My LA Summer Bucket List — And Why You Need One Too

When my stepsons were younger and summers stretched long in Los Angeles, I had a problem. Their dad worked long hours, and I needed to make the city feel like an adventure rather than a boring pile of concrete. So, I made them do something they initially resisted: write a summer bucket list.

It worked. Having goals on paper turns intention into action. You stop saying "we should really do that" and start saying "that's on the list — let's book it."

So here is my LA Summer Bucket List for this year. Add yours in the comments.

1. The Hollywood Bowl

Every year, I say I'm going. Every year I mean it, and then I don't go. Note to self: buy the ticket, and then it will happen.

The truth is, I love the Bowl. So much history. Sitting under the stars on a cool LA evening listening to live music — what could be better? I'll be honest: the drive and the parking are a genuine ordeal. But it's summer, and you can get home a little later, and there is something about sitting in that amphitheater under the hills with a picnic and a bottle of wine that makes the drive completely worth it. Every time I'm there, I think about Bette Midler in Beaches — I watched that movie so many times as a child, and now I'm in the audience.

Buy tickets early. The good shows sell out fast. hollywoodbowl.com

2. A Hotel Pool Day

This is one of the best-kept secrets in Los Angeles: you do not have to be a hotel guest to spend a day at some of the most beautiful pools in the city. Day passes exist, they're more affordable than you'd think, and they are absolutely worth it.

Five I'd send you to this summer: The Hollywood Roosevelt, where old Hollywood genuinely used to lounge. One might say, there's history in the water, or at least that's how it feels. The Andaz West Hollywood has the highest rooftop pool on the Sunset Strip, with views that make you feel like the city is yours for the afternoon. The Kimpton Everly delivers sweeping skyline views that are somehow even better than you'd expect. Santa Monica Proper sits just blocks from the ocean, which means you get the rooftop without the sand. And Terranea Resort is the full oceanfront experience — Pacific views, refinement, the works.

Book through ResortPass or Dayaxe — both let you search, compare, and reserve day passes online. One tip: pick a Tuesday. Fewer people, same pool.

3. LACMA — Finally

After nearly two decades of planning and construction, LACMA has reopened with the new David Geffen Galleries — a 100,000-square-foot building designed by Pritzker Prize–winning architect Peter Zumthor that stretches 900 feet across Wilshire Boulevard on a single level. It is one of the most significant cultural moments Los Angeles has had in years.

What makes it worth more than just a visit is how the permanent collection has been reinstalled. Rather than the usual chronological march through Western art history, the galleries are organized around major bodies of water: the Pacific, Indian, Atlantic, and Mediterranean. It's a different way of seeing the collection. On June 20th, gallerist Jeffrey Deitch brings his legendary Art Parade to Wilshire Boulevard, with artists, performers, and musicians.

4. The Farmers Market Ritual

This one doesn't require a ticket or a reservation. It requires only a weekend morning and the willingness to slow down.

I'm partial to the Sunday Mar Vista Farmers Market, a neighborhood feeling that the larger markets sometimes lose, but there are wonderful ones throughout the city. The point isn't just the market. The point is what you do after: come home with whatever looked best, make an early dinner, eat outside. That is summer in Los Angeles at its simplest and best. No restaurant required.

5. Try Two New Restaurants – Two I'm Determined to Try

Holy Basil just expanded to Santa Monica, and if you haven't been to one of their locations yet, this is your summer. Bangkok street food made with Wagyu beef, wok-fired noodles, jasberry fried rice with Dungeness crab, house-made curries. Time Out just gave the Santa Monica location five stars.

Sqirl in Virgil Village has been an LA institution since 2012; it essentially invented a genre of California breakfast that half the cafes in the country have been imitating ever since. And in February 2026, after fourteen years as a daytime-only spot, it launched dinner. Chef Jessica Koslow describes it as "the restaurant I want to eat at now." The shima aji crudo and the Jidori chicken liver on country toast are the early standouts. This is not the same Sqirl you may have visited years ago.

But honestly, there are a million new and/or fantastic restaurants to try!

What's on your LA summer list?