Ok, I have the hotels and rental car reserved. Now the important stuff - I need recommendations for neat places to purchase candy and bakery items. Thanks in advance for your help with this pursuit of the best things about a vacation.

J2

Well, if you're in the San Diego area and don't mind some driving the Wisteria Cany Cottage is about 70 miles east of SD on Old Hiway 80 (you take I-8 and take the Boulevard exit). It's in a tiny little cottage thats a historic landmark and it's been in the same family for something like 80 years. Their web site is www.candycottage.com

If you want good Jewish bake goods, head over to Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles for pastries, cakes, cookies and breads.

I would also recommend Edie's in Canoga Park for the most amazing pastries.

The Farmers Market at Fairfax & Beverly in L.A., next to CBS Television and the new GROVE Shopping Park.

Bob's Donuts OMG!
Thee's Pies (try the apricot!)
Bennett's Ice Cream
and
A homemade candy store from heaven ( not sure of the name, Little Johns?)

Candy: See's Candy is what my English friends live for, and I always bring a load to those candy loving friends. Locations are all over L.A., mostly in malls (i.e. Westside Pavillion and Century City).

Bakeries: There's Paris Pastry on Westwood, which has been around for years and is excellent. For bread, of course La Brea Bakery on, guess where, La Brea Blvd. There's another good bread bakery at Farmer's Market, and the Champagne chain bakery/coffee places have surprisingly good baked goods.

You didn't mention donuts, but since Clarkgriswold brought it up, Primo's donuts, a hole in the wall institution on Sawtelle, just north of National (has fed the entire population of Webster Middle School across the street for over 40 years), and Stan's Donuts in Westwood, across from the Bruin Theatre, same amount of time in business.

Thank you for the donut mention! I should have included that in the first place! Keep 'em coming, ya'll!

I live in L.A. and have never understood the See's Candy thing... it's not a quality chocolate, as far as I'm concerned. If you go to The Grove, try the Bodega Chocolate store... it's heavenly. On Pico Blvd. just a bit west of Robertson Blvd. there is Munchies, which has every imaginable candy, nut, truffle, ice cream, even canolis. For fun ice cream, there's the Cold Stone Creamery, both in Calabasas and, more centrally, near La Cienega and 3rd (also near the Grove). It's one of those places where you choose your ice cream and your mix-ins, then they assemble your personal concoction in front of you. Have fun!

I'm another See's fan...not for the chocolate, but the PEANUT BRITTLE is THE BEST!!!! They'll let you sample pieces of almost any candy in the store

clarkgriswold knows his stuff. It is Little John's candy--the English Toffee is delicious. All his other suggestions are great , too.

When I lived in Hermosa beach, they had the best ice cream place (based out of Hawaii) called Lapperts. Incredible flavors w/macadamia nuts, coconut, rich chocolate and coffee...yumm.

McConnell's Ice Cream of Santa Barbara is great if you;re traveling down the 101 freeway...on the "Santa Claus Padaro Lane" exit there's a sweet shop that sells homemade candy and the best lemon bars on earth.

In Glendale Ca there's a cuban bakery, Porto's...try the guava cream cheese strudel.

At Stan's Donuts in Westwood, I recommend the peanut butter & banana filled fritter. Mmmmmm...and just up the street is Diddy Riese cookies at about 1/3 the price of Mrs Fields.

As you can see I'm a bakery freak! If you're ever in the La Canada area, north of Glendale, try a pecan square at the Cakery Bakery. ( On second thought, better get a half dozen.)

And if you're reading all this and it's making you hungry, don't forget my all time favorite recommendation, www.mainecookies.com

Three andy stores in Beverly Hills:

Edelweiss in 400 block of North Canon Drive. Traditional, very fresh chocolates.

Kron Choclatier on Little Santa Monica Blvd. just west of Camden Drive. My favorites are strawberries or orange slices dipped in bittersweet chocolate. They don't travel very well (although they do ship), so the perfect excuse to eat immediately.

There's another candy shop at the corner of Camden and Brighton Way. Can't remember the name, and I'm not a fan of their candy itself. But the packaging is very unusual and a gift in itself.

ttt

In the San Diego area, I recommend Cousin's Candy.
I always buy candy when I go there. I've been trying to order candy from them online but their email address does not work. I've emailed them TWICE and it came back.

Jean, the candy store on Camden is Teuscher which is European with big stores in NYC at Rockefeller Center. They have a window where they offer up coffees and hot chocolate drinks, too.