How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Taylor Jenkins Reid

Los Angeles Times

08-06-2025

There are many factors that led Taylor Jenkins Reid to choose space as the backdrop of her new novel, 'Atmosphere,' a thrilling love story set at NASA in the 1980s.
One may very well have been her L.A. commute.
Specifically, her journey along the Dr. Sally Ride Memorial Highway, a portion of the 101 Freeway in Encino. 'I am sure that it worked its way into my subconscious,' Reid says. 'It was there waiting for me because I've driven by that sign so many times.'
So much of Encino and the Valley inspires Reid, the author of a shining repertoire of bestselling novels including 'Daisy Jones & the Six' and 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.' She talks about the hikes, the views and the charming restaurants that have stood for generations. Here's how she'd spend a perfect day in L.A. with her husband, Alex Jenkins Reid, and their 8-year-old daughter, Lilah.
8 a.m. Wake up and grab a book Everybody in my house is reading in bed. I am reading 'Harlem Rhapsody' by Victoria Christopher Murray. I have been late multiple mornings now because of how much I'm enjoying it. It's like, 'Oh, sorry, I was reading.' My kid does the same thing. She and I will both be like, 'Wait, it's already 7:40? You're supposed to be in school!' But both of us are reading.
9:30 a.m.: A place where everybody knows your name My family and I love to go to this small diner in the Valley called Millie's. It's a no-frills place, but the food is so good and my husband's family has been going there for at least 30 years. The server always remembers my husband's grandpa and asks how his grandma's doing and how his mom is doing and his brothers are doing. It has such a lovely small-town feel to it. Also, the tortilla soup is incredibly good. It's, like, one of my favorite things
10:30 a.m.: Hit the trailAfter that, I inevitably will try to bribe my daughter into a hike. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. The thing is, she actually does love to hike and just forgets that she does. Where I love to go — and I have not been able to because of the fires — is the Upper Canyonback Trailhead [temporarily closed] in Encino Hills. There are two ways you can go. If you go to the left, there's a really great view of the city. You can see down to Century City and even downtown on a clear day. And the hills are gorgeous. But if you go to the right, you can see the Encino Reservoir and eventually you get to a decommissioned Nike missile silo. We make a game-time decision.
Noon: A bookstore afternoon Then I have to make good on the way that I bribed my kid and one of her favorite things to do is go to Vroman's in Pasadena. It has one of the best children's book sections in Los Angeles — it takes up half of their second floor. She'll grab a bunch of books, I will have grabbed books from downstairs and we'll be sitting on a bench reading them. And you know, my husband's like, 'Dude, would you like to leave and actually pay for these?'
2 p.m.: Hop around Old Town Pasadena Not that far from Vroman's, there's this intersection that has so many things that all of us like. Motto Tea Cafe serves Japanese soufflé-style pancakes. They're so fluffy! My daughter normally gets the plain ones with the Nutella cream on top. This place is often quite packed, so we order in advance. Then there's this ice cream place called Kinrose Creamery that is unbelievable. They indulged me by letting me try basically every flavor. They have a sour cherry with candy floss that is unlike anything I've ever had. And there's a park near there, Central Park, that is really beautiful and has a very expansive playground area. And so my kid will go play for a little while.
3:30 p.m.: Indulge an obsession On the walk back to our car, I will go to Farrow & Ball and just look at paint colors. I'm completely obsessed with paint colors, so I make my family go pretty often. I never have a reason to be there. When the person is like, 'How can I help you? Are you looking to paint something?' I'm like, 'No, I just want to look at paint colors.' They've got great names for all their paint — I could probably name them all for you, literally. The ones I have in my house: Dead Salmon, Skimming Stone, Wimborne White. My daughter and I have become obsessed with a very pretty coral-y orange called Naperon. Both of us are like, 'We have to paint something Naperon!'
There's a woman who is the color curator for Farrow & Ball and her name is Joa Studholme. She's the only person that is famous to me and my daughter. She makes these videos where she's talking about why they came up with a paint color and my kid and I will just watch them four different times.
5:30 p.m.: Best pasta ever Every Sunday night, we eat takeout from Lido Pizza. Doesn't matter the fanciest place I've ever been to — this is the best pasta. I love it so much. And there's something about their salad dressing that is exactly what my taste buds want in a salad dressing. I have gone so far as to order a full jug of it for my house.
It's such a humble, unassuming place. We've been taking my daughter there since she was a baby. When the movie 'Booksmart' came out, we were watching it and saw that a whole scene takes place in the Lido parking lot. We eat there every single Sunday night, and at this point, they have to just know the call is coming sometime around 5:30.
7:45 p.m.: The 'Goodnight Special' My daughter gets into bed and reads for an hour. During that time, my husband and I will watch an episode of something — lately, we've been watching 'The Studio.' Then when it's time to go to bed, she comes out of her bedroom and asks for the 'Goodnight Special.' It's when I hold her for a minute and sing to her. She called it that just one day. She was like, 'I need the 'Goodnight Special.'' I was like, 'I think I know what you mean by that.' And then my husband and I will go to bed around 10:30.