OCCUPATION: Professional photographer at BeautyandBabies.com
MY STYLE: My style is pretty casual and simple. I love to wear comfortable clothes, but I also like to get dressed up on occasion. My favorite stores are BCBG, Theory, a handful of boutiques, and Bloomies. When it comes to décor, I designed my home in contemporary style. I like the middle ground between traditional and modern and finding interesting details in clothing and furniture.
I LOVE L.A. BECAUSE: I grew up in Los Angeles and love its diverity. I love that I am close to the mountains, desert, and beach. There is so much to do here, the weather is unbeatable; it is a wonderful place to live.
Montage Hotel
Located in Beverly Hills’ Golden Triangle, so-named for the high end shopping spill-out from famous Rodeo Drive, the Montage Hotel is a resort that blends old Hollywood glamor with modern luxury. With Spanish Colonial revival architecture that recalls a California of the 20s and 30s, the hotel is furnished in an opulent old-world style. Amenities include a rooftop pool, a full service spa, and a variety of fine dining options. And, moms looking to soak in the atmosphere without the pricetag of an overnight stay can still spend the day on the grounds. Los-Angeles based photographer Larissa Block makes a weekend ritual of taking her daughter to play in the fountains on the hotel grounds: “she runs from one to another throwing pennies in them.” Block also suggests visiting in the summer when The Montage hosts concerts in their courtyard; families bring picnics while they listen to live music in the early evenings.
Zimmer Museum
The Zimmer is a children’s museum located on Los Angeles’ Museum Row. The only museum in LA dedicated exclusively to kids and family, it features hands-on exhibits designed for children to explore their creativity. Kids can dress up in wardrobe chests and perform for their moms in the kids’ theater, bake in a pretend kitchen, or climb into a real single-seater airplane. The Zimmer also offers classes for kids, like one that aims to introduce babies to the senses, as well as one called Gadget Gurus, which is a class for budding inventors.
The Grove
The Grove is an outdoor shopping complex with a movie theater and a variety of shops and restaurants, plus a farmer’s market, which is a short free trolley ride away. Walkways lined with babbling fountains that erupt into water and light shows make a spectacle out of this outdoor mall. Between live performances and the ding of the trolley, kids and adults describe a magical fairy-tale feeling at The Grove. With plenty of distraction, little ones will be entertained while moms can window shop in high-end chain stores. Plus, as if the development could not get closer to Disney Land, fans of The Grove rave about its rare LA oasis of plentiful parking. Now that’s what we call a magical kingdom!
Huntley Hotel
The Huntley is a sophisticated boutique hotel in Santa Monica that injects an urban luxury sensibility into seaside breeziness. Spacious rooms are stocked with light leather furniture,Gilchrest & Soames toiletries, and a thick, soft bed. The Penthouse restaurant offers a fine new American menu and breathtaking views of the beaches and city.
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.