OCCUPATION: Actress, Designer, Writer and Artist
MY STYLE IS: Comfy and super relaxed. I wear things I can make art in and not freak out if it gets painted on! I’m not afraid to wear neon pink pants with a red tee—I love to take a risk here and there. And I live in Cynthia Vincent and Rory Beca dresses.
I LOVE L.A. BECAUSE: We are just an hour away from some amazing nature: the desert, the forest and giant trees.
Pan Pacific Park
Pan Pacific’s newly renovated playground is conveniently broken into two separate play sections. One is ultra-safe for kids ages 2 to 5; the other is bigger, with attractions geared for 5-year-olds and up. After your little ones are worn out, enjoy a picnic on the grassy expanse. Then, of course, go back for more! Photo courtesy of: JuanCarlos Chan/The Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks
Sunset Tower Hotel
Checking into this Art Deco landmark is the fastest way to feel like a Hollywood star. Each room has floor-to-ceiling windows, and the views are sure to make you feel like the tower’s original occupants: Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, and Frank Sinatra among them. The Tower Bar, located in gangster Bugsy Siegel’s former apartment, serves top-notch food in a space reminiscent of a 1940s supper club.
Terroni
Rooted in both Toronto and Los Angeles, Terroni is a quintessentially Italian spot. With a name that translates to “of the earth,” the restaurant specializes, fittingly, in rustic cuisine prepared with the finest ingredients. The staff is so serious about its pizzas, pastas, carpaccios and the like that it has its own magazine. It’s a survey on Italy’s rich culinary culture, with pictures—many from the Terroni kitchen—that will make your mouth water.
Wood Ranch
Wood Ranch draws in a considerable amount of tourists, but Emily Wagner loves to go despite the crowds. “My kids go nuts there, and I can’t deny them their barbecue chicken sandwich.” Indeed, the restaurant is as family-oriented as it is American—baby back ribs, aged steaks, loaded baked potatoes, and other slow-roasted staples are served in no-fuss booths and tables on which barbecue sauce is the only centerpiece. Diner-style kids’ menus provide pint-sized portions and games.
Beverly Hills Hotel
We’d love to lounge for days on end on the green-and-white-striped pool chairs at this iconic Hollywood hotel. Despite its “throwback” aesthetic (pink stucco, marble bathtubs, you name it), the Beverly Hills Hotel is well equipped to attract today’s hippest crowds—kids included. “We’ll have Easter egg hunts and staycations here,” says Lara Shriftman. “It’s our home away from home. We love the pool and fountain coffee shop.”
LACMA
The largest art museum in the western United States recently expanded, creating the Broad Contemporary Art Museum to house (some of) Eli Broad’s famous collection, and to host exhilarating traveling exhibitions. LACMA’s Arts for the NexGen project is the only free youth membership program of its kind in the U.S. and features art classes and camps for kids of all ages. In addition, during museum hours, kids can visit the Boone Gallery to learn about brush painting and Korean art.