LA Travel Guide

LA LA Land. As a former So-Cal-ian I was always popping up to LA for the weekend and exploring, then my cousin/BFF (@cheeseboardandchill)  moved there and I was there even more. Oh yeah and my brother/BFF (@edduff)  lives there too, but he is constantly traveling. I feel like I have gotten through a lot of the highlights Los Angeles has to offer, but there is always more! 

TO DO: 

• The Getty

  • Definitely a cool place to explore, it's free, but you have to pay for parking. Your parking pass will also get you into the Getty Villa in Malibu.

• Venice Beach

  • Shopping and eating on Abbot Kinney Boulevard.

    • Stone Cold Fox

    • Saje Wellness

    • All Things Fabulous

    • Show me your MuMu

    • Principessa

    • Current/Elliot

    • Heist

  • Walking and people watching the Venice Beach Boardwalk

  • Getting some Sun on the beach

  • Renting a Bike or Rollerblades and cruising the coast!

• Santa Monica

  • The Beach

  • Shopping in their outdoor promenade.

  • Sunset on the pier.

  • The Bungalow, recreate your favorite Hills moment

  • Biking/blading

• Melrose Ave

  • More affordable shopping (sometimes) and some vintage finds

• Brentwood Countrymart

  • haven't been yet, but sounds like a fun place to eat and shop

• Hollywood

  • Nice to take a walk through on your way to other surrounding areas

  • The walk of fame, the Chinese theater as you pass by.

• Runyon Canyon

  • Sunset Hike

  • Sunrise Hike

• Gardens

  • The Huntington Library-Steep entrance fee: $25, but GORGEOUS grounds you could definitely spend the entire day here it’s beautiful

  • The Los Angeles Arboretum: Another spectacular botanical experience a little more affordable at $9

  • Both of these locations are in Pasadena area

• Malibu

  • El Matador State Beach-where they shot a scene in the Notebook. Very instagramm-y

  • Malibu Farm Pier Cafe-Fresh food on the pier

  • Nobu-to see and be seen

  • Malibu Seafood-YUM! Best Seafood, seriously

  • Hike: Corral Canyon Loop Trail

• LACMA

  • Los Angeles County Museum of Art, worth checking out, the really cool exhibits have to be booked in advance, way in advance.

• Museum of Ice Cream

  • All the celebs are doing it, and you can too, if you subscribe to request tickets when they become available on their website/newsletter.

• Griffith Observatory

  • Views of the city and The famous Hollywood sign, no need to hike to the sign you can see it from the observatory!

• Farmer's Markets

  • There are Farmer's markets every day in different parts of the city. There's truly nothing better than the bounty of Southern California Farmer's Markets.

• Flea Market at the Rose Bowl

  • The second Sunday of Every Month.

  • Massive flea market with MAJOR finds i'm sure

• Vintage Shops

  • Myrtle

  • Iguana Vintage

• Shops

  • Novella Royale

  • Wildfox

  • Stone Cold Fox

  • Planet Blue

  • Alo Yoga

  • Stag (men’s shop)

  • Basically anywhere on Abbot Kinney Blvd.

• Roof Top Bars

  • Plenty of rooftop bars in LA, but choose wisely, they can be a bit douchey/pretentious.

  • Mama Shelter-My cousin's fave rooftop bar that's perfect for happy hour sunsets  

  • BROKEN SHAKER-DTLA new fave. Tequila, chill rooftop vibes with a pool

  • Edison-not a rooftop, but a cool underground speakeasy. Very aesthetically pleasing inside.

• Malibu Wine Safari

  • Drink Wine, see animals, yes please!

• Kundalini Yoga

  • Yoga West

  • The Ra Ma Institute

TO EAT: 

• Bestia: Arts District

  • Modern Italian

• Cafe Gratitude: Venice and Downtown

  • Organic, Vegan, THE OG of Cali Health Cuisine-get the I am Cool!

• Gracias Madre: West Hollywood

  • The same people who brought us Cafe Gratitude

  • Vegan, Organic Mexican Food, probably my #1

  • Amazing tequila and mezcal selection (they even have CBD cocktails, would be more economical to drop your own CBD in there)

• Sugarfish: multiple locations

  • Your outlook on sushi will change (unless you've been to Japan).

  • Incredibly fresh, authentic and delicious.

  • Get the Trust me, a multi-course tasting (pictured below) that will blow your mind, without breaking the bank. Service is included in the price of the food.

• Herringbone: Santa Monica

  • Originally my go to in San Diego they expanded to LA and Vegas

  • Seafood-centric restaurant, the buffalo octopus might be one of my favorite dishes, ever?

• Gjelina: Venice

  • Italian/Californian

• Malibu Seafood: Malibu

  • Fresh, delicious Seafood by the ocean.

• Nobu: Malibu, West Hollywood

  • Hyped. Still delicious, still overpriced.

• Crossroads Kitchen: Melrose Ave

  • All Vegan restaurant

  • Impossible Burger!

• Erewhon Market: Multiple Locations

  • THE BEST ORGANIC HEALTH GROCERY STORE

  • Yes it's expensive, yes everything is organic, yes you will want to eat all of their prepared foods/want to buy everything.

  • Amazing juices here, cold pressed, organic, in glass

• Moon Juice: Venice, West Hollywood

  • Always in plastic bottles (not a fan).

  • Amazing branding

  • Juices are alright

  • They are very educational and have many elixirs and the first in capitalizing on the benefits of adaptogenic herbs.

• Alfred Tea Room, Alfred Coffee: Melrose Ave West Hollywood

  • The most instagrammy tea and coffee, but they're actually amazing.

• Catch LA: West Hollywood

  • Good for a cocktail, if you can get in. This is the most recent celeb fave.

• Salt and Straw: Multiple Locations

  • Best Vegan Ice Cream I have ever had, they have regular ice cream too

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TOURIST TRAP: 

 

• Santa Monica Pier

  • It is nice to check out the views, but you don't need to ride the roller coaster.

• Venice Boardwalk

  • Lots of characters

• The Grove

  • It's beautiful, but just an outdoor shop/promenade with a lot of people

• Rodeo Drive

  • Are you really going to shop here? no. so why bother

• Urrth Cafe

  • Please spare yourself. The food isn't good. The cast of the entourage is not there.

• Hollywood, Walk of Fame

  • Crowded, all souvenir shops.

• Universal Studios

  • The rides have gotten less physical and more and more digital. Honestly I felt like I was going to throw up the entire time I was there. But I'm also "old" in my late 20s.

  • I will say the studio tour is cool, do that if you must go.

• Disneyland

  • Crowded and Sweaty. Also heard they are increasing the price to deter people and steer them into reserving specific dates in advance.

  • If Disney is your jam, then it's your jam and ENJOY!

• Sur/Pump/Villa Blanca

  • Please no. The TV Show people are not actually working there.

  • I got a drink at pump and it was so sickly sugary I immediately got hungover (I also am "old").

  • Lisa's Son Max served us at Sur. That was kind of cool, but I only drank my friends said the food was horrendous.

• The Hollywood Sign

  • Do you really want to climb a steep incline in dirt, dust and the sweltering California heat to get relatively close to the Hollywood sign?

  • I recommend viewing it from Griffith observatory.

• The Pink Wall Melrose: The Paul Smith Store has the pink wall all of your favorite instagrammers frequent. Take a picture there if you go there in passing. You can shoot with Nothing greater than your phone.

• IN'N OUT Burger

  • I'm veganish with fish person, don't ask me?

Did I cover your favorite LA Haunts? Tell me what I'm missing in the comments below.  

Anna's Perfect DAY in LA

and by perfect “day” i mean 3 days because I could never do this all in one day with the reality that IS LA TRAFFIC!

• Ra Ma Institute Kundalini Class Before/After

• Sunrise Hike at Runyon Canyon

• Walking through West Hollywood to get juice from Moon Juice and Teas from Alfred Tea Room.

• The Beach, Malibu Beach with Malibu Seafood Lunch (Or Sugarfish lunch if I'm at Santa Monica Beach)

• Getting back to the city before Traffic (DREAM ON)

• Shopping along abbott kinney or Melrose in the afternoon

• Cheeseboard and Chill appetizer-exclusive to those in the know.

• Sunset Hike at Runyon Canyon-sometimes you just need a double.

• Dinner and agave based beverages at Gracias Madre. (tequila,mezcal not agave sweetener).

• Salt and Straw Vegan Ice Cream for Dessert

• Dancing the night away at a concert or live music at a bar.

• Alternatively hanging with my cuzzy and bro NOT at a bar.

For all of these spots and more Check out my GOOGLE MAP Saved Places.