Santa Monica Ca

Sugar Bunny, the pet rabbit of Cedar Street residents, has vanished, sending a chill through this quiet Santa Monica neighborhood on Easter Sunday. Children, parents and dog walkers are on the lookout. Fans have posted signs on the fence of the vacant lot where Sugar held court, and, from all reports, charmed everyone who came by. "Bring the rabbit back," said Brett Conrad, 45, who along with his wife and two children are the technical owners of Sugar Bunny. "It's not your rabbit.

NOT too long from now, we're going to laugh that we ever thought deep shag carpets, low tables carved from wood chunks and white leather chairs were the epitome of cool. Wait, we did that already ... in the 1970s. And yet they're back, and they're all over the Huntley Hotel in Santa Monica. The couriers of cool have delivered this grandly remodeled beach hotel that's so of the moment it will forever be stuck in that moment.

SHE may not have been there from Day One: When the Santa Monica Farmers market first opened, Amelia Saltsman was living in Malibu, running a cooking school, raising young children and driving to Camarillo to buy strawberries. But since she moved to Santa Monica more than 20 years ago, Saltsman, a writer, cooking teacher and producer-host of the cable-access TV program "Fresh From the Farmers Market," has been a market regular and one of its most passionate boosters.

Mar Vista residents have a bone to pick with Santa Monica. Under the Santa Monica city code, only dogs with tags from that city are allowed in the off-leash area of the new Santa Monica Airport Park, which opened Sunday at the northwest corner of Bundy Drive and Airport Avenue. The situation has prompted howls of protest from indignant Angelenos, including Councilman Bill Rosendahl, who noted in a statement that L.A.

A rent increase is forcing the closure of the tiny Santa Monica Puppetry Center, a museum, theater and workshop that set up shop nearly 10 years ago. The center, on 2nd Street in Santa Monica, has hosted such performers as master puppeteer Phillip Huber and the late ventriloquist Paul Winchell. Founder Steve Meltzer said that the decision to close was made after he was notified that the property owner was raising the center's monthly rent and maintenance costs to $4,922 from just under $3,500.

Shopping Spree Montana Avenue strikes an improbable balance between village-like neighborliness and international elegance. The 225 businesses--from boutiques to mom-and-pop shops to bustling cafes--are where the locals really shop. Our picks include the green-conscious Hey Kookla, with a focus on local designers such as Amy Hall, whose amykathryn handbags are animal-product-free, and Paige Mycoskie's Aviator Nation clothing line, which benefits charitable causes.

For 11 years, the ogres and elves roaming Figueroa Street sent a clear message: The video game geeks were back in town, selling out hotels, packing restaurants and keeping taxi meters clicking. But the monsters, booth babes and celebrities that were hallmarks of the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo, known as E3, are gone from downtown Los Angeles. The convention attracted 65,000 people last year, making it the city's best-attended conference, according to LA Inc.

WHEN Jennifer and Dominic Cecere decided to build their Santa Monica home from scratch in 2003, they left behind their Midwestern roots and opted for full-bore Southern California living: ample light; spacious, airy architecture; a swimming pool. The Ohio transplants wanted a home that would be large enough to accommodate out-of-town visitors yet still retain a sense of warmth and coziness. They achieved that with beamed ceilings, American maple and rich tile floors.

A new office complex is being planned in Santa Monica, where international developer Hines just purchased a shuttered industrial plant on Olympic Boulevard. The Houston-based builder paid more than $75 million for the property, according to a real estate expert who asked not to be identified because terms of the deal were confidential. The seller was a family trust that had held the land since the 1950s.

The City Council has voted unanimously to open the new Santa Monica Airport dog park to nonresidents and their pets. But dogs that use the park must have a 2008 Santa Monica dog tag, which will cost $15.50 and probably will be available Nov. 1, said Karen Ginsberg, the city's assistant director of community and cultural affairs. In the meantime, Angelenos and others may use the park without fear of a citation.