Santa Monica/Venice Beach
I love to hire a bike and go down to Santa Monica pier and cycle up the boardwalk all the way to the Marina del Rey peninsula and back again. Down by the pier there are ten steel rings hanging from a giant frame in front of the trapeze bars. Basically, it’s giant monkey bars for grownups. I go down there and I absolutely love it. The truth is, it’s kind of the reason that I moved to the Westside. If you haven’t seen the crazies doing the drum circle in Venice, it’s a thing to behold.
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The Marina
Down right on the edge of the marina there’s this little swimming beach, which is very still. This bit of beach has grills outside where you can take your own BBQ charcoal and grill your own stuff. I love it down there. It’s very quiet. It won’t be quiet now that I’ve said that, but I used to go there and hang a lot.
Neptune’s Net
I’ve spent a few lunches there over the years. I love the place. Just because it’s a way of driving up the PCH and stopping and getting some food, looking at the locals. One of my favorite things to do, really, is look at the crazies, and I say that with affection. I love going up there and looking at all the guys who hang out there and polish their bikes and show them off. I don’t have a motorcycle anymore. I gave up the right to do that when I had kids. I want one, but I’m not allowed!
The Huntington Library
I love those grounds, they’re beautiful. I also love the Getty Center, it’s a great place to watch the sunset.
Skateboarding
I am particularly bad on my skateboard at a skateboard park. I have fallen quite comically a number of times.
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Airport Park
The dog park there is just great because it feels like it’s been designed for dogs and not their owners, which I like.
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Soho House West Hollywood
When we’re in town I do like the Soho House because I love playing pool and it’s somewhere I can go play and eat good food. It’s a good meeting place to see people and just be off the beaten track a little bit.
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Tasting Kitchen
I love Gjelina, obviously, on Abbot Kinney, everyone loves that, but my favorite is the Tasting Kitchen. I think the Tasting Kitchen is just doing the most incredible stuff and I miss it when I’m not in town. They do a meat plate on Sundays for brunch and they do this crazy egg plate. You can have your eggs like four different ways. They’re unbelievable. The meat plate is steak, bacon and sausages, all on one plate. No, I’m not a vegetarian, funnily that.
Groundworks
Pretty much the best coffee.
Go Kart World
One of the things I love doing is racing go-carts down in Carson. Sometimes I just get by myself, get on the 405, and drive down to Carson. There’s a go-cart center there. There’s one in Ventura as well, that’s electric.
The Music Box
I love the Greek and I love the Wiltern because they are small and you feel like you are right up in everybody’s business, which I really like, but the Music Box is very much like the Brixton Academy that I used to go to a lot in south London.
