OCCUPATION: Professional actress currently seen on ABC’s Cougartown
MY STYLE: Eclectic
I LOVE L.A. BECAUSE: Los Angeles is so easy with kids. There are amazing parks and indoor play spaces. There are farmers’ markets every day of the week somewhere in the city. There are tons of kid-friendly restaurants.
Turquoise snakeskin banquets, toile wallpaper, a cup of coffee, and some jelly donuts on a marble coffee bar make LaMill a fun and quirky spot to enjoy a bite to eat (especially their homemade potato chips). Open on weekends-only, stop into LaMill’s retail space where you can pick up a bag of house-roasted coffee or splurge on a $6,500 La Marzocco espresso machine.
This Italian-American eatery is authentically Mulberry Street. Big red banquettes, black-and-white-tiled floors, and beautiful period fixtures throughout are second only to the consistently tasty homestyle food. Dishes not to miss: Italian wedding soup, rice balls, roasted zucchini and eggplant with burrata, fried-oyster sandwich, ricotta gnocchi with wild boar ragù.
The miniature trains at Griffith Park have been running since the 1940s. Kids and parents love the miniature train ride, a one-mile-long track that snakes through a Western Town and through a meadow. After riding the rails, head next door to the pony rides for children of all ages.
Located in the former dance studio of Charlie Chaplin, the boutique carries a wide variety of carefully curated pieces. A unique feature is the self-described “mini-mall” on the upper level where labels like Acne and Band of Outsiders have set up individual retail spaces.
Chef Akasha Richmond’s green-minded restaurant and bakery focuses on creating flavorful menu items while paying attention to environmental concerns. The restaurant uses organic produce and its meat comes from sustainable sources. The staff wears organic cotton t-shirts and Levi’s Eco jeans. Even the to-go utensils are biodegradable.