LOS ANGELES | travel guide

Beautiful views. Tasty food. Gorgeous weather. What's not to love about Los Angeles? I recently did a three day trip and visited areas including Santa Monica, Malibu, and Hollywood. While the lack of public transportation remains an issue in the city, driving through was super easy. Read on for tips & ideas when it comes to shopping, hiking, and eating in LA.

Day 1 - Santa Monica & Venice Beach

Did you even go to California if you didn't go to In-N-Out? This was of course, our first stop and it was honestly all I could ask for after an early morning flight. I ordered a grilled cheese animal style with toasted buns and extra chopped chili's along with some well-done fries - also animal style. We decided to go a little crazy and have a chocolate shake too. The trip could not have started on a better note.

After stuffing ourselves with burgers & fries, we made our way towards Santa Monica. Before planning on going to LA, all I had really known about Santa Monica was that there was a giant Ferris Wheel there, which yes - was the real reason I wanted to go.

Santa Monica is a beachfront city on the West side of Los Angeles. The city is very well known for Pacific Park which is located right on their pier. It's a super cute park filled with various food vendors, carnival games, and rides. Another great place to hang out while in Santa Monica is the Third Street Promenade. It's a different feel from the games and food you would find on the pier. The street features both high-end and retail stores so there's something for everyone. Travel days are always tiring so by afternoon-time, I was ready for some coffee. I was so happy to find that this street had a Philz Coffee location so that was the perfect next-stop. My go-to order here is the mocha tesora coffee - sweet and creamy.

A fun activity to do after spending some time in Santa Monica is to bike to Venice Beach. We sadly did not get to do this because we had ended up driving. However, there's bike rentals all over the beach so it would be an awesome way to get from one side to the other. Even though the two beaches are so close, the vibe is completely different in Venice Beach. There's also a boardwalk there but it's a lot more laid-back than the craziness in Santa Monica.

From Venice Beach, we headed to the Venice Canals. These canals are man-made and were built in 1905. They have the look & feel of Venice, Italy but of course - a miniature version. This is such a cute and unexpected area and I loved walking through the neighborhood. The homeowners had boats lined up throughout the canals and was just so picturesque.

After all that walking, we had built up quite the appetite so it was time to walk over to Abbot Kinney Boulevard. The street is about a mile long and filled with a mix of popular restaurants and shops. There was a huge variety of boutiques that were really fun to browse through. For dinner, we decided to eat at The Butcher's Daughter. This place has been on my bucket list for a long time and actually has locations in both California and New York so I was excited that we found it here.

As soon as I walked in, I fell in love. The restaurant is beautiful, summary and SO aesthetically pleasing. The menu had so many tasty looking options - being that it's vegetarian & vegan friendly. Of course, the cheese board caught my eye and I had to have it because there's never been a time that a place has offered one & I didn't get it. They gave an INSANE amount a cheese which was the best thing ever but the ratio of bread just wasn't enough. They served it with some unique jams & spreads as well so that was fun. Even though there were so many delicious looking entree options, I was really craving classic pizza so we opted for the margherita pizza. I've always thought that if a restaurant could make a simple pizza or pasta with minimal ingredients taste phenomenal, then it passed the test and it's safe to say that The Butcher's Daughter did! Can't wait to be back.

Day 2 - Beverly Hills & Hollywood

We kicked off our second day in LA by going to Beverly Hills. One thing that I was pleasantly surprised about so far was just how easy it was to find parking everywhere. I did not anticipate it being as hassle-free as it was - especially in Beverly Hills. We started by going to Rodeo Drive, one of the world's most famous and iconic shopping areas. Some great areas to take pictures in this area were on Two Rodeo Drive and on the Rodeo Drive Steps. Another place to look out for as you're strolling through the street is the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. It's gorgeous, and just so happens to be where Pretty Woman was filmed!

One of the main reasons I wanted to come here was not to shop - but to grab some delicious macarons at my favorite place, Laduree. Every location I've been to has always had the prettiest interior and I've yet to find another macaron that tastes as good as the ones Laduree makes.

For lunch, we were in the mood for some Mediterranean food so we went to a placed called Momed. They had cute outdoor seating and a variety of tasty options on their menu. We ordered the normal hummus - although they had a variety of different spreads available. We also ordered the chickpea falafel bowl which came with avocado hummus, tomato, spiced pickles, quinoa tabbouleh, and arugula. Both were served with their house-made lavash bread which was soft and fluffy. We left feeling very satisfied but not stuffed which was perfect because we had some hiking coming up on this day!

The last two places I wanted to stop at were the Beverly Gardens Park and the Beverly Hills Hotel. The park's main attraction was the giant sign that hundreds of tourists had flocked to, so naturally we did as well. Next, we visited the Beverly Hills Hotel. It is by far, the most beautiful hotel I have ever seen. Everything in the area is colored pink and green and has an old-time Hollywood feel to it. The area is also big for celebrity sightings.

Next, we were off to start our hiking adventure! The great thing about renting a car was that we were able to see many of the popular sights we wanted to see without even getting out of the car - for example, the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

I had actually researched a little bit beforehand to figure out the best way to hike in order to see the views we wanted to and had learning that we should park at the Greek Theater and begin there. However, that was wrong because the actual hike point started about a mile from there. Instead, we followed signs to the entrance of the Griffith Observatory and started there. Ideally, we wanted to hike to get really close to the Hollywood sign and get both front views as well as the view from the back. Then, we would come back down as it was starting to get dark to enjoy the observatory. This plan ended up being an epic FAIL. We started our hike and 30 minutes in, we were still not getting any closer to the Hollywood sign so we were starting to wonder where this path was going to lead us. As we viewed the trail, it looked like it was going in the opposite direction which was odd and confusing since it was literally called "The Hollywood trail." Although we did get some awesome views of LA, it wasn't what we came for. Hiking without a real incentive just isn't that fun for me so we turned around and decided to make another plan to get up close.

In the meantime, we checked out Griffith Observatory which was amazing. It has not only gained popularity because of the scene from La La Land but also has exhibits worth checking out. I would definitely come back at nighttime next time.

Back to our mission to find the Hollywood sign! We thought we should just drive all the way to the top and it turns out you can't just put "Hollywood Sign" in your GPS. Shocker. We found a random YouTube video that said to go to 3390 Deronda Drive, so we did. It's a residential area that says "locals only" the entire time up but it's mainly there to scare tourists away. It was actually a pretty cool drive and you'll get a glimpse of some gorgeous homes as you're driving up the hill. The exciting part of it was that we saw the sign as we were going up - getting bigger and bigger so this YouTube video actually gave us correct information! Below you'll see the before & after pictures of how the view changed from Griffith Observatory to Deronda Drive.

Once you reach the street, you can park on that lane. There's a gate where the entrance to the sign is and if you go to the side of it, you will find that it's not locked and it can just be pushed open. When we went, there were about 5-6 others cars there with people doing the same thing. One of the local residents even opened up his garage to let one of the cars park there. Once you get through the gate, there’s a small hill and the sign is right there in clear view. We were so thankful we tried again after our failed attempt the first time because it definitely paid off! There is also a path which is about a 1-2 mile hike which allows you to get to the back view of the sign. We were a little unsure about leaving our car there for that long so we didn’t do it but highly recommend since we saw many people doing the same thing as we were leaving.

For dinner, we decided to check out Osteria La Buca for some Italian food. The restaurant was super busy so we were seated in their upstairs section which we ended up loving. They had really great homemade pasta so we ordered the spaghetti cacio pepe as well as a spaghetti in pomodoro sauce. They were both so simple but so good and exactly what was needed after a full day out. The only thing we were a little disappointed in was the lack of vegetarian options overall but they were super accommodating which was nice.

Day 3 - Malibu

Our final full day was in Malibu and happened to be the day I was most excited for. We drove right along the Pacific Coast Highway which made me wish every single future road trip could be just as stunning.

We decided to kick the day off with brunch at Malibu Farm and it was hands-down one of the cutest places I've ever seen. There's two options when you get there - the Malibu Farm Restaurant and then the Malibu Farm Cafe. We opted to try the cafe since it was all the way at the end of the pier. The aesthetic of the cafe was gorgeous and if you decide to sit outside, you get views of the beach & the ocean which we loved. We ordered the grilled cheese panini which came with greyere and havarti cheese as well as some coffee & their fresh pressed juice. Everything came out looking so pretty and tasted great. This place is definitely a must when visiting Malibu!

After we spent some time on the pier, Malibu County Mart - which is a great shopping area, and the beach, we decided to head back towards West Hollywood to see the Urban Light exhibit at LACMA. I was surprised that it was visible as we were driving past it on the street and it was actually much smaller than I had imagined. It's a famous spot to take pictures and has been featured in many romantic comedies so it was fun to visit in person. I definitely would love to be back when it's dark out so I could see it when the lights are on.

We also visited The Grove, which is a popular shopping destination in LA. While there definitely were some nice shops and restaurants, it wasn't anything crazy unique. It was really easy to cover in less than an hour and a good way to kill some time if you're in the area. Afterwards, we headed to Badmaash for dinner. This was the place I had the highest expectations for and it ended up being just as amazing as I hoped it would.

The interior was very minimalistic with Indian touches throughout. When our food came, with it, also came instructions on how to tie a sari. We started with the dahi puri which we demolished in less than 30 seconds. It was tangy and delicious and everything dahi puri is supposed to taste like. For our main dish, we ordered chana masala, tandoori naan, cucumber raita, and their "OG" masala onions & chili. It was honestly some of the best Indian food we have had and what put it over the top was their spice blend that they had sprinkled over everything. It was spicy, flavorful, and impossible to stop eating.

After all that spicy food, dessert is a must! We headed to Salt & Straw for some ice cream and after being overwhelmed with all of the flavor options to choose from, we decided to try a flight. The flight came with four half-scoops of ice cream and needless to say, we were really happy. We ordered the sea salt and caramel ribbon, roasted strawberry and toasted white chocolate, freckled mint tcho-colate chip, and almond brittle with salted ganache. They were all rich and creamy and reminded me a lot of my favorite ice cream place in Chicago - Jeni's. After trying this place out, it's easy to see why it's a favorite of everyone - tourists & locals!

We ended the night walking around Melrose Avenue. We stopped by at the famous Paul Smith Wall, which is a bright pink wall many use as their photo backdrops. On that same street is also Carrera Cafe where the coffee shop is known for creating latte art of your choosing - even drawing celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio! We also went to one of my favorite shops, Glossier for some makeup & skincare products. The street has a variety of different boutiques & cafes so it's a fun place to stroll around.