Giving LA its due. Appreciatively.

We just spent two days in Los Angeles, soaking up the luxury of guilt-free, Maya-free living while savoring the chance to chill and congregate with friends who call that massive, often-misunderstood City home. Maya did great, as did Nanna and Poppy giving her big love here in Santa Barbara. And we also did quite well - thank you very much - loosening the reins and chillin' like regular pre-breeders for a brief respite. Serious old-school props to our good friends Josh & Megan, Stubbs, Whitney & Andrew, and Paul for giving us all sorts of delightful, hilarious interactivity during our stay. They are all a true tribute to their shared, adoptive home. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise - Los Angeles is a delight. The traffic may blow like a Texas Panhandle tornado warning. But to otherwise get down to the heart of the matter, I'd like to offer my limited reviews of a few snapshots taken while there.

The Orlando Hotel - a solid B-plus. Josh and Megan live literally a broken-arm stone's throw off the pool deck from this delightful boutique hotel where they hooked us up with their highly desirable "neighbors rate". I'd give it an A-level-rating if it weren't for the fact that they charged me for an espresso at the breakfast that was otherwise included in said rate. Call me a bitch, but at least I'm unwavering in said bitchiness.

Angelini Osteria - a should-be-marginally-higher- but-still-amazing A-minus. The best Italian meal either Sarah or I have enjoyed in ages. We got momentarily chafed by our dropped reservation and had to wait for our table (in LA time - it was like a year and a half). But every other teeny smidgeon of the experience was off the charts. West Hollywood bliss - if you're in that 'hood, you can't do better.

The Getty Museum - a B-plus. The architecture and flow of the museum are stunning. The gallery spaces - not so much. If you go there (which you absolutely should), skip the tram from the parking garage - walk up and down the mile path to and from the museum. Bring the kids. Explore the gardens. Look at all of LA longingly and longishly. I flat out loved the location. The rotating exhibit featured those crazy Flems (or hopefully not phlegms) - Rubens (not Pee Wee) and Bruegel's collaborative works. Pretty cool if you're an art history major, I'm sure. But I was more interested in seeing Hector Elizondo mingling during our simultaneous perusal. At almost 70, that guy looks more amazingly well-maintained than the 16th Century masterwords being featured.

There were other bits and pieces of our brief trip that probably deserve a bit of loving snarkiness. But I'm moving on. Hope your own current or upcoming getaways are worth describing ad infinitum. Rock on.