There are many factors that led Taylor Jenkins Reid to choose space as the backdrop of her new novel, “Atmosphere,” a thrilling love story set at NASA in the 1980s.

One may very well have been her L.A. commute.

Specifically, her journey along the Dr. Sally Ride Memorial Highway, a portion of the 101 Freeway in Encino. “I am sure that it worked its way into my subconscious,” Reid says. “It was there waiting for me because I’ve driven by that sign so many times.”

So much of Encino and the Valley inspires Reid, the author of a shining repertoire of bestselling novels including “Daisy Jones & the Six” and “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.” She talks about the hikes, the views and the charming restaurants that have stood for generations. Here’s how she’d spend a perfect day in L.A. with he

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