John C. McGinley

* The film and television actor stars in the NBC series “Scrubs.”

Friday Night Fever: Friday I would go pick up my son Max, 4, and we’d have a sleepover. That would mean going to Coogie’s Beach Cafe in Malibu. Then we’d come home, where I have the garage set up like a big playroom with mirrored walls. For kids with Down syndrome, there’s a thing called hippotherapy, where riding horses helps them build up their strength. I replicate that by putting him on my shoulders and dancing to Van Morrison. He can see himself dancing on my shoulders, and it becomes the joy celebration of all time.

Going Coastal: Saturday we’ll go to Point Dume. Max won’t go in the water because it’s too cold, but there’s a lot of visual input. One of the first things he started visually tracking was birds, so we go down there and run the dogs and watch the birds. It’s also good for Max’s balance to walk on the sand. Back at the house, we’ll get in the Jacuzzi, and then down to the swing set and sing. A lot of his language is coming out of songs, so we sing nonstop.

Dinner Show: After I drop Max off at his mom’s house in Santa Monica, I’d have dinner with friends at Chinois. I like to sit in the back at the counter and watch them cook in the kitchen. It’s one of the best shows in Southern California. When they really get going, it’s an exercise in precision. They crank out some stunning food. The best thing on the menu is the lobster with that crazy brown sauce. If I’m up in Malibu, we’ll go to Nobu and sit outside.

Back Country Malibu: Sunday, we go up to our friend Mary Crosby’s house; she lives up in the mountains, and we go on these crazy hikes. There’s a series of super-secret waterfalls up by her house that we go through. That’s just magic time. It’s about a two-hour hike, but about 45 minutes are spent in the waterfalls.

Field Trip: The last field trip I took was with my parents up to the Santa Ynez Valley. We went to the Byron Vineyard. It’s was like Shangri-La back there. You drive up into the mountains east of Santa Barbara, and it’s just stunning--Southern California’s best-kept secret.

Robin Rauzi