From guest blogger Marsha Takeda-Morrison of Sweatpantsmom

Just because it’s a sweltering night in L.A. doesn’t mean you have to lock yourself in your air-conditioned house downing pints of Ben and Jerry’s. Sure it’s fun, but sooner or later that freezer of yours will be empty and you’ll have to run out for more ice cream anyways, so why not make a night of it? Here are some ways to enjoy the nightlife in L.A. – don’t stay out too late and you can still stop at 7-Eleven on the way home for another pint of Cherry Garcia.

A movie at a cemetery may not be your idea of a fun (and even romantic) evening but lots of people think this event is anything but dead. Join the crowds at the Cinespia outdoor movie screenings at Hollywood Forever Cemetery where you can enjoy old classics and new hits like “The Thin Man” and “27 Dresses” alongside the final resting places of stars such as Rudolph Valentino and Charlie Chaplin. Bring along a meal, a bottle of wine and party with the festive crowd amongst the crypts. Don’t forget to bring some dessert to share with the ghost of William Randolph Hearst, who is said to frequently visit the crypt of his mistress, Marion Davies.

I can only describe Summer Sessions at the Getty as a sort of highbrow wave. The well-heeled denizens of the art world come together with the pulsating bodies of twenty-somethings looking for a good free outdoor event with strong booze. But it sure is fun! Come dance to high-energy electronica and world music spun by first-rate DJs in the Getty Center courtyard, and then cool off with a drink at one of their outdoor bars. The strangest thing I saw the last time I was there was an elderly museum employee tearing up the dance floor to a techno remix of “I Will Survive.” Really!

Technically not in Los Angeles, but only a short 90-minute drive for the adventurous. The W Hotel in San Diego has a great rooftop bar called the Sand Bar that features a heated sand floor (yes, real sand to get inside your shoes), fire pits, private cabanas and nightly movie screenings. The best part? Unlike a real beach, there’s no sunscreen required, and a waiter delivers your drink on a tray instead of you having to fish it out of your own ice chest.

For a rooftop bar closer to home, there’s the Roof Bar at the Standard Downtown. Order a mai-tai and then lay down on one the vibrating space-pod waterbeds (you may have to wait a while for your turn.) This place is teeming with hipsters, so make sure you have your best Prada bag (or excellent knock-off) slung over your shoulder that night. There’s a live DJ on Sunday afternoons, but the cover is a steep $20 – I guess with a name like Roof Bar you’d have to expect the prices to be sky-high.

Photo: StandardHotels.com

From guest blogger Marsha Takeda-Morrison of Sweatpantsmom

I’m a big fan of Rachael Ray’s “$40 Dollars A Day,” where the ubiquitous Food Network star goes to different places around the world and shows you how you can enjoy three meals a day for forty bucks or less. Although, sometimes I feel bad for Rachael because there’ll she be in a beautiful place like Rome and she’s having a crust of bread and an olive for dinner because she’s already spent $39.50 on breakfast and lunch.

But I have to admit in these increasingly troubling economic times, I’ve been thinking of ways to cut costs when it comes to dining and entertainment. So I’ve come up with some things in L.A. that my family of four can enjoy for $20 or less. Unfortunately, the budgets are tight on some of these and I may have to bring along my own bread crust.

Santa Monica Pier Ferris Wheel. Honestly, ferris wheels scare me to death, but I may have to buck up and try this one out. It’s the new solar-powered Pacific Wheel that’s part of Pacific Park, the amusement park on the Santa Monica Pier. Admission to the park is free, but tickets for the ferris wheel are $5 apiece. That would eat up our entire $20, but we’d be rewarded with some spectacular views of the California coastline. Unfortunately I wouldn’t have enough money left over to buy a barf bag.

The Getty Center. I know, I’ve mentioned this place like a gazillion times, but it still stands out as one of the best deals in town. For only $8 for parking, we have access to all the exhibits and the awesome Getty Gardens. Best of all, the $12 we have left over will buy each of us a snack. Or, if I’m feeling cranky, a couple of cappuccinos for me and a few sugar packets that my husband and two kids can split between them.

Friday Night Jazz at the L.A. County Museum of Art (LACMA). Our kids aren’t big jazz fans, but they still love this. It takes place on Fridays from 6-8pm during April through November in the main courtyard of the museum. It’s absolutely free, which means if we pack some juice and snacks for the kids my husband and I can spend our $20 on a couple of nice cool martinis while we listen to first-rate jazz. All the galleries are free after 5pm, so as soon as the kids started requesting the sax player to play some White Stripes we’d be able to whisk them out of there for a stroll through the galleries.

The Beach. This needs no explanation, really. We’ll pack sunscreen, some snacks, our iPods and a couple of books. The kids will play all day long, and my husband and I will fantasize about buying a beach house when we win the lottery. If you can find parking for free you can spend the entire $20 on incredibly tasty junk food at the snack bar. Sunshine, ocean breezes and deep-fried food – what more could you ask for?

Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). Like many museums around town, MOCA has a night where admission is free and theirs is Thursday, from 5-8pm. For $20 the four of us could easily share two of their generous sandwiches and have some sparkling sodas at Joachim Splichal’s Patinette Café. Then we could browse the gallery until closing. Unfortunately the visit would still be a complete letdown to my 12-year-old, since we wouldn’t have any money leftover to spend in the gift shop.

With gas prices as high as they are now, I realize that a measly $20 wouldn’t even cover the gas to get to some of these venues, but even Rachael Ray cheats a bit. You think she’s getting to that restaurant in Greece on a public bus? Personally, I think she goes back to her hotel after being a ‘$40 A Day’ tightwad and orders up three hundred dollars worth of room service.

Photo: Pacific Park Santa Monica

From guest blogger Marsha Takeda-Morrison of Sweatpantsmom

I’m about to make myself very unpopular with the fitness-conscious, hard-bodied L.A. crowd, but I have a confession to make: I think walking is boring. I’d really love to make use of the track that winds around our local park or make walking my kids to school a healthy habit, but to be perfectly honest, until they line the entire route with Cirque du Soleil performers or end-to-end plasma screens showing Sex and the City reruns, I’ll continue to drive my car, damnit.

The one exception is when I’m mesmerized by a good garden. I’m not talking about the neighbor’s zero-scaped front yard, but a spectacularly crafted, bigger than life garden extravaganza that takes my mind off the doldrums of walking. Luckily, Los Angeles has quite a few of those and spring is the perfect time to visit them. Here are a few that actually get me out of my car and putting foot to gravel (or dirt.) I might just have to drop some cash on a pair of new walking shoes.

My favorite are the Gardens at the Getty Center. From the top of the garden, where you have a magnificent view of the grounds, to the winding path that leads down to the maze-like center, the entire environment is absolutely enchanting and at the same time Zen-like and peaceful. And no article of mine would be complete without a reference to food – the cafeteria-style Café at the Getty Center is one of my favorite places to eat in the city. Sometimes I meet friends there for lunch, and we get so distracted by our excellent meals and strong coffee that we forget to head over to the exhibits. Don’t tell anybody.

Slightly east of Los Angeles in the city of La Cañada Flintridge are the charming Descanso Gardens. You’ll find a beautiful, low key setting here, perfect for young children to explore. I went there last fall on a field trip with my daughter’s class and we had a very personal, thorough walking tour through the grounds that ended in a nice surprise – a small pumpkin patch.

A fifteen minute drive heading southeast will get you to the beautiful Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. This is one of the best-kept secrets in Los Angeles – a magnificent, lush garden with strolling peacocks and unusually small crowds. This holds special significance for me – it was one of the last places we took my husband’s 101-year old grandmother. Her eyesight was failing, but she was able to identify many of the plants and flowers just by their smell and feel.

Conveniently, from the Arboretum you can get to the famous Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens in San Marino in just ten short minutes. You may have heard of the Huntington Art Gallery, home to such celebrated works of art as Thomas Gainsborough’s The Blue Boy and Thomas Lawrence’s Pinkie. The gardens are truly spectacular – my favorite is the Ikebana House, where you can see exquisite examples of the traditional art of Japanese flower arranging.

Bottom line? It amazes even me, but when surrounded by floral, fauna and a cool spring breeze at my back, I truly feel like I could walk forever.

Are you a walker? A gardener? A walker in a garden, like me? What are your favorite springtime destinations?