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How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Judy Reyes

Judy Reyes was nursing a severe case of homesickness when she arrived in Los Angeles nearly 25 years ago.

“Every month we’d have a hiatus on ‘Scrubs’ and every month, I’d head back east,” says Reyes, who plays head nurse Carla Espinosa on the ABC medical dramedy. The Bronx-born Dominican actor missed her family, friends and the theater company she helped start in 1992. She also feared she would forget her New York roots and wanted to “keep it real,” she quips. “I was so worried about being fake and not keeping it real.”

In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends.

Over time, her trips back home became less frequent, especially after she got pregnant with her now teenage son and her New York family relocated down South. She’s since settled into the place she’s called home for the last three decades.

Earlier this year, Reyes reprised her breakthrough TV role on “Scrubs,” which initially ended in 2010 after a nine-season run. Meanwhile, she’s been splitting her time on set with another ABC workplace drama, “High Potential.” She plays Lt. Selena Soto, who leads a team of LAPD crime solvers. Off screen, Reyes is also the executive producer of “Freestyle: A Love Story,” a stage production that follows two lovers who meet at a freestyle show.

Just weeks before the production debuts on Nov. 6 at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre, Reyes shared a jam-packed Sunday Funday, which primarily takes place in Studio City. On the agenda are New York-style bagels (as a New Yorker, we trust her), getting a massage in the back of a sushi restaurant and enjoying sushi night with her husband and son as they’ve done since he was a baby.

“Before the kid, I was a Hollywood girl, but I’m annoyed when I have to go to Hollywood now,” she says. “I like to say we’ve contributed to the evolution of Studio City.”

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for length and clarity.

5:15 a.m.: Admire the sunrise

I’m an early riser. I get up at like 5:15 or 5:30 a.m. I have a Breville machine, so I’ll make a cappuccino. I’ll take my supplements and I’ll pull up the shade on my terrace and watch the sunrise. I take photos and I send them to my besties on the East Coast. My bestie who lives in a high-rise on 43rd Street also has a terrace and sends me photos of her sunset. My husband’s an early riser too. He has business in the U.K., so he’s always up before me. If I’m not up by like 5:30 a.m., he’s like, ‘Babe, are you OK?’ So I’ll watch the sunrise, catch up on the news and do a little bit of doomscrolling to my detriment.

8 a.m.: Have L.A.’s most New York bagels

Everything opens late on Sundays, so we’ll wait. We’ll either go to Sam’s Bagels, which has the best bagels — the most New York bagels. We’ll either get a half dozen of the mini ones or four of the regular-sized ones with the seeds on them, and we’ll get cream cheese, of course, and lox. Or we’ll go to Belle Bakery Cafe on Ventura Boulevard in Studio City. We’ll have either a full breakfast like bacon, eggs and toast or an omelet. They have the best fresh bread. You can get the bread during breakfast, but they won’t sell you the baguettes until after 11 a.m. You can’t make them give you anything earlier. You get there at 11 a.m. and you’re lucky if you get some. They sell out quickly.

10 a.m.: Pick up the best tuna from Erewhon

We’ll go to an Erewhon or Bristol Farms to get prepared foods for at least the first half of the week. Sometimes we’ll go to the farmers market on Fairfax, but that gets to be a little bit too busy. It’s too hot and there’s too much to do, and for my menopause, it’s not safe for the environment for me to be there. Erewhon has the best tuna fish, so we’ll pick that up that goes well with the bread that I told you about. I’ll add some capers or a pickle or two, then you have a sandwich for the rest of the day or into the next morning.

11 a.m.: A quick workout sesh at home

We’ll come back home and I’ll do some weights in the garage and my husband will do some stairs in the back of our house, or we’ll just do a walk in the hills near our house. I used to walk the hills a lot more before my dog passed away. I find it very sad, so I probably get a weekly walk in now, but I like to do my weights. It makes me feel good and prepared for the rest of the day.

1 p.m.: Get a massage in the back of a sushi restaurant

Sunday is nail day. My favorite place is Mod Nails on Ventura [Boulevard]. My girl Hannah, who runs the place, hooks my nails up, and we have nice, long talks. We rage talk about everything that’s wrong with the world and in our lives, and I get the coolest pedicure. I don’t have tips this time around because I have to keep going back between ‘Scrubs’ and ‘High Potential.’ Nurses can’t wear them long, so maybe next month I’ll get my gel fills, which is what she’s an expert at. Hannah does my nails better than anybody I’ve ever had. They run an acupuncture studio in the back. Her husband does acupuncture. It’s a really reasonably priced, wonderful experience.

Then on that street, I might go to Jonathan, who’s been my masseuse for 10 years, and get a nice beatdown. Interestingly, he works out of the back of a sushi restaurant called Iroha Sushi. He’s got his own little room back there that I’ve been going to for years. Best massage I’ve ever had. He keeps me in line especially when I have to travel. I had double hip replacement, so I’ve been dealing with a lot of pain. I also may go to my acupuncturist Dr. Yi if she’s available. She’s out in Culver City at Yi Qiao.

2:30 p.m.: Watch the L.A. Watford Women FC team practice at LACC

My husband and I co-own a women’s soccer team called L.A. Watford Women FC. We’ll go watch the girls practice at LACC. My husband is very active, as am I, in supporting these women. We were able to win a regional championship last year, so now we’re kind of devoted to going and rooting the girls on in practice, and encouraging them because it’s also an activist thing where you come for the game, but you stay for the activism.

4 p.m.: Go to rehearsals for my upcoming show

Now we’ll go to rehearsals at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre because we have a show, “Freestyle: A Love Story” coming up. We’ll meet with our dancers, actors and our DJ and the staging [team]. It’s not a terribly complicated show so we’re there for a couple of hours. The show is going to premiere on Nov. 6, so we’re running out of time. We do a lot of the social media and promotion because it’s a labor of love, faith, solidarity and community.

6 p.m.: Sushi Sunday with the fam

I’ve been doing Sushi Sunday with my husband and my son since he was 5 months old. We used to go with all these other couples, but people have outgrown us or moved on or gotten jobs in other states. It’s at Kiwami. We stuff our faces like it’s a job. I think we’ve been going there longer than the entire wait staff has been there. We sit at the same table, table number six right behind the sushi bar.

If we don’t go to Kiwami, we’ll go across the street to Black Market Liquor Bar. It’s also a place we’ve been going to for years. They have an appetizer-style, Southern, saucy-inspired menu where they have things breaded and fried. Oh, they have the greatest oysters and amazing pasta. If I’m not with the family and I’m just by myself or with a girlfriend, I’ll go to Laurel Tavern, which is a pub that has the greatest little menu.

7:30 p.m.: Read 10 pages before bed

Then we’ll come home. If there’s football, we’ll watch football. We go for the Jets. Poor Jets. I’m a New York fan so the Jets or the Giants are fine with me, but my husband is addicted to suffering. After football, we’ll both get in bed with our laptops and we’ll either watch something together and I’ll rub his head until he falls asleep. Or I’ll go back to doomscrolling and watching news until my feelings are hurt or I’ll read a book that I have. Because I’m on screen so much, I’m forcing myself to read at least 10 pages a night. I’m currently reading ”Communion” by bell hooks. It’s very heavy. Then I’ll do a little bit of journaling and I’m asleep by 9:30 p.m.

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High school girls’ tennis: City Section playoff pairings

Los Angeles Times staff

HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS TENNIS

CITY SECTION PLAYOFFS

(Matches at 12:30 p.m. unless noted)

MONDAY’S SCHEDULE

Semifinals

OPEN DIVISION

#4 El Camino Real at #1 Palisades

#3 GALA at #2 Granada Hills

First Round

DIVISION I

#1 TBD, bye

#9 Larchmont at #8 Eagle Rock

#12 Cleveland at #5 SOCES

#13 Bell at #4 Chatsworth

#14 Taft at #3 Venice

#11 Carson at #6 North Hollywood

#10 L.A. Marshall at #7 Van Nuys

#2 TBD, bye

DIVISION II

#16 Legacy at #1 Granada Hills Kennedy

#9 Fairfax at #8 Gardena

#12 New West at #5 San Pedro

#13 Grant at #4 South East

#14 RFK Community at #3 Wilmington Banning

#11 King/Drew at #6 South Gate

#10 Los Angeles at #7 Downtown Magnets

#15 Sylmar at #2 LACES

Note: Open Division finals Wednesday, Oct. 28 at Balboa Sports Center, 11 a.m.; Divisions I-II quarterfinals Thursday, Oct. 29 at higher seeds; Division I-II semifinals Monday, Nov. 2 at higher seeds; Division I-II finals Wednesday, Nov. 4 at higher seeds, 11 a.m.

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How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to William Jackson Harper

When William Jackson Harper moved to Los Angeles to star in NBC’s “The Good Place” a decade ago, he himself felt out of place.

“As an actor, I was like I don’t know if this is where I’m supposed to be,” says Harper, who earned an Emmy nomination for his role as Chidi Anagonye, the show’s endearingly panicked and indecisive professor.

In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends.

“People felt more finished there,” he says of L.A. “I felt like people had sort of come into their appearance, they knew what they were selling. And I was like, you know, I’m much more of a theater guy, New York is probably where I’m going to land.”

He adds, “So I had this idea that I was going to get to L.A. and everyone was just going to laugh at me.”

Quite the opposite happened. Harper leaned into the L.A. experience, exploring the sprawling city, particularly its nature, and connecting with old friends on a deeper level. He soon grew to appreciate it — so much that he continues to split his time between L.A. and New York alongside his wife, Ali Ahn, who is also an actor.

Harper now stars in the dramatic anthology series “American Hostage,” which re-creates the true story of Tony Kiritsis, an Indianapolis man who, in 1977, kidnapped a mortgage broker whose family Kiritsis blamed for his own financial hardships. During a 63-hour standoff, Kiritsis demands that Fred Heckman, a beloved radio reporter played by Jon Hamm, interview him live on air.

“When that script came across my desk, I was like ‘This is insane,’” Harper says of the show, now streaming on MGM+. He was excited to portray Ben Hairston, a reporter and Heckman’s mentee, who attempts to help him navigate the challenging situation.

Harper says he’d been interested in being part of the show set in the late 1970s. Another draw? “I was looking forward to just rocking a mustache,” he says with a laugh. “I was looking forward to just looking like my uncles.”

Here’s how Harper would spend his perfect Sunday in L.A., from a morning hike at Griffith Park to shopping for more French tour jackets at a vintage store in Silver Lake.

7 a.m.: Start with an intense workout

Even though I typically don’t work out on Sundays, sometimes I get a wild hair and do it anyway because I enjoy it. I’ll go to a class around 7 or 8 a.m. I go to Training Mate a lot because the instructors are fun. They’re all, like, beautiful people, but they are dorks, which I find really endearing. They’re really sweet and encouraging. So we’ll do a really tough 45-minute workout an I’ll probably want to go for a hike after that. Griffith Park is one of my favorite places anywhere, so I’d kind of march around there for a couple of hours. I don’t always do the hard [route], I’m already kind of cooked. I just want to be in nature a little bit.

11 a.m.: Bond with friends over breakfast

Then it would be time to eat. I have this tradition whenever I’m in L.A. of meeting with a couple of friends of ours at Fred 62 on Vermont [Avenue]. I’ll get a tofu breakfast enchilada and then we’ll just sit there and talk for a couple of hours. The waiters remember my order even if it’s been months. Or my friends and I will go to some place like All Time, which is really good. There’s always a line and everyone is very done up and I feel really dirty and underdressed when I go, but f— it. It’s like deal with it. I’m old. I can’t be out here flexing.

2 p.m.: Nap to recharge for a shopping spree

All those things make for a powerful wave of sleepiness, so I’ll take a nap. Usually when I have days off like this, I have a shopping addiction, so there’s a few stores that I’ll probably wind up hitting. One of them is this place called Golden Age that has all these old French tour jackets. I have so many [laughs]. I rock those a lot. So I’ll go there, look around and abuse my bank account a little bit. Then there’s this other place on La Brea called General Quarters. It’s got a bunch of work wear stuff.

6 p.m.: Watch a movie at an old-school theater

After that, I might go see a movie at Los Feliz 3. It just reminds me of the movie theaters I grew up going to. I love an old-school, no frills theater that shows cool stuff.

8:30 p.m.: Have a delicious pescatarian dinner

If we are not cooking, we’re going out to eat somewhere. There’s this place in Eagle Rock that we like a lot called Little Beast. One of my favorite restaurants is Bavel. Every time I go there, I’m just like I don’t deserve this meal. I don’t deserve these cocktails. I’ve ordered something different every time. My wife and I are both pescatarian, so we usually load up on the veggies and pick whatever fish dish they have.

10:30 p.m.: Time for bed

After that, we’ll go back home, give our dog Chico another walk and watch Netflix until we fall asleep. My wife falls asleep first. When we are together, I’ll fall asleep earlier between like 11 p.m. and midnight. When I’m by myself, I’m up till 2 or 3 in the morning. I’m just up.

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New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia defends her legal background and short first briefing

New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia defended her legal background and justified her truncated inaugural briefing as she navigates a rocky first week as the president’s chief spokeswoman.

Zacharia sat down for an interview Thursday with the conservative Human Events outlet. In it, she said she did not have time to get fully prepared ahead of her first briefing on Tuesday and that it was always the plan to keep it short because President Trump would field questions from journalists later that morning.

“It was absolutely my goal to keep it short, considering he is his own best spokesperson, and he would love — and does love — gaggling with the media as he goes to Marine One,” Zacharia said. “So I wanted to give ample deference and not barge into his time.”

The initial briefing materials were given to Zacharia on Monday evening, then completed on Tuesday at 8 a.m., less than two hours before she would appear before the White House press corps. She had been up since 3 a.m. preparing, Zacharia said.

“I never had a full briefing beforehand, and I went out and I effectuated the briefing,” she said.

As for her legal background, Zacharia said she was preparing to take the bar exam in California at a time that she had just gotten married and was readying a move to China to join her new husband, who had been working in private equity in Beijing.

“I was obviously incredibly distracted and overwhelmed and excited for finally being married to someone who I’d been long distance from for at least a year,” Zacharia said.

She said the results of the bar exam, which she did not pass, were “somewhat inconsequential” because she would not need to be a barred attorney while living in China.

Zacharia, who has been under scrutiny for calling herself a “lawyer,” said she consulted several legal experts to ensure that title was accurate when offering legal analysis.

“It’s unfortunate that people dub this as some kind of conspiracy or want to put me in a camp. The truth is, I was very careful how I executed this, and I never came across as someone who was an attorney-at-law.”

She will not weigh in on legal matters in her White House capacity, Zacharia said.

She also divulged details of how she went about securing the White House press secretary job. Zacharia stressed that she did not want to be seen as lobbying for the position, left vacant when Karoline Leavitt announced she would depart the administration to spend more time with her family.

Zacharia, who was a communications advisor for the company that runs Truth Social, said she closely monitored the president’s social media posts to determine what was top of mind for him, then would go on air to talk about those topics.

“My philosophy is, I’m on TV enough where if he sees me and he likes me, then I will be recruited for the job. I do not believe that lobbying for that job would have been successful, and I wanted to work for it. I wanted to audition for it.”

Then on Oct. 7, as Zacharia was preparing to take one of her children to a pumpkin patch, she received a phone call from Trump about the press secretary position.

She promptly flew out the next day from her home in California to Washington, met with the president about the job on Friday and formally accepted the position later that day.

Kim writes for the Associated Press.

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Burbank airport’s new $1.3-billion terminal opens — bigger and sleeker than ever

After 33 months of construction and $1.3 billion in spending, the Hollywood Burbank Airport’s new terminal opened on Tuesday morning, with a medley of arrivals and departures in the minutes after 7 a.m.

Instead of the snug, historic facility whose Spanish Colonial Revival style dated to 1930, travelers found themselves in a sleek terminal at Winona Avenue and Hollywood Way, distinguished by high ceilings, contemporary art, twinkling terrazzo floors, abundant charging stations and landscaping full of cactus and succulents, along with a few “wet paint” signs. Passengers gawked at mirrored grid artwork by Glenn Kaino overhead.

Passengers at Pete's Pub inside the new Hollywood Burbank Airport terminal. None of the 13 food concessions are fully open.

Passengers at Pete’s Pub inside the new Hollywood Burbank Airport terminal. None of the 13 food concessions are fully open.

(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)

“It was weird,” said Tanya Radke, 25, of Van Nuys, who was headed to Kansas City and caught off-guard by the terminal switch. “It was not what I thought was going to happen today for me.”

But looking around, the passenger called the new space a big upgrade. “It reminds me a lot of the Kansas City airport,” Radke said. “It was well overdue.”

The day’s schedule called for about 90 departures and arrivals by eight airlines, roughly the same schedule as in the previous buildings. The new terminal also has the same two runways and same number of gates — 14 — as the airport’s previous two-terminal alignment. And passengers still often board planes from the front and back, using outdoor steps from the tarmac, rather than enclosed tunnels. That practice is something travelers have long praised for its informality and efficiency.

But the new building does bring many changes. It measures about 50% larger than the two old terminals combined — about 355,000 square feet — with higher ceilings and a pair of illuminated steel sculptures by Cliff Garten flanking the main entrance.

The first departure was Alaska Flight 3401 to Santa Rosa at 7:03 a.m. with 33 passengers aboard. The first arrival: Southwest Flight 189 from Las Vegas, which landed at 7:16 a.m. with 30 passengers aboard.

The new terminal opened after 33 months of construction and $1.3 billion in spending.

The new terminal opened after 33 months of construction and $1.3 billion in spending.

(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)

“The taxi off was a little different. Instead of turning right, you turn left,” said Southwest Airlines pilot Mike Petros, who arrived at 7:31 a.m. with a planeload of passengers from Sacramento. At the start of the flight, Petros said, “We told them that we would be flying to a new terminal, so if they had anybody picking them up, let them know.”

Still, many were surprised. Airport management deployed several staffers to redirect confused travelers from the old terminals (now idle) to the new one. Anthony Bailey, 29, said he learned of the switch from an Uber driver on his way to the airport.

“So far, I’m liking it,” Bailey said of the new terminal, standing near gate 13 before catching a flight to Las Vegas. “Nice and clean. The TSA line was pretty smooth.”

While most of the six retail stores were open on Tuesday, none of the terminal’s 13 food concessions were fully operating. Two eateries were offering grab-and-go options, and airport spokesperson Mike Christensen said more options would arrive later in the day and week.

A woman's dog sits next to her as she checks in at the airport.

Katelyn Bailey and travel companion Pigeon check in for a flight to the Bay Area.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

When the new terminal concessions open, dining options will include Guy Fieri’s Flavor Town, Spring Chicken, Diane’s Farm Table and Italian Market, Jones Coffee, Perry’s Joint, Poquito Mas, West Coast Smash Burgers, Massis Kabob, Starbucks, Border Grill, Jet Tila’s Asian Table, Santa Canela bakery and a bar, Pete’s Pub, with picture-window views of the runways and Verdugo Mountains.

Many travelers, including William Langlois and Annie Cerillo of Tampa, noted the shortage of eating options on Tuesday. “It’s horrible, there’s no restaurants and not enough security stations,” said Langlois, who had gone to the old terminal first and was redirected. Before this change, “this was the easiest airport,” said Cerillo.

In the new terminal, airport officials say, the walk from the entrance to the farthest gate is 1,285 feet, down from 1,600 feet now, with wider corridors and sidewalks and access to power plugs for devices from every seat. (Its many charging stations are now mostly USB-C ports, not USB.) The new terminal includes eight TSA lines, versus five in the old set-up. Baggage claim carousels have moved from outdoors to indoors.

The airport’s new parking structure includes about 2,000 spots and 310 charging ports for electric vehicles. (The airport’s total number of parking spaces is 6,637, the same as before.)

Alaska Airlines flight 3401.

Alaska Airlines Flight 3401 to Santa Rosa was the first flight to depart from the new terminal at Hollywood Burbank Airport on Tuesday.

(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)

As it did before, the airport supplies shuttle bus service between the new terminal and Burbank Airport-South Train Station (which connects with Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner) and the Burbank Airport-North Station at San Fernando Road and Hollywood Way.

Among many preparations for the day, Burbank airport officials staged a “passenger simulation trial” on Sept. 19, inviting 1,500 volunteers to behave like passengers in the new building, giving dozens of airport workers staffers, including TSA staffers and airline gate agents, a chance to prepare for Tuesday.

The airport, second busiest in L.A. County, was built in 1930 and is run by the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority. For decades it has been favored by many local travelers as a simpler, faster, quainter alternative to Los Angeles International Airport. The Burbank airport’s site in the San Fernando Valley, however, has often put its leaders at odds with residents of surrounding suburban neighborhoods. Unlike LAX, which has no flight curfew, the Burbank airport has limited operating hours — 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Passengers disembark from a plane.

Passengers disembark Southwest Flight 189 from Las Vegas just before 7:30 a.m. This was the first arrival into the new terminal at Hollywood Burbank Airport.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

Before this week’s move, the aged Burbank facility didn’t meet current state seismic standards or Federal Aviation Administration design standards, which prompted repeated safety warnings. Airport officials said the new design also increases the distance between the terminal and the nearest runway, formerly as little as 257 feet, to about 880 feet — a change that brings the airport into compliance with FAA standards.

Voters approved the Burbank airport terminal replacement project in 2016. Construction began in 2024. The airport reported about 6.2 million arriving and departing passengers in 2025, flying to and from about 30 nonstop destinations.

“It’s a beautiful building, but buildings aren’t anything without people who fill them with dedication and service,” said Tyron Hampton, president of the Burbank-Glendale Airport Authority and City Councilmember in Pasadena. He predicted that the new facility would attract not only new passengers but new businesses to the commercial corridor along Burbank’s Winona Avenue.

As Burbank unveils its new terminal, the opening of LAX’s most high-profile project — the SkyLink automated people mover (a 2.25-mile electric train route linking terminals to rail service and rental cars) has been delayed by technical and legal issues until Jan. 6 at the earliest.

“I don’t like to compare,” said Hampton when asked about LAX. “We have 14 gates. LAX has 161.”

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