Things to Do
We spent our first full day in Los Angeles doing something most visitors skip — we ignored Hollywood entirely and headed straight for the Getty Center. The tram ride up the hill reveals sweeping views from the San Gabriel Mountains to the Pacific, and the museum itself is world-class without costing a dime. We spent three hours wandering through the impressionist galleries and the manicured Central Garden before grabbing a $14 salad at the on-site cafe. If you visit only one museum in LA, make it this one.
Our afternoon took us to Griffith Observatory, where we hiked the moderate West Trail from the Greek Theatre parking lot (about 1.5 miles each way). The observatory is free to enter and the views of the Hollywood sign and downtown skyline are unbeatable. We timed our arrival for about an hour before sunset and stayed for a free telescope viewing session once the stars came out. The parking lot fills up fast on weekends, so we took a Lyft for $12 from our hotel instead.
Grand Central Market became our daily breakfast spot. This sprawling downtown food hall has been feeding Angelenos since 1917, and we returned three mornings in a row. Egg Slut draws the longest lines (their fairfax sandwich is $14 and worth every penny), but we also loved the $5 pupusas from Sarita’s and the $8 tonkotsu ramen from Ramen Hood — which somehow manages to be completely vegan and still rich and satisfying.
Where to Stay
We tried two different neighborhoods during our week in LA and each offered a completely different experience. Our first three nights in Santa Monica put us within walking distance of the pier, the Third Street Promenade shopping strip, and a beautiful stretch of beach. Mid-range hotels like the Shore Hotel run $250-350/night and are steps from the sand. Budget travelers can find decent hostels like HI Los Angeles for around $45/night in a shared dorm.
For our second half, we moved to Downtown LA and honestly wished we had started there. The Arts District has exploded with boutique hotels, craft cocktail bars, and some of the best restaurants in the city. We stayed at the Freehand Los Angeles, where private rooms start around $160/night and shared rooms go for $50. The rooftop pool has a killer view of the skyline, and the ground-floor restaurant serves $16 brunch plates that rival spots charging twice as much.
If budget is no concern, the Beverly Wilshire ($500-800/night) delivers the classic LA luxury experience — think marble lobbies, poolside cabanas, and a Rodeo Drive address. For something more understated, the Palihouse in West Hollywood ($280-400/night) has an apartment-style vibe with full kitchens that help offset dining costs.
Where to Eat
Los Angeles might be the best food city in America, and we say that having eaten our way through New York and Chicago. The diversity here is staggering — we had perfect hand-pulled noodles in the San Gabriel Valley ($12 at Dai Ho), the best sushi of our lives in Sawtelle ($85 omakase at Sushi Kaneyoshi), and a $4 al pastor burrito in Boyle Heights that made us question every burrito we had eaten before.
Our biggest recommendation is to eat where Angelenos eat. Skip the tourist traps on Hollywood Boulevard and head to Koreatown instead. We had a Korean BBQ feast at Park’s BBQ where two of us ate premium galbi and banchan until we could not move for $45 per person. Afterwards we walked to Sul & Beans for a $13 shaved ice dessert piled high with mochi, red bean, and condensed milk.
For a food tour without the tour guide, we mapped out a self-guided crawl through the Fairfax District: breakfast at Canter’s Deli ($15 for a pastrami sandwich that has been unchanged since 1931), lunch at Jitlada for explosive Thai food ($14-18 entrees), and a late-afternoon treat at Mashti Malone’s for $6 scoops of rosewater and saffron ice cream.
Getting Around
Let us be honest — LA traffic is as bad as everyone says. We rented a car through Turo for $55/day and found it essential for reaching spots like the Getty, Malibu, and the San Gabriel Valley food crawls. Parking varies wildly: free at the Getty and Griffith Observatory (arrive early), $5-10 at most beach lots, and $15-30 in downtown garages. Street parking with meters typically runs $2-4/hour.
The Metro is more useful than its reputation suggests, especially the E Line connecting Downtown to Santa Monica in about 50 minutes for $1.75. We used it almost daily and skipped the worst of the westside traffic. The Metro B Line runs from Hollywood to Downtown in 15 minutes, and the new Regional Connector links all the lines through DTLA without transfers. Buy a TAP card ($2) and load it up — day passes are $3.50 for unlimited rides.
Rideshares average $15-25 for most cross-town trips, though surge pricing during rush hour can push that to $40+. We found the sweet spot was renting a car for day trips outside the city and using Metro plus Lyft for everything within it. Bike rentals along the beach path ($10-15/hour) are also a great way to cover the Santa Monica to Venice stretch.