Been to El Dorado Hills lately?

Why does shopping have to be done in such ordinary, boring settings? That must have been the question the developers of the El Dorado Hills shopping complex asked themselves.

I had heard of The Nugget grocery store in El Dorado Hills and wanted to check it out for the blog, but I also wanted to see "Sex in the City" this weekend. So I combined the two outings and drove out to El Dorado Hills.

I was completely unprepared for the lovely setting the theatre towers over. Built like a European street scene, with more than one architectural style blended together, the shops line a street that ends at the theaters. Before you get there, however, there's a lovely pond with a fountain, bridge and courtyard, loomed over by a bell tower with a working bell that rings on the hour. I couldn't see whether or not the bell was the old-fashioned kind or an electronic model, but I really couldn't have cared less. The effect was the same. Calming, peaceful and able to carry one away to another time and place within seconds of its tolling.

The courtyard was nearly deserted, although one couple sat sharing soulful conversation and another older twosome strolled hand-in-hand.

I recommend the drive. The shopping center has all the usual stuff, drugstores, Starbucks, Chili's; and yet, it has several smaller, unique stores. The Nugget is well-worth the drive - so much so that it will have it's own little write-up later this week. Stand-by...