If this two-room cottage was a person, it would be your eccentric great aunt, in her colorfully patched together hippie dress, hiking boots, and hand-knitted scarf, a wreath of wild flowers in her hair, and about her the scent of incense and patchouli. Yes, the appliances are sketchy (stove iffy, utensils sparse, no door screens (an overhead fan and box fan really help on stuffy summer days)), but beautifully decorated with carefully chosen works of art, a wall of classic and recent literature, claw foot tub, and back patio full of desert flower plantings overseen by “two cats in the yard.” Only saw Stephen a couple of times, but he was cordial and attentive (lives next door), and brought over a yummy cappuccino one morning (also tipped us to hikes in the area). At the cottage, you awaken to a rooster’s crow and a horse’s whinny, enjoy the fresh mountain air, and for a moment imagine you live in here in this bucolic canyon.
Old Topanga Canyon Road sprouts hiking trails in all directions, many with jaw-dropping and varied views. At the bottom of the canyon lie the Malibu beaches. For the pop music historians among us, the house where Neil Young recorded his early classic albums is just down the street, and the canyon appears to maintain an alternative lifestyle vibe so different from the rush of LA just a half hour drive away.