Alright I know. You can’t really get to know any place in one trip, let alone a city as large and busy as Los Angeles! Realistically, three days is the most some of us will have to squeeze in a trip, and it’s pretty much all I had to go visit my cousin who lives there. Here’s how I spent my three days in Los Angeles!
Day 1 | Lots of Driving
Because the city tends to be pricier and I’m living on a budget, we made breakfast at home and picked up an iced coffee at Rubies + Diamonds on the way out. It was a super random find but wow. Talk about good, strong coffee. Very strong. [Also, if the person who designed their store wants to come take over my apartment, I’d be more than willing. Seriously, give me a call.] We drove up to a nice viewpoint of the Hollywood Sign for a quick photoshoot before driving over to Griffith Observatory. Realistically I was more interested in the views of LA from the observatory, but that was a really interesting place! I wish I would have taken the time to really enjoy it.
More driving through the beautiful Hollywood Hills and many comments about the gorgeous vegetation later, we walked a portion of the Hollywood Walk of Fame looking for Robin Williams’ star. He’s my favorite actor and was the only star I was interested in, but we ended up walking in front of the Chinese theater while we were there. Don’t hate me, but it wasn’t that interesting. Too many tour groups and nothing else going on. Not my thing.
A little more driving led us to The Izaka-Ya, my cousin’s favorite sushi restaurant. Let’s just say I’m embarrassed to admit how much I ate but would definitely do it again! Their fish was fresh, the spice was just enough and the service was great. Recommendation: seared albacore with crispy onion. Words can’t even describe how delicious it was!
We walked around Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive after lunch to digest and – yes – get another iced coffee. I’ll admit the city is beautifully manicured and well-kept, but high-end shopping isn’t for me, so we didn’t linger. The rest of the afternoon was spent between Venice Beach and Santa Monica. We walked around the boardwalks and the Third Street Promenade shopping and watching the incredible street performers. Exhausted, we picked up Good Greek Grill on the way home and watched a movie to end the night.
Day 2 | The sunburn was inevitable
I woke up early to prepare breakfast for my cousin and I; we needed fuel to hike to the Hollywood Sign! It was a gorgeous day, hot and sunny but with enough of a breeze to not be stifling. The 4.5 mile hike was beautiful – I really couldn’t get over the vegetation! The tropical desert vibes were new to me and I loved it! We caught an Uber from the bottom of the hike to Melrose Trading Post. People claimed it was a must-see online. Well. They were right! They had the most beautiful succulents, vintage denim and furniture! I could’ve spent all day there exploring.
Hunger struck so we walked to The Grove to check out the Farmer’s Market and ended up getting a huge lunch there. Honestly, the title ‘Farmer’s Market’ is a bit misleading, since they’re established stands serving full-on food, not just selling goods. Still, it’s an LA staple so we had to see it. I convinced my cousin to pick up donuts on the way home and oh my gosh am I glad we did! We ended up buying five SK’s Donuts, all amazing. Recommendation: strawberry and Nutella cronut. Heavy but oh so good. We ended up in a food coma for the remainder of the afternoon, so we napped and showered and lounged until a pretty decent dinner at Mercado that evening.
Day 3 | Instagram Tour of LA
My last full day was basically me running around LA looking for cool murals and paintings to take pictures of. Not sure what it is about street art, but I really can’t get enough! I used Google Maps to save the locations of marked murals and drove around from West Hollywood until we made it to Downtown LA at our last spot, The Last Bookstore. All book lovers should go here at least once. I also found what is now my favorite mural/painting of all time and what is truly my spirit animal.
In between photos, we went for lunch at a Poke restaurant – one of many chains – and wow. Definitely. Worth. The. Hype. It was like a sushi salad! Let’s just say I’m still contemplating opening a Poke food truck in Nashville.
We made a quick trip to see the lamp posts at LACMA and went bowling at Lucky Strike before calling it a night!
Fortunately I was able to spend a full three days in Los Angeles rather than flying in and out on those days too. I would definitely also recommend thoroughly thinking your plans through and looking at the weather before you pack! I was both sweltering hot at one point and cold another! Next time I’d love to stay at a cool hotel or AirBnb in Santa Monica!
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