Art, Sand and a Little French in Laguna Beach Monday, August 3, 2009

On a bright sunny Summer Sunday, we packed up the car and headed out South toward Laguna Beach. Our first destination was the Holiday Inn at Cleo and PCH just south of downtown. The hotel is at a great location, just a block from the beach and a half hour walk to the Festival of Arts campus at 650 Laguna Canyon Rd (hwy 133) and Laguna Bowl Rd. Our primary goal was to attend the Pageant of the Masters that evening - a show I had been trying to get tickets to see for many years .... Back in 9th or 10th grade, my World Civ teacher, Mrs. Burke, had us stage a living painting. It was clearly a memorable experience! When I moved to LA, and learned of the Pageant, I assumed she had been out to see it. (the Pageant has been staged since 1934).

With the warm day and ocean breeze calling us, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to put our feet in at a new beach. The beach wasn't wide - the scene reminded us of the beaches in Malibu, where houses are only about 20 feet from the water line and was it crowded! The light green water with gently breaking waves, was a great place for beach goers to both body surf and boogy board. Interestingly, it seemed that the Kelp and Turtle Grass grew right out of the sand at the water's edge in the tidal zone (just a few inches below the dry sand).

Forest Avenue is one of the main streets in downtown Laguna Beach. It is lined with art boutiques and a wide array of restaurants. We dined at the Brussels Bistro, located at number 222. The plate of grilled vegetables with balsamic vinegar was a fabulous meal on its own with the tomatoes, Italian squash, red, green, and yellow bell pepper and eggplant perfectly cooked. We sampled some Belgium beer - delicious as usual - and then on to entrees - mushroom and chicken in puff pastry and a combination of mushroom/chicken and ham crepes. Both highly recommended. Of course not to be missed was the coronet of French fries, hot and crispy. The atmosphere made us feel as if we in the midst of a mini-European getaway - without all the travel and time change hassle. We didn't have room for the Belgium chocolate lave cake and planned to return later that evening to indulge.

Entering through the turn style, the visitor is met by several acres of artists' stalls ... each neatly organized - a display of Italian oil landscapes here; striped glass-blown zebras there. We strolled along, listening to the live band, checking out the menus at the walk-up restaurants. Inside the theater, we found our seats, near the center of the last row in the main section. Perfect! With the aid of binoculars we zoomed in on the details of the actors' faces but also enjoyed the perspective from afar. "Would they move?", the audience silently asked themselves as the lights went up on each piece. "How was that effect created?" The mix of paintings, bronze and stone statues, and movie posters, highlighting "The Muses" throughout the ages, was entertaining -- along with the live symphonic music and interpretive narration. The first half, 45 minutes long, flew by as did the slightly shorter second half. Cushions and blankets were for rent; cameras were not allowed but a link to great backstage and on-stage photos is here (click on Pageant of the Masters). We lucked out -- it wasn't chilly at all due to the high humidity holding in the heat of the day.