My Mommy Bites' Family Favorites around Los Angeles

One of Los Angeles’ Top Mom Blogger Dorothea Coelho from My Mommy Bites shares words of wisdom with Los Angeles moms. From a favorite relaxing spots to places to eat with kids in tow she tells her family favorites in 5 quick questions!

1. What’s your favorite “escape hatch”—a way to put in some “me” time to recharge?

My favorite escape hatch is hiking in Runyon Canyon in the Hollywood Hills. The views are breathtaking and the people watching is classic LA. You can get a great workout, some fresh air, see the Capitol Records building and  the Pacific Ocean as well as ogle at small herds of unemployed actresses hiking in high heels and parachute pants.

2. What’s your favorite local vacation or day trips?

One of my favorite local vacation spots is Paradise Cove in Malibu. It’s a good drive up the PCH when we all need to unwind and see the ocean. Paradise Cove has it’s own beach and a restaurant but you can pack a lunch and hang out all day. Again, great people watching, always a Glee cast member there and yummy French Fries and grilled cheese sandwiches. Another place we like to go to visit the Goodyear Blimp launching pad in Carson. Not much there but an open field and one park bench but when the blimp takes off it is pure magic. And it’s near an IKEA if you need to stock up on weird Swedish knick-knacks and brightly colored dish ware that doesn’t make you weep when it shatters.

3. Where do you shop for your kids clothes?

I only shop for kids clothes at Target and H&M. The prices and the hip factor cannot be beat and who doesn’t love a uber-hipster kid in skinny jeans and an ironic t-shirt for under twenty bucks? I am truly my mother’s daughter when it comes to a bargain and value. I was also very lucky to inherit boxes and boxes of great hand-me-down clothes from a friend with great taste and a nutty, neatness factor. Because of her generosity and OCD I only needed to start shopping for my son when he turned three. Lucky me!!!

4. What are a few of your favorite parks & places to visit with kids and around town?

We LOVE going to Travel Town in Griffith Park to visit the old trains and ride the mini train as well. I have a son who  is train-obsessed and nothing satisfies his choo-choo itch more than a few hours there. And it’s free admission and is small and manageable. We also love The Peterson Automotive Museum, a treasure trove of the coolest, most famous cars in film and television. The Bat Mobile, Grease Lightning and The General Lee are all there for everyone’s nostalgic pleasure and yes, I leave there feeling relaxed yet as old as the sun. How is that possible?

5. Where do you like to catch a bite with the little one in tow?

Our absolutely favorite place to eat with Otto is a small, hole in the wall called Frank’s on Fairfax. They have the best breakfast burrito I have ever had and the owners love kids as much as a mall santa loves a cigarette break. The are the sweetest people and the best cooks. Also, we adore Sushi Time on Beverly Blvd. Unbelievable sushi and they are so lovely to our son and so welcoming. Did I mention the yellow tail???? Like butter… If it has to be a chain restaurant with thousands of tables and electronic table finders than Maggiano’s at The Grove. But that is only with a group of kid friends and an appetite for destruction.