Isabel Gillies

Isabel Gillies and Peter Lattman

What's on the horizon for you, acting-wise?
Hopefully, SVU will keep going. I’m not aggressively [auditioning] because so much is shot in L.A. I want to write more. It’s so much more creative to me.

How did you meet your new husband?
In the park! It was a big playdate with all my childhood pals. A friend called both of us because he knew we were single parents and needed something fun to do. I couldn't believe how hard weekends were when I was a single mom! They’re brutal, lonely, sad and horrible. So we went to the park and played monkey in the middle together. And then we had playdate after playdate with our kids. That’s a great way to fall in love with another parent.

What kinds of activities did you do on those playdates?
Central Park on sunny days and the Museum of Natural History on rainy ones. We loved going to pizza parlors with the kids, and Fairway. It’s like a museum in there; there are even live animals.

What are your favorite things to do with your family these days?
I love the daily pickup at school. We still love going to Fairway, the movies, riding the bus. We do West Side Little League and that’s just heartbreakingly sweet.

Any favorite city restaurants?
We're big fans of Patsy’s Pizza, Café con Leche, Papaya King and the Boat Basin. Chirping Chicken on 76th and Amsterdam is a winner, too.

What’s on your nightstand to read this summer?
Ruth Reichel's new memoir, Not Becoming My Mother. I read all her books. I saw somewhere that she recommended Nigel Slater's memoir, The Kitchen Diaries, so I'll pick that up. I want to check out Kathryn Stockett's The Help. I might go back and read a classic. As I near 40, I feel that it's time to revisit the big dogs—Wharton, Hemingway, Austen. And then How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk, by Faber and Mazlish. It's like having the secret code.

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