The perfect Central Coast town, in my opinion. Small scale, small college, quaint, relatively unspoiled tree-lined downtown, wonderful old deco movie palace showing first run films. Ignore the Madonna Inn except to ogle it once and then pass it by. The signs for Pea Soup Anderson’s begin here, another landmark that endures. But the food here, for me, is all about the Big Sky Café. Fresh, comfortable food, always there, always open for 3 squares a day and a glass of great wine with dinner. An early arrival, The Social Network matinee and dinner at Big Sky, perfect! And breakfast there again! Wheeee. You need the sustenance for the ride around Los Angles. Even with almost no traffic, it is a chore at best. You can physically feel the drivers tense up as they approach the city. Their speed INcreases as the traffic thickens and they begin the dangerous dance of lane shifting to try and win some nebulous advantage over their fellow competitors. Insanity would seem to prevail. I make record time and arrive with only the last 10 minutes of the trip in light showers. A soft landing at our dear friend’s Patrick and Les’ and a slobbery greeting from the deluge of dogs that awaits. Sniffs and nuzzles all around and we settle in to watch the rain on their magical garden and ponder a homemade soup for supper.