Ah, South California..... Just got back from an extended weekend in LA and its suburbs. I got a little culture at the Museum of Contemporary Art, although I'd like to go back in time and NOT look at the piece that was made out of buttons, shells, and a thumb. Maybe it wasn't a real thumb, but if a dead sheep can be art, why not a thumb? There was a neat sculpture made of airplane parts in the courtyard. Then we went over to the Pacific Design Center to see a photography exhibit. Right around the corner on Melrose is Le Pain Quotidien, where we sat on the deck and had a nice snack of bread, sun-dried tomatoes, pesto, proscuitto, and fresh ricotta cheese. There were a fair number of "fabulous" people there, including a pair of skinny older men wearing space boots and young women with metallic hobo bags and huge bling-y sunglasses. It struck me as weird that everyone left their sunglasses on while eating. It was shady on the porch, so there wasn't a need for sunglasses. And how do you have a proper conversation with someone if you can't see their eyes? I think that breaks some primal rule of communication. Maybe I'm just not fabulous enough to understand. After lunch, we drove down Melrose Avenue, passing such chic joints as Marc Jacobs, Paul Smith, and Me&Ro. Turning onto Sunset, we headed into the residental areas of Beverly Hills and Bel-Air, which is exactly what you'd expect. Here are some out-the-window shots. Near Malibu we passed the Getty Villa, the sister location of the Getty Museum that I visited last month. Crossing through Topanga Canyon yields some lovely views of Woodland Hills. And somewhere there's a never-nude who is very, very sad. Last stop, Chocolatine in Thousand Oaks for some fabulous pastries and chocolates to go. We tried the chili pepper, lavender, rosemary, and pistachio chocs. I also enjoyed Porto's Bakery in Burbank, which has one of the largest bakery cases I've ever seen. And their excellent pastries are ridiculously cheap. A chocolate eclair, almond danish, pineapple cheese danish, and a chocolate croissant totaled $4.90. And these are some seriously good (and good-sized) pastries. Tell me, where else can you find a huge, flaky pastry filled with sweet almond paste and dusted with powdered sugar and almond slices for 95 cents? Where? 'Cause I'm moving there.