As some of you may know, I just recently went on a trip to California with a group of my friends. I want this post to be relevant for people living across the world who are looking to take a trip to LA and how to get the most out of your time! There’s a variety of food, activities, and sights to be explored!
I was able to do a lot of research about LA before I left, but I found that each itinerary I looked into did not have such an extensive list of activities done in such a short period. I love keeping busy, and
If that sounds like a trip you’d love to take, then follow along on my 4-day itinerary for my time in Los Angeles! PS this post is long af, I bolded most of my recommendations.
Day 1:
I’m from Vancouver, so we had to fly into LAX. Once getting off the plane we wanted to get things started right away! We landed around noon so we weren’t able to check into our Airbnb until a little later so we decided to go for some lunch. We had all our luggage and there was 6 of us so getting an Uber for that much stuff was tricky. We made it work with XL Ubers/Lyfts. Keep in mind the more people you have with you, the cheaper the rides will be because you can split them all!
If you haven’t used Lyft or Uber before, use my discount codes for $$ off your first ride on each app!
Lyft: https://www.lyft.com/i/CHENILLE62983
Uber: https://www.uber.com/invite/chenillel9ui
I ended up finding this delicious Mexican restaurant (typical) called B.S Taqueria in the heart of DTLA. I had some carne asada tacos, mole fries, and we got to try their special grilled corn on the house! It was the best corn I’ve ever tried!
The staff there were so nice and accommodating with all our luggage. They let us put our luggage behind the counter where it was safe and out of the way. They have large picnic table sizes so they are able to host larger parties.
While letting no minute go to waste, we went exploring in the surrounding streets of the restaurant while they valiantly held our luggage. We stumbled upon a hidden treasure in the basement of The Nomad Hotel. I didn’t get to learn too much about the history of the hotel but as we were exploring the grounds we found a vault transformed into a washroom on the lower floor!
We finally headed over to our Airbnb where we relaxed the rest of the night! We thought it was best to get a good night’s sleep to start our day off perfectly tomorrow.
Day 2:
*we made breakfast at our Airbnb to save time/money but I really wanted to check out Kreation or Neighbor for some aesthetic coffee and brunch*
Our first full day in LA and we wanted to head right to the action, Venice Beach! We gathered up all our belongings and set off for a full day. We started in the middle of the Venice Beach Boardwalk and headed South. We passed by many shops with woven blankets, sunglasses and other knick-knacks galore. All the palm treeeeees everywhere!! I lost my mind!! I love palm trees, I could take a million photos of them and think every single picture turned out amazing just because of the trees!
We definitely were acting like tourists, stopping to take as many photos as possible. One of my favourite spots we found was an art wall painted like starry night. My dad really loves that painting so it was nice to get a picture with it. We made time to watch some of the amazing skateboarders in the skateboard park on our way to the actual beach.
It was a beautiful day in California, like it usually is so we took time to play in the waves for
We felt it was necessary to try some food off the boardwalk, so naturally, we had some tacos! I had a fish taco, and a Korean BBQ beef one. After filling our stomachs full of nourishment, we went on a hunt for some shopping. Going into my trip I had intentions of doing lots of shopping! I wanted to find the cutest clothes, even if it killed me. During some of my research, I came across a street called Abbott Kinney Blvd, where it was home to unique little boutiques and shoppes.
Throughout Venice Beach, and the coast of LA, we had noticed many people using electric scooters to get around. It was like a scooter share system, where you leave it behind on the street after you are finished, and someone else is able to pick it up. The company/ rental system was called Bird. Abbott Kinney Blvd was several blocks away from where we ended up at the beach so we thought this was a great opportunity to try out the birds!
There is a small learning curve with these devices, but I would definitely recommend trying them out if you are ever in LA! They go pretty fast and get you to your destination quicker than walking. It is a little unconventional but I can’t remember the last time I was on a scooter besides when I was a kid!
Abbott Kinney was exactly what I was hoping for, unique
High Rooftop Lounge on the top of Hotel Erwin was a great experience! The view was phenomenal and took my breath away. I felt so blessed to be able to experience these types of locations. Obviously, the food and drinks were over-priced a little, because let’s face it: you’re paying for that view! It was one of the only, if not the only rooftop bar in Venice Beach. I made us resos for sunset to be able to enjoy it at the best time. It was packed up there and we had a table straight overlooking the beach. I could talk very highly of the location, but the staff and service were a little sub-par from my experience.
After dinner it was starting to get dark, but we took an Uber over to Santa Monica Pier to check out the amusement park on the Pier. I believe it was the most beautiful at night because of all the bright lights shining from the rides and attractions. Surprisingly around 10pm at night there were still over 50 people still swimming in the water surrounding the Pier.
We didn’t go on any of the rides, but we walked around and soaked in the atmosphere for awhile. I love how it’s open to the public and you’re able to attend even if you don’t feel like going on any of the rides. It’s awesome to have that sort of attraction in your city. LA always has something going on, everyday!
Day 3:
Okay so I’m a pretty active gal, and although we had been walking around to most of our destinations the past couple days, I was craving some exercise and to sweat! AND OH BOY DID I GET IT. We had intentions of doing the hike up to the Hollywood sign, but I will take full credit and say that somehow we got mixed up and did the Runyon Canyon hike instead.
It was like 35° at the bottom of the trails before we started to hike up. Everyone brought one bottle of water each, but let me tell you.. that was not even close to enough. We hadn’t realized yet that we weren’t going to be reaching the Hollywood sign until we hit one of the lower peaks and saw how far away the sign was. We were pretty devastated to say the least. But we had started the hike, so I wanted to finish it.
Once reaching the top peak, it was hotter than ever without any shade in sight. We stayed up to take a couple photos but I wanted to head down as fast as I could. As a pale blonde, I am prone to getting heatstroke so I wanted some shade and water asap. My friend and I ran down the mountain as fast as we could in search of either.
Luckily at the bottom of the hike, there is a self-serve by donation cart with lots of iced water bottles and snacks. We felt so blessed to have found that! After the hike, we drove over to Hollywood Blvd to search for the walk of fame and all our
This was one of my
After the tour, we had a few more hours of the day left so we went to the Griffiths Observatory. This was a priority on many of my friend’s LA lists so it was a must-do. I love everything space related, and tbh I don’t know enough about the vast planet or galaxy that we inhabit. There are so many facts and interactive pieces that are really fun.
The views were exquisite. You were able to see the entire Orange County from up there, and even if you aren’t into space, that on it’s own will make the trip up there worth it for you. There aren’t many other places of LA where you can see such a wide view of the area.
Day 4:
Remember how I said that I wanted to do lots of shopping, even if it killed me?
Next, we went to Rodeo Drive and acted posh walking through all the designer shops. I honestly wish I could afford any of these designer bags/clothes but instead, I spend my money on traveling experiences and do not regret that. We went to an amazing art gallery on Rodeo and had the staff show us some of their most expensive pieces worth over $2+ million. They had art by Salvador Dali and Picasso. It was truly a beautiful experience.
Since again, I did not find any clothes that I wanted to buy, I finally went over to a big shopping mall on Beverly Blvd called Beverly Center. It was a high-end mall with some luxury designer shops but surely had more
Finally, to end the trip, we closed off with a ride over to LACMA. If you haven’t heard of LAMCA, by day it is a contemporary museum in LA, but at night and most other times of the day it is a photo-op location. The location is home to beautiful architectural lamp posts that are symmetrically placed in rows. I enjoyed going there at sunset, but truly found that my photos turned out a little better at dusk, the darker it got. Would likely recommend if you are a traveling blogger from out of town and find yourself in LA.
At last that sums up parts of my LA trip that I would recommend if you are planning to visit LA in the near future. To say the least, I didn’t come close to knocking even half of what I had on my list but this is a start.
I will surely be back LA.
