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Hiking to the Sun Gate Machu Picchu (Inti Punku)
August 4, 2019
Both of us were born and raised in Ventura County (about 1 hour from LA) and spent the majority of the last decade living in LA. Invariably, when friends come to visit LA, we tell them to get to the beaches, get out of LA, and enjoy what really makes LA great: the suburbs. We will share our favorite things to do in Los Angeles and greater Los Angeles, but first, let’s cover some things not to do in LA.
Things NOT to do in Los Angeles
- Hike to the Hollywood sign (It’s a sign…..you can see it from many other places in LA)
- Visit Hollywood Blvd (Unless you’re looking for cocaine and hookers)
- Drive the Sunset strip (It’s not that great)
- Hollywood walk of fame (It isn’t exciting)
- Go to Rodeo Drive (Unless you want to spend $19432935)
- Take the 405 if you can avoid it (Take surface streets or try to travel at like 2am. You might even have traffic on the 405 at midnight)
- Go east of the 405 if you’re in West LA (Just stay east)
- Go west of the 405 if you’re in DTLA (Just stay west)
- Stay at a hotel in DTLA (Stay in Santa Monica, Malibu, or Manhattan Beach instead)
- Go to a Clipper’s game (Go to a Laker’s game instead)
- Take a Star Line tour (Just don’t)
- Try to use public transportation (Just rent a car and deal with traffic..then you can bitch and complain with the rest of us)
- Attempt to find the Kardashians (But if you really want to find them go to Erewhon)
Sure, many things that we do as locals in LA are popular amongst tourists, but for the most part, we prefer to just chill and enjoy nature, good food, and the company of family and friends.
Best hikes in southern California
People think thave everyone in LA hikes the Hollywood sign, when in fact we hike Sandstone Peak, Escondido Falls, and Angeles National Forrest. The best hikes in southern California are all outside of Los Angeles, but not by much. You can reach some of our favorite hikes in the world in 30 minutes.
Best beaches in LA
Santa Monica and Venice beach are great and we love both, but they aren’t the most aesthetically pleasing beaches in LA. They’re crowded and a bit dirty. Instead, head to Malibu, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, or venture even further south to Orange County. Some of the best beaches in southern California are in Laguna Beach and Newport Beach. El Matador State Beach is our favorite beach in LA.
Surfing in LA
Don’t just go to the beach in LA, go surfing in LA. Unless it’s 80 degrees or hotter, you’ll for sure want a wetsuit or at least a spring suit. The water in the Pacific Ocean is COLD. Some days it feels warm to those of us who grew up there, but even on those days, tourists find it chilly. You can rent boards at many of the major beaches, FYI.
Sports events in LA
Go to a Dodgers game, Lakers game, Rams game, and Kings game but skip the Chargers and Clippers games. People in LA can be pretty fairweather fans, but fortunately, right now the Dodgers are the best team in baseball, the Rams are one of the best teams in the NFL, and the Lakers just acquired Anthony Davis, Danny Green and others to support Lebron – I’d say the 6-year playoff drought is over!
Concerts in LA
Regardless of the type of music you like, there is probably a musical event every night of the week. You can visit the Hollywood Bowl and see the LA Philharmonic, go to Shrine and watch Kaskade, or go to a small jazz bar and see some fun bands that no one knows about. Coachella is also “technically” an LA event for what it’s worth.
LA Farmer’s Markets
LA has some of the best farmer’s markets we have seen anywhere in the world. The original Farmer’s Market was founded in LA in 1934 and over the last century hundreds have popped up around the city and greater Los Angeles County.
Melrose Flea Market
Once you’ve gotten your fix of food and produce at the Farmer’s Market, head to the Melrose Flea Market and shop around for clothes, jewelry, art, and other crafts.
Eat Mexican food
Probably the worst thing about living in Perth, Australia is that there is no Mexican food. LA, on the other hand, has the best Mexican food in the world outside of Mexico and perhaps San Diego. This is a hot topic of debate amongst southern Californians; does San Diego or LA have better Mexican food? Either way, both have better Mexican food than Perth and LA has some of the best Mexican food in the world.
Get breakfast burritos at Country Kitchen or Lily’s
Get out of LA, head to Malibu, and eat a breakfast burrito at Country Kitchen or Lily’s…or maybe both! These are our 2 favorite spots in LA for breakfast burritos and they’re both right across from the beach, so you can take your burrito to the beach and turn yourself into a beached whale.
Visit the surrounding suburbs
We tell people al the time, what makes “LA” great is not LA. It’s Santa Monica. It’s Malibu. It’s the South Bay. It’s Calabasas. It’s Ventura County. It’s Orange County. Other than sporting events and concerts, we very rarely spend time in LA. The best things to do in LA are mostly out of LA.
Explore the National Parks in LA
This is taking the “visit the surrounding suburbs” suggestion to the next level. Much of what we love to do in LA involves sitting in the car for an hour or 2 to explore the surrounding national parks. It’s not that hard to plan a day trip to Joshua Tree or charter a boat to go to Channel Islands National Park. While you’re visiting Joshua Tree, you can also make a pit stop in Palm Springs and treat yourself to some golf and a massage.
Road trip LA to Vegas
So many people travel through LA JUST to take a road trip to Las Vegas. Vegas is the weekend getaway for Los Angelinos looking for debauchery and bankruptcy. Kidding aside, it is such a fun place to travel if you’re single or if you and your partner love dance music and clubs, gambling, or performances like Cirque Du Soleil. We prefer massages and good food when we are in Vegas!
Visit Erewhon
Foreign visitors get excited about Whole Foods when they come to LA. Whole Foods makes Vons look like Food for Less, but Erewhon makes Whole Foods look like Vons. Erewhon is the most expensive health food store in LA, so you’ll find them in Calabasas, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Venice, etc. It’s a one-stop-shop grocery store + hot bar + smoothie bar + bakery + everything you need to satiate your healthy hunger needs. We lived near one in Calabasas and it was the demise of our bank account but our bodies thanked us daily.
Things both locals and tourists love
Activities in LA fit into a bit of a Venn diagram: things tourists love to do, things locals actually do, and common ground where locals love doing things that tourists also love.
