2024 Best Sights Around Los Angeles California
Van Gogh Immersion
Intro
Los Angeles. The City of Angels. A city that people either love or hate, rarely anything in between. There can be the glitz and glamour of ‘Hollywood’ and the entertainment industry, that many can take as superficial. But there can be aspects of phoniness like there can be anywhere, it’s just publicized more in Los Angeles.
What many people don’t see from outside of the La La Land bubble is the beauty in and around the city as well as the majority of Angelenos just living ordinary lives of driving in rush hour traffic to their ordinary jobs, grocery shopping, exercising, and taking care of a family.
In this blog I am going to cover many of my favorite things about Los Angeles County and why it has more to offer than what meets the eye.
Dan Blocker Beach - Malibu, California
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During the summer before my junior year of high school, I begged (and I mean BEGGED) my parents to take us to Los Angeles. This was my first visit to the City of Angels. Before the days of Google Maps, when Mapquest was king and so was my wired headphones. I had always been obsessed with movies and theater and I knew that is what I wanted to do to some extent, professionally. So, in my 16 year old mind, before the internet was fully up and running and social influencers were a thing, I figured I would 'scope' out Los Angeles for my future life, knowing that this was a great place to break into my future career. But as a typical 16-year-old, when we got there I seemed uninterested while on vacation and listened to my disc-man for most of this trip (don't judge me, this was right before the iPod came out and it was a lot cooler than a Walkman). I did engage in the few theme parks we checked out. We stopped at Universal Studios Hollywood, Disneyland, and took a tour of Paramount Studios (which I would later become acquainted with for movie screenings through a hookup from a friend’s job), this was pre-Harry Potter and me being okay with roller coasters, it was still fun though. But for any direction on how my future life would look, I was still no closer to that insight.
Then, a few years later, towards the end of my freshman year of college, I told my parents, ‘college wasn't for me,' and I was going to drop out. Typical to how I have planned most of my life ever since, that was as far as I got. I had no plan or a resemblance of a plan, like hey guys I am going to go here and try XYZ. So, it was pretty easy for my mom to convince me to stay in college by telling me I would then have to pay my own health insurance. At the time, if you were over 18 and not in college, you would get cutoff from your parent’s health insurance. I am not sure why this very non-threatening threat scared me, but I was like, whelp, I guess I am staying in college. I checked my bank account, and I couldn’t even afford a ticket to the movies let alone the amount I made up in my head for what health insurance would cost. So, we compromised, and I stayed at my university for the four years, but I took an acting class with the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles.
I spent the majority of the summer living in a furnished studio apartment in the Hollywood Hills, which was within walking distance to my NYFA classes on the backlot of Universal Studios. This summer really shaped my life and the person I would become. Before this moment, I was a very sheltered kid and taken care. I had spent the first 19 years of my life never really being alone. I was either with my family, friends, or at school. So, spending a summer living in an apartment alone, I continually thought: WOAH! Someone is letting me live alone. I assumed I would be having a lot of sex because I thought that's what everyone did who lived alone. That wasn't the case, I barely got down how to cook a meal and clean an apartment by myself. I pretty much grocery shopped at a convenience store and it didn't dawn on me to incorporate a veggie into my diet. During my first earthquake, I stood in the doorway clutching my laptop, thinking: I hope this stops soon. And then it did! I will never forget asking the guy at the front desk of my apartment building if it was okay for me to take public transportation to Hollywood Boulevard to check out the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Grauman's Chinese Theatre. He scoffed at the mention of public transportation (it was LA after all) but said I most likely wouldn't die at this point on Hollywood Boulevard during the day. I went to the iconic Viper Room and strolled around West Hollywood with friends, trying to find the best places to grab a drink on Sunset Boulevard and spot some iconic landmarks (aka the Sunset Strip).
After college, I lived in Los Angeles for 6 months and then moved to San Francisco for another 6 months. On my way to and from California, I drove between there and New Jersey to be able to stop when I wanted, bring as many belongings as I could fit in my car and optimize the number of states and sights I was able to see during each trip. My first time living in Los Angeles was the best way to get acclimated to the city. I was young, excited to be there, and made a few friends on my first day there who were also excited to explore the city. We found some of the best views between the Valley and the Pacific Coast Highway, dipping our toes in the Pacific Ocean while visiting the Malibu Pier or grabbing a beer at a German Restaurant on Hollywood Blvd for Oktoberfest. Some of my favorite places changed over the years depending on my interests and social circle, but all of them have held a place in my heart over the years.
Between my first and second residency in California, I traveled extensively and lived in 2 other states before coming back to LA like I was gravitating towards a magnetic pull. This little timeline is to show that while I have done a decent amount of traveling over the years to 47-states and 28 countries, I have also lived and worked in some amazing areas that people dream of vacationing to. I think that while the pandemic was difficult on so many levels and I missed traveling abroad, it was not a complete hardship for me (at least on the travel front) as there are so many amazing things to see and do in Los Angeles. I also really love my little pocket of the city (Miracle Mile) I lived in with the ability to wander around parks, to restaurants, shops, museums and entertainment.
When I lived in LA for the second time, I initially was staying in sublets in Koreatown (GREAT food), Pasadena (super classy), and downtown LA (super walkable and trendy), before settling in an apartment for a year in Westchester, near the beach Playa Del Rey, which reminds me of Lana Del Rey and her song Summertime Sadness. The apartment and complex I lived in was super cute, close to work that I had a terrific view of the beach going to and from work. Past those perks though, I didn't love that part of town. Even though it was more low-key than Santa Monica, Venice, or Hollywood, I am a NYC person at heart and didn't love the idea of having to drive everywhere. A friend and I had decided to move in together after my year lease was up. Initially we were looking into Culver City to still be somewhat close to my job, but we weren't finding any places we liked so I looked at a map and started expanding my search and came across Miracle Mile. It seemed located close to a lot of people we knew, centrally located to a bunch of cool pockets in LA, with a lot to do in the area, as well as still somewhat close to work. I didn't realize this Freudian slip of my Google Map search would land me in a neighborhood I would fall in love with and live in for six years. Friends would come and go, jobs would come and go, but me loving and living in Miracle Mile would stay a constant. At one point I had five or so close friends living within a mile radius of where I was living, but even after many of them left, I still loved the neighborhood. If I had nothing to do, I would take a short walk to a museum, catch a free concert in the La Brea Tar Pits or at the Grove, go to a movie or shopping at the mall, grab food or a drink at a local restaurant, or just get some fresh air without having to commit to driving really far and finding parking. During the beginning of the pandemic, I thought it was a good idea to avoid groups of people and rush hour. I found the best time to do this was at sunrise and I just fell in love with the area when the city was still. First-time visitors would be shocked to see the emptiness of Melrose Avenue at that hour.
Every year that I have lived in LA, my parents come out to visit for 2-3 weeks at a time. I have a completely different mind-frame (in a good way) for staycations and utilizing personal days now. I used to have a limited amount of vacation days, so that drove me to rarely take a sick or personal day. Most of my jobs required me to work in the office 5 days a week so many evenings and weekends, I was too exhausted to really explore. Also, I had the headspace of using vacation days only to go away on vacation, so I did not take much time to explore my own city or attend to my physical and mental health. With a little more freedom at my last job, I started focusing more on attending to my well-being as well as exploring Southern California.
After this COVID-era of not going anywhere, even around Los Angeles; I was like a kid in a candy store when my parents came back to visit in the spring of 2021. My parents are not back-packers or belaying off a mountain sort of outdoorsy people so the lists below, I focused on indoor and outdoor activities that are active with great views but not too intense.
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Los Angeles is the 2nd largest metro area in the US.
The first star on the Walk of Fame was cemented in 1960.
Los Angeles is often referenced at L.A., La La Land, and the City of Angels.
The Hollywood Sign was initially Hollywoodland. Land was removed in 1949.
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There’s no easy way to plan trip to Los Angeles. It is a huge city with so much to see and do. Most of the attractions are at different corners of the county with sometimes intense traffic in between. The first thing I advise people going to Los Angeles for leisure is have a plan, prioritize the sights, and depending on how long the person is staying they may not see it all.
I had the good fortune that most of the time I was is Los Angeles, I was living there so there was not a rush on seeing or doing certain things. I was able to fit everything I wanted to do within my schedule. Most people have a week in LA, if they’re lucky and that isn’t a ton of time to explore this massive city.
Depending on what is bringing the person to Los Angeles, I recommend starting there with planning the trip. If coming to the city for a sporting event or venue, tailoring the hotel to stay in, restaurants, activities, etc. to that area will help on time efficiency and travel costs (i.e. Ride Shares or Rental Cars). Same principle works if visiting someone or another activity (i.e. concert, show, event, etc.). If coming to LA just to explore, I’ve recommended to people depending on time, to pick 2-3 sections of town they would like to explore. If they are far apart, find hotels or vacation rentals in each of those areas to cut down on time spent in the car.
I am not usually a planner when it comes to taking a vacation but Los Angeles and Miami are two cities I recommend to at least have some foundation to make the trip a success.
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Like I have mentioned throughout this post, Los Angeles is huge and driving around it can be a pain. There are a TON, and I mean ton, of hotels, motels, inns, B&Bs, vacation rentals, and so on, around this city. I recommend following my advise and narrow down what brings you to the city and where you will be to determine where you stay in the city. Many people prefer AirBNBs or certain hotel chains for the points. So once you determine location, you are bound to find at least a few in your preference pool in the location you are looking into.
Some of my favorite hotels in Los Angeles are listed below:
Santa Monica Pier
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Some of the Best Beaches in Los Angeles County
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When people think of Los Angeles, they think of Beverly Hills or West Hollywood, when there is really so much more to the county than just those two areas. There are a ton of cute little pockets in the region that are worth a visit.
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Sights Visited in Los Angeles
Typically my list of sights visited in Los Angeles is formatted a bit different, because most of my other posts are from place I only spent a few days in versus a city I lived in for 8 years.
Below I put together a comprehensive list of activities based on free activities and those with a cost as well as indoor and outdoor activities so there should be something for every budget and weather it is a perfect day or too hot/rainy.
When living in Los Angeles, I categorized activities by those I did frequently, occasionally, and only when guests were visiting. A lot of that had to do with my interest level and traffic. As you have probably heard, Los Angeles is a very large city with many of its sights and attractions spread out around the county, which can be a time commitment with traffic and parking. A lot of the activities I did after my first year living the city had to do with if there was a special occassion and/or what part of the city I lived in. There’s a popular saying Angelenos say when asked to do something: what side of the 405 is it on? If you live east of the 405 or west of the 405, it’s rare for you to cross it.
With that said, many of the sights I visited depended on where my apartment and jobs were. In the last 6 years I lived in LA, I was based in the Miracle Mile section of town. So with that said, my day-to-day was spent going to the La Brea Tar Pits, the Grove, or Pan Pacific Park. A little less frequently, but still often, I would go out in West Hollywood and Hollywood to grab a drink or food. I would never go to the Hollywood Walk of Fame unless someone was visiting that had never been to before. Included to those Hollywood visits would be the occasional hike through Griffith Park, Runyon, or Tree People. I would need to get at least one beach trip in a month where I would head up to Malibu. It was a little further, but I preferred the more low key area then congested Santa Monica or Venice Beach. The last category when people were in town, I would some times take them to my favorite spots mentioned above sprinkled in with the tourist spots like Hollywood Boulevard for an improv show, Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, and the Santa Monica Pier.
Below I have detailed out some of my all-time favorite things to do in LA.
Free Outdoor Activities in Los Angeles
LACMA Park
Farmer’s Markets
Downtown LA Architecture
LA Outdoor Activities With a Cost
Indoor LA Activities With a Cost
Griffith Observatory - Los Angeles, California
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If you have a food allergy, LA is the best place for you to be as it has a plethora of options for all dietary needs.
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Broad Beach - Malibu, California
Conclusion
I love Los Angeles. I have always loved Los Angeles, even before I had ever been to the state of California. My love for LA is like a toxic relationship no matter what happens in the city, even if it breaks my heart, I will always have love for the city. It's beauty, diversity, its extensive list of sights and attractions. I loved when friends and family would visit and I would get to show them a piece of LA through my eyes and make them fall in love with the city as I did so many years ago.
In the three week trips my parents would take to see me each year in LA, we saw more than you would expect from a two week trip. We tried new restaurants and went to old favorites. Hiked up mountains and sat on the beach. We saw new sights and familiar favorites. This was a good reminder to me that I can find amazing sights and experiences at arm’s reach.
Quote
“If most American cities are about the consumption of culture, Los Angeles and New York are about the production of culture – not only national culture but global culture.” - Barbara Kruger
Next Up On The Blog
If you are spending time in Southern California, if you have a little extra time you might want to get out of the city and visit Santa Barbara. Check out my blog post on a Relaxing Weekend Getaway to Santa Barbara.
Dan Blocker Beach - Malibu, California