Orange County Museum of Art's Orange Lounge, South Coast Plaza

Inside South Coast Plaza -- the cathedral of consumption in Orange County -- one space offers a time-out from frenzied shopping. At the Orange Lounge, a new-media space nestled next to the Paul Frank shop and near Nike, patrons can chill out while watching video art. And, unlike what's on offer elsewhere in the mall, it's free.

The lounge, launched by the Orange County Museum of Art in July 2004, is decidedly trendy, with gray brushed-felt carpets and benches molded in blond wood. A "bar" sells vitamin water ($2.25 a bottle). Video work by Bill Viola plays on a flat-screen monitor, to be viewed while reclining. Devoted exclusively to digital and video art, the 2,100-square-foot space is the only one of its kind in a major retail complex.