on the list and it seemed accurate enough for IV's
purpose.

***************

Didn't mean to leave you speechless, IV.  As a gal who hasn't had a
vacation in 10 years, I do my armchair traveling on the internet.  I
like to travel *a lot.*

And just to clear up some confusion with some of our newer customers
(not you, IV, you're an old cowhand by now!) -- researchers here are
*NOT* Google employees.  We make no base salary.  Whatever customers
tag a question's worth (less 25% to Google for administrative costs) +
tips (with 100% of the tip going to the researcher) is *exactly* our
earnings.  All of us are independent contracts all over the globe. 
Tip your researcher "like Gatsby" if you can afford it but we
absolutely understand when you can't.  If a researcher is interested
in your question, a monetary reward is usually secondary.  For yours,
IV, I enjoyed having a small hand in movie making.  It's probably the
closest I'll ever come ... although I've got this script....

Sincerely,
Cecille B. deV