LA VACAY
- Charli Spears
- Jul 24, 2018
- 6 min read
Since moving to Los Angeles, I have people reach out to me quite often about the things they should see or do when they come to visit. Los Angeles is a lot of sightseeing in my opinion and just being here is pretty cool if you ask me. But I’ve made a list of things that I always recommend to people and now I have a direct link to send to people when they ask ;) I'm not going to post pictures of anything because I want to leave things a surprise, but I've made the names of the places direct links to their website.
The Griffith Observatory is really cool and fun but also educational (parent win!) I really don’t know how to describe what exactly it is, but it has a lot to do with astronomy. The Observatory is located in Griffith Park which has a lot to offer as well. There’s a lot of hiking trails and some killer views of the city on a clear day. The Observatory is free but parking is $4. There are a lot of things to do on the grounds of the Observatory if you aren’t into the whole space thing but coming from Louisiana and never seeing anything like this, I think it’s pretty cool. Inside of the Observatory there are a couple of exhibits and a Planetarium inside for different shows. The shows cost $7 and are well worth it if you ask me. There are a couple of telescopes that you can look through and sometimes they have events on the grounds where everyone brings their own telescopes. It’s pretty fascinating to see and really cool to go when there is a full moon or an eclipse happening.
Lake Hollywood
Lake Hollywood is where I bring people to get the best view of the ICONIC Hollywood Sign. I think it may be the closet that you can get to the sign by car. There’s a cute little park area that you can get out and walk around, take pictures, and even have a picnic if you wanted. I think it’s the best spot for anyone to get that picture of themselves in front of the sign, which is why I recommend it to everyone. Other than that, there’s not much else going on here.
If you’ve seen it, then you’ve seen it. There’s always SO many people and so many tourists looking for their favorite celebrities star on the Walk of Fame that it can be miserable to even walk around. The Chinese Theater is another Hollywood staple along the Walk of Fame that is cool and there’s all of the handprints and footprints of the celebrities who have had their movies premiered there. It’s really cool to see but it can be a pain to get there and get around. If you’re taking the time to check out the Walk of Fame then I recommend making the stop worth the while and maybe grabbing a bite to eat or drinks while in the area.
Because who goes to LA without going to the beach! The pier has a small amusement park on it with a couple of rides and can make for a really fun day! You buy a certain amount of tickets and each ride varies on the amount of tickets it costs. There’s a few restaurants on the pier where you can sit outside and really enjoy the views of the Pacific Coast. On a clear day, you can see the coastline up to Malibu.
The Venice Beach Boardwalk is fun to walk up and down. The homeless community is pretty large in the area and most of them have tables set up to sell whatever kind of hand-made items to make their money. There’s a skatepark that is right next to the beach that’s cool to hang out at and sightsee. There’s a lot of graffiti art in the area and usually you can watch someone tagging the concrete walls, or even palm trees. The California beaches are much different in comparison to the beaches on the Gulf of Mexico. It tends to be a bit chilly, especially when the sun goes down, so I always bring a jacket!
The Getty Center is a huge art museum with beautiful landscaping and architecture. There are a couple of different buildings with art from different times and places, but honestly I feel in love with the gardens. You can see the Pacific Ocean from the Getty Center so the views outside were better than the inside for me (not an old european art fan, but i guess cool to see?) The Getty Center is free admission but to park and take the tram up to the center, is $15. However, if you chose to just uber there then everything is free except for your uber ride!
Disneyland, California Adventure Park, Universal Studios and Six Flags
If you are an amusement park junkie like I am, then these are just a given. Obviously, these aren’t cheap events but well worth it and a lot of fun!!
If you’re lucky enough to be in LA on a Sunday, you have got to check out the Melrose Trading Post! There is a $3 charge to get in but all proceeds go to Fairfax High School. Melrose Trading Post is like an outdoor flea market. It is HUGE and it’ll take you a while to get through the entire thing. There are things for sell from plants, jewelry, clothes, furniture, old video games, vintage items and everything in between. They have live music in the food area and people are always sitting on blankets listening and hanging out. It’s definitely one of my favorite things to do in LA!
I have to give the credit to my mom for finding this place! It’s right off of the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu if you’re looking to venture outside of LA. There’s a cafe and a beach area here. They validate parking for up to 4 hours as long as you spend at least $30, but if you don’t, parking is only $10. The food was really good and portions were big. They had a lot of different options for drinks too! Because of the very different liquor laws in California, they aren’t technically allowed to serve you a drink. So they give you bottles of UNopened beer or wine, and provide the bottle openers on the chairs that are technically not on their property. Genius right?!
Hiking
There are a TON of hikes in LA, but the most popular is probably Runyon Canyon. With it being the most popular, it’s also the most crowded. So for that reason I stay away from Runyon because there’s nothing “cute” about hiking. Sweaty, heavy breathing and a bunch of people watching you just isn’t my thing. There’s a couple of hikes in Griffith Park that start at the Griffith Observatory (two birds, one stone) that aren’t overly crowded. I haven’t done the Hollywood Sign Hike, mainly because I hear about how difficult that one is. There are some really cool hikes in the Santa Monica Mountains that are right by the Pacific Ocean so these aren’t normally as hot as the ones in Hollywood. If you’re doing any of these in the summer or even just when it’s hot, BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR SNAKES. I’ve come across a few and if you know anything about me, you know how much I HATE snakes. Even the word makes me cringe and cover in chill bumps.
The Broad is a contemporary art museum that is in Downtown LA. It’s right next to the Walt Disney Concert Hall (again- 2 birds, 1 stone). Both of these buildings have really cool architecture. The Broad has different seasonal exhibits that require a seperate ticket from the general museum, and those tickets normally go pretty quickly. You can get online tickets for free on their website, but make sure you snag yours in advance!
Considering I’ve only been in Los Angeles for about 2 years, I know there are tons of other awesome things to do here! I’m slowly knocking things off my bucket list of things to do here and will keep this updated as I come across the different things that I enjoy! Happy vacationing :)
xo
charli
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