How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Emma Roberts
(Illustration by Lindsey Made This; photo from Thomas Laisné/Getty Images)
Emma Roberts vividly remembers how she was welcomed to life in Los Angeles 30 years ago. “I was 3, because my first memory of L.A. was of that big [Northridge] earthquake in 1994,” the actor told The Times via Zoom recently from New York City.
She was fresh off an appearance on “CBS Mornings” promoting her latest movie, “Space Cadet,” which premiered last month on Prime Video. In addition to being the film’s executive producer, Roberts stars as a Florida party girl turned improbable astronaut.
But now she’s ready to launch into her ideal Sunday itinerary. Before answering my questions, the fashion-loving co-founder of online book club Belletrist and mother of a 3-year-old son had one of her own.
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.
“Do I have my baby with me or do I not?” she said. “Because my ideal ideal Sunday is to be with him. But to get all this done, I’d probably be doing it solo.” With that, the “Nancy Drew” and “American Horror Story: Delicate” star was off the launchpad and rocketing through a meticulously mapped-out day that begins with a cup of coffee in Laurel Canyon and ends with the “Scream Queens” star wearing a crown of sorts.
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for length and clarity.
10 a.m.: Coffee in the canyon
If it’s my ideal Sunday, I get to sleep in, so at 10 a.m. I’m going to Lilly’s Coffee at the Laurel Canyon Country Store. It’s a little coffee stand outside of [the store] and it’s the best coffee. I’ll get my iced latte with an extra shot of espresso and a little bit of vanilla.
Farmers markets, vintage shopping, hot yoga and a midafternoon ‘coffee adventure’ help the ‘Mad Men’ actor recharge and reset for the week ahead.
11:30 a.m.: A pop-in for periodicals
From there, I’ll usually go to Larchmont [Boulevard], which I’ve been going to since I was a kid with my mom. I love the [Above the Fold] newsstand there, so I stop and stock up on all my magazines because they always have everything: Paris Review if they have it, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Architectural Digest, British Vogue, the Atlantic, Flaunt and, depending on who’s on the cover, Newsweek and Time. I literally buy like 40 magazines a month because I like to collage.
Sometimes I’ll do brunch on Sundays if I’m in the mood or go straight to lunch. I’m obsessed with Larchmont Village Wine, Spirits & Cheese [which isn’t open on Sundays] right across the street. Their sandwiches are to die for. I love the tuna. If you’re a local there, you know that they only make it when they feel like it, which is really rock star of them.
Convenient and uncomplicated, this neighborhood tugs at your heart with its Main Street, Anytown, USA, feel.
Noon: Bag a bunch of books
From there I’d go to Skylight Books and pick up a haul of books for Belletrist. Our book [for June was] Griffin Dunne’s “The Friday Afternoon Club,” which I devoured in five days. I already had a copy for myself, but I’ve been gifting that book to everybody because it is the read of the summer. Sorry, all my friends with summer birthdays, but you’re getting a book. Sorry to spoil it. Skylight also has great recommendations and sells really cute postcards and stuff like that.
1 p.m.: Indulge the inner ornament enthusiast
From there, I’d go over to Hillhurst to Spitfire Girl, this really, really cute store that has amazing gifts and trinkets. During Christmas time, they have the most amazing selection of Christmas ornaments. I’m a total ornament enthusiast. The last one I bought was a little caviar tin that had a [fish] on the front and caviar coming out of it. And my mom loves gin and tonics, so I bought her a gin ornament with glitter all over it. She loved it. They also have these John Derian trays that I like to give as gifts. It’s right across from Pierce & Ward [which is closed on Sundays], the [interior designers who] did my house. Sometimes I’ll just go in there and get inspiration.
4 p.m.: A glass of wine and a yearlong gin game
My boyfriend and I love to go to La Pharmacie du Vin in Sunset Junction. It’s a wine store that also has some snacks and food, and we’ll get a bottle of white wine or orange wine and play gin for a good couple of hours, especially if the weather’s nice. We are obsessed with playing gin — I always have a deck of cards on me — and we’ve been keeping a running score for about a year. Right now he’s ahead. I didn’t start out as strong but I’m getting better, so I think we might need to wipe the slate clean and start over.
I love Sunset Junction. It’s super nostalgic for me because I’ve been going there since I was 21 years old.
A triangle-shaped lot across from the Hollywood Bowl makes rideshare drop-offs and pickups quicker and easier.
7 p.m.: Musso & Frank for flannel cakes
I probably should have mentioned working out, but if it’s an ideal Sunday, I’m probably not working out, so the next thing would be dinner. I love, love, love Musso & Frank. It’s just the classic L.A. place, and my mom used to bring me there from the time I was 5 years old. And it always makes me think of her. I actually just threw her last birthday [party] there, and it was so much fun.
Whether it’s at the counter, at the bar or in a booth, I don’t care where we sit because everywhere is fabulous. For dinner, I get the flannel cakes, which are a treat for me. They’re kind of a cross between a crepe and a pancake, and they are indescribable. They are heaven on earth. And of course, the martini there is 10 out of 10 — not just the taste but the presentation as well. It’s just beautiful. My order is a gin martini however the bartender sees fit to make it. But I don’t like a twist. I also like blue-cheese-stuffed olives, which really grosses out my dinner mates. I’m always, “Just try it!”
9:30 p.m.: Catch a late movie (maybe)
Sometimes, if I feel up for it, I’ll go see a late movie with my mom or my boyfriend. I really love going to a movie theater when I can. I think my mom and I are going to go see “The Bikeriders.” I love Jodie Comer and think she’s one of the greatest actresses ever.
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Midnight(ish): Slip on the Sleep Crown
I don’t go to bed early but I like to get in bed early — around 11ish or 12ish — because I have a whole bedtime situation with all my special pillows. I wear the Drowsy sleep mask and have this crazy pillow called a Sleep Crown that goes over your head. Because I travel so much, the way I sleep has to be the same everywhere since I’m always in a different place. So I’m very particular about my bedtime things.
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