Regina King

* The actress, who appeared in “Jerry Maguire” and “Enemy of the State,” is in “Down to Earth,” opening Friday.

Up and Away: One of my favorite weekends was about a year and a half ago, when a couple that is one of our closest friends, along with their daughter and our son, took a helicopter over to Catalina Island for the weekend. The helicopter part was truly the coolest--you feel like the A-Team. None of us had ever been in a helicopter before. The dolphins, which you can see, are much more exciting from the air. They almost run in a pattern, and you can see them through the whole continuous thing from above.

Total Tourist: We did one of those [rickshaw-type] things where the people ride you around, pulling you behind their bike. And then we rented a golf cart and drove around Avalon. That was really cool. We got to drive up where the Wrigley House is and really see it. It’s humongous. It’s at the very tip of the island, and from almost every point on the island you can see it.

R and R: We stayed in a little bed and breakfast. It was really nice. A lot of those places don’t like to accommodate children. This one, the lady who owned it, she was into the kids. Ian was about 3 1/2 then. (He’s 5 now.) Anyway, she allowed us a little time to sleep in because she let the kids come up and be with her while she was preparing things for the other guests. That was my first time in a bed and breakfast, and as a family it was special. Not a bunch of extras, but nice and cozy.

Finishing Touches: We had a great lunch. Being on an island makes you think of seafood, so my husband had lobster and I had crab. We walked through the shops in Avalon and did a little shopping. They had a festival going where you can try different wines and things for the kids to do. So we tasted wine and got silly drunk and had a fantastic dinner. And right before the sun set, we took the boat back. But it was all about the company that you keep and laughing and talking throughout the whole two days.