Claremont

Claremont Village

When it comes it L.A., there's the expected: star-gazing at the Ivy for brunch and re-creating the opening scenes of "Entourage" along Sunset Boulevard at night. The "surprise" celebrity sighting is so ... expected. Where to go for the unexpected? How about a little R&R in a quaint little college town?

Tucked away off the 10 Freeway in a quiet swath of suburbia lies downtown Claremont. Adjacent to six of the seven institutions that comprise the Claremont Colleges, these strips of tree-lined tranquillity are more whimsical than Westwood.

Pictured: Instruments of all shapes and sizes line the walls of the Folk Music Center in Claremont Village.