Things To Do
Restaurant Recommendations
Some restaurant recommendations from us! They range in casualness, price, and location, so have a look to see if you like any. CASUAL OPTIONS Dialog Cafe (West Hollywood) Gjusta (Venice) La Scala (multiple locations) In-n-Out (multiple locations) California Chicken Cafe (multiple locations) Tocaya (downtown LA) Sqirl (Melrose Ave) The Win-Dow (Silverlake) Joan's on Third (Beverly Grove) El Compadre (Hollywood) - a side note to say if you love Mexican, LA is amazing for it! NICER OPTIONS Elephante (Santa Monica) Ospi (Venice) Laurel Hardware (West Hollywood) Scopa (Venice) Dudley Market (Venice) Jon & Vinny's (multiple locations) Wabi on Rose (Venice) Bestia (Arts District) The Ivy (multiple locations) Din Tai Fung (Century City) Felix Trattoria (Venice)
Craft Breweries
Joe and I love a brewery! Here are some of our recommendations of ones we have found or visited! Angel City Brewery Arts District Brewery Malibu Brewing Company Santa Monica Brew Works Common Space Three Weavers El Segundo Brewing Benny Boy Brewing 14 Cannons Institution Ale Company (great if you are coming from the Camarillo Outlets or Ventura Beach!) Tarantula Hill Enegren
Bar Recommendations
Fancy a drink? Here are some bar recommendations! The Resident Melrose Umbrella Co Winston House Everson Royce Apotheke Belles Beach House Broken Shaker (rooftop bar) Death & Co TomTom (fan of Vanderpump Rules? Then a must visit or check out the restaurant Sur!)
Best Beaches
Southern California is home to some beautiful beaches. All beaches in SoCal are public which means they are owned by the state and accessible to everyone. Street parking is often available along with pay-for-parking lots. Some beaches include, Zuma Beach, El Matador State Beach, Leo Carrillo State Beach, Ventura Beach, and Venice Beach (great for doing more than just relaxing on the beach as it is quite busy! Muscle Beach for all those gym-goers is nearby).
Griffith Observatory
The Griffith Observatory is a free to enter museum about astronomy! It has fabulous viewpoints of LA and is a fun activity. You can combine the Griffith Observatory with the Hollywood Sign hike as they are right next to each other.
Hollywood Sign
An iconic walk to do when in LA! The Hollywood Sign Hike is a four mile hike and takes about 2 hours roundtrip to complete. It is often best to do the hike earlier rather than later, to avoid the crowds and the heat! Make sure to bring water and sunscreen. Parking for the hike can be a bit tricky - you can find some great tips about parking on this website: https://hikingguy.com/hiking-trails/los-angeles-hikes/easy-hollywood-sign-hike/
The Getty Villa
Entry into the Getty Villa is free, but requires you booking a time slot online. The Getty Villa is an art museum that focuses on the cultures of ancient Greece, Rome, and Etruria. It is stunning!
The Grove
Have a day eating, drinking and shopping around the Grove! It's also worth visiting the Original Farmer's Market.
Grand Central Market
Grand Central Market is a downtown landmark since 1917, that brings together the cuisines and cultures of Los Angeles. Indulge in all of the amazing vendors! And for those who are a fan of the TV show Bosch - check out the Angel's Flight.
Silver Lake/Echo Park
Spend some time exploring one of LA's Eastside neighborhoods. Funky blocks with street art are lined with artisanal coffee shops, vegan cafes and creative Asian eateries, as well as indie music venues, trendy bars and boutiques.
Santa Monica
Santa Monica is an amazing place to wander around from the shops alongside Santa Monica Blvd to the Santa Monica Pier. Keep in mind the pier can get very busy!
Visit a Vineyard/Wine Bar
There are a number of great vineyards/wine bars in LA and the surrounding areas. Some suggestions include Cielo Farms (has an entry & parking fee), Rosenthal, Somewhere Somewhere Wines, and Stonehaus. You could also search for wine tours like the Malibu Wine Hike!
Disneyland Park
For all the Disney lovers out there! Check the website for tickets, as they vary each day. Disneyland is the original Walt Disney theme park and is right next to California Adventure.
Universal Studios Hollywood
The theme park for those a bit more interested in things like Harry Potter and Jurassic Park!
Find your football team's local supporter club!
Joe is a big Arsenal fan. One of his favorite things to do is go to the LA Gooners Supporters club. Here are some of the other supporter clubs and where they meet... Arsenal (Fox & Hounds), Liverpool FC (Joxer Daly's)... you can find others on Google! You can also check out COSM in Hollywood Park by SoFi Stadium for a new immersive experience for watching sports.
Malibu Pier
Malibu stretches alongside the coast and is home to a number of gorgeous beaches for you to check out! Malibu Pier has a nice cafe/restaurant on it that overlooks the water and is a great pit stop for some food.
Check out a sports game!
LA is home to a number of amazing sports teams. During September it will be the season for, baseball (LA Dodgers or LA Angels), soccer/football (LA FC and LA Galaxy), and American football might have started (LA Rams and LA Chargers, or a college team like USC or UCLA).
Camarillo Premium Outlets
A great place to shop until you drop! The outlets feature over 160 stores and restaurants and is a good place to find some deals.
Santa Barbara
If you are wanting to escape LA for an afternoon or day, then we would definitely suggest Santa Barbara! Santa Barbara is a cute seaside town with boutiques, restaurants, and lots of local wine. Check out State Street & the Funk Zone! You can get to Santa Barbara by driving (around 60-90 minutes depending on traffic, but a beautiful drive along the coast) or by train on the Amtrak. Trains in California are not always the most consistent, and often take longer than driving, so please be aware of this if you do get the train. The train from LA's Union Station to Santa Barbara is 2.5 hours.
Anthony Bourdain Recommendations
If you have made it this far down the things to do - congrats! Joe and I love Anthony Bourdain and all of his shows. We try to visit some of the places that he did when we travel. Below are some of his favorite LA spots! chi SPACCA, Randy's Donuts, Parks BBQ, Trejos Tacos, and Pink's Hot Dogs.