Andy Richter has found his place.
The Chicago-area native previously lived in New York, where he first found fame as Conan O'Brien's sidekick on “Late Night,” before moving to Los Angeles in 2001. Three years ago, he moved to Pasadena. “Now that I live here, I wouldn't live anywhere else,” he says.
There are some practical benefits for the city. “I'm a very grumpy old man now, but it's like there's parking, you can park when we have to go out,” Richter says. “The thought of going to dinner in Santa Monica is like nails being stuck in my feet.”
In Sunday Funday, the people of Los Angeles tell us step by step their ideal Sunday in the city. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends.
But what he values most is that Pasadena is “a very diverse and simply beautiful city,” he says.
For Richter, most Sundays revolve around his family. In 2023, the comedian and actor married creative executive Jennifer Herrera and adopted their young daughter, Cornelia. (He also has two children in their 20s, William and Mercy, from his previous marriage.)
Plus, you've been giving your body time to recover. Richter spent last fall training and competing on season 34 of “Dancing With the Stars.” And although she had no prior dance experience, she won over the show's fans with her kindness and dedication, making it to the ninth week of the competition.
Presents the weekly program. “The three questions” on O'Brien's Team Coco podcast network and still appears in movies and television shows. “I'm just going to meetings and auditioning like every other white comedian in the late '50s in Los Angeles, sitting around waiting for the phone to ring.”
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for length and clarity.
7:30 am: Get up early
At this advanced age I find it difficult to sleep much after 7:30. I have a five-and-a-half-year-old daughter, and I hope she gets a little more sleep so my wife and I can talk, snuggle, and look at our phones on opposite ends of the bed, like everyone else.
Then it is necessary to walk the dogs. I have two dogs: a 120-pound Great Pyrenees-Border Collie-German Shepherd mix, and then, on the other end of the spectrum, a seven-pound poodle mix. We were a blended dog family. When my wife and I met, I had a big dog and she had a small dog. In fact, their first dog passed away, but we like that dynamic. You get the best of both worlds.
8 am: Breakfast in a classic restaurant.
Then it would probably be breakfast at agitators, which is in south Pasadena. It is one of our favorite places. We are regular customers there and my daughter loves it. It's easy with a 5 year old, you have to do what he wants. In that sense they are terrorists, especially when it comes to cooking.
I've lived in Pasadena for about three years, but I've been going to Shakers for a long time because I have a database of the best restaurants in the greater Los Angeles area memorized. There's something about its continuity that makes me feel like the world isn't on fire. And because of Los Angeles' moderate climate, those here stay as they are; whereas if there's 18 feet of snow in the winter, you tend to wear out the restaurant floor, the seats, everything.
So there are a lot of really great old places that are still the same. And then there are the tragic losses. There have been some rumors that Shakers will become some type of condo development. I think people would probably riot. They would be older people who would riot, but they would still riot.
11am: sandy legs
My in-laws live in Long Beach, so after breakfast we could take the dogs to Long Beach. There is a dog beach there. Rosie's Beach. I've never seen a dog fight there. They are all very happy to be free and off leash, with an ocean and sand right there. You get a contact high from canine joy.
1:00 p.m.: Lunch at Belmont Shore
That would take us to lunchtime and we would go somewhere around there. There is this place, L'Antica Pizzeria Da Micheleon the Belmont coast. It's great for having pizza with grandma and grandpa. He is originally from Naples. There's also one in Hollywood where Café Des Artistes used to be on that weird little side street.
4:00 p.m.: Sunset in the gardens
We would take grandma and grandpa home and leave the dogs. we would go to the Huntington and stay a couple of hours until sunset. The Japanese garden is quite amazing. You feel like you're on the set of “Shogun.”
The main thing I love is the changing ecospheres as you go through it. Living in the area, I drive by it thousands of times and then remember, “Oh yeah, there's a rainforest here. There are thick bamboo forests that look like Vietnam.” It's lovely. With my three children, I have spent a lot of time there.
6:30 pm: Mall of America
After sunset, we will go to what appears to be the only thriving shopping center in the United States. [the Shops at] saint anita. we are stupid for Din Tai Fung. My 24-year-old son, who is a bit of a food snob, says, “There are a hundred better, cheaper places within five minutes of there in the San Gabriel Valley.” And we thought, “Yeah, but this is in the mall.” It's really easy. Also, my wife is a vegetarian and in many of the more authentic places there is pork in the air. It is very difficult to find vegetarian products.
We now have a complete system with Din Tai Fung, which allows you to log into the waiting list while we are still on the road or order takeaway. There are many places in the mall with tables, you can just sit and have your own feast there.
There is also a Dave & Buster's. If you want a sensory overload, you can come in and have a great drink while playing Skee-Ball with your child.
9 pm: Go to bed as soon as possible
I'm very lucky because I sleep very well and the few times in my life that I experience insomnia, it infuriates me because I'm basically spoiled. When you have a five and a half year old, there is no real relaxation. It's just negotiations to get her to bed and sleep as quickly as possible, so we can all pass out.
