Los Angeles
I lived in LA full time from when I was ten-years-old until I left for university in London at eighteen, but I still come back every school break. There's a lot to do, but LA is very spread out and you need a car to get around. The traffic is disgustingly banked up more often than not. If you don't get a car, Uber. It's pretty cheap and there's no great form of public transportation alternative. Once you take the time to make trips across the spread out points of interest, the city has a lot to offer. Here's how I spend my time in the city of angels, and the places I take my visitors from overseas.
My first tip: You've never seen Halloween like America does Halloween, I think this is the best time to visit. Head to Carlyle and 14th in Santa Monica for the best houses to Trick or Treat at (or walk around if you're too old to Trick or Treat)
Everything is linked for your convenience.
Dumplings at Din Tai Fung
Macarons from Bottega Louie
Breakfast at Fred's
@laurenbell7 at In-N-Out
Food
The thing about food in LA is if you have never heard of the restaurant, as a local, then it's probably not great. Everything worth going to has been Instagram-storied or raved about via word of mouth or blogs. The other thing about food in LA is there's a lot of restaurants that people are obsessed with that are honestly a little below average and pretty expensive. There's better food available than a $14 grilled cheese sandwich. :
Sugarfish [The BEST sushi. Once you have Sugarfish you will forever compare every piece of sushi you have to their menu, it's a curse but totally worth it]
Jon & Vinny’s [Groovy Italian, my favorites are the White Bronco pizza and the bolognese polenta]
Tacos Por Favor [My favourite Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles]
Din Tai Fung [Even if you have to wait upwards of an hour to get in it will be 100% worth it, I swear. The best pork soup dumplings I've ever had]
Gjelina [Very hip restaurant without a bad dish on the menu]
Gjusta [The bakery/mini-restaurant version of Gjelina. Also, a hot spot for star-spotting]
Salt & Straw [You could not get a more "LA" ice cream store, they have a honey lavender flavour and it's a pretty pricey. Nonetheless, it's my favourite ice cream shop]
Chateau Marmont [Very famous old Hollywood hotel with restaurant open to public]
Gracias Madre [Vegan Mexican restaurant, fancy and filling]
Élephante [Great Italian restaurant with a great view overlooking Santa Monica beach]
Shin-Sen Gumi [Great bowl of light ramen]
Republique [Restaurant, cafe, bakery]
KazuNori [Sushi, hand roll bar version of Sugarfish]
Killer Noodle [I'm pretty good with spicy food and sometimes the level 2 is too much for me. Known for their tongue numbingly spicy soups, I crave the Original Style soup weekly]
Bottega Louie [Gorgeous building in downtown, I drive all the way there just to enjoy the ambience. The food is delicious but the desserts are the main attraction, especially the macarons. Perfect for birthdays]
Sugarfina [The cutest and most delicious gummies, the perfect gift or contribution to a dinner party. Some are even alcoholic!]
Umami Burger [The best burger menu in Los Angeles plus desserts you can't pass up]
Sprinkles [This is the place with a cupcake ATM]
Animal [Trendy restaurant with share plates]
Nong La [Vietnamese]
Hide [Japanese]
Tofu Ya [Korean. Order the beef soon tofu!]
Bay Cities [I am not a fan of Italian sub sandwiches but I'm a fan of these Italian sub sandwiches]
Tatsu [My high school's go-to place to eat after partying. Honestly, it's a pretty good bowl of ramen]
Nekter Juice Bar [My favourite açaí bowl in the world is Nekter's Acai Peanut Butter]
In-N-Out Burger [Classic LA restaurant, worth the visit. Features include reasonably good and incredibly affordable fast-food and the definitive feeling that you've made it to California]
The Apple Pan [Another iconic LA restaurant. Since 1947 they have served the great hamburgers and dessert pies in the same diner. Feels like a real American blast to the past without the kitschiness of other retro-style diners]
Things To Do
Chances are in LA, you're going to have to drive to different activities. There are places to be and things to do but they're spread out and constitute some time spent on the road. I'm a big fan of theme parks so I've included my favourites, as well as museums and more touristy landmarks. Without further ado:
Disneyland [A happy place to be, 100% worth it]
Top of the World [There are two Top of the World lookouts in the Palisades, I've only been to one but I believe they're both good. Go at night/sunset for a great view of the city]
Downtown LA
The Broad [My favourite gallery in LA. Free entry if you stand in line, potentially for a few hours, faster entry to the whole gallery if you buy tickets for the featured exhibition in advance]
Walk around through the old architecture, there's some beautiful buildings
Grand Central Market [Food market in downtown LA, even if you don't eat it's fun to walk around]
Bottega Louie [Mentioned in 'Food' section]
Hike [Griffith Park: ability to hike to the Hollywood sign, Murphy Ranch: abandoned Nazi camp covered in graffiti, Temescal Canyon, Runyon Canyon, Will Rogers State Park, Topanga State Park]
Griffith Observatory [View of Los Angeles with a giant telescope and a hike to the Hollywood sign, both optional but free! Go at sunset/night]
Six Flags [Theme park for the thrill-seeker, my favourite rides are Tatsu and Superman]
J. Paul Getty Museum [Free admission though you must pay for parking. Gorgeous views, lots of photo ops]
Music Festivals [All seasonal. I've only been to Coachella but there's other festivals throughout the year]
Universal Studios [It's worth it to pay the extra money for the ticket that allows you one fast pass to each ride. Visit Harry Potter world and poke your head in the shops!]
Halloween Horror Nights [September-October, always really fun]
LACMA [Gallery]
The Museum of Death [I'm really into unsolved mysteries but this could be scary if you're not almost morbidly fascinated by famous celebrity deaths and serial killers]
The Venice Boardwalk [Walk along the beach shaded by California's palm trees, fun fact: these are not native but make a good Instagram shot. I wouldn't eat or shop down here but it's a nice walk and the skate park is great to watch]
If you fancy an even longer walk, the Venice canals are nearby and make for a nice stroll. Especially if a celebration such as Fourth of July, Halloween, or Christmas is coming up, they really go all out with decorations]
Sunset Pacific Motel [Photo Op: Old motel painted entirely white, including the trees]
@ellypconway_ at Griffith Observatory
@yfkesiep at The J. Paul Getty Museum
LACMA exhibition
@ximeymedi
@devinhammond @ali_marsh @gabriellalanday and me at Coachella
Dress from Reformation
Top from Brandy Melville. Hat from Rag & Bone.
Shopping
A lot of shopping in Los Angeles is much of the same wherever you go: H&M, Urban Outfitters, etc. Many of these brands are European and if you're coming from Europe it's good to note that the items are cheaper over there. Nonetheless, there are places that I love to shop at, including:
Reformation [Super fashionable and super sustainable]
Moondance Jewelry Gallery [My favourite jewelry store, they have really high quality cheaper pieces as well as luxury pieces]
Brandy Melville [Good basic trendy pieces at reasonable prices]
New Stone Age [Genuinely cool little knickknacks, great for gifts]
3rd Street Promenade [Your commercial giants: Zara, Nike, Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, etc.]
Melrose Ave [Be careful not to overpay for cheaply made garments but designer brands are what they are]
Fred Segal [Department store]
Melrose Trading Post [Sunday Flea Market]
Bath & Bodyworks [THE fruitiest store ever but I do enjoy a scented hand sanitizer]
Rodeo Drive [All the luxury designer brands on the infamous Beverly Hills street]
Rose Bowl Flea Market [Second Sunday of every month]