Where: Los Angeles
What: From Cheebo to Lake Balboa with The Reinhardts
Who: Owners of Cheebo on Sunset Blvd, Sandro and Fiona Reinhardt might be transplants to LA, but with an established eatery in Hollywood, they are now Angelenos at heart. Since opening Cheebo in 2002, Sandro and Fiona have been providing local families, screenwriters, scenesters and everyone in between honest, organic food in an airy setting. South of France native Sandro and thriving actress Fiona (check her out in the new MGM/ Warner release, “Everything, Everything” opening May 19) have three kids, 9, 6 and 4. When the family gets cabin fever—which doesn’t take long in any household of five—they remember grandma’s favorite expression: “Time to go on an expedition!”
The Reinhardt Family
Cheebo
Hollywood, All ages
Sandro and Fiona Reinhardt: It’s truly our family’s home away from home. At least twice a week, my kids are there having dinner with me at Cheebo. It’s so kid-friendly that there are always a lot of other families there having early dinners at the same time. One of our goals was to make Cheebo comfortable for people from all walks of life. Between 5 and 6 every night, it’s always family hour! My kids love hanging out at the restaurant, drawing on our butcher paper tablecloths with crayons and eating pizza and spaghetti. I’ve gotten spoiled, because the last thing I want to do after spending the whole day at the restaurant is to go home and cook … so I let Cheebo do the work for me! We created the kid’s menu so that parents would have lots of kid-friendly, healthy choices, not just the typical hot dogs or chicken nuggets. Our kids menu is $5-8 and they can have steak, salmon, grilled chicken … all organic with veggies, and the parents don’t need to worry that their kids are eating junk. Of course, most kids end up getting pizza or pasta, but it’s important to us that they always have another option.
Franklin Canyon Park
Beverly Crest, All ages
S&FR: This is our easy go-to to get the kids out of the house and into nature. We start by walking around the small duck pond. It’s full of turtles, fish and of course ducks! We’ve been going there since my oldest, Sofia, was a baby. Then, we go around the full loop of the reservoir; it only takes an hour or so at most, but the kids always have a great time stopping to find frogs, clamber over rocks and have a little picnic.
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Downtown, Ages 3+
S&FR: LA Phil does the most wonderful kid’s concerts at Walt Disney Concert hall. Toyota Symphonies for Youth are hour-long family friendly concerts recommended for 5-11 year olds. All my kids love music, and this is a fantastic introduction to it. If you arrive an hour before the show begins, they always have fun activities in the lobby. The shows are very entertaining, with clowns, dancers or actors who make the music very accessible to the children. Also, the show is short, with no intermission, which we find is just long enough so that the little kids don’t get too wiggly.
Westward Beach
Malibu, All ages
S&FR: The stretch of beach between Zuma and Point Dume. This is the quintessential Southern California beach, in my opinion. It’s gorgeous, not too crowded and our kids love it just as much on a cloudy day as a sunny one. The kids just love running around in the waves, playing ball on the sand, and making sand castles. The perfect spot to bring a few
beach umbrellas, a picnic lunch, and just hang out all day. If you’re lucky, you’ll see seals, pelicans and dolphins there, and last time we went, we even saw a baby hunchback whale. Amazing!
Marvin Braude Mulholland Gateway Park
Tarzana, Ages 3+
S&FR: My kids love to hike along ‘dirt Mulholland’ up to the Nike missile site … amazing views of the ocean, great place for a picnic and after a storm always fun to be had splashing in the muddy puddles!
Lake Balboa
Sepulveda Basin, All ages
S&FR: After kids soccer or basketball games the whole family often heads to Lake Balboa to ride their bikes or scooters. We all love the ducks and other waterfowl, and the playground is fantastic. The nearby Japanese Garden is also a great place. It is so tranquil and beautiful, with a pond, weeping willow and cherry blossoms. The kids play for hours exploring the waterfall, bridges and teahouse.
Santa Monica Pier
Santa Monica, All ages
S&FR: Our children are adrenaline junkies, so they love it there … they say it’s even better than Disneyland or Universal, and just a fraction of the price ($19-28 depending on age, and even cheaper with Groupon deals). It’s in a gorgeous setting with amazing views, more self-contained than the big theme parks and just a much fun for us. We can enjoy all the rides in one visit, as well as a few games, without completely burning ourselves (or our wallets) out.
The Getty
Brentwood, All ages
S&FR: Our family is made up of culture fanatics and my kids love all museums and art galleries, but the Getty remains their all-time favorite. Since they were toddlers they have always loved taking the “train” (tram) to the museum from the parking lot. The kids’ area is a favorite, as is the sketching room, where they are given paper and pencils to create their own versions of masterpieces. The garden there is also exquisitely beautiful.
Image courtesy of Cheebo
Franklin Canyon Park courtesy of @team_peter
Walt Disney Concert Hall courtesy of @pattylove913
Westward Beach courtesy of Reinhardt Family
Marvin Braude Mulholland Gateway Park courtesy of @mehdi.narangi
Lake Balboa courtesy of @zohramaura
Santa Monica Pier courtesy of the Reinhardt Family
Image courtesy of The Getty
Header image at Westward Beach courtesy of Reinhardt Family
