Los Angeles
Los Angeles is a hip and historic neighborhood that offers big-city excitement, major-league sports, affordable shopping, fashionable restaurants, and cultural activities.
Possibly one of the most contrasting urban areas and conveniently located near Metro, if you are looking for a place to have fun, this is it.
But not so fast. If this is your first time visiting the neighborhood, there are a number of things you should know about it. These things include:
The city is spread out
Most world-class cities allow you to get directly into the city’s heart by train when you get off the plane. Not in Los Angeles, though. To begin with, the aforementioned train does not exist—at least not until late 2025, at the most. Second, Los Angeles is too spread out for you to tell the center.
You must do more than just go through the city and hope to find something interesting. Downtown LA almost qualifies as a central exception. What was once a dead zone has grown into a walkable center with bars, restaurants, theaters, and museums connected by public transportation.
While this is the case, DTLA’s level of excitement and enjoyment varies greatly from block to block. If this is your first time, there are several sites worth seeing.
Once you are down with the downtown, you should consider other areas such as Westside’s gorgeous beaches, upscale retail areas, uphill walks through Griffith Park, dim sum in the San Gabriel Valley, and Silver Lake’s coffee shop culture.
Los Angeles is BIG
When you are there, you will need your patience to navigate rush hour from one side of the city to the other.
You need a car to travel easily in the city. In addition to making it easy to travel around, a car is the only way to see some of Los Angeles’ most famous scenic locations, such as a drive down Mulholland Drive, the Pacific Coast Highway, or the Angeles Crest Highway.
When renting a car, remember to check the parking signs. As a rule of thumb, be cautious where you park and ensure your ticket is validated. Remember to use Google Maps to avoid getting lost or stuck in traffic.
There is North, East and West Hollywood
You should be ultra-cautious of the cardinal direction in front of “Hollywood” when making hotel reservations.
Your idea of Hollywood glitz and glamour best matches West Hollywood, which is officially a separate city from Los Angeles and features hilltop homes, celebrity sightings, and a glamorous yet seedy nightlife on the Sunset Strip.
Hollywood, located just east, has a lot of grime in addition to all the familiar Tinseltown attractions, like the Chinese Theatre and the Walk of Fame.
The 101 Freeway divides the neighborhood, home to Little Armenia, Thai Town, Barnsdall Art Park, and Hollyhock House, but lacks many well-known landmarks.
You’ll arrive in North Hollywood by heading north over the hills past Universal Studios; the moniker “North Hollywood” makes you forget that a mountain range separates it from Hollywood.
The formerly rough Valley suburb now has its cultural district, complete with tiny performance spaces that are pedestrian and transit-friendly.
You shouldn’t limit yourself to just the famous spots
The Venice Boardwalk and the Hollywood Walk of Fame are far seedier than you think. Some of L.A.’s most popular tourist attractions are disappointing, something most people don’t like admitting to.
If you value viewing the Hollywood Sign and Rodeo Drive, then by all means, travel beyond the locations as they appear on reality T.V.
An ideal L. A adventure would include lunch at Grand Central Market or on the beach, a sunset at Zuma or El Matador State Beach, an evening spent staring out over the city from the Griffith Observatory, and an afternoon atop the Getty Center or the Huntington Library.
Not the first time you’ve come here? Think about spending more time in a neighborhood that isn’t as popular with tourists. This list of activities will keep you occupied if you’re truly trying to get to know the city.
The weather varies
You can count on about 300 sunny days a year, except morning fog (known as May Gray and June Gloom in their due months). There won’t be any rain throughout the summer unless a tropical cyclone lands in northern Mexico.
There might only be a few wet days throughout the winter (or, even less frequently, precipitation for a full week).
It may get rather warm when the sun is out, especially in the Valley during the summer and fall when periods of extremely dry Santa Ana Wind days’ result in triple-digit daytime temperatures.
While this is the case, you will realize that 70 degrees doesn’t feel particularly warm at night, and you will regret wearing shorts especially at night. And the sea, huh? In the summer, the water’s temperature hardly rises over 70 degrees.
Due to this, always be prepared for the weather, which can change at any time and carry the appropriate clothes.
For a great experience, lather on sunscreen, pack a hat, don’t bring an umbrella and carry around a hoodie.
Parting shot
These are some of the things you should know when planning to visit Los Angeles. As you plan your travels, you should note that you can wear flip-flops almost everywhere.
Most communities don’t allow bar hopping, and the final call is “early” at 2 am, but there are always great hiking trails nearby. So, if this is your thing, there are plenty of areas you can try out.
For a heaven-sent 2 am taco, you can wander up to the Taco Zone Truck, but reservations for n/naka or Bestia are required weeks in advance.
You can ski in the afternoon, surf in the morning, and be at Disneyland in time for the fireworks. Once you learn to accept its contrasts and all that it has to offer, Los Angeles is an incredible place to visit, and you will have a lot of fun.
