After a long day of shooting the small-town Maine, medical-mystery rom-com “Best Medicine” in New York’s Hudson Valley (co-starring Josh Charles, the second season premieres Sept. 22 on Fox and streams on Hulu the next day), Abigail Spencer (“Mad Men,” “Rectify,” “Timeless”) can’t wait to get to the point at hand.
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.
“I feel like New York is my office,” she says at the start of a Zoom interview, “Ojai is my getaway, and L.A. is home — it’s the town I know better than any and all of them. So I think a lot about what I’ll do on Sundays.”
To prove her point, Spencer waves a smartphone in front of the camera and starts sharing an ambitious, cobbled-together itinerary that, true to her TV roots, includes multiple storylines.
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for length and clarity.
9 a.m.: Starter coffee
I am not a morning person, so when I wake up I’ll have what I call “starter coffee,” at home. Either from the French press or the Nespresso. I think the last round [of Nespresso pods] I had was Peet’s. That’s my jump start.
9:30 a.m.: Zoom Pilates
I have been working out with the same Pilates instructor since my son was 6 weeks old, and he was born in 2008. Her name is Jessica McTighe. She’s the best-kept secret in Hollywood. She’s a private instructor. She doesn’t advertise and she doesn’t have a studio. But she put my body back together and put me in the best shape of my life.
If she’s not available, I might go to Sapphire Pilates in Silver Lake. Just so you know how I function, I have backup plans for everything. It’s like having my A storyline, and if that doesn’t work out for some reason, I’ve got my B and C [storylines] set up. It’s like I’m [in] a prime-time comedy.
10 a.m.: Gambol over to Go Get Em Tiger
After Pilates, I’ll shower and then walk to Go Get Em Tiger in Los Feliz. That’s my favorite coffee in L.A., and they make their own macadamia almond milk. I’ll order either a New York Extra Ice Wheels or a Jersey Wheels.
Neither of those are on the menu, so you have to know the lingo. A New York Wheels is a macadamia almond milk iced latte to go — “wheels” is the lingo the baristas there use for “to go.” I order it with extra ice when I want a creamier drink. A Jersey Wheels is a macadamia almond milk iced cappuccino to go. I do everything iced. I can’t drink hot drinks.
Noon: High time for All Time
Then I walk up to All Time for brunch. I always ask to sit in the garden in the back, because [that way] you can skip the line. They only do that during brunch on the weekend. My go-to is the farmer’s hash — it’s the local seasonal vegetable bowl with sweet potatoes and I get the eggs over hard. I cannot eat runny eggs. I’ll bring my book and sit there and read. And it’s so beautiful. There’s a perfect palm tree. It’s private, and usually my son will join me.
How long I’m there depends on the book. The last one I read was “Grief Is for People” [by Sloane Crosley]. It’s so funny and really encapsulates the messy truth and real absurdity of loss. I read the whole book at All Times.
2 p.m.: Postprandial park perambulation
After I have brunch, I’ll go on a really long walk. If I’m in Los Feliz, that means I’m doing Griffith Park, walking Los Feliz Boulevard all the way to the entrance where the bear [cub statue] is. And then I do the classic loop all the way up to the observatory and down the other side.
3:30 p.m.: Stock up at Skylight, shop along Sunset
When I come back down, I’ll hit Skylight Books and pick up another book for next time or I’ll check out the movies at either the Los Feliz Theatre or the Vista Theater. Then I might stop at some of those shops along Sunset: I’ll go into Buck Mason, I’ll go into Parachute.
8 p.m.: Alight at El Condor
The goal is to end up at El Condor for a happy hour or later. They have a drink that is so delicious. It’s called the Scratch and it’s kind of the skinniest of the skinny margaritas. It’s not on the menu, so you have to know about it. And I’ll have a light dinner: chips and guacamole, tacos, salad. My B story here would be getting a single cheeseburger with french fries at the Win-Dow. I like to put the fries on the burger.
Then I’ll go to Van Leeuwen for ice cream. I’m not a vegan, but I love their vegan flavors. They have a Peanut Butter Brownie Honeycomb and a Cookies and Cream Caramel Swirl [that I like]. I’m just going to say that McConnell’s is my favorite ice cream in the whole city, but [the closest one to me] is over in Studio City. And that’s the only place I’ll do nonvegan ice cream.
9:30 p.m.: Soak in a sound bath
If I’m feeling really crazy after this kind of day, what I would do on a Sunday night is host a private sound bath with my friend John Gabaldon, who has two options on Sunday nights. Either you can go to him — he does sound baths at Joan Didion’s house at the bottom of Runyon Canyon and those are usually at 7 p.m., or starting at 9 p.m., he’ll come over and do a private sound bath. So I’ll invite friends over, and we’ll end the week with a private sound bath. Or, if it’s my B story, we might go to Moonlight Rollerway. Then, depending on how late Saturday night was, I might end my Sunday night at Bar Covell for a nightcap.
11:30 p.m.: Wind-down TV
I like a good wind-down [TV] show and I’m a “Hacks” and “The Comeback” person. So if I’m getting in bed, I’ve already read a bunch — I would go back and forth between those. But both those shows are over now, so what do I watch next?
