I duck into Blueberry at Santa Monica Boulevard and Fifth, a tiny cafe with a collection of bird houses on a shelf. I go up a narrow staircase and sit at a tiny table. A waiter brings a tiny wicker basket holding one tiny blueberry muffin. I feel like I'm inside a dollhouse. Several diners at nearby tables chat on their cell phones.
Breakfast is excellent.
The three main shopping districts are always jammed with a passing parade. At the south end of this bazaar is the Santa Monica Place mall, with 140 more stores. Main Street between Pico Boulevard and Marine Street is funkier and has an art-deco flavor. Stores and restaurants are less concentrated along its 12 blocks and are interspersed with art galleries, designer studios, a library and a brew pub. There's even a place called Stuff, as though the owners had finally grown weary of trying to think up a clever name.