You did it again, didn’t you? After a six-month holiday whirlwind -- that frenetic New Year’s Eve party, a heart-breaking Valentine’s fiasco, a gluttonous St. Patty’s Day, that marathon mimosa-fueled Easter egg hunt, an unexpectedly kinky Earth Day (long story), a caliente Cinco de Mayo and a lost Memorial Day weekend that-we-shall-never-speak-of-henceforth -- you once more find yourself 48 hours away from Father’s Day and you’ve yet to come up with a special way to treat Dad on his special day. Despite the fact that
, we figured you might fall prey to the same absent-mindedness this time around. As such, we’re here to show you three unique ways to make him think you’ve been planning something for weeks. Don’t thank us, that’s what we’re here for -- to show your dad a good time (that came out wrong... nevermind, let’s move on).
If Dad Is Into Craft Brews…
…then take him on an all-out L.A. beer crawl. If you’ve ignored our advice and refused to get into the hoppy-n (beer joke!) SoCal beer scene (
), you can take this opportunity to acquaint yourself with some California brews while giving him a boozy Father’s Day to (perhaps, somewhat hazily) remember (please find a designated driver for this endeavor -- we can’t stress this enough!). Since it opened in October,
has become a premiere beer lovers’ destination, serving not only hoppy goodness from Golden Road’s brewery next door, but top-notch craft beers from other notable brewers as well (and some great pub grub to boot). But if you really want to go the extra mile (er, 36 miles, to be exact) for Dad, head south to the beer Mecca that is
. Serving some of the most diverse,
anywhere, Dad will get to sample small batches from one of the best breweries in the country. Sop up any excess alcohol at nearby
, where their signature namesake burger’s 50 percent beef, 50 percent bacon (yes, bacon!) patty will be just the cure for what ales (another beer pun!) ya.
Since there’s only so much beer one can consume in an afternoon (if Dad disagrees with that notion, there's always
), you can help him stock his fridge at
downtown. Then elevate the evening with dinner at the Biergarten high atop
, where he can gorge on gourmet sausages and suds to his heart’s content. You may want to skip the strudel, though -- for a true beer lover’s dessert, only the Old Rasputin beer float made with Scoops gelato at
will do.
If Dad Is All About Fun and Games...
...then he lives in the right city. Not only is Los Angeles the unofficial capital of prolonged adolescence (we have the dating track record to prove it), it's surrounded by enough
,
and "I'm never too-old-for-this-s**t" activities (see
and
) to last him well past middle age. So indulge his inner-child with a morning drive at
. Those hours of pent-up road rage from bumper-to-bumper commutes on the 405 will vanish in a rush of pedal-to-the-metal burning rubber. This will no doubt get him in the mood to see some REAL racing machines, which he can check out up close at the
.
Next, feed his arrested development at
. Complete with beer pong and foosball, not to mention $2 mimosas and PBRs, this killer afternoon cookout will have him reliving his college years. Once he's had a chance to (literally) digest all that fun, ratchet up the adrenaline factor with some indoor skydiving at
, where they're offering special Father's Day packages. If the big guy isn't too tuckered out after this Sunday Funday, treat him to a (free, as long as you say "
") burger at any of
and watch the Thunder/Heat game... unless he's a Lakers fan, in which case find a nice table away from the TVs.
If Dad Doesn't Want to Leave the House...
...well, we can't exactly blame him. After all, if we had a Sunday devoted entirely to us after suffering a year's worth of 70 hour workweeks, we'd probably take the opportunity to relax and recharge at home. If this is the case, you'll just have to take Father's Day TO your father. On Saturday, swing by
in Beverly Hills (they're closed on Sunday) for some top shelf shaving products for him -- just because he's not stepping outside on Sunday doesn't mean he has to look like an unkempt shut-in. While he's freshening up, you can mix him the perfect Bloody Mary. Don't worry if you're not much of a mixologist -- you can spice up your usual recipe with the
. As he's going to need some edibles to go with those bloodies, bring L.A.'s hottest restaurant right to his front door with a few choice sandwiches from
, the casual take-out companion to Michael Voltaggio's culinary phenomenon, ink. The Spicy Tuna & The "Jose Andres" sandwiches are to die for (they'll go even better with some special Father's Day cupcake offerings from
). It will be the perfect nosh for watching the
, though if his baseball allegiances lie outside of L.A., you could get him a month's subscription to
MLB.TV instead
. The
allows him to watch out-of-market baseball games on his favorite mobile & electronic devices, basically turning any room in the house into his own private sports bar (for under $25!).
It would be dandy and daughterly of you to whip up a nice dinner, but really, who wants to cook on a lazy Sunday? Put the pots & pans away and pick up a half-baked House Combination Pizza from
, quite possibly the most underrated pizza in L.A. As you will need to finish baking it in the kitchen to ensure you're serving the pie at its melty, cheesy best, you'll still have a nice opportunity to bond over an (almost) home cooked meal.
This post was written by A. Joos.