AMÉLIE NAEGELEN, FOUNDER TINYFRENCHY, IN LOS ANGELES
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After living in Hong Kong and Miami for a while, it is in Los Angeles, the city of stars, that Amélie Naegelen and her husband Romain decided to settle down in 2012. Driven by the overflowing energy of the city, and inspired by her two blonde angels - Jane, 5 years old, and Felix, 3 years old - Amélie decided to develop her own business: Tinyfrenchy, an online shop with baby essentials and original kids room items crafted by French designers. Today, this accomplished, active and passionate mama divides her time between her family, her company and her part-time job as a marketing and retail consultant.
IN LOS ANGELES WITH AMÉLIE NAEGELEN
A few words to describe your city? Both gigantic and fabulous. Los Angeles offers an extraordinary quality of life, especially for families. With the Pacific Ocean and wonderful beaches, the palmtrees, the hills and the desert, nature is all around us and so rich! At the same time, distances between one place and another may be huge and people have to come to terms with this.
I love the fact that each district has its own atmosphere. We live in West Side but we also enjoy spending time in Culver City, Venice and Santa Monica. We also like going to Downtown, Silver Lake and Echo Park.
There's definitely something happening in the city right now. Architecture, culture, gastronomy have been significantly moving these last few years...
Eating out with the kids. As big fans of Asian food (we spent 3 years in Hong Kong after all), we are keen on the Taiwanese restaurant, ROC, and their dim sum dishes. We also like the famous pork cutlet restaurant Kimukatsu. Both are located on Sawtelle (in the neighborhood called "Little Osaka"). The children also love having burgers and fries at In-N-Out, the famous fast food chain. So do we! But apart from this we try to maintain a balanced diet with avocado at the heart of it.
Grabbing a snack with the kids. Unfortunately there aren't many French "boulangeries" here but we do still have some yummy options, such as M Street Kitchen's cookies in Santa Monica, Sweet Lady Jane's cakes on Melrose Avenue or Joan's on Third's pastries in West Hollywood. Let's not forget Trader Joe's, which offers lots of fresh biscuits, organic fruit compotes and even a delicious sliced French brioche.
Your favorite activities on a sunny day. We go to the beach, either the one at Marina del Rey or in Santa Monica. We also walk and bicycle on the path along the beach. The children love to go on the rides at Santa Monica Pier. Best to go early to avoid the crowds.
And on a rainy day... Rain is very unusual here but when it does rain, we take the kids to see an exhibition. We quite often go to the Anneberg Foundation in Century City. Their space dedicated to photography appeals to both parents and children.
C for Culture. The Natural History Museum of LA is simply amazing. We also like to visit the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Bay or the one on Santa Monica pier. A must-go is the Getty Center, located at the top of a hill in Brentwood and designed by famous architect Richard Meier. They sometimes host interactive activities, festivals, and garden concerts for families.
Peaceful walks/nap time. We like walking along the beach, especially at sunset because this is when the natural light is most magnificent. We also often go to Will Rogers State Historic Park (Pacific Palisades) where children can observe the horses and play on their vast stretches of lawn.
Shopping for the kids. I buy most of my children's clothes at Zara Kids, Gap Kids and Target (I'm fond of their recently launched children fashion brand Cat & Jack). But to be totally honest, my favorite brands are in France: Petit Bateau, Marie Puce and Monoprix...
For little gifts and hand-crafted activities: Paper Source.
As for home decoration: Tinyfrenchy of course but also Fire & Creme, both a gorgeous shop and an event planning company located in Venice.
Staying with kids in Los Angeles. Shutters On The Beach is a sumptuous upscale hotel located in Santa Monica in front of the beach, but I tend to recommend renting a flat through Airbnb in Venice to my friends.
Getaways outside the city. Ojai is a great destination to get a glimpse of the hippy, chic Californian countryside.
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