Los Angeles
Stories of tourist traps and where to find the Californian lifestyle
When Charlie visited Los Angeles for the first time a few years ago, she was disappointed. Let’s be honest here. She arrived by Amtrak from Palm Springs in the early morning, stored her luggage near Union Station and decided to begin the exploration with a hop-on-hop-off tour at Hollywood Boulevard. Fully candid, she would not have realized that she was at Hollywood Boulevard, if it hadn’t had a street sign confirming it. The famous walk of fame is barely visible at first in between hundreds of tourists and homeless people. Charlie returned to L.A. in late 2024 and she must say that Hollywood Boulevard maintains its first position on her list of the biggest tourist traps.
How to make Los Angeles nice?
If you go and visit L.A., don’t do it for Hollywood, but for the vibes and the surroundings! Hike up to the Hollywood sign to see the city from above, head towards the coast and enjoy the lifestyle and the beach vibes! If you must see Hollywood Boulevard and Down Town, do it as part of a hop-on-hop-off tour which will get you to Beverley Hills and the famous Rodeo Drive, the Sunset strip and the Paramount Studios as well.
Hollywood Sign and Griffith Observatory
During Charlie’s first visit to L.A., it became nice on her second day when she hiked to the Hollywood sign and made a local friend. Let’s start from the beginning.
The Hollywood sign, originally installed to sell land in the area called Hollywood, is the symbol of Los Angeles and as such, one of the top places to visit. Charlie had booked a guided hike in the morning. They couldn’t go to the sign as this is fenced off, but took a path behind the sign to reach a viewpoint in a higher altitude. From there, they could not only see the sign, but the entire city in its full extent. If you ever heard that L.A. was big, expect it to be even bigger than you expect!
After the hike, Charlie couldn’t get signal on her phone and it was not possible to call an Uber or Lyft. One of the guides offered her a ride to a nearby café from where she would have Wi-Fi. Once there, Charlie decided to eat before she would go on with her day. As she indulged in some yummy pancakes, she started chatting to a girl sitting next to her. She mentioned how disappointed she was by the city. Sarah, as it turned out, lived close by, worked in the movie industry and decided to help change Charlie’s perception. She offered to drive her around and show her all the nice spots. That’s what they did! Sarah drove Charlie through the Hollywood Hills, pointed out where which celebrity lived, where Richard Gere and Julia Roberts filmed important scenes in Pretty Woman and the stunning views from the Griffith Observatory.
Now, you might not be able to meet Sarah, sorry! The good news is: You can do all of that on your own or as part of an organized tour!
Surfing in LA
When Charlie mentions beach vibes and lifestyle, of course, she refers to surfing! And it is no secret that Los Angeles is a popular place for surfers.
Santa Monica & Venice
The most obvious places to go are Santa Monica and Venice. In both locations, you will find several accommodation options, from budget hostels to fancy hotels and you won’t have any trouble finding a shop to hire a surf board if you haven’t brought your own.
One thing must be said though: Venice did not seem to be a safe place for Charlie and several people that she has spoken too have confirmed her impression. Santa Monica (with its own police department) seemed much safer and cleaner overall. Both places certainly have their own vibes and are worth a visit – maybe just not after dark.
Manhattan and Hermosa Beach
Charlie was staying in a hostel much further south then Venice at Hermosa Beach. Those beach cities seem as if you’re not even in L.A. anymore. They’re much cleaner and safer than the city centre and demonstrate the southern Californian beach lifestyle. Hermosa Beach has the surfer’s walk of fame on the pier, the waves however were mostly closing out and steep in shallow water. They’re not for beginners!
A bit further North, at Manhattan Beach, the waves seemed a lot friendlier, and the rides were longer too. If you’re staying in the area, you should check out Manhattan Beach. There are several surf shops between Hermosa and Manhattan where you can hire boards and wetsuits. You also find plenty of small boutiques, restaurants and cafes.
Cycling along the beaches of Los Angeles
Apart from surf board hire, you will also see plenty of options for bike hire on any beach in L.A. Charlie hired a bike a Hermosa Beach and cycled all the way up to Venice. The bike trail goes along the beaches, and you might even see the airplanes out of LAX passing by. There are restrooms and water fountains all along the bike trail.
Once you reach the Marina Del Rey, the route goes inland and around the marina. From there on, the bike trail mixes with road traffic and becomes less scenic until you arrive in Venice. Charlie had underestimated how far it was from Hermosa to Venice. If she had known, she would have gotten an e-Bike instead of a beach cruiser. It was only at the end of the day when she was back at the hostel when she realized why it had been so exhausting. She had cycled 24 miles that day!
Towards South, Charlie only went to Redondo and did not see the beaches of Long Beach and Huntington. There is definitely some coastline left to explore!
How to get around in L.A.
The best way to move around Los Angeles is by car. The whole infrastructure is built around cars and public transport is a very slow undertaking. Wherever Charlie tried to go in L.A. it always took at least 2 hours when taking public transport. That is mostly due to high traffic and plenty of changes and wait times in between busses. If you plan your route, always check for the one where busses come more frequently. There are bus lines that only run once per hour and if you have a delay and miss your connection, you might be waiting a while.
Payment on public transport is either in exact cash or via TAP – available as a physical card or as an app. TAP has the advantage of fare capping and you won’t have to worry about exact change in your wallet.
Uber and Lyft are available too, however, it can become pricey as the distances are long in L.A. If you decide to rent a car, you should try and car pool with other travellers as certain lanes of the fast roads are reserved for vehicles with more than one person. If you’re alone in the car, you have to take the slow lane.
Street Art in L.A.
Los Angeles has probably one of the most flourishing street art scenes in the US, however, there doesn’t seem to be a hot spot and it is cluttered all over the city. There are several street art tours available and those are equally spread out over different areas of L.A. Charlie only had time for one of them which led her to Union Pacific Avenue, an industrial area East of Down Town L.A. The whole street is full of warehouses that provide a good canvas for graffiti and murals. Unfortunately, the tour guide did not provide much information.
Charlie spotted some other great murals in Santa Monica, Venice and along Melrose Avenue. At Hermosa Beach too, you can find some real gems of street art.
