Los Angeles

The first week of July I flew down to L.A. for a mini vacation. I wanted to treat myself to a little getaway as well as spend time exploring the various neighborhoods across the city. Before I moved to Seattle in 2021 I was unfamiliar with the different areas in the city. I'm really grateful I happened to end up living in the Cap Hill neighborhood but I now understand how important it is to get a taste of a city before moving!

I've been thinking about moving back to California for a while now and my recent decision to pursue work in the film industry really pushed me to consider moving to L.A. I have also been making many new connections within the industry, primarily people who live and work in the L.A. area. I was lucky enough to be able to stay with a new friend on my trip, as I've mentioned in other posts this is my ideal way to travel since it saves money and stress in terms of housing.

Travel tip: I saved quite a lot of money on this trip by booking my departing and returning flights through two separate airlines. When you google flights, there is an option you can select that will find the two cheapest going and returning legs rather than just the cheapest round trip tickets. In total I spend less than $100 on my flight to L.A. and around $150 returning, all booking only a couple weeks in advance. If you don't already fly with one airline and don't mind the slight planning hassle, this is a great option for saving money!

Day 1 - Santa Monica

For my first day in L.A. I wanted to go check out the Santa Monica area. I had been here a handful of times but had wandered around the more touristy areas. This time I wanted to try to get a taste of what living here would feel like.

Before starting the drive to the beach we picked up some coffee. This location really surprised me and I highly recommend!

Our first stop was the Santa Monica farmers market. Despite the cloudy weather it was pretty warm and there were lots of people wandering around, checking out the many stands. There was plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, local produce, jewelry stands and live music.

We bought some fresh strawberries, eggs and pastries to pair with our coffee. I also found this gorgeous gold and blue necklace.

 Afterwards we walked down to the water and enjoyed some people watching before finding a place to enjoy some brunch. On the way to the restaurant we drove around Venice and stopped at Erewhon before heading to grab some food.

For lunch we stopped at Blueys Santa Monica. The food here was fantastic, I ordered a latte and the squash pancakes. They come with avocado which I was pleasantly surprised to find was absolutely delicious.

We took it easy for the rest of the afternoon before heading to a screening of Spider-Man: Across the Universe at the Laemmle theater. This was my second time seeing this movie in theaters and it was just as amazing as the first time!

Day 2 - Hollywood and Beachwood Canyon

On my second day my friend was working so I got the chance to do some solo adventuring. Although it might not seem obvious, this is one of the reasons I love to stay with friends when I travel. Typically they are in school or working and so there is always at least a day or so where I am doing my own thing. I of course love spending time with my friends but there is something so rewarding about getting to explore a place on my own.

I started my day by walking a bit around Griffith Park. It was a super hot day so I eventually decided to take an Uber up to the Griffith Observatory. I've been here a few times as well and the combination of the view and my love for La La Land (2016) always makes it an enjoyable experience.

I spent some time listening to music while admiring the view. I was feeling really inspired as I spent time looking at the city skyline and contemplating my next chapter here. I ended up writing some poetry that I planned to edit at a cafe later that afternoon.

I took an Uber over to Beachwood Canyon next. I had seen and read about this area and it ended up being one of my favorite neighborhoods that I've visited while in L.A.

I am a huge Harry Styles fan so of coursed I had to treat myself to some coffee and pastries at the Beachwood Cafe. This was an adorable restaurant and I could have stayed all afternoon.

I ended up wandering around the streets and hills of Beachwood Canyon for a while. The homes here are so charming and I loved the views of the Hollywood sign. This was a really quaint and quiet area, I could definitely see myself living here.

Later in the evening my friend and I went out for some delicious ramen and ice cream. I was definitely appreciating the wide variety of great food here.

Day 3 - Silver Lake

For my last day in L.A. I wanted to be sure to check out some of the final neighborhoods that had been recommended to me by friends - Silver Lake and Los Feliz.

My first stop of the day was Intelligentsia Cafe, a really cute spot with delicious coffee. I read here for a while, enjoying the sunshine before heading across the street to Tartine Bakery. I had been to their location in Santa Monica last summer and loved it.

I ordered the breakfast sandwich and was blown away - the combination of avocado, ham, crispy croissant and savory egg was fantastic. This was easily the best thing I had on the trip and I can't wait to get back and enjoy it again.

I walked a couple blocks to a nearby thrift store and found a couple cute items before my friend picked me up. We headed downtown to The Broad, a contemporary art museum I was super excited to see.

The exhibits here were really fun - I saw the Michael Jackson sculpture by Jeff Koons a couple years ago at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

One of my favorite exhibits was this kaleidoscope-like mirror contraption. Looking into it you could watch the lights change color and flicker in pattern from all angles.

After we finished exploring the museum we headed to the nearby Alamo Drafthouse theater to see the new Wes Anderson movie, Asteroid City (2023).

After we finished exploring the museum we headed to the nearby Alamo Drafthouse theater to see the new Wes Anderson movie, Asteroid City (2023).

I had never been to this type of theater before - you get a menu at your seat, write down your order and have your food delivered to you whenever you like throughout the movie. The film itself was so creative and fun, it instantly became a new favorite Wes Anderson film of mine.

Driving home the sunset was really beautiful. We saw fireworks going off across the valley for the 4th of July.

This trip felt really fast but I managed to pack in quite a lot. I felt that I got a lot out of my experience and got the chance to see more of the city than I had when I came to L.A. on vacations in the past. It was important to me that I experience less of a touristy vacation and get more of a sense of what my day to day would look like. Seeing the different neighborhoods, understanding the location of various areas and getting to try out restaurants and coffee shops gave me a great look into where I might want to try living in the future!

Published 7.9.23