How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Leslie David Baker

Long earlier Leslie David Baker took connected the relation of Stanley Hudson — the grumpy pretzel- and crossword-loving salesman connected the long-running drama “The Office” — helium was moving arsenic an head for the wellness section successful his Chicago hometown, portion doing commercials and assemblage theatre connected the side. It wasn’t until helium turned 40 that helium decided to spell afloat throttle connected his acting vocation and determination to Los Angeles.

In Sunday Funday, L.A. radical springiness america a play-by-play of their perfect Sunday astir town. Find ideas and inspiration connected wherever to go, what to devour and however to bask beingness connected the weekends.

When helium arrived, helium landed a TV amusement called “Maggie,” and aboriginal picked up credits connected “Judging Amy” and “That ’70s Show.” “I got to thrust up to Paramount and really springiness them my ID, and they said, ‘Oh, Leslie Baker, we’re expecting you.‘” helium says. “So it was like, ‘This is what I’m expected to beryllium doing and I’m loving it.’”

Eventually, Baker joined the ensemble formed of employees astatine Dunder Mifflin Paper Company connected “The Office,” which went connected to tally for 9 seasons connected NBC, gain aggregate Emmys and go the astir streamed amusement of 2020. Now it’s communal for Baker, who’s lived successful the Valley for 27 years, to beryllium recognized erstwhile he’s retired and about. “I cognize you perceive immoderate celebrities say, ‘It’s a fuss erstwhile radical telephone maine by my quality name. It’s a fuss erstwhile radical are talking astir the amusement I did this galore years ago,’” helium says. But for him, helium says, “It’s an grant and a privilege to person that benignant of recognition.”

Much similar his character, Stanley, Baker loves a bully snack interruption — astatine his favourite restaurants crossed L.A. and successful his concern with frozen-snack marque Tast!ez. We caught up with the histrion to sermon his cleanable Sunday successful the city, which involves brunch, going to a flea marketplace and catching a unrecorded performance.

This interrogation has been lightly edited and condensed for magnitude and clarity.

10 a.m.: Wake up and bask a cupful of joe

On my cleanable Sunday, I would not aftermath up earlier 10 o’clock. Then I’d marque a cupful of java and instrumentality a shower.

Noon: A precise agelong brunch

I’d spell to brunch — a precise agelong brunch. I’d spell to Bottega Louie in WeHo, the San Vicente Bungalows oregon Soho House. I americium a Bellini person, but if I [feel] old-fashioned past possibly I’ll get a Kir Royale. If I’m astatine Bottega Louie, I’m going to person their portobello fries. They service it with a bully ail aioli. They besides person a bully pizza with soppressata, and it’s drizzled with chromatic and sliced reddish peppers. If I’m astatine the San Vicente Bungalows, I’d get 1 of their omelets, and their cocoa spot cookies are my favorite. If I’m astatine Soho House, I emotion the information that they person bully seafood connected their buffet, and they person a clump of antithetic desserts, truthful of people I’d spell brainsick there.

2:30 p.m.: Go to a flea marketplace (and effort not to bargain everything)

I would spell to the Melrose Trading Post. I got a seat and a statue from determination successful my house. I conscionable similar the assortment of things. It’s intimate, it’s fun, parking is convenient, and it’s close down the thoroughfare from Canter’s Deli. So if aft brunch you’re like, “I’m not cooking meal tonight,” spell by Canter’s Deli and get thing for later. On weekends, I thin not to dilly-dally successful the kitchen. I support threatening to spell to the flea marketplace astatine the Rose Bowl, but I cognize I volition bargain stuff, and I’m astatine the constituent wherever I’m trying not to enactment anymore worldly successful my location due to the fact that radical springiness maine stuff, past I bargain stuff, and it’s similar wherever did each this worldly travel from? And who’s going to cleanable astir here? I’ll get determination eventually, but I cognize I’ll travel retired of determination with a wagon afloat of stuff.

5 p.m.: Hang retired astatine my aged stomping crushed

Afterward, I mightiness spell to the Grove. I similar it due to the fact that there’s truthful overmuch variety. You tin spell spot a movie, oregon you tin bash immoderate shopping. I similar to spell people-watching, and I similar to spell each the mode down to the extremity astatine the farmers market. There’s ever small goodies and snacks to try. There’s a nutrient marketplace there, and they person each the andouille sausage, which is bully if I’m going to navigator thing similar a gumbo. I got an appreciation for the farmers marketplace erstwhile I was actively auditioning erstwhile I archetypal moved to L.A. due to the fact that a batch of times I would permission my location aboriginal successful the morning, and determination wasn’t truly clip to travel backmost location to devour oregon bent out. So I would unrecorded retired of the trunk of my car. I’d person a alteration of apparel successful lawsuit I had to spell to an lawsuit oregon an audition wherever I had to beryllium dressed a small much upscale. I would plaything by the Grove oregon by the farmers marketplace to drawback thing to eat, oregon instrumentality myself to spot a movie.

7 p.m.: Hit up a steakhouse

It’s clip to commencement reasoning astir dinner. I emotion Mastro’s. When I truly privation a bully steak, past I’m going to spell there. I’d bid gin with ginger beer, a splash of bitters and a twist of citrus oregon orange. That’s a bully cocktail. Or I’d get a bully Riesling oregon a cabernet sauvignon.

9:30 p.m.: Catch a unrecorded amusement

I mightiness spell perceive idiosyncratic sing astatine Mrs. Fish successful downtown oregon astatine the Crescent Hotel. A person of mine, Maxayn Lewis — she was 1 of the Ikettes — performs each implicit the city. Sometimes I’ll telephone her and ask, “Where are you and your band, the Cookies, playing?” Then I’ll spell there. She does jazz, rock, each of it.

Midnight: Bedtime!

L.A. doesn’t enactment unfastened arsenic precocious arsenic Chicago and New York, truthful usually by midnight I’m home, particularly if I person to get up and spell to enactment oregon if I’m traveling the adjacent morning. I effort not to ticker the 11 o’clock news. I’ll bash the usual: instrumentality a shower, lavation my face, brushwood my teeth, enactment my retainer successful (because I don’t privation my teeth to [be] waving backmost and distant and person spaces successful them), enactment successful the nighttime guard, accidental a speedy supplication and get successful the bed.