How to Rock your Family Weekend 2k15
by AnnaLiese Burich ‘17
So. Your parents are in town (and maybe your siblings too!) That’s great! You’re so excited! They’re stoked! You’re stoked! Then, they ask you what the three-day plan will be, and your heart stops. What will your three-day plan be? Normally on weekends, you just bum around with your friends, get some Blaze, and sleep until 2 pm! Oh no, what have you done?! You now have to prove to your parents that you live an exciting, responsible life full of nourishing food, educational activities, and good friends!
Well, have no fear, because I’ve created for you a three day (well, two-and-a-half, because of your parents’ travel time) plan of family fun and entertainment around USC and LA! You’re welcome.
Friday:
They probably will get here in the afternoon, so to ease them into the USC experience, take them to Blaze and then CREAM for a wholly USC and wholly filling late afternoon lunch/early dinner.
By this point, it’s around 7 pm, and they might be tired, so take them for a low key walk around campus at dusk – it’s by far my favorite time of day – eat at Bella Pita on 30th and Fig if they’re hungry, and then give them a tour of your digs.
If your parents are full of energy, you can take them for a milkshake at Ground Zero, then stay for Second Nature Improv at 10:30!
Saturday:
Weekends are for brunch and more brunch and maybe some dessert. If your parents want something on the faster side, take them to Urth Caffe Downtown (or use the opportunity to show them LA by going to the locations in Beverly Hills or West Hollywood!).
If they want a more leisurely brunch, I recommend either Blu Jam on Melrose (get the Corn Flake Crusted French toast) or Toast Café on Third Street (get the Lemon Croissant French toast). (I like French Toast).
Then, after you’re all fueled and ready to roll, it’s time for an activity!
If your parents are
into art, architecture, photography or history, I recommend either The
Getty or The Getty Villa. The Getty Villa might be a good bet for those parents
that don’t like art, since it has the added benefit of looking like ancient
Greece. Anyone can get behind feeling like an emperor. The Getty is probably
for those parents who like modern architecture and all sorts of art. Both have
killer views of LA, so bring those nice DSLRs!
If your parents are
into photography, books, or city life, bring them to the Last Bookstore
downtown! It makes architecture and sculpture out of books, and they will love
snapping cute pictures of their baby’s face inside a donut hole of books.
By now you’re hungry again, so it’s time for dinner!
If you want
something fancy, I recommend Gjelina in Abbot Kinney. It’s pretty dark, so
make sure your parents bring those iPhone flashlights. But other than that, the
food is to die for and fun to try! It’s essentially a lot of gourmet tapas—I
recommend the pizza (it sounds like a cop-out, I know, but trust me). Nothing
says family weekend like family style gourmet food!
If you want something casual, go to the Sidewalk Grill in Los Feliz. It’s casual but fantastic Mediterranean food. Always a winner. Then go across the street to Churro Burrough for some churro ice cream sandwiches! What could go wrong with this plan??
Sunday:
They’re probably leaving in the afternoon—and besides, you got homework to do—so go for a casual ice cream outing! Sundae Sunday!
Salt N Straw in Larchmont is outstanding; gourmet,
experimental ice creams that they will think about on the whole plane ride
back.
Milk is like CREAM, but with Macaroons as their signature cookie; it’s close to the Grove, so you can even combine your consumer needs with your ice cream needs.
***ALTERNATE PLAN: If your parents want to go to the game, switch my Saturday and Sunday, or combine the two. You know how to do game day right: tailgate, tailgate, tailgate away, then cheer your face off!
Then, it’s time for hugs, kisses, goodbyes and pictures! What a weekend! You’re rocking college! They’ll for sure keep sending you those care packages.
