hey you guys are making me hungry. I want chopped liver on rye with a martini right now. OK, I'll have to wait a couple of weeks.
Yes, Nate+Als is a great place to see celebraties. I ate many sandwiches sitting next to Dean and Dino Martin, Don Rickles, Don Knotts, Barbara Eden, so many I can't remember, um, because of course it was 'back in the day' Also lots of faces you recognized but don't know the name.
Canters is near Farmers Market, which I have not been to in years but it was a fun area to walk around. Not as high end as Rodeo and Beverly Dr.
The waitesses at both places are a Hoot! They do not take any guf and they TELL you what to order. At first you think they are rude and then they give you extra pickles and go check to see if the roast beef is rare enough. They are a breed all their own.
Another fun thing I do with my son when I am visiting is bike ride the beach. We ride in OC around the Huntington Beach area but Venice Beach and Manhatten Beach are great too. I'm sure there are places to rent bycycles. Just a great thing to do with kids and not expensive. You really must spend some time at the beach. I hear so many people say they did all the theme parks and tourist places but didn't get to the beach. You just have to take your kids in the water, jump the waves, they will never forget it.