Strolling in Suburbia

Pond at Calabasas

 Saturday, we saw a movie, strolled through a shopping mall; shopped in a chain bookstore, and ate lunch at a corporate restaurant.

Charcuterie platter at the Westside Tavern

Not very typical for us, but we enjoyed ourselves.

We enjoyed it so much, we did almost the same thing Sunday! This time we skipped the movie, and brought Jack along for the fun.

Curried chicken salad sandwich

Calabasas Commons is an over-the-top shopping development, a false-front concoction of faux Italianate belvederes and piazzas, boxwood-lined rosebeds, filled with totally predictable chain stores stuffed with expensive clothes, and chain restaurants serving expensive food.

It's a great place to people-watch, as the clientele includes affluent over-dressed power-wives, rich teenagers in hot cars, arrogant "industry" executives taking their weekend leisure with their badly spoiled kids, and the occasional B-list celebrity. 

And their dogs.....it's very dog-friendly. All the restaurants have outdoor dining areas where well-behaved dogs are welcome. Jack received many compliments, and was given a little paper dish of water when we sat down for lunch.

There's also a rambling stream with statues, arched bridges and fountains, stocked predictably with  koi and also, totally unpredictably, with turtles. Dozens and dozens of turtles.  Pretty cool!