I’ve worked and lived in Agoura Hills for many years, but the Agoura Hills I know consists of the following:

• Pretty little houses all in row
• Clean streets
• Friendly staff at most local businesses
• Easy access from one side of town to the other
• Freeway-accessible everything
• Ladyface Mountain looming in the near distance
• BMW’s, Mercedes Benzes, Porsches, and minivans and SUV’s as far as the eye can see
• Albertsons on one end, Ralphs and Vons on the other
• Chesebro Canyon for hikes

Imagine my delight when the Southern California Auto Club featured our little town on the cover of this month’s Westways Magazine, touting “Daytrip:  Agoura Hills” on the pages within.  Author Judi Uthus’ suggestions for a day in our town include two of my favorite places:  the Reyes Adobe Mission and Italia Deli.  But I was surprised to realize that those were the only two out of the seven spots Uthus put on the map.

To Uthus, a worthy day spent in Agoura Hills is a mostly rural adventure – drive Mulholland Highway, visit Paramount Ranch, go antiquing, “witness the chrome sea of motorcycles and exotic cars at the Rock Store.”  I am not sure just what I expected to find, but I can tell you that if I was asked to suggest a day trip to Agoura Hills, these are not the places that come to the top of my mind.

I moved to the Los Angeles area in 1995.  As a 24-year-old singe and child-free adventurer, I got a job at an insurance company and moved into an apartment in Pasadena with my best friend from college.  I’ve been a tourist in LA ever since, and I’m happy for this reminder that I can still a be a tourist in my new small hometown.  When a break opens up in my life of dropoff/pickup-grocery shopping/errands-playdates/school projects, at least I don’t have to venture very far to experience something new.