Hugh Laurie

* The writer-actor-comedian stars in the film “Maybe Baby,” opening Friday.

Stranger in a Strange Land: It’s strange when I live in L.A. because I’m a stranger away from home [London]. I hang out with a small number of people or be on my own. I’ve had some very good nights, though, at this Chinese restaurant on the top of Beverly Glen. And then I’d see a movie--a reprinted version of a classic, like “A Matter of Life and Death.” I know nothing about clubs. I think of L.A. as a fairly puritanical town where people are in bed by 9.

Most Important Meal: I personally think breakfast is the big bond between our two countries. I know it’s a cheesy tourist thing to do, but at Mel’s Diner on Sunset, there’s a fabulous waitress there who looks like she went to all the clubs on Friday night that I wished I’d gone to. I’d get a big breakfast, pancakes, bacon, the whole thing.

Get Your Kicks: Assuming the weather is nice, and of course it almost always is, I’d go to Route 66 on Lincoln Boulevard to rent a big Harley Davidson. You’re not allowed to ride a Harley Davidson in England. It’s considered rather sort of decadent. I’d probably take a ride up to Santa Barbara. That’s a very nice ride up by PCH.

Under the Sea: My afternoon trip would be scuba diving off Santa Barbara. I learned to scuba dive in Malibu while filming the first “Stuart Little.” The California coast is not an ideal diving place. There’s a lot of surf, the water is cold, and there’s not a lot to see, actually. But I’m not daunted.

Bad Names: A good Fatburger is hard to beat. The name is a bit of a worry, but that’s OK. Soon someone will be doing a balding burger. And a whole heap of beer. Of course, kids, don’t drink and drive. I went to quite a good blues club in Santa Monica, Harvelle’s, where I saw a very good blues-soul-R&B; band. Good and loud. It’s a small place, but good.

In From the Cold: Sunday morning, Farmers Market. There’s something rather glamorously international about Farmer’s Market. I always end up sitting next to guys who look like they were agents for Mossad 20 years ago. They may be retired accountants, but they sit and play chess, and I like to think they’re talking about old Cold War spy cases.

Bad Name, Part II: I had a taxi driver who took me past the Pacific Design Center and said, “It’s a really neat place. They’ve got all the latest antiques.” I’ve marked that down as a place I have to go see. I also keep meaning to go the La Brea Tar Pits. Everyone tells me its fascinating, but something about the name Tar Pits keeps me from going.