good sunday

How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Nick Lachey

Through his decades-long career, Nick Lachey has done it all in Hollywood — he’s acted, he’s released solo albums, he’s led campaigns with brands (including Purina) and he’s reigned on the reality TV circuit, hosting the dating shows “The Ultimatum,” “Perfect Match” and the phenomenon that is “Love Is Blind,” which wrapped up its ninth U.S.-based season last week.

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.

But through it all, he keeps returning to one passion project: 98 Degrees, the swoon-eliciting boy band that catapulted him to stardom in the late ‘90s.

“I’m really blessed to be able to be a part of some incredible shows,” Lachey says. “But truly it all comes back to the band for me. I still continue to love to do that and perform with those guys, so hopefully that will continue for a long, long time.”

Earlier this year, 98 Degrees released their first non-Christmas album in more than a decade, “Full Circle.” It features reworkings of their most iconic songs — including “I Do (Cherish You)” and “The Hardest Thing” — along with five new tracks.

Outside of work, what’s paramount in Lachey’s life “is being a dad and being present for my kids, and really being involved in their life,” he says. He and his wife, Vanessa Lachey, who’s also his “Love Is Blind” co-host, have three young children: Camden, Phoenix and Brooklyn.

The Cincinnati native and die-hard Bengals fan takes us along for his perfect Sunday in L.A., where he’s lived for more than 20 years. It involves football (of course), an indulgent brunch with waffles, relaxing at a Malibu beach and reading a print copy of the L.A. Times — an activity that we can absolutely get behind.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

7:30 a.m.: Coffee and the L.A. Times

I usually wake up around 7 or 7:30 a.m. I’m conditioned to get up when the kids do, so that’s typically the time even on a weekend. The first thing I’m doing on a Sunday is getting a cup of coffee. I’m kind of old-school. I still get the print paper. So I’ll walk out of my front door and go grab my L.A. Times and my cup of coffee, and hopefully have a few moments to myself to read the paper before my kids get up and harass me.

9 a.m.: Football time

Are we in football season? That’s a very important question. If it’s my dream Sunday then we’re in football season so around 8:30 or 9 a.m., I’m turning on “NFL Countdown” and we’re getting ready for the Sunday slate of games. The Cincinnati Bengals are my team. I grew up in Cincinnati so I’m kind of a fan by birth, if you will. Now, the Bengals are pretty good. For the majority of my life, they’ve been absolutely horrible and I’ve just been stuck with them, but it’s kind of fun now that they’re actually competitive [laughs].

12 p.m.: Indulge in waffles at brunch

We’re getting into the afternoon and getting ready for lunch. A place my family and I love to have lunch or maybe a late brunch is More Than Waffles, which is kind of an Encino institution, if you will. I usually get a skillet or an omelet, then combine that with a waffle. I don’t eat that great, but if you’re ever gonna eat bad, Sunday is the day to do it, so you gotta get the waffle. You gotta get the whipped cream and the strawberries. Go for broke.

2 p.m.: Hang out at the beach

A good Sunday is heading out to the beach. I’d take the kids to Zuma to see the ocean for a little bit even if it’s just a drive. It’s nice to take the drive down that way, see the water and feel the wind on your face. I’m not a big get-in-the-water guy. If I’m in the Caribbean or somewhere, maybe. [laughs] It’s a little chilly for me, so I’m more of the lay-on-the-sand, take-in-the-scenery kind of guy at the beach.

5 p.m.: Burritos and margs for dinner

Let’s get back to the house to take a shower and then we’d hit Casa Vega. That’s another one of my favorites in the Valley. My whole family loves it. I like the oven style chicken burrito smothered. You gotta get the chips and guac. You gotta get a house margarita blended, no salt, and you’re good to go.

8 p.m.: Family meeting

We always have a family meeting on Sunday nights to get ready for the week and kind of go over what’s going on. So we’d get the family back to the house, sit down with the kids, and kind of go over the expectations for the week and plan it out. Then you’re into shower and bath time because it’s a school night.

10 p.m.: Mommy and daddy time

Once the kids are down, maybe Vanessa and I will take in whatever show we’re watching at that time. That’s a good cap to a Sunday. I just finished watching “Perfect Match” on Netflix, which is a classic. I love all the Taylor Sheridan [shows]. I’ve already watched them all.

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How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Clare Vivier

At the highly anticipated Clare V. sample sale last month at Row DTLA, designer Clare Vivier exuded calm as she walked through the packed aisles, smiling and offering assistance while hundreds of frenzied shoppers snatched up her discounted handbags, colorful accessories and apparel. (Shout-out to the stranger who offered me tips on how to clean my ink-stained Clare V. leather wallet from a few years back!) So when we chatted recently about her ideal Sunday in Los Angeles, I couldn’t resist asking Vivier where she likes to shop when she has a day off.

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.

“I love to shop for vintage goods,” Vivier said. “My go-to vintage shop is Luxe de Ville in Echo Park on Sunset. And just two doors down, there’s another great vintage store, Wilder. In Atwater, there’s the Curatorial Dept. on Glendale Boulevard and the Gift of Garb consignment shop in Silver Lake is wonderful — it’s like having your own private the Real Real, which I love.”

As for her perfect Sunday, she’ll stick close to Glendale, where she and her family have recently moved. “We are loving Glendale so far,” she said. “It’s fun to move within your own city — it’s a change, but not overwhelmingly so, as you’re still close to work and your friends.”

Vivier recently remodeled and expanded her flagship Clare V. showroom on Sunset Boulevard in Silver Lake. The sunny showroom now features two spacious rooms filled with Vivier’s signature handbags and colorful “bits, bobs, straps and fobs,” according to the store’s window. Vivier, in a personal touch, acknowledged she might stop in on a Sunday, but only after enjoying a few of her other favorite spaces in L.A.

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

9 a.m.: Shop for vintage goods at local flea markets
A perfect Sunday usually starts with going to one of the flea markets — either the Pasadena City College Flea Market or the Rose Bowl Flea Market. Sometimes, we visit the Long Beach Antique Market and the Santa Monica Antique and Vintage Market, but those are really our go-to favorites. We just moved to Glendale after 24 years in Echo Park, so when I’m shopping with my husband, we are usually looking for home decor items.

If we split up, I’ll look for vintage clothing inspiration for Clare V., including vintage handbags and clothing, as well as anything else. I love vintage clothing and accessories, and use them as inspiration for my collections. I enjoy selling my clothes and buying new ones; I have a huge closet. Sometimes I sell my items on Clare’s Closet Purge on Instagram. Or I’ll post about them on my personal Instagram then sell my items there, which is really fun. I’ll then donate the money to a worthy organization.

11 a.m.: Light lunch
On the way home from the market, we would stop for lunch somewhere like Little Ripper in Glassell Park. Either we’d get some food to go or we would eat there. Their open-faced toasts are great — their John Dory Tuna Toasts are always delicious.

Noon: Get outdoors
On Sundays, I enjoy doing something outdoorsy, such as playing tennis at Nibley Park or taking a walk through Deukmejian Wilderness Park in Glendale, which is truly beautiful. I had never heard of it until I moved there. They have great walking trails, and you’re welcome to bring your dog if you’d like.

2 p.m.: Shop for groceries at neighborhood markets
Usually, we would go shopping for food for dinner because we love to have Sunday dinners at our house and host our extended family and friends. We would probably go to Cookbook market in Highland Park — we used to go to the one in Echo Park when we lived in the neighborhood. We’d get some great cheeses, baguettes, vegetables and wine. They have it all. On the way home, we’d stop by Fish King Seafood in Glendale and pick up some great fresh fish, then come home and make dinner. Sometimes I would stop by one of my stores — usually the Silver Lake one, because it’s the closest to where I live. I love to drop by and visit, talk to customers, and see how the store is looking, especially since it’s new.

4 p.m.: Shop for houseplants in Highland Park
I love to shop for plants at Echo Garden, a family-run nursery on York in Highland Park. I’ve been trying to nurture my green thumb so I’ve been buying houseplants for our new house there. I like to support small businesses. They have a nice selection of houseplants there and have outdoor plants as well. I haven’t perfected my green thumb, but I’m working on it. I love having the energy of plants inside my home. I find it to be calming. They are like little animals. They enjoy being dusted and taken care of. It’s fun.

5 p.m.: Early Sunday dinner
If we’re not hosting dinner at our house, I love having an early dinner at a restaurant that’s open from lunch to dinner. I especially enjoy a 4 or 5 o’clock dinner on Sunday, when you can meet a friend and have a glass of rosé and something light to eat. It’s kind of my favorite time to be at a restaurant. It feels like you’re on vacation when you’re at a restaurant at that time of day and there aren’t many people there yet, and it’s outside of your routine.

If I’m going to have an early dinner somewhere, one of my favorites is L&E Oyster Bar on Silver Lake Boulevard in Silver Lake. I love their oysters, but they also have a great burger, pastas and salads. Another one of my favorite restaurants right now is Bar Etoile on Western, but unfortunately, it’s closed on Sundays.

11 p.m.: Late-night TV viewing
After everyone leaves and we clean up from dinner, we’d probably watch a show around 11 or midnight. Unfortunately, I am more of a late-night person than I should be. I’m not a reality TV person, so I won’t be watching “Love Island,” but there is a Danish show that we just finished called “The Secrets We Keep” on Netflix. I loved that. I’m looking forward to “The Morning Show” coming back. I like Reese, Jen and Mark Duplass; the cast is so good.



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How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Jaleel White

A few years ago, Jaleel White got really into game shows.

The actor, most widely known for his role as the nerdy, suspenders-pulling neighbor Steve Urkel on “Family Matters,” began appearing as a celebrity guest on shows like “25 Words or Less,” Anthony Anderson’s “To Tell the Truth” and “Pictionary” with Jerry O’Connell.

“I just enjoyed winning the money for the people,” White says. “It’s strangely equally gratifying.”

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.

Soon, his longtime producer friend asked if he wanted to host a game show. He did. “Flip Side” is a survey-based competition in which two teamstry to determine how the majority of a crowd voted on various this-or-that questions for a chance to win $10,000. Its second season aired earlier this month.

White says that, in a way, hosting the show feels similar to being on a sitcom.

“When I did sitcom, I really felt the audience,” White says. “I really felt where the audience wanted to go emotionally in our storytelling, and I would play with it. I would consciously hear them and be like, ‘Milk that or dial that down.‘” He adds that he thrives off that “symbiotic” interaction, which is similar to engaging with contestants.

White is also developing a TV show based on his memoir, “Growing Up Urkel,” which was released last year.
While the Pasadena native’s Sundays during the NFL season are typically dedicated to Chargers games, he takes us along on his ideal day in L.A., which involves eating fluffy pancakes after church, checking out a show or game at the immersive venue Cosm and playing footgolf.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

9:30 a.m.: Sleep in, then head to church
If I’m not shooting “Flip Side,” so man, I might not get up before 9:30 a.m. I typically stay up late. I’m just a late-night person by nature. My mom said that she would stay up late a lot while she was pregnant with me, eating Mexican food, so I think biologically that turned me into a night owl, and I really appreciate great Mexican food [laughs]. If I’m on my game, I like to go to Oasis church on Wilshire. Shout to Pastor Julian. I think he’s one of the most underrated spiritual voices in the city, and he’s a pastor who wears Js, so that’s just kind of cool in itself to get the word like that.

Noon: Time for pancakes
If you want to have the best pancakes in the city after you go to church, [go to] Redbird, which is near downtown L.A. Their pancakes are crazy with the char on the edges. Not everybody makes them like that. I also like Takagi Coffee on West Third Street. It’s a Japanese cafe and they have soufflé pancakes. Those are my two favorite pancake spots to hit after church. We get screwed in the cost of living in L.A., but the cultural exchange that we experience daily is so taken for granted. In L.A., I just gave you an all-American spot and a Japanese coffeehouse after leaving a very diverse church.

2 p.m.: Experience a game or a show at Cosm
I rarely get to the movies these days and I feel terrible. I want to try to be like Kevin Bacon and encourage people to go to the movies and experience communal entertainment again. But one of my favorite places is Cosm in Inglewood. They are revolutionizing the sports bar business model. You can catch Cirque du Soleil with your family. You can catch a game. It’s just a big screen. It’s an experience that actually puts you on the field, so you feel like you’re actually at the game. Sometimes they get wild and they start shooting T-shirts with the T-shirt gun into the stadium seats.

5 p.m. Play footgolf
But if you’re on a budget, a really fun thing to do actually is to play footgolf. One of the best footgolf courses is at Rancho Park. It’s literally golf with your feet, a soccer ball and an oversized hole. We’ll go out there, smoke some purple, grab some snacks and just be out there like kids, betting on each hole [laughs]. That’s the adult way of doing it, but you can also do it with the kids. You can hit up a good taco truck beforehand. I think Mariscos Jalisco is my favorite taco truck. They make a crunchy shrimp taco that is just ridiculous.

8 p.m.: Order in from Goop
At this point, we’re kind of scrounging for dinner. I got to admit it, Gwyneth Paltrow be killing it with the Goop [Kitchen] order in. ’Cause I’ve eaten junk all day, so now I gotta start cleaning it up. Get yourself a salad from Goop, and really at this point, I’m probably on my couch trying to catch up on some binge TV with the lady and prepare for Monday.

11:30 p.m.: Binge TV until bed
On a Sunday, I can probably do a little bit better, somewhere around 11:30 p.m. or midnight. I’m going to get my series binge on, and we have to watch the highlights from the games that we just attended. I recently finished up “Forever” on Netflix and “Wednesday” is back. I’m such a kid. I love Tim Burton. I’m all over the place in my film and TV appreciation. People would be really shocked by what I enjoy.

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How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Lilly Singh

Like most aspects of her life, Lilly Singh approaches the end of the weekend with a clear intention. “Sunday is a big deal to me,” she says. “Sunday is my self-love, reset day.”

The comedic actress and personality began a career in her native Toronto as an early YouTube star. She moved to Los Angeles in 2015, first landing at a spot near the La Brea Tar Pits before relocating to a house in the San Fernando Valley that she shares with her dogs, Scarbro and Soca.

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.

“I moved to L.A. to be warm and the Valley is very warm,” Singh says. “When people are complaining it’s too hot, I am thriving.”

She previously hosted the NBC talk show “A Little Late With Lilly Singh” and led the Disney+ sitcom “The Muppets Mayhem.” Most recently, she co-wrote, produced and starred in the film “Doin’ It,” playing an app-maker who is hired to teach a sex-ed class and decides she needs her own hands-on education in the subject. It opens in theaters Friday.

Singh was a night owl for most of her life, often staying up until the early morning hours and waking at noon. To improve her mental health, she’s adjusted her approach and now gets up during the week at 7 a.m. so she has two hours to mentally and physically prepare herself for the day.

There is a day of the week, however, where she shows herself compassion and makes an exception. “I’m probably not going to set an alarm on a Sunday,” she says.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

9 a.m.: Daily routine
Every morning, I have certain mental health routines. I always am going to have journaling on my front patio, and I’m always going to stretch and do breath work. Those are nonnegotiables.

9:30 a.m.: Market essentials
After I deal with and feed the dogs, the No. 1 stop is the Studio City Farmers Market. I will die on the hill of saying it is the best farmers market. I take one thing at the farmers market very seriously, which is the kefir yogurt. I literally have a yogurt dealer, Orlando. I have to text him on Saturday night to be like, “Hold these flavors for me.” If you go there and you don’t text them, they’re sold out. When the Alphonso mango is in season, you have to get there at 7 a.m. to get it.

I walk both ways, so I’m basically a fit legend because, come on, it’s usually really hot.

10 a.m.: Flower power
I get florals every Sunday. If I don’t get them from the farmers market, I’ll get them at Trader Joe’s. Every Sunday, I reset my house in terms of flowers. I put flowers in every corner of my house. I spend an hour just making little bouquets and putting them on my desk and in my kitchen and in my bathrooms because it’s an easy dopamine-hit hack and it makes me happy throughout the week.

11 a.m.: The best brunch date
Almost every Sunday, I take myself on a solo brunch. No one is allowed to come with me. This is me taking myself on a date.

I go to the same spot every single time: Sweet Butter Kitchen. It’s just down Ventura. I get a two-sunny-side-up egg breakfast with sourdough toast. I get my bacon. Depending on how much I’ve worked that week and how much I want to spoil myself, I will also get pancakes.

I love the ambience. I’ll take my journal or sometimes I’ll just vibe out and enjoy my own company.

Noon: Planning session
Every third Sunday, I do a monthly reflection. I track my last month against my yearly goals.

I’ll also plan my social activities for the next month. Almost every month, I host a poker night. Almost every Thursday, I do a dinner. I’ll make sure my social calendar is full for the next month because in L.A., if you don’t do that, you won’t have friends and you’ll be alone.

I’m very about my journal. It’s a hard-covered journal that is smooth to the touch, with a specific Sharpie 1.0 pen. It’s the only pen I want to use. And the journal has a pen holder, which is also crucial. And it has the string that saves your page — also crucial. And it has lines. I don’t want a journal that doesn’t have lines. It has to have a little flap in the back that will hold all my documents.

In my adult life, I’ve always been this organized. Perhaps not in university or in high school, but as I’ve become a career woman, I like to be very, very organized.

1 p.m.: Tastes from home
I’m ready to eat again because Sundays are for eating. I love Smorgasburg LA. Coming from Toronto, I’m really used to Caribbean food and Asian foods. In L.A., I feel like the best international food I have found is at Smorgasburg.

If I want to hang with the friends or if someone’s in from out of town and I want to show them a good time, we’ll go there.

3 p.m.: Sunshine state
I think sunshine time is so important and nature is so important. Throughout the week, I don’t always get to spend time outside, so I spend as much time as humanly possible outside, and that’s either lying on the grass with my dogs or it’s in my pool.

5 p.m.: On the A-List
I don’t want you to think I’m a loner, but if I’m ever doing things alone, it’s more often going to be on a Sunday. I love going to the movie theater. For me, it is AMC at Universal [CityWalk]. My greatest quality — this is not even an ad — is that I am an AMC Stubs A-List member. I take it very seriously.

I’d probably go to dinner and then a movie. So I don’t have popcorn solely for dinner, which I’ve done many times, but I try to avoid, I’m going to go to Kiwami by Katsu-Ya, which is on Ventura. It’s one of my favorite sushi spots. It feels very small and intimate. They have the best lychee martinis, and I’m a big lychee martini girly. The staff knows me because I go so often and they’re just so fast with the service.

It’s crucial for me to tell you that one of the reasons I go to the movies by myself is I am crazy about watching the previews. My friends always make me miss the previews. I love getting there early and I love being seated for the previews. I’ve gone to the theater sometimes 10 minutes before anything is even on the screen.

I like Universal because it is full of tourists. As someone who was not born and raised in L.A., I love seeing people experience L.A. When I’m walking from the parking lot to the theater, people have their Super Nintendo World stuff and they have their Universal merch. They’re so excited to be there, and it reminds me, like, oh yeah, this is a really exciting place for people.

10 p.m.: Ready for the week ahead
I’ll come home, cuddle the dogs, then I make sure I’m ready for the week. I make sure my house is in a good spot. I make sure my flowers are popping. I probably will do a hot tub or sauna moment, then do my skincare routine.

11 p.m.: One last journal entry
I don’t like to watch anything in my bedroom because sleeping is a huge thing for me. I have a little bit of insomnia, so I really try to wind down. On my night table, I have my nighttime journal and I do a little self-compassion journaling.



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How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to John C. Reilly

You might not think of John C. Reilly as a romantic — he’s best known for starring in comedies like “Step Brothers” and “Talladega Nights” — but these days, the actor is leaning into that side of himself.

His new vaudeville show, “Mister Romantic,” came from a moment of deep reflection.

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.

“Three years ago, I was looking around the world thinking, ‘Man, it’s getting really divisive out there,’” he says. There’s a lot of strife among people. What can I do? And I thought, ‘Well, you can sing and dance, tell people you love them,’ and that’s how ‘Mister Romantic’ was born.”

With a quartet of musicians behind him, Reilly takes the stage as Mister Romantic, his alter ego who has no memory of the past. All he knows is that he must perform — and if he’s lucky, he’ll find someone to fall in love with him by the end of the night. The stage performance, which makes a stop at L.A.’s Palace Theatre on Oct. 10, follows the release of Reilly’s debut “Mister Romantic” album, a collection of love ballads he gathered and reinterpreted over the years. The result is part crooner, part cabaret — with clear nods to Frank Sinatra and Old Hollywood romances.

“We’re taking this message of empathy and love out to the world and having a lot of fun at the same time,” he says.

Reilly used to live near Pasadena, but after losing his home in the L.A. fires, now resides “all over.” With his children grown and most likely “doing their own Sunday things,” his ideal Sunday is spent with his wife and other important people in his life.

“Sunday is kind of like this safe space,” Reilly says. “It’s a chance to just check in with someone who might need a little company.”

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

7 a.m.: The joy of pajamas
I want to encourage everyone to get into pajamas. I’m a big fan of pajamas. I like the traditional kind with stripes. You know, like the old dad pajamas from the 1950s. So you’ll see me in my pajamas if you come to my house on Sunday morning.

I usually wake up about 7 o’clock, but it takes me about an hour and a half to even get anything going — I’m a very slow riser.

8:30 a.m.: Pick up pastries in Pasadena
I usually like to hit a bakery early on because it’s a fun thing to have on a Sunday morning — some fun bakery items. There’s this bakery I love in Pasadena called Seed Bakery that has all the hits. It’s this amazing couple, just the two of them — they make all the amazing French stuff that you’re familiar with and killer ham-and-cheese croissants.

One thing that my grandfather used to do when I was a kid: Sunday would be the day he would come over with stuff from the bakery. If you want to be like the most fun uncle out there, you can also just go to a friend’s house with baked goods.

11 a.m.: Take a hike at TreePeople
There’s this great place called TreePeople that I love that is up at the top of Coldwater Canyon. It’s a famous conservancy started by this kid in the ’70s — he was a teenager who was concerned about pollution, and he heard that trees and plants can help take pollution out of the air.

It’s one of the great hikes of L.A. It has these paths that kind of crisscross back and forth. It’s very peaceful.

It has this mission of not just preserving the trails but also teaching people about ecology and why trees are important. We definitely need some trees after all this fire that we’ve had in L.A. Trees are a really important part of the city.

2:30 p.m.: Afternoon at Moonlight Rollerway
I love the Moonlight Rollerway, an amazing roller rink in Glendale. I’m a longtime patron of the place. I’ve filmed in there a couple different times. We shot some of “Winning Time” in there.

It’s like a throwback kind of roller-skating rink. It reminds me of the places I used to go when I was, like, 11 or 12 years old, in the late ’70s in Chicago — and it really looks exactly like that. I don’t think they changed the concession stand since the ’70s.

I really love roller skating. During COVID, we started this gang called the Rebel Skate Rolling Club, and we would just go to parking lots, like the Target parking lot at 11 p.m. Everyone would descend with matching jackets and go roller skating.

Moonlight Rollerway is always there. It’s always air-conditioned. It has beautiful wooden floors, so if you fall, it’s not the end of the world. I’m a big fan of it because you don’t drink. There is no alcohol served there. It’s good clean fun, is the way I would describe it. You can have a hot dog at the concession stand.

There’s something really cool and energizing about roller skating — it’s the closest thing to flying that you’re gonna come across without sprouting wings.

5 p.m.: Bike to dinner
Me and my wife love to get on our bikes while it’s still light out, and ride our bikes to a fun restaurant near us and have a nice meal, maybe a couple glasses of wine, and then you’re riding back on your bike in the dark. It’s so fun — it feels like an adventure.

There are a lot of cool restaurants all along Mission Street in Pasadena — that was adjacent to where we lived, and it was easy to bike there.

8 p.m.: Catch a show at Largo or the Elysian
There are two places that I have a really strong connection to that are theaters in L.A. One is Largo at the Coronet, where you can see so many amazing comedians, but I love going there for the music. I can’t tell you how many nights of extraordinary experiences I’ve had at Largo.

The other theater I love is the Elysian Theater on the Eastside in Silver Lake on Riverside. It’s gonna sound crazy for people that are not aware that there is a clown scene going on in L.A., but there’s a huge clown scene going on in L.A. There are a lot of people in the clown scene that work out of the Elysian Theater. But if you’re into alternative comedy or queer stuff, or just voices that you are not going to hear at, like, the Comedy Store, then the Elysian is a really great hub for you.

It’s a nonprofit. It’s a place that encourages alternative voices. It feels really intimate when you’re there. I’ve done my show “Mister Romantic” there a bunch of times.

10:30 p.m.: Yoga as a nightcap
I like to do a little yoga before bed. People think of yoga as, like, starting the day with yoga, but actually stretching out before you go to bed is really good, because then you let go of the tension and stuff you’ve been holding from the day and can sleep better — so I recommend a nightcap of yoga. I usually go to bed around midnight.

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How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Alex Edelman

In “The Paper,” the much anticipated mockumentary spinoff to “The Office,” Alex Edelman plays intrepid accountant/reporter Adam Cooper, part of the team tasked with reviving local newspaper “The Toledo Truth-Teller.” Edelman was also a writer and consulting producer for the show, which premieres on Peacock on Sept. 4 with all 10 episodes, and says the project gave him “the thing that is rarest in Los Angeles”: routine.

“It was a really wonderful routine,” he adds.

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.

Of course, routines must end and new routines must be created. Edelman, who won an Obie and a Special Tony for his stand-up show “Just For Us,” about attending a meeting of Nazis as an Orthodox Jew (it became the HBO original comedy special “Alex Edelman: Just For Us,” for which he won an Emmy), is back on the road and adding new dates for his current show, “What Are You Going to Do.” In his spare time, he’s working on a nonfiction book, “I Don’t Belong Here.”

The perfect Sunday, for Edelman, is always a little bit different, with currents of consistency woven through. (He calls himself a “recommendation machine,” which feels accurate.) There’s always a hike. There are always friends involved. There’s always food. There are plenty of laughs. But for all the tried-and-true recs, novelty is important too. “I guess my headline is, Sunday’s the day to try new things,” he says.

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

7 a.m.: Wake up and go on a coffee walk
On the weekends, I like to walk. The only thing left to do on planet Earth apparently is to get coffee. Do you know that our whole lives revolve around a series of silly little coffees? I only drink espresso drinks, which is a fact about me, which is very boring. I might walk between coffee stations, like a man journeying between oases. I’ll walk down and I’ll get to All Time and be like, do I want a coffee here or can I make it to Maru? And when I get to Maru, do I get a coffee here? Or can I make it to Camel? And then I’ll make it to Camel, which apparently is now called Handles? And I’m like, do I get a coffee here or do I go to Dinosaur? And then, do I do a coffee here or do I go to Tartine or LaLo in Silver Lake or Lamill, which is also in Silver Lake. It feels like a long time, but that’s only about an hour walk.

I might get some breakfast too. I like Telegrama or Friends and Family — a favorite there is the olive oil eggs. I spend a lot of my money at All Time. I like to get the thing they call “the B.O.A.T.” I don’t know exactly what it is, but it’s really good.

8 a.m.: Get in a bit of writing
I like to park myself at Telegrama or Maru; you can find a little corner and really groove.

10 a.m.: Hike and have an adventure
I’m a keen weekend hiker. And I have hiking buddies. My friend [TV writer] Jenji [Kohan] and I started to do a thing in the pandemic where every weekend we would go hike somewhere and eat somewhere. I’ll hike with Jenji or my friend Rebecca or my friend Morgan. We’ll get after it. You hike with someone, you complain. It’s a lot of fun.

There are some really, really gorgeous hikes around Los Angeles. I use AllTrails to keep track of them. If we’re doing a hike out of town, we’ll go up to Santa Barbara or down into Orange County for one of the heavy beach hikes. Or any hikes with the word “Punchbowl” in them. And we’ll go to Charlie Brown Farms right afterwards.

We hike and eat and there’s always an adventure in there. We use the Atlas Obscura and go check out things, like, I heard there’s this weird store where this guy who makes things out of pop tabs or whatever it is. One of my favorite things is just getting to look at a little midcentury modern house I’ll never be able to afford. If there’s a house by Lautner or Neutra or Frank Lloyd Wright, sometimes we’ll take a schlep just for the house, to even just see from the street. One of the hikes in Malibu, Solstice, has an old Paul Williams house. It’s like a ruin.

1 p.m.: Lunchtime
We like going into the San Gabriel Valley and eating at Chengdu Taste in Alhambra or Bistro Na’s. I can’t eat pork or shellfish, so whatever falls within the electric fence, my lapsing Judaism. Whenever we drive south for a hike, we like to go to Pho 79 in the Anaheim area, or Garden Grove maybe. And I get something vegetarian or chicken or something like that.

2:30 p.m.: Thrifting and a snack
The thrift stores in Pasadena, those places are so good. Downtown, we always stop at the old mochi spot, Fugetsu-Do. They’ve been around for 117 years, even longer. I think they opened in 1903. On Sundays, sometimes the line can be long, but it’s worth waiting in. I like the regular rainbow-colored, strawberry-stained stuff. A thousand percent fruity or candy and no gelatin because of my Judaism.

4 p.m.: Catching up on books
Since we’re downtown, I’ll stop by the Last Bookstore. I also really love Skylight. And I love a used bookstore. I love a browse.

I like reading and listening to music on a Sunday. For a while, I was rationing out my friend Taffy Akner’s last book, “Long Island Compromise.” I’d read a couple of chunks every Sunday until I ran out. I just bought a couple of plays by Kimberly Bellflower and Noah Haidle. And I am reading Carrie Courogen’s “Miss May Does Not Exist” about Elaine May, who I worship and actually met once at a friend’s house.

7 p.m.: Pizza and movie night at Phil’s
I have a friend, Phil, who sometimes makes Sunday his movie night. His house has a little pizza oven. Phil will have pizza made in the style of the pizza from Mozza, which he loves. And we’ll watch movies on a projector. I watched “A New Leaf” there and enjoyed it very much, speaking of Elaine May.

9:30 p.m.: A stand-up set
Late in the day, my favorite thing to do is stand-up comedy. There are a lot of good places to perform in Los Angeles. So I’d do a late spot at the Comedy Store, the Lyric Hyperion, Laugh Factory or Dynasty Typewriter.

11 p.m.: Late-night meal
I’m out late, especially for Los Angeles. And there’s nowhere to eat very late at night in Los Angeles, unless you’re going to venture into Koreatown, where there’s Dan Sung Sa. I love to eat late and hey, we’re four meals deep, but that’s fine. Or Canter’s is open until 11:30 on Sunday. And Same Same Thai on Sunset is open until 11. They do something called khao soi, which is really hard to find in a lot of places. So I’ll sometimes get a really late night khao soi.

12 a.m.: Scrolling, reading, maybe a phone call or two
I’m up for a bit. I watch, I’ll scroll. I’ll scroll until I drift off, which I shouldn’t. Or I’ll call friends in London who are just waking up, stand-up comics. My friend Josie Long was in Glasgow, and sometimes I’ll call her, or I’ll catch my friend Isobel, who’s a composer, who’s in Europe all the time. But in my ideal situation, I’m asleep by 1. I’ll read this book by Lizzy Goodman called “Meet Me in the Bathroom,” or I’ll listen to this podcast called “Search Engine” by PJ Vogt, and sort of drift off.



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How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Melissa Etheridge

Melissa Etheridge has always written what she feels, and what she’s feeling right now, at this moment in her life, is liberated. The folk-rock legend, best known for her raspy ‘90s anthems (cue “Come to my window …”), just finished recording a new album due out next year. A theme that permeates throughout her lyrics? Setting herself free.

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.

“It’s a lot about letting go of trying to make everything perfect,” Etheridge says. “Letting go of trying to change other people to make me happy because it doesn’t work that way.”

She chats with us from her Yes We Are Tour with the Indigo Girls, an occasion she describes as the ultimate girls’ night out. “It’s brought a lot of women out — grandmothers, mothers, daughters,” Etheridge says. “It’s music that you remember and it feels really amazing.”

The tour makes a stop next week at the Greek Theatre, which will feel like a homecoming of sorts for the artist who has lived in L.A. for the past 43 years. Etheridge and her wife Linda Wallem, along with Etheridge’s young adult children, have settled in the Calabasas area and find comfort in the many neighborhood charms. Today Etheridge, who says she has had “many incredible Sundays” around town, describes a perfect one. It starts with a stroll close to home and then ventures downtown for brunch and art, and into Studio City for a heavenly deep-fried Fluffernutter.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

7 a.m.: Wake up and walk
We love to get right up, and the first thing we do is go for a walk. We go for about a mile and a half, and it’s just really lovely. And we love all our neighbors, and it’s a really fantastic place.

8 a.m.: Coffee with extra love
Then we would go to La La Land Kind Cafe at the Commons in Calabasas. What’s special about it is that it [employs] foster kids. The owner is a really special guy that puts a lot of love into the place. And it’s so L.A. — you can ask for “extra love” and they’ll say, “Oh, we love you!” when we leave. They have a butterfly matcha latte — you know, blue and green. Really crazy, beautiful drinks. So we’ll pick up coffee and then go to Hank’s Bagels and get some bagels for the kids.

9 a.m.: Crank up the car tunes
After we drop everything off at home, we’re leaving to go downtown. On Sunday at nine o’clock, you can get downtown in a reasonable amount of time. I’ve got the music cranked up in our car. We love to listen to the Chris Stapleton channel on Sirius XM. And we’re listening to my new album that I just recorded that won’t be out until 2026.

10 a.m.: A leisurely brunch
We’ll go to the Girl & the Goat. Chef Stephanie Izard has these biscuits and chicken. Incredible. It’s not too foofy because you just don’t want to get too foofy for brunch. You want to, oh, feel it when you’re done. So that’s what we’ll do. That’s from, like, 10 to 11 a.m. No, 10 to 12. I’m not rushing. It’s a beautiful restaurant.

Noon: See what’s on display in downtown L.A.
Then we’re going to go see whatever exhibits or installations they have downtown. The last time we went, it was “Luna Luna.” Really great. One time, it was the King Tut exhibit.

3 p.m.: A quick stop at Atrium
Then we’ll get the kids. On the way back, we stop at one of our favorite cannabis stores, Atrium on Topanga [Canyon Boulevard] — our other favorite is Coast to Coast in Canoga Park — and get some because we’re going to our favorite movie theater later tonight.

3:30 p.m.: Spend time at my favorite musical playground
We swing by Norman’s Rare Guitars, which is in Tarzana. It’s not open on Sundays, but if this was a dream, it would be. [Owner Norman Harris] has an exquisite collection that everyone has bought from, from Tom Petty to George Harrison to Bob Dylan to me.

Sometimes I’ll trade a guitar with [Norman], and sometimes I’ll have him show me a ridiculously expensive guitar just to look at it, and then I’ll tell him I can never buy it. There’s always something happening in there. I’ve sat in the middle of the store with my friend Ashley McBryde and sang songs. It’s just a really cool place. Only in L.A.

5 p.m.: A night at the movies
We’ll get to our favorite movie theater, Cinépolis, where we’re going to watch the latest movie. They serve dinner and drinks in the theater, and it’s just a really fun night. The last movie we saw was “Thunderbolts.” It’s freaking great. God, I love Florence Pugh. My kids were skeptical about Marvel, but they really liked it. It’s nice not having to cook or clean on a Sunday. So far, we’ve eaten 10,000 calories today.

8 p.m.: The dessert of all desserts
Then if we could pack in all the fun, we would go down the 101 to Studio City, where Chef Antonia Lofaso has the Black Market Liquor Bar. She has a dessert called the Fluffernutter. Oh, my God. It’s a deep-fried Fluffernutter. It’s so good. So we would go get dessert there. Then we would drive home.

10 p.m.: End the night under the stars
We have a little fire pit outside in our backyard. And we love to sit and look at the stars and use some of that stuff that we got at the Atrium.

I constantly think, oh, I’m going to move out of L.A. And we travel all around the world. And I swear, every time I come back, I’m like, this feels like home. This is home.

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How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Marlee Matlin

Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, Marlee Matlin always looked forward to Sundays.

It was her father’s only day off, so her family made a weekly tradition of meeting up with close friends for breakfast at a local deli. Afterward, she and her family of five would do a season-friendly activity — apple picking in the fall or a Chicago Cubs game during the summer, perhaps — before wrapping up with a finale event they called “takeout Sundays.”

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.

“Sundays were always my favorite day because I knew that we’d all be together,” says Matlin, who became the first deaf actor to win an Oscar in 1987 at the tender age of 21. During our Zoom call, she communicated via an interpreter.

Throughout her career, the “Coda” star has been vocal about her battles with addiction and sexual abuse, but fans are getting an even more intimate look into her life via her latest project, “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore,” which is showing in select theaters nationwide and will be available on demand on August 22. When she was approached to do a documentary, Matlin says it was a no-brainer for her to have her longtime friend and fellow deaf actor, Shoshannah Stern, direct it.

“What better way to have two deaf women who have similar shared life experiences to tell my story?” Matlin says. In the 1980s, she convinced lawmakers to add closed captioning to television programming.

The veteran actor and activist has been a self proclaimed “California girl” for nearly 40 years, but says that she will always be a “Chicago girl at heart.” (The skyline of the neighborhood she grew up in, Morton Grove, is proudly tattooed on her forearm.) These days, she’s enjoying empty-nester life with her husband Kevin Grandalski. Her ideal Sunday in L.A. involves visiting the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, getting her steps in at the Rose Bowl, having a slice of pizza in Eagle Rock and spending quality time with her 14-month-old granddaughter.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

6 a.m.: Take care of my pets

If I had the choice, I would probably wake up at 8 a.m., but because I have a cat, it’s 6 a.m. I also have a dog who needs to be taken out on a walk. Like a fool, he barks at every other dog that we encounter, and I have apologize to each dog owner.

Then I have to have to have breakfast. I’m a breakfast person. I don’t skip it. I love my oatmeal with a little bit of brown sugar and blueberries. If I’m in the mood, I’ll make some turkey bacon and make sure it’s extra crispy, and I drink my Red Bull sugar free. I know I’m going to get a lot of flack because I drink a Red Bull in the morning, but that’s what I drink. I like my drink, and it’s as simple as that. I don’t drink coffee. I wish I did, but I don’t like the taste.

After I’ve gotten breakfast out of the way, I have to make my bed. I can’t even leave the house with an unmade bed. I have to make the bed immediately, and my husband knows that very well.

10 a.m.: Go shopping for new threads

I might go to Rose Bowl either for the flea market, which is open once a month, or for a walk. Before I had foot surgery, I would always go and walk around the Rose Bowl at least twice for a total of six miles. I love power walking.

Afterward, I would go to a couple of boutiques that I like. I’m a big supporter of small local businesses, so I would stop by Tuck in Pasadena and Everson Clare in La Cañada Flintridge. They are both female-owned, and they care about their customers a great deal. Both of them are very good friends of mine. They both work so hard to get their stores opened. I watched them from their inception to where they are today. They have different clothing styles that seem to fit me well. Then there are some stores that I’ll go to in Studio City. You can find me at Sephora, Nordstrom or HomeGoods.

2 p.m.: Pick a favorite L.A. activity

If we’re in the mood to be active, we’ll go to Descanso Gardens or to a Dodgers game. We recently went to Shot of Art, and it’s so fun. It’s similar to paintball. You create art on a canvas as it spins. I just got reelected as the governor of the Academy Museum, so I’ll make sure to go there. Being governor and a member of the Academy, they have been nothing but so supportive of my community and many other underrepresented communities as well. Everyone who has a love for film or history [and] how films are made should go to the museum. Even if you [do] not, you’ll be surprised.

4 p.m.: Quality time with my granddaughter

Then I’ll come back home to spend time with my granddaughter, who is 14 months old. We’ll have playtime at the house. She’s always exploring. She loves the cat. She runs after her, and I’m always the one having to run after the baby. So there’s the three of us running around: cat, baby, then me. I’ll take her to the park, which is down the street. Just being with her is the most important thing. We are just in awe of watching her grow, exploring the world and watching what she learns. That’s the perfect Sunday for me.

6 p.m.: Enjoy an early dinner

I love to cook on Sundays and have an early dinner. I have a whole raft of cookbooks and recipes that I’ve printed out. I’ll just take that big stack and search through it. I’m not somebody who does a whole lot of research. I just pick one and then go for it. I love to barbecue, and I love to bake desserts. I have a sweet tooth. I set up a candy bar — like a bar for candy — in my house. It’s dangerous to have a candy bar. Wait until my granddaughter grows old enough to realize what the candy bar is actually about.

But if I don’t feel like cooking, we might go to Casa Bianca. It’s a pizza shop in Eagle Rock. The pizzas, the mozarella sticks and the salads are fantastic. The chicken piccata is great, and the people who own it are just wonderful people and so welcoming.

8 p.m.: Backgammon before bed

I’ll spend time with my husband after dinner, and we’ll clean up. Then I’d check my phone to see what’s coming up for the week. Depending on what’s going on, I’ll get in touch with the kids and play backgammon on my phone — just spend time winding the day down. And I’ll take an evening walk. Before I close shop, I have to take the dog out once more. I go to bed early. I’m usually in bed by 9:30 p.m.

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How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Nathan Fillion

Nathan Fillion straddles the line between everyman and hunk — and he’s built a career out of it. He’s a natural in roles that require both charisma and a touch of self-awareness, whether he’s solving crimes, commanding a spaceship or enforcing the law.

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.

Fillion played the wisecracking mystery novelist Richard Castle in ABC’s crime drama “Castle” and stars in ABC’s “The Rookie” as John Nolan, a forty-something who navigates his midlife crisis by joining the LAPD. Of course, to sci-fi fans, Fillion will always be Captain Mal Reynolds from “Firefly,” the short-lived but beloved space Western that has kept him a staple at comic conventions for over two decades. Though “Firefly” lasted just one season in 2002, its cult status has endured, cementing Fillion as a fan-favorite in the genre world.

Now he’s stepping into an even bigger universe: the DC Universe. Fillion plays the role of the Guy Gardner / Green Lantern (complete with the iconic bowl cut) in James Gunn’s “Superman,” a highly anticipated reboot hitting theaters on today.

“You got to be really lucky,” he says of his 30-year career. “It’s just not up to you whether or not you stay relevant and popular and on TV and in movies.”

Living close to the hills in Hollywood, Fillion’s ideal Sunday involves relaxing at home, catching up with his favorite people and some late-night gaming. Here’s how he’d spend a perfect day in the city.

7:30 a.m.: Greet my cat and make some art

I much prefer waking up to sunlight than an alarm. I like having open curtains so the sun comes in, I wake up and feel awake, whereas if an alarm goes off in the dark, I don’t. My cat doesn’t sleep in my room, but every morning when I wake up, he’s at the foot of my bed. This is Bowie. I named him Bowie because he has heterochromia: one blue eye, one gold. He’s massive, 25 pounds, a Norwegian Forest Cat and Turkish Angora. He’s great about not waking me up, which I appreciate. Then he follows me around while I make my coffee — creamy and sweet, like my cat. I’ll sit in my kitchen — I’ve got nothing but birds chirping and the sun’s coming in — doodling for hours if I’m allowed. I say “doodle” instead of “draw” because my work is abstract, just black ink on paper, but only with the right pen, ink and paper. It’s an ASMR thing.

9 a.m.: Eggs benny at Sweet Butter

I love eggs for breakfast. I will do a classic scramble and toast with a little bacon or some sausages. But if I really want to be treating myself, it’s eggs Benedict. There’s a place called Sweet Butter down on Ventura Boulevard, and they do a real nice eggs benny.

10 a.m.: A hike with a view (and a rainy day contingency plan)

After breakfast? A hike. I live close to the hills in Hollywood. You’re up there, you’re in nature, you’re seeing animals, you’re seeing the birds. You’re just out there, looking out over the city. It’s better for your body to move a little bit after you’ve got some food. If it’s a rainy day, all bets are off. You’ll find me at the IPIC Theaters because of their luxurious seats and their incredible food, seeing a matinee.

12 p.m.: Nothing beats a backyard hang

I love having friends over. I’ve got a really beautiful backyard. I just had some friends over and their three-year-old twins. We threw them in the pool, and we made pork ribs. We had an incredible salad with some roasted tomatoes. We made corn on the cob. It was perfect weather. We found some shade, and we just sat there for hours and ate and laughed. And that’s a fantastic way to spend a Sunday, with people that you don’t get to see very often. Los Angeles is a beautiful city, but it’s rather spread out and gathering can be a little bit difficult. So when people make the time, it’s really nice.

4 p.m.: Channel my inner Marie Kondo

My house has too much clutter, so lately I’ve been trying to pick out a room or a closet or a drawer, and I’m organizing everything and getting rid of anything I don’t use or don’t like. Just trying to declutter the house — that’s something I’ve been engaging in in the last month. Do I enjoy it? I don’t enjoy the process. I do enjoy the results. And also just the inventory, knowing what you have. Oh, I’ve got these. I don’t need to buy any more of these. I got five of them in the back here.

6 p.m.: Sushi and streaming

Sunday nights are for ordering in. There’s a pho place, a ramen place and Iroha Sushi, my favorite sushi in the city. And LALA’s Argentine Grill. And [Sunday nights are also] for binging television. And right now we just finished binging “From.” [Editor’s note: Fillion is notoriously private and didn’t state who “we” is.] Super scary, and we love being judgmental of the parenting done by the one couple that have their kids there with them. They really let their kids run around unsupervised in this horror town. Also “Invincible” and “Landman.” We’re making our way through those.

9 p.m.: Answer the “Call of Duty”

In the very late evening, I have a group of about 25 guys who have been playing Xbox Live together for about 20 years. We do “Destiny 2,” “Halo” and “Call of Duty.” Some different games get sprinkled in now and again, but it’s mostly just those top three. There’s a text thread, and you’ll just say, “Hey, I’m jumping on for about an hour.” Or sometimes we’ll play late into the evenings, and we catch up, we laugh, we chat and maybe twice a year, we gather. I say, “This is my last game because I’m getting tired,” and I just roll into bed and wait for the next Sunday.

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How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Patrick Ta

Celebrity makeup artist and entrepreneur Patrick Ta admits that he is constantly falling in and out of love with Los Angeles — the place he’s called home for the last 13 years.

“[But] right now, I’m obsessed with Los Angeles,” says the San Diego native. “I feel like I am experiencing new friendship groups. For me, what makes a place magical are the people that you surround yourself with, and this entire beginning of almost summer has been the best networking and relationship building that I’ve ever had in Los Angeles. I feel like L.A. is exciting me again.”

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.

While Ta has lived in Southern California for most of his life, he got his start in the makeup industry in Arizona. After convincing his parents to help him open a tanning and nail salon (which he eventually had to file bankruptcy for), his roommate helped him get a job at MAC, where he honed his skills and became a freelance makeup artist. He eventually relocated to L.A., and with the help of social media — where he posted his work — his career took off, and celebrities like Shay Mitchell, Kim Kardashian, Ariana Grande, Gigi Hadid and Camila Cabello began seeking him out to do their makeup. In 2019, he launched his eponymous beauty brand, which is known for its glowy products.

As a first generation Vietnamese American, Ta spent his Sundays at one of his mom’s nail salons in San Diego.

“Weekends were their busiest [day], so we didn’t have the weekends off to just chill, but after work I remember going to Red Lobster,” says Ta. “That was such a big treat for me and my [older] sister because seafood was so expensive, and my mom would make us share. But if we were good with her at work, she would treat us to eating out.”

These days whenever he’s not traveling, Ta tries to reserve his Sundays for spending time with friends. On the agenda is hitting up his favorite flea market, enjoying a seafood brunch at Catch and sober bar hopping in West Hollywood.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

8 a.m.: Morning workout

I wake up anywhere from 8 to 9 a.m. I have a home gym, so I’ll usually work out with my friend. He will come over and we’ll do our own circuit. I’m trying to be better and more consistent with it. Then we will either go and get a green juice from Whole Foods because it’s walking distance from my house, and we always go for a little sprint.

12 p.m.: Stop by the flea market

I will go home afterward to chill for a little bit, and then I’ll see what my friends are doing so I can start planning my day. I love going to the Grove and the Melrose flea market, especially if a friend is in town. There’s a perfume stand there that I always buy a mango sticky rice perfume [from], and it also comes in a candle. I also love wearing hats, so I like seeing what hats they have. I like the Melrose flea market because I always run into people I know, too. I also love H. Lorenzo. I always shop at the shop on Sunset Boulevard.

3 p.m.: Seafood for brunch

It’s so cheesy, but I love Catch. I love sushi. I love seafood, and it’s nice because it’s on a rooftop. I love a sugar-free Red Bull. My favorite dishes are the truffle sashimi, the mushroom pasta with shrimp added and their baked crab hand rolls.

4 p.m.: Sober bar hopping in West Hollywood

Sometimes I want to go to West Hollywood to see my gay friends and be out and about and bar hop. What’s so great about West Hollywood is you can walk around and see where everyone is. I don’t go to a specific bar, because I actually don’t drink. It’s more of a thing to do with my friends.

7 p.m.: Netflix and steak

I’ll finish off my day or any sort of socializing around 7 p.m., then I’ll go home and make myself some food. I have been obsessed with just eating a steak with avocado and A.1. Sauce, and watching whatever TV shows I like on Hulu or Netflix. Right now, I’m obsessed with the show “Sirens” [on Netflix].

10 p.m.: Do my rigorous skincare routine

I am super crazy about my skincare, and on Sundays I really try to condition my hair, my scalp, and I will always do a face mask. Then I’ll do my skincare routine. I love exfoliating my body. I have this silicone exfoliant pad that I will use to fully exfoliate my body. I’ll call it a night usually by 11 p.m. I always go into the office on Mondays and Tuesdays, so I don’t really like to stay up that late on Sunday.

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How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Victoria Monét

Like most busy working mothers who struggle with work-life balance, three-time Grammy Award winner Victoria Monét cherishes spending time with her 4-year-old daughter, Hazel, who she shares with ex-boyfriend fitness trainer John Gaines.

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.

Known for writing hits like Ariana Grande’s “Thank U, Next,” Blackpink and Selena Gomez’s “Ice Cream” and Chloe x Halle’s “Do It,” in addition to “On My Mama” from her debut album “Jaguar II,” the L.A.-based R&B singer-songwriter recently penned something for younger audiences: the heartwarming children’s picture book “Everywhere You Are,” due out June 24.

In a recent interview, Monét revealed the inspiration behind her book. (She will discuss her new book at Malik Books on Saturday and the Reparations Club along with moderator Gabrielle Union on Sunday. Tickets are required.)

“As a parent, it’s hard to miss those pivotal moments,” she said of the separation anxiety that many children feel when their parents are working and unavailable. “It’s important for children to know that there is a purpose behind them. I wanted to offer assurance and relay an important message: Everything will be OK.”

Despite her demanding schedule, Monét always finds a way to make quality time for Hazel. In 2023, Hazel, then 2, became the youngest Grammy nominee in history when she was nominated for her vocals in “Hollywood” alongside her mother. And when Beyoncé kicked off her “Cowboy Carter” tour at Sofi Stadium in Inglewood last month, Monét took Hazel to her first concert. Their ideal Sunday in L.A., which Monét fondly calls “me time,” would involve playing outdoors, enjoying a visit to a family fun center, indulging in vegan sweet treats and reading “Everywhere You Are” to one another before bed. Here, Monét shares a joy-filled Sunday spent with her daughter.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

8:30 a.m.: Awake with gratitude

On Sundays, me and Hazel wake up later than usual because we probably stayed up late the night before if I didn’t have to work. We normally start our day by doing our gratitude journaling, where she doodles and I write. Then we do our self-care, where we brush our hair and teeth. I will then go downstairs and make her character pancakes with chocolate chips or Fruity Pebbles cereal.

After that, we may make some art. She loves to draw, and we have a nice art section in the house featuring everything from crayons to markers, scratch-off art, watercolors and rainbow paints.

10 a.m.: Dance, dance, dance!

Hazel is active and enjoys doing things, but on the weekends, we have instructors come to the house for dance lessons. So far, she has taken ballroom dance, ballet and tap. She was in gymnastics for a while. We’re looking forward to taking ballet and tumbling at To The Pointe Dance and Pilates Centre.

She loves being outside and enjoys riding her bike or visiting the park. During the week, she plays soccer twice a week. She loves it because it isn’t serious yet. It’s more about giving them a chance to have fun. They do drills on how to kick and run at the same time. It’s hard when you think about it.

12 p.m.: Indulge in fresh pasta at Uovo

Hazel loves pasta, so we often go to Uovo Pasta, which has several locations in Los Angeles. Their handmade al dente noodles are perfect — they overnight them from Italy. We would get the pomodoro and make sure that it’s not too spicy. Their cacio e pepe is great, but that’s a once-in-a-blue-moon thing for me because I’m [mostly] plant-based. Hazel usually gets what I get. When I was pregnant with her, I ate Flamin’ Hot Cheetos all the time, and now she likes them too. After lunch, I’d have to bring her home because she naps around 1 p.m.

2:30 p.m.: Jump for joy at Off the Wall

After her nap, we’ll hit Off the Wall in Woodland Hills. It’s trampoline heaven, where you can catapult higher than you intended to. There are rock climbing walls, an arcade and food. They have an air-filled basketball court that’s on a soft floor and there are birthday party rooms in the back. Hazel loves that place, especially the trampoline. She likes me to chase her, so I get a workout while we are there. I’ll literally be sweating when we leave.

4 p.m.: Sample sweet treats at Happy Ice or Magpies

For a sweet treat, Happy Ice is a favorite. It’s the best-tasting slushy snow cone, especially during the summer when it’s hot. They have locations in Northridge and Hollywood, but they also have a truck [at Smorgasburg on Sundays in downtown L.A.]. For Hazel’s birthday party, we had the truck come to our house. I usually get the Rainbow Rocket, which is a mix of all their Italian ice flavors, and Hazel gets the same thing I do. She is happy to get anything, frankly. Magpies Softserve is another one of our favorites. Their vegan honeycomb soft serve is so good. Hazel likes their soft-serve pies.

6 p.m.: Tapas-style dining at Joey

Hazel is newly picky, but if she were to go out to dinner with me, she would love Joey in Woodland Hills, which offers a wide-ranging menu. They check off a box for everybody. I’m a tapas-style girl, so I like to order a variety of different dishes: guacamole, tuna and avocado crunch roll and Korean fried cauliflower. I’ll order the sake-glazed Chilean sea bass and pasta for Hazel.

We’re homebodies, so another dinner option would be spending time together at home, cooking and playing in the pool. We enjoy making veggie and tofu tacos together. Things you can eat with your hands are always fun with kids. That’s one reason they like s’mores so much. Occasionally, we’ll make something pescatarian like grilled salmon or other fish.

8 p.m.: Watch “Moana 2” … again

At night, we would watch a movie and wind down with some Skinny Pop popcorn. Hazel would probably watch “Moana 2” again right now. We saw it in the theaters, and she goes through phases where she wants to watch different things, but she recently said that she wants a “Moana 2” party for her fifth birthday. I thought she’d like something else by then. But then, she thinks there will be 20 Moanas.

10 p.m.: Read “Everywhere You Are” before bed

Before bed, Hazel often asks me to read “Everywhere You Are” to her. She loves to read and enjoys being read to. I’ve read it to her so many times that she can read it back to me. She recorded a segment of the audiobook with me and was excited to hear herself when she recorded it in the studio. Reading the book to her, I realized that missing a parent is a lot like losing a loved one. You can still feel their presence even though they’re not around. Love binds people together despite physical distance. Even when they don’t see you, children need to know that you’re still there and that you’ll always be with them.



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How to have the best Sunday in L.A. according to Terry Crews

Terry Crews is a man of many talents. In the 1990s, he played for both the Rams and the Chargers before becoming an actor and starring in projects like “White Chicks,” “Everybody Hates Chris,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and “The Expendables” franchise. Other roles on his resume? Old Spice spokesman, high-end furniture designer, accomplished painter and author of a memoir. Crews was also featured in People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive issue three times.

But the gig that has made him internationally known, he says, is hosting “America’s Got Talent” for the last six years. The show, which is celebrating 20 seasons, returns to NBC on May 27.

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.

For Crews, hosting “AGT” is a job that suits him. “I am a honey-baked ham,” he shamelessly admits, flashing his endearing white smile during a Zoom call. “I like the spotlight. I’ve always been a dancer, so it was like this is the vibe. But then I got in there, and I was like, now I see why I love this so much. It’s because every contestant reminds me of me.”

We caught up with Crews to discuss his ideal Sunday in L.A. It involves walking around Old Town Pasadena, catching a movie and spending time with his wife Rebecca King-Crews and their five adult children.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

6:30 a.m.: Wake up and hit the gym

I am an early riser no matter what. Even if it’s Sunday, it’s like, my body clock just kind of pops up. Like when I say I sleep in late, that’s 6:30 or 7 a.m. because I like to get up at the crack of dawn. I’m a 4:30 or 5 a.m. guy. Every Sunday, I start with a workout. It’s very light, more of cardio and active recovery, but I never miss it.

9 a.m.: Pick up breakfast from Erewhon

I’ve been intermittent fasting for almost 15 years, so I don’t eat breakfast, but I love breakfast food. So what I do — and this is a real staple — we have an Erewhon that opened near us and it has the most fabulous cooked breakfast. It’s half a store, half a restaurant. Erewhon has the best smoothies, the best pastries. Even though I don’t eat until 2 p.m., I go to Erewhon and get all their breakfast stuff. I’ll get the bacon and eggs, or the breakfast sandwiches [and] breakfast burritos. A lot of the time on Sundays, that’s when all the kids want to stop by, so I’ll bring a bunch of stuff, set it on the stove, and they go in there and I tell them, “Leave me something.”

10 a.m.: Praise break at home

My wife actually started a church. It’s called the L.A. Life Church. It’s like Tiny Desk meets church and she has a thing called Sonic Sundays. It’s online, but we record during the week, and it’s basically a half an hour with a lot of music, and then she does a lesson. We watch it together every Sunday morning when it comes out at 10 a.m. When COVID hit, it kind of changed our churchgoing habits because everybody had to do it at home, and she just decided, “You know what? Let’s just do it!”

11:30 a.m.: Hit up Old Town in Pasadena

Once that’s over, that’s when we go down to Old Town. It’s our favorite place to go. I have an office slash studio that’s right off Colorado Avenue. That’s where all the stores are, and my wife has a store, Rebeccca Crews, which is in Hugus Alley. My daughter works there too. So we’ll walk around Old Town and I’ll stop by Alfred to pick up a coffee. I get a double espresso, straight with nothing in it.

We do occasionally do brunches. We really like Soho House in West Hollywood and also LA Cha Cha Chá near the Arts District.

1:30 p.m.: Breakfast for lunch

If we decide to stay out, one place we love is Americana in Glendale, which is really close. I love this place called Egg Slut there. Crazy name, but man-oh-man, like I told you, I love breakfast food and they close at 2 p.m. So we have to time it out. We’ll do all that Old Town running around, then we’ll jump down to Glendale and usually I get there by 1:30 p.m. and I’ll be their last customer, and they know me. I have a double bacon, double egg breakfast sandwich. It comes with a little ketchup on it and I get a side salad, which is like arugula and a little Parmesan and maybe a small orange juice.

3:30 p.m.: Pop over to the Americana in Glendale

I love books. I have a library of books that is probably the most valuable thing that I own. I probably have like 10,000 books, so what I love to do is go to Barnes and Noble. You can’t find them anymore. It’s very rare and the Barnes and Noble at Americana is one of my favorite spots, because I’ll get lost. You can spend literally two or three hours there.

5 p.m.: Watch a flick

I’m a big movie guy, so usually on a Sunday, that’s when I do my theater watching. I’ve been getting tickets to throwback movies. Being at home, it’s OK, but I love the smell of popcorn and I love to experience the reactions of other people. When you’re going to see a comedy or something scary or something weird, it’s kind of like you want to feel that energy, so we go to IPIC. I’m a gold member. I’m practically a platinum member because I’m about really nice experiences. If you’re going to do a theater, do it well.

7 p.m.: Enjoy my cheatday meal

Even though I do intermittent fasting, Sunday is my cheat day. When it’s time for dinner, that’s In-N-Out Burger time. I’ll get a couple double-doubles. You know, I’m simple. Or we’ll find a restaurant that everyone’s been talking about. But a lot of times, they aren’t open on Sunday nights. There are a few like Majordomo that my guy David Chang [owns], but other than that, it’s In-N-Out Burger time.

If there’s a sporting event on a Sunday, I’d go to SoFi to see a football game. I was on the Rams and the Chargers, so the funny thing is, when I get invited to a Chargers game, I act like I’m the biggest Chargers fan in the world, and then when I get invited to the Rams game, I do the same thing. They both ended up in L.A., so they both claim me and I’m like yep [laughs].

8 p.m.: Get ready for bed

I go to bed early and my wife is like, “What are we, in third grade?” [Laughs] That’s why I don’t like to go to the movies too late. I will never, ever go to a movie that starts at 7 p.m. cause you won’t be out of there until like 10 p.m. I’m like nope! I go to bed at the latest 8:30 p.m. and my regime — something I’ve been doing for years and it feels so good — is I close all the curtains, make sure the room is all cool. I try my best to put the phone up. I don’t want that blue light on me. I wash my face, brush my teeth, get in bed and I’ll have the book of the century — whatever I’m reading — right next to the bed and my glasses.

I look forward to this time cause you know where you left off, whether it’s a novel or an autobiography, and you’re like, I wonder what happened there? I always have to make sure I leave at a good spot. I’m the guy who gets sad at the end of a book. The same way people feel about streaming when you’ve gone through all 10 episodes. I’m reading a book called “The Weight of Air” by this guy named David Poses. Oh, my God. He was addicted to heroin for years and was in and out of rehab. It’s fascinating because he’s so transparent and it just inspires me to be that vulnerable.

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How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Gabby Windey

Spiritually, Gabby Windey is all about Sundays in a hardcore, no-exceptions, day-of-rest sort of way. The “Long Winded” podcast host became the breakout star of “The Traitors” this year after winning the reality TV competition with a series of bold outfits and stereotype-smashing strategic moves. Her stream-of-consciousness podcast monologues continue to boost her star, frequently going viral on Instagram and TikTok for their vocal fry realness. Now she’s booked and busy beyond belief, a mixed bag for Windey.

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.

“You know I’m always begging for a break,” Windey says. “It’s things that I want to be busy with, so I can’t really complain. But yeah, I’m always looking for my next nap.”

That makes Sundays feel like a “special occasion” for her, especially since it’s when she gets slow, quality time with her wife, comedian Robby Hoffman. Together, Windey and Hoffman spend their Sundays in the most relatable way possible: scrolling the internet, watching TV and movies, getting high with friends and snacking.

Sundays are also the ultimate example of Windey’s famous “business hours,” the time after 3 p.m. in which Windey’s confidence plummets and she’d rather “gouge my eyes out with a dull chopstick” than FaceTime for work. Woe to anyone who would bother Windey on a Sunday.

“God forbid, if anyone emails you on a Sunday, block and delete, fire them all,” Windey says. “On Sunday I am closed for business. You will not hear a peep from me.”

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

9 a.m.: Get out of bed, get back into bed

We’ll sleep in until, like, hopefully 9 or something. Robby works nights, you know, she’s a stand-up comedian. I’m like blaming [sleeping in] on her, but I can easily get 10 hours of sleep a night. So yeah, we like a lazy morning.

We’ll go get coffee. We’re right next to Lamill now. Then we’ll come back home and do the New York Times crossword, Connections, Wordle in bed.

Normally, when Robby’s had her fair share of like showing me YouTube clips or Reels, then I’ll start to get antsy. I’m like, “Enough of this. Let’s go.”

11 a.m.: Groceries and tamales

We’ll walk to the Silver Lake Farmers Market. Robby does a lot of the grocery shopping, and I’ll just, like, get a tamale. They’re $5, and they’re huge. I like a red sauce and a green sauce, so it’s like beef with the red sauce and chicken with the green sauce, but I also like a dessert tamale, a sweet tamale. I’m half Mexican, and my mom did not cook except for tamales. So it’s a very comforting food.

Robby’s really good at grocery shopping, so I just kind of let her go. But we get fresh berries. We’ll make veggie sandwiches throughout the week, which is like romaine lettuce, mushrooms, tomatoes and cucumber. We’ll get those ingredients and whatever weird food there is, you know, there’s always like some hippie fermented thing that’s supposed to be good for you.

Noon: Back to bed.

I have to take a break.

1 p.m.: Prerolls in the park

For [the weed holiday] 4/20, we met up with friends in Silver Lake Meadow. First I went to Botanica to get some snacks. They have good snacks, so I got this really good carrot hummus. It’s like sweet. I got some good crackers, some goat cheese wrapped in tea leaves. It sounds better than it actually was. And I’m exploring NA [nonalcoholic] options. So I got some Ghia. People die for it. But I’m like, I don’t know. I wasn’t quite sold. It’s not giving me a buzz. Surprisingly — there’s nothing in it! But I still want a buzz of some sort, which in comes the weed. So then we went to the park to just like get high on Edie Parker prerolls, talk s— with some friends for like three hours and eat good snacks. (Note: Windey has a partnership with fashion and cannabis brand Edie Parker).

4:30 p.m.: Catch a movie

Then we’ll go see a movie. We’ll f— with the Americana [at Brand] hard. We love the popcorn, love the ease. We’ll like sneak food in and out, you know, I don’t even think you need to sneak it in anymore. We haven’t gotten caught, but we always have the backstory of like that we’re gluten-free, or that we’re kosher, because Robby grew up Hasidic. So she knows what it’s like to be kosher, and I guess it’d be a good excuse for sneaking in food to the movie theater.

7:30 p.m.: Eat special-occasion sushi

After the movies, we’ll probably go out, like on a date night. I love sushi, obviously, who doesn’t? So we’ll either go to Sugarfish, because it’s like you get the same thing every time. You know, it’s so reliable. Or Kombu Sushi in Silver Lake. They have a great baked crab roll that I literally crave. But I like to save it for a special occasion, for Sunday.

9:30 p.m.: Call it a night

Back home, I’ll maybe do some skincare if I have any energy left, which after this Sunday it sounds like I won’t. Other than that, we might just watch a show, or I’ll do like a face mask. I’ll read on the Kindle — I’m reading “Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents.” I can’t wait to be done with it. I’m like, “OK, I just need to get through this. And then I can start fun reading again.” I didn’t get much of the American lit category in school. So I’m trying to kind of move my way through that. I just read Joan Didion’s “Slouching Towards Bethlehem.” I might go to the other book that people think is her best one next.



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