In yesterday's season premiere of the entertaining detective show Monk: Monk suspects a married prep-school teacher, played by Andrew McCarthy, of murdering his pregnant lover. The clue that cements the suspicion? Both McCarthy and the victim had souvenirs from a hotel called the "Modesto Inn".

This struck me a little odd at first, mainly because very few people vacation in Modesto. Mendocino? Monterey? Mt Shasta? perhaps, but not Modesto. Later it dawned on me. Modesto is the home of Scott Peterson, accused of murdering his pregnant wife Laci. Modesto was also the home of Chandra Levy, the murdered (rumored to have been pregnant) lover of Gary Condit. I think the Monk screenwriters were having a little fun at Modesto's expense.