great takes on family travel in the U.S.

From guest blogger Marsha Takeda-Morrison of Sweatpantsmom

I’m a big fan of Rachael Ray’s “$40 Dollars A Day,” where the ubiquitous Food Network star goes to different places around the world and shows you how you can enjoy three meals a day for forty bucks or less. Although, sometimes I feel bad for Rachael because there’ll she be in a beautiful place like Rome and she’s having a crust of bread and an olive for dinner because she’s already spent $39.50 on breakfast and lunch.

But I have to admit in these increasingly troubling economic times, I’ve been thinking of ways to cut costs when it comes to dining and entertainment. So I’ve come up with some things in L.A. that my family of four can enjoy for $20 or less. Unfortunately, the budgets are tight on some of these and I may have to bring along my own bread crust.

Santa Monica Pier Ferris Wheel. Honestly, ferris wheels scare me to death, but I may have to buck up and try this one out. It’s the new solar-powered Pacific Wheel that’s part of Pacific Park, the amusement park on the Santa Monica Pier. Admission to the park is free, but tickets for the ferris wheel are $5 apiece. That would eat up our entire $20, but we’d be rewarded with some spectacular views of the California coastline. Unfortunately I wouldn’t have enough money left over to buy a barf bag.

The Getty Center. I know, I’ve mentioned this place like a gazillion times, but it still stands out as one of the best deals in town. For only $8 for parking, we have access to all the exhibits and the awesome Getty Gardens. Best of all, the $12 we have left over will buy each of us a snack. Or, if I’m feeling cranky, a couple of cappuccinos for me and a few sugar packets that my husband and two kids can split between them.

Friday Night Jazz at the L.A. County Museum of Art (LACMA). Our kids aren’t big jazz fans, but they still love this. It takes place on Fridays from 6-8pm during April through November in the main courtyard of the museum. It’s absolutely free, which means if we pack some juice and snacks for the kids my husband and I can spend our $20 on a couple of nice cool martinis while we listen to first-rate jazz. All the galleries are free after 5pm, so as soon as the kids started requesting the sax player to play some White Stripes we’d be able to whisk them out of there for a stroll through the galleries.

The Beach. This needs no explanation, really. We’ll pack sunscreen, some snacks, our iPods and a couple of books. The kids will play all day long, and my husband and I will fantasize about buying a beach house when we win the lottery. If you can find parking for free you can spend the entire $20 on incredibly tasty junk food at the snack bar. Sunshine, ocean breezes and deep-fried food - what more could you ask for?

Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). Like many museums around town, MOCA has a night where admission is free and theirs is Thursday, from 5-8pm. For $20 the four of us could easily share two of their generous sandwiches and have some sparkling sodas at Joachim Splichal’s Patinette Café. Then we could browse the gallery until closing. Unfortunately the visit would still be a complete letdown to my 12-year-old, since we wouldn’t have any money leftover to spend in the gift shop.

With gas prices as high as they are now, I realize that a measly $20 wouldn’t even cover the gas to get to some of these venues, but even Rachael Ray cheats a bit. You think she’s getting to that restaurant in Greece on a public bus? Personally, I think she goes back to her hotel after being a ‘$40 A Day’ tightwad and orders up three hundred dollars worth of room service.

Photo: Pacific Park Santa Monica

From guest blogger Marsha Takeda-Morrison of Sweatpantsmom

I’ve been asked by the editors to participate in a meme called Thursday Thirteen. Coming up with thirteen of anything seemed impossible at first, unless you asked me to list the number of ways I can order a cappuccino at Starbucks.

But then I remembered a dilemma I face almost daily living in Los Angeles, the land of the Perpetually Primped. How can I, a working mom, go out in public with the least amount of personal grooming? And most importantly, avoid running into anyone I know lest they judge my haggard appearance? After all, this is L.A., where most women wouldn’t dare leave the house without lipstick, two coats of mascara and a Botox injection - and that’s just to get the mail.

Thursday Thirteen – Thirteen Places You Can Go In Los Angeles Without Makeup

1. The ‘scary’ grocery story in your neighborhood. I prefer our local downtrodden market to the more upscale version located a few blocks closer. So what if all the cashiers are missing half their teeth? It’s worth it if I don’t have to run into any of those moms glowing after their seaweed peels and three-hour facials.
2. Art-house movie at any Laemmle Theater – Although it appears that my highbrow taste is the motivation for attending subtitled films about lonely cobblers finding love during WWII, the real reason is there’s not a chance that any of the other three people in the theater is someone I know.
3. Chuck E. Cheese – My kids outgrew this place years ago, but I still long for those days of being able to blend in with the other hundred frantic, pasty-faced parents scarfing down pizza while their toddlers run wild.
4. Jury Duty – If you’re trying to get out of serving, appearing as unkempt as possible will work in your favor here. No one’s going to want you deciding the fate of another human being when you look like someone who can’t even brush their own hair.
5. The Car Wash – This only applies to those venues that let you stay in your vehicle while your van hits the suds. Resist the temptation to get out and pick up another fake-pine air freshener or pair of cheap sunglasses.
6. Gas Stations – I try to look as unattractive as possible when pumping gas, in order to discourage panhandling. However, I was given five bucks by a homeless guy once and told to go get a good haircut.
7. Any 7-Eleven – For obvious reasons.
8. Bally’s Total Fitness, Between 11pm and 6am ONLY – Trying to get on a treadmill during normal business hours without a full face of makeup in L.A. will result in a severe ass-kicking by other gym patrons forced to stare at your ugly mug.
9. Any fast food drive-thru – No one will ever see you ordering your super-sized monster taco meal while looking like you just woke up from a fifty-year nap.
10. Target, Sepulveda Blvd. in Van Nuys – This Target is a mecca for overworked, overwhelmed parents and it shows. I feel right at home amongst the tattered-sweatpants crowd. Drive over the hill to Sunset and Vine, though, and every single person looks like they’re from the cast of The Hills.
11. The Dry Cleaners – What person in their right mind would get gussied up to pick up a bunch of sweaters?
12. Ross Dress For Less, Mervins, Marshalls or anywhere else you can get a coat for under ten dollars – See #7
13. Sorry, but there really are only twelve places in L.A. that you can go looking like a hag.

From guest blogger Marsha Takeda-Morrison of Sweatpantsmom

1. Give 5 adjectives that you would use to describe the “feel” of your town and its residents.
Diverse. Creative. Vibrant. Open-minded. Fun-seeking. (I know, that was actually seven words. I guess that rules out ‘mathematically-inclined.’)

2. What is your favorite neighborhood in your town?
There are so many neighborhoods I love, it’s hard to choose just one. So I’m going to totally bend the rules and pick two. I’m lawless like that.

My first pick would have to be the neighborhood I grew up in and where my mother still lives in the home where she raised me and my four siblings: South Central. Okay, I chose it mainly for sentimental reasons, but also because I feel it’s an area that’s been given a bad rap that it doesn’t always deserve. It’s the home of the Museum of Natural History, the amazing Watts Towers and the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Not to mention the fact that one of my favorite movies, John Singleton’s “Boyz In The Hood” was filmed on my block. That’s money right there.

My second pick would be the Miracle Mile neighborhood, where I spent most of my twenties and that really defines my single years. It’s well known for the L.A. County Museum of Art, (LACMA) but I’m particularly fond of the stores and restaurants that line La Brea Boulevard; Nancy Silverton’s famous La Brea Bakery and her Campanile restaurant, and the local favorites Café Midi and Purans. And I have some wonderful memories of the late, great Pik-Me-Up Café, one of the first authentic coffee houses in L.A.

3. Which cuisine do you think your town does best? What is the runner-up?
Hands down, L.A. does Mexican food the best. Runner up would be Japanese, and dinner parties with both enchiladas and sushi on the table are not unheard of.

4. What is the best free thing to do?
The Getty Center. For just the price of parking ($8) you’ve got access to the museum, the amazing gardens and my favorite cafeteria in the city. It’s an even better deal if you can cram twelve people into your Prius. Not that I recommend it, but I’m just saying.

5. What is your favorite type of entertainment?
Not to sound lazy or gluttonous, but anything that doesn’t require a great deal of walking and is in close proximity to good food. (Wow - that sounded totally lazy and gluttonous.) Obviously backpacking with freeze-dried rations is out, but I can have an amazing time at the ArcLight Cinemas with their cafés and coffee bars in the lobby, and a nightclub with a good steak on the menu is heaven to me.

6. List the best family friendly activity.
The beach! Fun, free, healthy and relaxing. There’s something for the whole family in there – the kids can run around, play in the water and be as loud as they want to be, while my husband and I can relax and listen to our iPods or dive into a good book. As I mentioned in my answer to #5 above, it doesn’t require a lot of walking and, if I pack a nice lunch, is in very close proximity to good food.

7. What spot would you send a couple, looking for a romantic weekend?
The W Hotel is one of our favorite spots. But keep in mind that for my husband and I, both designers, the sight of a Phillippe Starck sink and a beautiful brushed steel elevator really gets us hot. For you more traditionalists, Shutters On The Beach in Santa Monica is very romantic, and you’ll probably see a few celebrities there, too. What could be more romantic than seeing Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore together? Besides Ashton Kutcher alone, that is.

8. Describe a perfect day…one that captures what your area/city is all about. In 3 sentences or less.
Breakfast at an outdoor café. A few lazy hours at the beach with friends and family. Dinner, a movie and then a stroll down the Third Street Promenade. (This would take place in February, while the rest of the country is freezing.)

9. Tell us about a place that you love to go, whether it is in the guidebooks or not.
Disneyland. And that is the strangest answer coming from me, because in all honesty I loathe amusement parks. But I love going to Disneyland because I’ve never seen my kids happier than when we’re walking through the turnstiles heading towards Main Street or getting on the Pirates of the Caribbean. I hope they remember this when they grow up and return the favor by wheeling me over to Costco once in awhile.

10. What should we have asked, but didn’t?
What is the most overrated activity that I tell visitors to avoid like the plague?

Shopping on Rodeo Drive. Rude people, bad service and will cost you thousands. And all that’s just the valet parking.

From guest blogger Marsha Takeda-Morrison of Sweatpantsmom

When I was asked to write about ideas for a three-day weekend, I panicked since we are a notoriously last-minute kind of family; planning ahead means calling the hotel from the parking lot to see if they have any vacancies.

So I decided to check the paper to see what everyone else was doing, and judging by the endless ads and inserts it was obvious how 99% of America would be spending their holiday – shopping. This was a great idea that involved minimum forethought, and another excellent way to help our economy! My husband wouldn’t be too thrilled, but neither was I when he made me camp in the rain that time, either. Besides, I get just as much joy from bringing home a new purse as I would from lugging back a piece of driftwood.

We’ll start off our weekend by heading out to the mother of all shopping malls, the South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. Supposedly they have something like five million stores in there – I’ve heard that the owners don’t even know how many and when they’re done counting their bags of money at night they just go right back and build another store in the morning.

But first we’d have to eat, so we’ll stop at Coco Noche in Manhattan Beach, a wine and chocolate restaurant that serves excellent tapas dishes. We’d order the Korean beef served with lettuce leaves and their chicken sandwiches. My husband would still be fuming over the whole shopping thing, and would just down a couple of beers. Afterwards we would sample some chocolate – they have exotic ones like chili pepper and cinnamon.

When we got to the mall we’d first have to appease our two tween girls so our first stop would be Hot Topic. I would limit them to 30 minutes because to be perfectly honest that place scares the hell out of me – I’m always afraid I’ll come out of there and realize I’d gotten my tongue pierced and a skull tattooed on my stomach.

Next I would go to Bloomingdales and not come out for three hours.

After hours of spending my husband’s hard-earned cash we’d need to eat again and luckily food was nearby. I truly believe that next to stretch jeans, man’s greatest invention has got to be the Mall Food Court, where a family of four can eat tacos, baguettes and pizza all at the same meal. Next we’d head to our hotel, which I had just reserved three minutes earlier.

The next morning I’d be feeling sorry for my husband, so we’d head across the street to one of our favorite places in the city, Isamu Noguchi’s California Scenario. You wouldn’t expect to find a sculpture garden created by a world-class artist wedged between a Chili’s and FedEx office, but there it is. We’d wander around the cactuses and rocks and listen to the amazing silence in the middle of the city. I’d try to enjoy it and not think too much about that fajita pan I put on hold at Crate and Barrel.

On our way home we’d stop by Huntington Beach and sit out on the sand for awhile to count our receipts enjoy the sound of the waves. We’d all agree that it had been a great weekend – and while we were coming home poorer, we could all rest in easy in the thought that we looked stunning in our new clothes.

What are some ways you spend a three-day weekend? Are you a plan-ahead or a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of person?

From guest blogger Marsha Takeda-Morrison of Sweatpantsmom

We were asked to write about our favorite restaurants this week, and the only difficult part will be writing a post that doesn’t go on for five pages. My list is long and varied, and I’m always up for trying new things - including half a Pink Pearl eraser that I once ate on a dare when I was working at an ad agency. It definitely didn’t taste like chicken.

I’m going to keep this list to my top four, and also limit it to restaurants that I haven’t mentioned in this blog before. That still leaves around 50,000 possibilities, and I’ll have a hard time whittling it down. But I promise there won’t be an eraser in sight.

First on my list would have to be Kyushu Ramen in Van Nuys. My two daughters and I are huge ramen fanatics (not the packaged, brick-of-noodles version from the grocery store) and I was excited to find this little oasis of authenticity in a non-descript mini-mall in the east Valley. They serve around thirty versions of ramen, everything from your basic shoyu (soy sauce based) version to their specialty, Kyushu ramen, which is in a rich, cloudy broth made with pork. They also offer other dishes like Japanese-style curry and sushi on their huge menu, but the noodles are what we will drive through rain and traffic for at least a few times a month.

My husband and I are longtime fans of Border Grill in Santa Monica. This restaurant has been here for awhile, and is owned by Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feigner, who you might remember from the Too Hot Tamales series on the Food Network. Border Grill features “authentic home cooking and street foods of Mexico” not to mention the tastiest margaritas in town. I highly recommend their Green Corn Tamales and their Potato Rajas Tacos. Did I mention the margaritas?

Next I have to mention a new favorite. The urge for a hot dog hit me, and we decided to finally try The Stand, a restaurant located only ten minutes from our house but one we’d never ventured into. I describe it as an upscale hot dog joint, serving traditional hot dogs (many versions) but also sausages and burgers. We ate outside on their beautiful tree-canopied patio and listened to a live jazz band. After my kids stopped freaking out over the ‘neon relish’ on my Chicago dog they had a great time. Definitely not your average hot dog and fries experience.

Last but not least would be Farfalla Trattoria, a small Italian restaurant located in the Los Feliz area. My husband and I have been going there since we were first dating, and the quality has never faltered. It’s a traditional menu, with homemade pasta and a great wine list. I seem to order the same dish every time: tagliolini cozze e vongole, homemade thin pasta with mussels, clams and tomato sauce and an order of bruschetta to start. Fortunately, after eating a weeks worth of carbs in one sitting, you can walk it off by strolling the streets of the hip Los Feliz district.

What are your favorite restaurants in your city? Who serves the best margarita?

Photo: BorderGrill.com

From guest blogger Marsha Takeda-Morrison of Sweatpantsmom

There’s a column in the Los Angeles Times every Thursday called ‘My Favorite Weekend’ where celebrities write about what their perfect weekend would be. Predictably, 99% of them start with breakfast at the vegan Real Food Daily, involve a vigorous hike in Runyan Canyon and end with an organic chai latte at Urth Cafe. I sometimes wonder if this is just the PC version from their publicist, and the celebrity featured is actually having an Egg McMuffin and a pack of Marlboros for breakfast before passing out until Sunday night.

Since Mother’s Day is coming up, I decided to write about what My Favorite Weekend would be. As you’ll see, without a publicist to speak of, pork products and sedentary activity prevail…

My ideal weekend would start with brunch in Santa Barbara at the Four Seasons Biltmore. They have the most amazing spread, and it’s easy to linger there forever enjoying the view. However, if the idea of spending a mortgage payment on a waffle is daunting that day, I would stay local and head over to Mo’s in Toluca Lake. They have great breakfasts, and I’d have the Eggs Florentine with a side of their bacon, which is the thickest and juiciest I’ve ever had. Also, the place is close to the studios and great for stargazing; on our last visit my kids spotted someone from The Hannah Montana show.

After digesting that huge meal and twelve cups of coffee I would have to get a massage. My husband and I are shiatsu aficionados, and the best one we’ve found is at the Miyako Spa in Little Tokyo. But it’s not for the faint of heart – don’t expect a lilac-fragranced room and a woman named Britta anointing you with oils. These are women from the old country, who will pummel you within an inch of your life while exchanging no pleasantries whatsoever. In other words, the most incredible, exhilarating massage you’ll ever have. Afterwards I’d soak in the jacuzzi in their bare-bones spa area and drink some mugi cha out of a paper cup.

Since a massage usually puts me into a coma, I’d sleep for a few hours and then we’d head out for a late dinner. I’d be in a healthy state of mind after the spa, so we’d go to a Japanese restaurant, maybe Sushi Roku on the Westside. Then I’d totally blow it by ordering Dynamite, which is basically just clams swimming in mayonnaise. Heaven.

On Sunday, which is actually Mother’s Day, we would have breakfast at home and relax. We hate having to fight morning crowds, so we would meet up with the rest of my family for an afternoon dim sum meal at NBC Seafood in Monterey Park. My brother’s new wife, who is Chinese, turned us on to this place and it’s made me realize that Panda Express is not really Chinese food.

In actuality, we’ll be celebrating Mother’s Day this weekend on Saturday, as all of our family and friends will be turning out to watch my husband’s band play at the Sagebrush Cantina in Calabasas. It’s been there for years, and attracts a wildly diverse crowd - everyone from bikers to young families. We’ll sit out on the patio and drink their strong margaritas and devour baskets of chips, and I’ll spend the day watching my two daughters dance in the aisles. Sounds like a perfect weekend to me.

How will you be spending Mother’s Day? What would your Favorite Weekend be like?

From guest blogger Marsha Takeda-Morrison of Sweatpantsmom

If you haven’t already, chances are you’ll soon be receiving one of those tax rebate checks from the government, intended to “stimulate our economy.” I think that’s just fancy talk for “buy lots of stuff” and I plan to do just that. Not sure how to spend yours? If you’re coming to L.A., there are many ways, depending on who you talk to…

If you’re my husband, the first stop would be Amoeba Records in Hollywood. I’m not sure what happens, but immediately after walking through the doors of this cavernous record store he gets a glazed look in his eyes and then disappears for hours, lost in the aisles of vintage vinyl and import cds. I’m betting if he had a supply of water and granola bars in his pocket he could stay in there for weeks at a time.

His next stop would be Guitar Center on Sunset. Even though it’s a chain, apparently the only true Guitar Center experience can be found in its flagship store in Hollywood. I have to agree, since from what I’ve seen the metal rockers there really do have the biggest hair.

My tween daughters would have a totally different plan for their windfall. (This of course, would be a fantasy sequence, where children actually had a say in how their parents’ tax rebate checks were spent.) They’d grab their Hello Kitty purses and head straight to Sugoi Life in Northridge, a mecca for anyone who loves manga and anything Japanese. They’d buy a few Pokémon figures, indulge in some Pocky Sticks (thin wafer sticks dipped in chocolate) and buy at least one plushy from their favorite movie, Totoro.

Then they’d talk me into driving across town to Menchies, where they would get the large, not the small, size of frozen yogurt. It’s a serve yourself place, where you dispense any one of their eight flavors of yogurt (they change daily) and then pile on your toppings, everything from caramel sauce to fresh fruit to Cap’n Crunch. They charge by weight, and with the remainder of the stimulus check burning a hole in their pockets my girls would heap on the gummi bears like there was no tomorrow. I’m thinking each of their cups would weigh fourteen pounds.

As for me, I hate to admit it but I would go straight to Target and spend at least half of that check. But for once, I wouldn’t spend it on detergent, or toothpaste, or Swiffer cloths or anything even remotely practical. No, I’d spend it all on myself - purses, clothes, big rings and that cute Mizrahi jacket I was eyeing the last time I was there buying detergent.

With what is leftover I would make a no-holds-barred trip to a good sushi restaurant, either Yabu or Matsuda. Usually I restrain myself from ordering too much since the bill at either of these pricey joints can easily run up into the hundreds. But with that rebate check sitting pretty in my new Target bag, I wouldn’t have to choose between the spicy tuna with jalapeño or the Kobe beef tataki – I could order it all.

How will you spend your rebate check?

From guest blogger Marsha Takeda-Morrison of Sweatpantsmom

Happy Earth Day! Are you drinking your organic coffee out of your recyclable cup while driving your Prius to work today? Yeah, me neither. And I’m not going to lie and say I spent the weekend hugging my ficus or working on my compost pile, either. In fact, I don’t even have a compost pile, unless you count that heap of decomposing chicken bones and orange rinds out in my yard that are leftover from my last barbecue. see more »