Lifestyle
How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Miranda Cosgrove
Los Angeles-born actor and singer Miranda Cosgrove has been part of our pop culture landscape for more than two decades. She made her big-screen debut in 2003’s “School of Rock” (filmed when she was 9) followed by a run of sitcom roles (first from 2004 to 2007 on “Drake & Josh” and then 2007 to 2012 as the star of “iCarly,” a role she reprised for its 2021-to-2023 revival) before returning to movie roles where she’s been seen — or, in the case of the “Despicable Me” animated move franchise, heard — ever since. (She most recently reprised her role as Margo in “Despicable Me 4,” which hit theaters July 3.)
For that entire time — and the decade that preceded it — one place has been a constant in her life. “When I was little, I filmed ‘School of Rock’ in New York for five months,” she recently told The Times. “I don’t really know if it would count as living there. I think maybe the longest I’ve been in a different place was a year and a half. And I recently went to Thailand for a couple months. But as far as living somewhere, I’ve only ever lived in L.A.”
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.
Which means that when Cosgrove is throwing out suggestions for an ideal Sunday itinerary — as she did in a Zoom call from the L.A. home she shares with three dogs (a pug named Maude, a Shih-poo named Penelope and a terrier mix named Diego) and three cats (Mama and fosters Ethel and Lucy) — you can take it to the bank.
Before we dug into her perfect day (which is heavy on the food, felines and family), I asked which of the many characters she’s played might cobble together an enviable Sunday lineup.
“Probably Margo from ‘Despicable Me,’” she answered almost immediately. “Because she’s really smart. And she’s really kind of sarcastic and not afraid to stand up for herself. And I think you kind of have to have that quality to get around L.A. And she also has a personality where she would do exactly what she wanted and just wouldn’t care. So I feel like she’d come up with some fun stuff — probably much crazier stuff than me.”
As far as coming up with fun stuff, Cosgrove didn’t disappoint, as you’ll read here. (Grilled branzino in a pizza box, anyone?)
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for length and clarity.
11:30 a.m.: Start the day with a coconut kale smoothie
I love sleeping in. I’m a huge night owl and I stay up until 2 in the morning watching TV shows and movies. So I’d probably get up at around 11:30 and go get a coconut kale smoothie at Naturewell in Silver Lake. It’s the coconut date smoothie that I add kale to. It’s really good. I’d start light because I like to finish strong and do a huge lunch and a huge dinner. … I’m a huge foodie, so I’m always looking for good places to to eat. That’s probably where I get the most joy from in my entire life.
Noon: Grab some Frankenstein face time at the Face Place
Recently I’ve been going to this place called the Face Place in West Hollywood, and they do facials. And it’s just really, really nice. I’ve never really been a big facial person, but it’s gotten me really into it. And it only takes 45 minutes. They put this crazy, almost helmet-like thing on your face that makes you look like you’re some kind of Frankenstein experiment — but only for about 15 minutes. And for some reason, I find it really relaxing.
1:30 p.m.: Take a cheesy road trip
This doesn’t exactly make sense because it’s so far away. But I might go to Long Beach to get the best pizza ever at a place called Speak Cheezy and then take it to my parents who live in Downey. On Sunday, there probably wouldn’t be too much traffic, so I’d grab a pizza. The thing that I love is they put these like little dollops of cheese on their pizzas that’s almost like frosting, so you can’t go wrong with any of them. And they have this really good Caesar salad that they put a whole soft-boiled egg on.
3 p.m.: Chill with nature or some furry fosters
Sometimes when I’m down in the Long Beach area, I’ll go to the El Dorado Nature Center. I haven’t done it that much recently, but I used to do it a lot. And it’s just really pretty. You pay $6 to park and then you walk through. [Parking is $8 on weekends.] They have these kind of man-made lakes, and there are tons of squirrels and cranes and that sort of thing. And it’s pretty shaded, so even if it’s really a hot day, you’re not straight in the sun. It’s three or four miles, but it’s flat, so it’s more like a walk than a hike.
My other option would be going to the CatCafe Lounge in Westwood. It’s a cat cafe where people can go and get a cup of coffee and hang out with the cats, and a lot of times, they end up adopting them. I foster cats and I’m actually fostering two sister tabbies right now — Lucy and Ethel — and the CatCafe Lounge has taken probably 12 of the cats I’ve fostered and gotten them adopted. I always write these really long bios for them in hopes that people will read them when they come in and adopt them quickly. I work with a place called Kitten Rescue Los Angeles that has a home base in Atwater Village. They rescue them, and the ones I’ve fostered always go the CatCafe Lounge.
6:30 p.m.: Decide a delicious dining dilemma
Depending on how long I was at the cat cafe, I’d probably head on out to dinner. I’m always torn because Union in Pasadena is always an option I love, but a place I go at least once a week, that’s probably my favorite restaurant, is Bestia in downtown L.A. Union’s menu always changes, but I’d go for a pasta there — you can’t go wrong with spaghetti and meatballs. They also have bucatini there that’s really good. And they have really good house-made fresh bread with house-made butter and sea salt.
At Bestia, I get so many different things, but they have a soppressata and honey pizza right now that’s just so good. And they have this really good grilled branzino that, if you get it to go, they give it to you in a pizza box. And then there’s the chestnut and mushroom agnolotti. Those are the main things I always get.
9:30 p.m.: Squeeze in 10,000 steps with peripatetic parents
I have some walking buddies near my parents’ house, and my mom is obsessed with getting her 10,000 steps a day — she’s done it for something like 520 days in a row at this point. So sometimes I’ll go meet my mom and I’ll walk the dogs. And we’ll walk with our friends in the neighborhood. We’ll walk for like an hour or so because it takes a while to get to 10,000 steps. We actually walk kind of late, but my parents only live about 15 minutes away from Bestia.
11 p.m.: Fall asleep to crime time or cooking shows
After that, I’d either stay at my parents’ house or go home and watch some really good television shows or movies because that’s how I like to end the night. Right now I’m watching [Hulu’s true-crime drama miniseries] “Under the Bridge” with Lily Gladstone. I love watching cooking shows to fall asleep. I’ve also seen every single episode of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”
I don’t know why it’s calming to me, but I’ve been doing it for so long, it’s weirdly comforting. I’ve never watched the other “Law & Order” [shows]. I’m sure they’re good, but I just love Mariska Hargitay so much. And I’m so into the whole Olivia Benson/Elliot Stabler will-they/won’t-they. That has my heart.
Xie Miao and Yang Enyou in The Furious.
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There have been some fantastic movies released this year, and we know you can’t see them all. So we’re recommending four recent movies we missed that you should add to your watchlist: The Furious, Tuner, She’s The He, and Heresy.
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Fun movies you may have missed
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A tarp covers the facade of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., on June 13. A federal judge has asked the arts complex’s leadership to explain the purpose of the tarp and the surrounding scaffolding.
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On Wednesday, the federal judge overseeing the Kennedy Center lawsuit ordered the center to give him a status report on the center’s operation and programming within the next few weeks. Judge Christopher R. Cooper also said that the Kennedy Center must explain the purpose and status of the tarp and scaffolding that have been placed over the front of the arts complex, where until recently both President Trump and President John F. Kennedy’s names were both displayed.
In a directive issued last Tuesday, Judge Cooper had given Kennedy Center administrators three days to update him on the arts complex’s immediate plans regarding construction, programming and public access. Trump, who now serves as the center’s chairman, had announced July 5 as the date the venue would close for major renovations.
Last Friday, on Cooper’s due date, lawyers for the Kennedy Center filed a request asking for an extension. In that filing, Matt Floca, who was promoted as the center’s president and CEO in March, said that the Kennedy Center’s current management intends to present its board with “an array of options” for trustees to vote on at their next meeting on an unspecified date in mid-July.
According to Floca, the options are a complete closure for extensive renovations; a partial closure “enabling some continued public access and limited programming” while some renovations are undertaken; and “a highly limited series of phased closures to address only the center’s most serious infrastructure needs while scheduling and maintaining a full slate of programming.”
In his newest order, Cooper denied Floca’s request for an extension. And he mandated that the center file a status report within seven days of the center’s July board meeting or by July 31, whichever date is earliest. He also ruled that the report must “indicate the purpose for and status of the tarp and scaffolding,” which were erected by workers over the center’s front signage in the early morning hours of June 13.
When asked for comment Wednesday, the Kennedy Center pointed back to the documents its legal team submitted to the court.
The tarp and scaffolding on the center’s front portico went up after the Kennedy Center’s administration slow-walked the court-mandated removal of President Trump’s name from the front of the center and from all digital materials, which was supposed to happen no later than June 12. Workers removed the lettering overnight into the following morning, hours after the federal court’s original deadline, and covered the center’s sign with a tarpaulin.
As of Monday, the sign remains hidden from the public.
Trump’s name was scrubbed from all of the Kennedy Center’s digital content on June 4, the same day an email order to do so was issued by the complex’s legal team; NPR obtained this memo the day it was sent out to Kennedy Center staff.
These court orders are part of the ongoing lawsuit filed by Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, against President Trump and the board of the Kennedy Center. Earlier this year, Cooper ruled that Beatty, an ex-officio member of the Kennedy Center board, must be allowed to participate in board meetings. NPR has asked Beatty if she plans to vote at the July board meeting, but did not receive an immediate response.
It would be very difficult for the Kennedy Center to revive a thriving programming lineup for the months ahead. Over the past year, many prominent artists canceled their planned appearances, citing the politicization of the venue. Most of the center’s programming staff have departed, either via layoffs or resignations. Unlike top administrators at other major performing arts venues around the country, Matt Floca has no experience in artistic direction, fundraising or arts administration; formerly, he was the center’s head of facilities, and he holds a bachelor’s degree in construction management.
Established artists who typically perform at the Kennedy Center generally have their touring schedules set at least a year in advance, if not multiple years ahead. In years past, the center has publicly announced its upcoming season in mid-spring for performances beginning in September and running through the following summer.
Currently, only a handful of outdoor free movie screenings of nostalgic favorites like The Princess Diaries and Clue appear on the center’s calendar of events, along with some participatory workshops for kids. In the past, the Kennedy Center presented over 2,000 arts and education events each year.
The center also recently became ensnarled in litigation with one of its longtime tenants and artistic partners. On June 12, the Washington National Opera, a company formerly in residence at the Kennedy Center, sued the complex for $17 million. It claims that the Kennedy Center had withheld “years’ worth of donor gifts, bequests and endowment funds” that had been intended specifically for the WNO.
Denis Novikov/Getty Images
I tend to romanticize summer. The movies and TV shows I grew up with made me think that the season was about adventure and big-time transformation.
I imagined myself building a tight-knit friend group and getting out of a pickle together, like in The Sandlot or Camp Nowhere. Or traveling across the world, say, to Greece, like Lena Kaligaris, a character in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, having a whirlwind summer romance and returning an entirely different person.
I’ve never actually had a summer like that.
Even when your expectations are more modest than mine, “so often, the summer just flies by, and we haven’t taken the picnics or gone for the day trip or whatever it was that we thought we were gonna do,” says happiness expert Gretchen Rubin.
Rubin, author of The Happiness Project and host of the podcast Happier With Gretchen Rubin, has been sharing ideas on social media about how to make the season more memorable and satisfying.
She walks through four exercises to help you get what you want — and more — out of the season. Print out our worksheet here, fill it out and stick it on your fridge to keep you accountable. Or take a screenshot and post it to Instagram (don’t forget to tag @NPRLifeKit!).
🍑 Give your summer a theme
Pick a single word or phrase that you want to embrace this season — something that captures the feeling you want to have over the next few months.
“My theme for the summer is ‘ketchup,’” Rubin says. “It has a kind of a summer feeling, because you think of putting ketchup on your burger.”
“It’s a metaphor,” she says. It means to look for “whatever I could add [this season] to make something elevated and more fun.”
Meanwhile, my theme word this summer is “juice.” I no longer think that I need to travel far or completely transform to have a delicious summer. I just need to take advantage of the abundance that the season offers: ripe peaches and tomatoes, juicy softball pitches and the opportunity to feel juicy in my body when I wear a bathing suit.
Print out our worksheet here, fill it out and stick it on your fridge to keep you accountable. Or take a screenshot and post it to Instagram (don’t forget to tag @NPRLifeKit!).
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🪣 Create a summer bucket list
What do you want to do this summer? On my bucket list: ride the Ferris wheel at a summer fair, have more barbecues at my parents’ house and see the sunrise at least once.
There might even be something you don’t necessarily want to do but have been trying to accomplish for a long time — like cleaning out the garage or learning how to swim.
“Some people love a long list with a lot of easy things to cross off,” Rubin says. “I’m a fan of that approach myself.”
But some people like a list with fewer goals that are more ambitious. If you take this path, just make those items realistic, she says. “It’s easy to get discouraged if you set the bar too high.”
🏁 Set a fun challenge
It could be fun to gamify a few of the items on your bucket list — or to come up with an entirely different kind of dare for yourself.
You might try 10 new taco joints this summer or read five romance novels. Or you might come up with a theme, like “Freaky Flavor Friday,” Rubin says. Every Friday, you go to a different ice cream shop and try a new and ambitious flavor.
A good challenge can make your summer feel more memorable, she says. “If you did ‘Freaky Flavor Friday’ all summer long, that would stand out in your mind. Years later, you’d be like, ‘That’s the summer I discovered creamed corn ice cream.’”
Two challenges I’m considering: taking a swim class and rewatching all the best Pixar movies.
🖼️ Take a “five-senses portrait”
Experience the summer through your five senses — then reflect on each one. What does summer look like, smell like, taste like, sound like and feel like?
“It’s one thing to look at photographs, but that’s very flat,” Rubin says. “A ‘five-senses portrait’ puts you back into that experience. It’s a creative, fun way to look back on summer and capture the memories that you’ve created.”
Do this exercise either for your whole summer or for a specific summer adventure, she says. Do it with yourself or with a group. You can journal about it, make a collage, draw a picture or simply have a conversation.
When I think of summer, here’s what comes to mind: the smell of smoke from a crackling outdoor fire and the taste of toasted marshmallows on a stick.
More summer-worthy goals from Life Kit
Learn how to swim. Knowing how to swim can help you have fun at the pool or beach this summer. But it could also save your life. Here are some tips to start swimming at any age.
Focus on rest and relaxation. In Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith’s book Sacred Rest, she outlines different kinds of rest you may be craving. From the mental to the physical, Dalton-Smith shares how to identify what kind of respite you need and how to embrace rest.
Get into running. Ready to kick-start a new running habit? Coach Martinus Evans breaks down a common misconception to get you into the mindset and offers quick tips on pace, form and more.
Declutter your home. Got piles of stuff you just can’t seem to get rid of? Professional organizer Star Hansen explains how to let go of unnecessary items and keep your home neat and tidy.
This episode was produced by Clare Marie Schneider. The story was edited by Meghan Keane. The visual editor is CJ Riculan. We’d love to hear from you. Leave us a voicemail at 202-216-9823, or email us at LifeKit@npr.org.
Listen to Life Kit on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and sign up for our newsletter. Follow us on Instagram: @nprlifekit.
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