3-HOUR TOUR : Art, Java and Hip-Hop : Lancaster Boulevard offers an eclectic mix with something for every taste and all ages too.

The downtown stretch of Lancaster Boulevard is slowly becoming what many communities envision for their main street--a place where people will gather for browsing, buying and dining. Lancaster Boulevard offers everything from the eclectic hip-hop clothing store to the mundane savings and loan, from vacant lots to modern office buildings to rundown shops. There are even comfortable wooden benches along the street for the weary to rest and old-fashioned street lights to add a bit of charm.

1 p.m.: Although it is a few steps south of Lancaster Boulevard, no visit to this area of the city would be complete without a stop at the Lancaster Museum/Art Gallery. Through March 12, the museum is showing the 10th Annual Juried All Media Art Exhibition featuring about 100 works by dozens of Antelope Valley artists. The display includes everything from kinetic sculpture to painted china to pencil drawings, paintings, pottery and photographs. The museum also has a small gift shop, run by its docent fund-raising association, that sells local memorabilia, jewelry and postcards.

Lancaster Museum/Art Gallery, 44801 N. Sierra Highway, (805) 723-6250. Admission is free.

1:45 p.m.: When the weather is mild and the wind is still, nothing is as refreshing as the clean desert air. So leave your car in the museum parking lot (it is free, and easier than searching for a spot on the boulevard) and head out the west lot entrance onto Beech Avenue. Walk north to Lancaster Boulevard, cross the street and walk west about half a block to the Western Hotel/Museum. The rooms of the former two-story hotel, built in the 1880s, are filled with artifacts and photographs dating to the turn of the century that tell the story of the early days of Lancaster and the surrounding areas. There are displays on American-Indian tribes that once inhabited the area, the pronghorn antelope that gave the region its name and Judy Garland, who once lived in Lancaster.

Western Hotel/Museum, 557 W. Lancaster Blvd., (805) 723-6250. Admission free. Noon to 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Group tours can be arranged for other times.

2:15 p.m.: While most of Lancaster Boulevard’s shopping and dining are on the south side, it is worth continuing along the north side for a few blocks to see the granite monuments that are part of the city’s Aerospace Walk of Honor. The sidewalk monuments pay tribute to test pilots associated with Edwards Air Force Base who have made significant accomplishments in their profession. Since the walk was established in 1990, 25 test pilots have been inducted. Among the monuments you pass are those honoring Scott Crossfield; retired Col. William J. (Pete) Knight, now a state assemblyman representing the Antelope and Santa Clarita valleys, and Milt Thompson. Once you cross the boulevard, take in more monuments, which pay tribute to, among others, Neil Armstrong, retired Brig. Gen. Charles (Chuck) Yeager and Anthony (Tony) LeVier.

2:30 p.m.: Cross back to the south side of Lancaster Boulevard at Gadsden Avenue and go west a few steps to Margie Lawson’s Gourmet Center, where the delicious aroma of coffee can overwhelm the senses. The 1,000-square-foot store is crammed from floor to ceiling with everything for the kitchen--and then some.

Margie Lawson’s Gourmet Center, 906 W. Lancaster Blvd., (805) 948-4010.

2:45 p.m.: If your appetite wasn’t stirred by the smells in the Gourmet Center, it will be by the ones in the Downtown Bistro & Cafe (formerly called Downtown Cakes & Co.), just east of Margie’s. Stop in for a delectable dessert or stroll a few doors down to Hang ‘n Java for a cup of cafe mocha or their own creation, the mocha slam, a chocolate shake blended with espresso. Or buy some pastries or bread to go from the mouth-watering selection at the Bistro, then head to the coffeehouse, where a limited selection of sandwiches and sweets is offered. The year-old Hang ‘n Java has become a popular spot for too-cool teen-agers and professionals alike. The beatnik-style coffeehouse offers a relaxed atmosphere with thrift shop furnishings and a back room with pool tables and pinball machines.

Downtown Bistro & Cafe, 858 W. Lancaster Blvd., (805) 948-2253. Hang ‘n Java, 814 W. Lancaster Blvd., (805) 948-5234.

3:15 p.m.: The next little stretch of the boulevard provides an array of shopping possibilities, so it’s simply a matter of picking what interests you. At Designing Women resale boutique, the fashions run from wedding gowns to wigs to lingerie. At Discovery Cove, a recently opened nature and science store, there are educational toys, learning games and fine arts for young or old. In the front window is a papier-mache raptor named Vinnie. Next to Discovery Cove is Firebase, a game and hobby shop with military, strategy and role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons. Inside Firebase is another newcomer to the boulevard, Area 51, a science-fiction store with memorabilia and models from Japanese-made animated films. At the corner is The Westerner, a longtime fixture on Lancaster Boulevard. The store sells traditional and unique Western garb.

3:45 p.m.: As you make your weary way back to your car, you will pass (and may want to venture inside) the Lancaster Performing Arts Center, Daisy’s Costumes, A.V. Treasure Hunting Supplies and Coins & Comics. It’s worth stepping into Chubb’s Hip Hop Shop, one of the last stores before you walk south on Beech to get back to your car. The store offers the latest in gangsta fashion--oversized jeans and shirts and other assorted rap attire that is the rage among teen-agers. In a small corner of the shop, a company sells pagers. It’s worth going inside to see the decor. The walls were spray-painted with positive messages by three local graffiti artists--and a small self-portrait by renowned tagger “Chaka.”

* Chubb’s Hip Hop Shop, 562 W. Lancaster Blvd., (805) 726-5095.