I grew up not too far from Los Angeles, about an hour drive away, and as I got older and could drive, my friends and I would spend more and more time driving up to visit on the weekend. We always did something different and eventually we became pretty familiar with all the best things to do in LA. Here are some of my recommendations:
1) Griffith Observatory
Come here on a sunny day when it isn't too hot and bring some food and a blanket to set up a picnic! It is also fun to bring a charcuterie board. Afterwards, you can go explore the observatory and take in all the views of the city.
2) Go On A Hike!
Runyon Canyon, the Hollywood sign, and Griffith Observatory are some of my favorites.
3) Getty Villa and Malibu
The Getty Villa is a beautiful place to take pictures and hang out and admire some art. Afterwards, head down to Malibu and go to the beach!
4) Melrose
Melrose has it all. The shopping is great, especially if you love vintage and consignment stores, be sure to check out Wasteland, American Rebel, and 2nd Street. The Melrose Trading Post is every Sunday at Fairfax High School and is also another great place to get vintage as well as other cool items. Melrose also has a Reformation, Fred Legal, Bandier with a Coffee Dose (there is one close to where I live that I absolutely love), and Paul Smith and the famous pink wall.
On Melrose Place, there are some more high end stores such as Marc Jacobs, Isabel Marant, Zimmerman, The Row, and Bottega Veneta. There is also a Glossier here and lots of good food places and coffee shops such as Alfreds, Fig & Olive, Croft Alley, and Ladurée. Also farther down Melrose is Catch LA which is one of my favorite restaurants to treat myself to. I always love to come here for my birthday and finish the night of with some Hit Me Cake. Be sure to make a reservation if you plan on going.
Duff's Cakemix is also located on Melrose and was a super fun thing to do with my sister and just chill out while designing a cake for about an hour.
5) Abbot Kinney
Abbot Kinney is probably my favorite place in LA. From restaurants like the Butchers Daughter to Cha Cha Matcha, and boutiques like Principessa (really cute and on-trend women's clothing) to chain stores such as James Perse and Zadig & Voltaire, there are so many amazing restaurants, coffee shops, and places to shop!
6) Third Street Promenade and Santa Monica
Third Street Promenade is a really fun place to visit with friends and family. There are so many amazing restaurants and stores. There's a shopping center as well which includes a Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, True Food Kitchen, Free People, Dryer, The Couples, AllSaints, 7 For All Mankind, Nike and much more. The promenade has Lululemon, Alo Yoga, Zara, Kitson, Dr. Martens, and Wasteland. I also really like the Trastefere restaurant here and their salads with salmon. Also the Santa Monica Pier is really close to here and is a really fun place to go and go on rides and explore!
7) Go to a Book Signing or A TV Show
One of the things I found my senior year of high school after I quit water polo was that my schedule freed up a lot and I could start to do somethings I have never done before. I went to a book signing for Congo Stories, which tells accounts of greed and exploitation that have impacted the people. It was cool to go and Ryan Gosling was the photographer for the book.
I also got to go see James Corden on The Late Late Show.
Other Restaurants to go to
1) The Ivy on Robertson Ave.
2) Bottega Louie in Downtown LA
The avocado toast and ricotta pancakes are AMAZING!
Other shopping locations:
1) The Grove
Comments