It IS Possible…
In an ideal world, you’d have a week or 10 days or so to explore L.A. Spending just 24 hours in the city is enough to realise it’s charm and beauty, and falling in love with the city as much as I did means I am absolutely dying to go back. But L.A was the place where we kick-started our epic trip with Trek America and with just one day in Los Angeles we had to ensure we took in the best of the city in just 24 hours.
Venice Beach
Our first stop was Venice Beach, the vibrant and infamous stretch of sand that is one of SoCal’s most iconic beaches. A stroll along the Ocean Front Walk boardwalk reveals local boutiques, ice cream cafes and even ‘Green Doctor’ services as well as street-entertainers every few metres, while the beach has a very Californian chilled out vibe – making it the perfect place for surfers and skateboarders to spend their days.
The beach is iconic for so many reasons, the three mile sandy outcrop is the place to go for people watching, whether it’s celebrities, sportsmen, or jugglers, acrobats, comics and magicians. It is of course also the home of Muscle Beach; where oiled up body builders pump iron in a public display of there strength and bulging muscles!
Venice is a huge popular destination for visitors to LA, so as you can imagine there’s plenty of souvenir shops and photo opportunities, but despite the crowds it is easy to see why this neighbourhood has maintained it’s charm.
Just a short stroll down the Ocean Front Walk is another top L.A destination; Santa Monica. Discover my top things to do there in my last post here.
Rodeo Drive
My personal L.A highlight! A shopping trip on Rodeo Drive is truly one I’ll never forget. With the streets lined in palm trees and world-renowned fashion houses looking pristine in white and glimmering in the California sunshine – it’s a magical shopping experience that draws you into a mesmeric state. Well, that’s what happened to me at least! As well as Valentino, Gucci, Prada and Dior, you’ll find one-of-a-kind local boutiques and premium stores such as Club Monaco and Tory Burch too. It truly caters to everyone, and the shoppers paradise is all based around a compact area known as the Golden Triangle.
The cobblestone walkways lead you to Jimmy Choo, Versace and Tiffany, each store more beautiful than the last. I could spend hours here, but we had just an hour to sweep through the stores before deciding on an open-air cafe to stop for lunch.
Along the southern border of the Golden Triangle you’ll find Department Store Row; the home of the american titans of luxury retail such as Neiman-marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Barneys. It’s easy to spend days exploring this area of L.A alone, but if you want to see the city of Angels in one day, you’ll have to draw yourself away!
The Hollywood Sign!
No trip to L.A is complete without a view of the Hollywood sign, and we took the route via Mulholland Drive to see the iconic lettering. Winding through the homes of California’s rich and famous, you can park up near the observatory and then take a 20 minute walk to Tiffany & Co point, where the view of both the city and the Hollywood sign is breathtaking.
A Hollywood Tour
Yet another must-do for your whirlwind trip to Los Angeles is a visit to the centre of Hollywood, the city of lights truly comes alive in the bustling Hollywood District, where celebrities, A listers and film stars can be spotted lurking in bars and restaurants, as well as writers, producers and the film crew dashing about from studio to studio. We took a tour with Urban Adventures, discovering the less obvious haunts (some quite literally – haunted!) of Hollywood’s most famous names, from the cafe where Walt Disney used to write his stories, to Musso & Frank – the restaurant to be seen in here in Hollywood.
The Hollywood Walk of Fame can’t be missed – with over 2500 five-pointed stars embedded in the sidewalk of Hollywood Boulevard, it’s an iconic monument celebrating the achievement of the entertainment industry with names of actors, musicians, directors, musical talent and more. But don’t forget to look up too – almost every week sees a block buster film premiere here in Hollywood, so you never know who you might spot!
Pinks Hot Dog!
We finished our day in Los Angeles at Pinks Hot Dog stand – the most famous hot dogs in Hollywood! Unaware of Pink’s hot dog legacy before arriving in L.A, I was soon filled in about the stand’s 73 year old history, and how the unassuming eatery on the corner of Melrose and La Brea has provided munchies for Hollywoods most famous faces, serving up everything from basic child cheese dogs to double-dogs topped with guacamole, chill, cheese, bacon, pastrami.. and everything else!
After devouring the hot dogs, our group melted into somewhat of a food coma, so it was back to the hotel for an early night for us.
So there you have it, that’s how we spent our one day in L.A! It was exhausting but incredible to pack so much into the time we had in the city. I am already planning my next trip back, because while we may have seen the most iconic sights, there’s still so much more to see and do.
Have you got any L.A recommendations? Let me know in the comments below!
Don’t forget to check out my Trek America Vlogs! Our One Day in L.A video can be found here.
xox0
Further information about Trek America here
Further information about Visit California here
