Welcome to the good life, Los Angeles!
So, where do I start?
Do you have cities that you would like to visit only when you have saved enough to enjoy it like it should actually be enjoyed? I do. I have a long list of destinations I’m working through. These are places I have chosen to only visit them when I’m comfortable enough to enjoy everything I have imagined the place to offer.
I don’t think there was ever a time that LA was on our top list of places to visit in the US. However, LA is a place of dreams and I knew that if I was ever going to visit, it would be full on lavish or nothing. So when Mr E’s cousin, Viv moved from London to LA and invited us for a visit, we were excited. The possibility of taking that 8 hour trip to the celebrity capital of the world felt exciting. It helps that her stunning flat is beautifully situated right in the center of Beverly Hills so we knew that we were in for a goooooood time.
Getting around LA: Car Rental
I think renting a car is mandatory to get around in LA. Taxis (and possibly buses) are quite reliable too. However, like I mentioned, I was bent on living my best lavish live; so we decided to rent a LA-vibey kind of car as well. Mr E loves cars so he had an idea of what kind of car he was going to drive.
We actually did all the transactions online from London – choosing and paying for the rental. So once we arrived LAX airport, there was a shuttle waiting to drive us to the Sixt office. After some due diligence and a few signatures, we picked up our gorgeous Chrysler 300 and drove into the LA sunset. Ok ok, I’m getting carried away lol. We drove home to relax from the long flight. The car was lush tbh; it definitely gave me boujee auntie vibes so my expectations were met.
Where to go in LA
Malibu Beach
Ok we knew we wanted to go to the beach. Any beach would do. So when Viv suggested Malibu beach, we jumped on it. After we had breakfast at Malibu Farm, we drove down to a more secluded area of the beach and found a cute and quiet spot right in front of the most gorgeous beach houses.
Chilling on the beach is one of my fave things to do on beach holidays. I mean there’s not much else to do but chill and maybe read a book; Mr E always finds a random football (or round object) to kick around. Often times, he makes new friends who he plays beach ball with but for me, I just love my peace and quiet.
The highlight was sighting dolphins. I actually cried. I mean how often do you lie on a beach in a beautiful city and spot dolphins just swimming around in their natural habitat?! Surreal.
Venice Beach
Hmmmmm what was I expecting? Well, I had seen pictures of Venice beach on TV, read about it in books and so I imagined something quite fancy if I’m honest. Viv had warned us that it was not all that and to lower our expectations but I was bent on seeing it with my own eyes.
Anyway, we drove from Malibu to Venice beach, parked our car and walked towards the beach. Now, this is where I got the biggest shock. There were a lot of scary looking people littered around and not to sound offensive to anyone, but a lot of them looked really rough. We kept walking and got to a nicer part of the beach where you could rent a scooter which we did and just went as far in as we could.
I was not impressed. I mean, coming from Malibu beach, Venice beach was a let down. We took some nice pictures in the nice area but tbh, I would have gone to Santa Monica beach instead.
Hollywood sign & Griffith Observatory
Well, you cannot go to LA and not see the Hollywood sign can you?! Viv suggested we hike to get as close to the sign as possible but I’m not much of a hiker so we had to look for an alternative route. Enter the Griffith Observatory.
Parking was non-existent. We definitely did not do our research before going. We ended up parking quite far away and jumping on the shuttle, which took us all the way up to the Observatory. In front of us, we could see the Hollywood sign. I mean, you had to squint to get a good view but there it was in all of its glory.
Just behind the Observatory is a beautiful view of LA’s skyline.
Hollywood walk of fame & The Chinese Theatre
Another must visit while in LA. You get to see all the Hollywood stars on the strip and of course there is the famous Chinese Theatre. The walk of fame was another let down in some specific parts. There was a strong stench of urine and tacky vendors about so it was not as fancy as I would have thought. However, it is the Hollywood Walk of Fame so we walked down both sides and tried to find as many names as possible.
LACMA lights
aka Urban Light. These are 202 restored cast iron street lamps. According to wiki, there are 16 different models represented and this 2008 installation comprises of street lamps from the streets of Southern California from the 20s and 30s. So coooool. They are called the LACMA lights because they are located in LA County Museum.
The first time I had seen them was in Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman’s romantic comedy, No Strings Attached. Then we drove past it at night, which is even more spectacular as the lights come on and it’s just gorgeous. We ended up going to see it during the day and somehow managed to miss the crowds, which was surprising as we went on a bright, sunny afternoon but it is definitely worth visiting.
Petersen Automotive museum
This was Mr E’s choice and treat. As a massive car lover, the Petersen Automotive museum was top of his list and since I am a lovely wife, I went with him. I really don’t know much about cars or the importance of a Chevy impala; but just seeing Mr E light up as he moved from car to car made my day.
To Note – Biggie was shot just right after he had left the museum in March 1997. He had just attended a party in the museum and was fatally shot in his car in a drive by shooting just in front of the building. I suppose if you are a massive Biggie fan or just someone who appreciates hip hop, this location would mean a little more to you.
To look out for....
Look out for the hotel rooftop pools and Jacuzzis. You get to see a skyline view of LA, which is pretty cool. Viv had a Jacuzzi in her court so we enjoyed having a dip on some mornings.
LA is so much fun and there are sooo many things to do and so many places to see. Look out for the next post on my LA series where I break down our dates in LA.
Travel Details
- Currency – Dollar
- Transportation – We had a rental car; but there are buses; lyft and uber are very popular too.
- Level of expense – LA is very expensive. To enjoy your experience, you would probably need to splurge on this one.
- Flights – British Airways (booked during their January discount period so they were super cheap). I wrote more about this on 2019 & Travel – Planning our travel year
Look out for the next post on my LA series. But until then….
Bisous, ‘Bugo x
13 Comments
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Daks
LA is one of the cities that was a bit of a let down for me. Massively overhyped. There’s really nothing to see that looks stereotypical LA besides Hollywood Boulevard, maybe Rodeo Drive and parts of Beverly Hills. Plus it’s so expensive and there’s so much traffic and everywhere is so far away.
You made it look nice though 😂
Bugo
hey Daks!
LMAO! I totally understand what you mean. I stuck to Beverly Hills and Malibu; but when I ventured out of these areas, I 100% did not feel any LA vibes.
Everyone keeps talking about traffic but I don’t think we ever had this problem – again, perhaps this is because we drove around the same areas. I remember the drive to Venice beach, we had a little traffic but not that serious tbh!
I’m glad I managed to make it look nice. Watch out for the next LA posts; by the time i’m done, you’ll see it differently LOL
Tife
Such a good post, love the #go hard or go home vibe. Would absolutely love to go to LA, were you able to catch a glimpse of any famous people?
I also loved how honest you were re Venice beach, always good to know which places to go to! Can’t wait to be notified of your next post.
Bugo
Yessss Tife! Stay tuned for my next post and you’ll see if we caught any famous people.
(depends on what category of famous though LMAO)
Oh, Venice beach was such a let down; I had to let the people know for the culture x
Tife
Thanks, Bugo. Can’t wait!
Mielle
My favorite travel post so far!! I love California and LA is quite the dream. The pictures are beautiful. Rollerblading in Venice beach is fun but yeah, it’s still a public unsheltered beach. Can’t wait for the next part!
Bugo
Yay I’m glad 🙂
Maybe if I could roller blade, it would not have been such a disappointment.
Stay tuneddddddddddd xx
Neeraj Verma
Truly amazing pics. A place that should be on must-see list.
Bugo
hey NV! yes, I think you’ll love it.
Thank you for your lovely comment x