My Favorite Weekend

Disc jockey Jim Ladd, who can be heard Monday through Saturday on KLOS-FM (95.5) between 6 and 10 p.m.

Palate Pleaser: For the best Mexican food in Southern California, my wife and I go to the Garden of Taxco on Harper Avenue between Santa Monica Boulevard and Fountain Avenue. There is no menu. The guy who is in charge comes to the table and asks you whether you like chicken, beef or fish. Then he goes through the dishes in each category. He talks about how the chicken was born to be in the sauce and the beef is shredded by hand. It’s one of those places where you better come hungry because it’s like a six- or seven-course meal.

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On-the-Job Fun: Because of my work schedule, I’m a night person. Normally, I get up about noon. On Saturday afternoons, I do maybe two hours of work at my computer. I just finished writing my second book. It’s a novel about contact with another planet. I get to the station by 4 p.m. . . . My fun, and this is going to sound cliche, is being on the air.

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Horsing Around: A couple of years ago, I bought a horse and had it boarded out in the Valley. I learned to ride, to saddle, bridle and to take care of the horse. To me that’s the most relaxing thing I can do on a Sunday afternoon. Once you get on that horse, all your problems and everything else go away. Recently, myself and two friends saddled up and went on a five-hour horseback ride into the mountains above Hansen Dam. For two of the five hours, we saw no people, houses or cars.

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Full House: One Sunday evening every month, we get together with friends for a game of poker. We usually order something like ribs or pizza. Poker gives you something to do while you’re talking and catching up. It’s a friendly competition.

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Animal Lovers: I also like to hang out with my dogs. We have a German shepherd and little boxer. My wife, who’s a docent at the L.A. Zoo, also has a small monkey. It’s a capuchin, which is like the organ grinder monkey you see in the movies. But they’re not recommended as pets. It’s like having a kid hyped up on Sugar Pops. They are very bright, very quick and they take a lot of maintenance.