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Introduction
Welcome back to an ALL NEW Trip Report series everybody, with this one covering sunny Los Angeles, California! Whether you’re reading this because you read my Cebu, Philippines trip report series, found me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or any of my social media, or by chance from a google search (in that case thank God google is recommending my site to you guys) I’d like to welcome you to the website and to this trip report series. I envision this site to be the first storytelling travel website, so these trip reports are a big part of this site’s identity and I’d like to thank you for taking the time to read this.
I decided to make Los Angeles my second destination because I’ve actually been living in LA for over a year now. I’m pursuing my MFA in Writing and Producing for TV at Loyola Marymount University, and in the one year since I moved here, I realized that I haven’t really been exploring the city as much. Granted that’s mostly because school work has me busy, but when I was on break last summer (and my summer break was almost four months long) I decided to go for it and finally see everything LA had to offer.
I decided to divide my LA sightseeing into 4 days, one day each for West LA, Downtown LA, Hollywood, and the LA Hills. In total I went to over 15 different sites in LA, all of which I chose after scouring the internet and reading other people’s itineraries to see which sites were recommended by other travel bloggers the most. So for today’s trip report, I’m going to be telling you guys about my experience touring the West side of LA! I hope you all are ready because this is going to be so much fun!
Before we get into it, however, we should do a little housekeeping as usual. Remember to subscribe to my Youtube channel @ Stephen Flores Travel, like me on Facebook at Passport Perspective, and follow me on Instagram / Twitter / Tiktok @StephenJFlores.
And now, let’s begin!
The Thousand Year Sleep
So for context, I was actually at Disneyland the day before this first touring day. I got home at around 12:30am and fully intended to wake up at 9am and be out of the house by 10 to start my day. However, my body had other plans and I woke up at 11am instead. When I woke up, I was debating whether or not to still continue on with my day because I had already wasted an entire morning. But then I thought that if I didn’t do it now, I probably wouldn’t be able to do it for at least another 5 months and by then weather in Los Angeles would have become uncomfortably cold (I know it doesn’t really get that cold in Los Angeles but I get cold easily having grown up in a tropical country and so even a little cold is uncomfortable for me). So I ate breakfast really quick, changed and got my bag ready, and was out the door by 12:15. I called an Uber that cost me $12.98 and made my way to my first stop of the day: the Venice canals!
Venice-Lite
I arrived at Venice beach at 12:34pm. I live close to Venice which is why the car ride wasn’t that long. Los Angeles doesn’t have the best transportation system, which is why if there’s one thing I recommend you do when you’re in Los Angeles, it’s to rent a car. Uber-ing everywhere means that you will eventually rack up a gargantuan bill, so it’s best to just rent a car (although you’ll have to contend with parking, which could be difficult at some sights).
After the Uber dropped me off, I walked to the Venice canals. I arrived at the canals at around 12:45pm. For those of you that don’t know, the Venice canals were developed by a man named Abbot Kinney in an effort to create a neighborhood that mimicked the Venice Canals in Italy. Work was completed in 1905 but, after cars became popular and more widespread, a lot of the canals were filled in to make way for paved roads. Only a few canals remain today, but people still live at the banks of the remaining canals.
I walked to the midpoint of the first canal I saw, crossed the first bridge I came across, walked a little further away, then headed back the way I came. As I walked down the bank of the canal, I couldn’t help but notice that I was the only tourist there. But that could have been because the canals weren’t that nice to look at as they were also dried up because it was the middle of August, but that being said, the houses that lined the canals all looked very pretty. They were multicolored and some even had small boats docked out front. It was all very quaint, and was a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of regular Los Angeles. A few people were out and about walking along the sides with me, but otherwise I had the area all to myself. I walked around for around 30 minutes and then decided at 1:02pm that it was time to move on.
Sandcastles in the Sand
The next thing on my agenda was Venice Beach, which is just a five minute walk from the Venice canals. I had no real agenda for this area other than to walk around and soak up the atmosphere. I walked onto the huge walkway lined with shops and restaurants that Venice Beach is known for and was intrigued by what I saw. The boulevard (or whatever you call it) seemed to go on for miles. The sand also seemed to go on forever as the Pacific Ocean seemed so far from the walkway I was on.
There were many different people on Venice Beach, including some gentlemen who were trying to push their CDs on anyone who walked by. One of them followed me for about 20 steps until I half-sprinted to get away from him. I also saw a topless woman rollerskating down the boulevard. After seeing that, I think I can officially say that I had seen it all here in Los Angeles. Among all the places I visited during these four days, this was the place that had the most…umm…interesting characters. These people gave the area a bohemian, laid back vibe. It was interesting to witness it first hand.
After walking down the walkway for a bit, I saw the skatepark that Venice is famous for, as well as Muscle Beach, the famous gym that is located outside by the sand. I completely forgot that it was there until I saw it so seeing it was a nice surprise. At this point I had not eaten lunch yet but I couldn’t find a restaurant that looked enticing to me. That is until I saw a Ben and Jerry’s. I know what you’re thinking and I know that it’s the furthest thing from a lunch place, but I decided that I was going to eat in Santa Monica (the next destination on this itinerary) so I needed something to tide me over till then. I then went inside the Ben and Jerry’s and got a scoop of Chocolate Fudge Brownie (my flavor of choice) ice cream, which cost $7.5, and afterwards continued on with my exploring of Venice.
The shops located on Venice were fascinating. Most of them sold normal tourist trap things such as “I love Los Angeles” shirts and keychains with your name on them, but some of them sold pretty unique things like crystals and artwork. I entered some of them and it was nice getting to window shop for a little bit. I ended up leaving empty handed, as I’m not much of a shopper anyway.
I walked for maybe another 15 minutes until I realized that there seemed to be no more restaurants or shops further down the boulevard, so I decided to head back the way I came and get picked up where I was dropped off earlier. I made my way back, passing by all the shops and restaurant I had just walked by, and got in another Uber, heading to my next destination.
PIER-ing Through the Looking Glass
I left Venice Beach at 1:58pm and headed to the Santa Monica Pier on an Uber which cost $8.93. I arrived at 2:06pm since the pier was just close by. I was greeted by the iconic Santa Monica Pier sign. Now, full disclosure, I had already been to the pier previously with a couple of friends, but we never went to the end of the pier. So for this trip I made sure that I made my way all the way there.
If you know the pier, you know that there’s a huge ramp that goes downwards as the beach is located a little ways away from the main road. So I went down the ramp and ventured into the pier. I passed multiple people singing for donations and a couple of people preaching the gospel of the Lord. This place was a lot more packed and busy than Venice Beach was. As I was heading down the pier, a man approached me trying to sell me a bracelet and tried to put it on me. I knew of this scam when I went to Europe in 2017 and knew he was going to charge me the moment the bracelet was tied to my wrist. I quickly got away from him and continued heading down the pier.
I passed by a Bubba Gump and what looked like a really cool arcade. I popped in for a bit and saw that it was basically a Dave and Buster’s but without the booze. I then left the arcade and passed by Pacific Park, which is the area of the pier where all the rides are located, and walked towards the end of the pier. It was here that I passed a few stands selling a pretty unique souvenir: a piece of rice that you could have your name carved on! I thought that was pretty cool and was about to get one but decided not to because I realized that it probably wouldn’t last long given that it was food, so I continued walking down to the end of the pier.
As I walked down the pier, I noticed just how nice the view was from the boardwalk. You could see the long stretches of beach to the left and right sides of the pier, and they appeared to go on for forever. I took a few moments to appreciate where I was at that moment. Then when I got to the end and saw an uninterrupted view of the Pacific Ocean stretching out in front of me, I had to pinch myself because it was so beautiful to see. Seeing that view while hearing the crashing of waves underneath the pier all the while smelling the salt air that was wafting in from the ocean gave me a tranquil sense of calm. I spent a good five minutes just admiring the view, then left to head to Pacific Park to ride some of the rides there.
I don’t do well on rides that spin or go upside down (unless it’s a rollercoaster) so I opted to ride the ferris wheel and the small rollercoaster that they had. I lined up to buy tickets but then noticed that the ferris wheel didn’t accept single riders. I then settled for riding the rollercoaster. I bought a ticket for the coaster (which cost $10, which seemed pretty steep to me for a ride that lasted like 30 seconds) but I told myself that it was for the experience. I paid the clerk and lined up for the ride. I waited maybe 5 minutes before it was my turn. I had planned to take a video of the ride, but the attendant told me to keep my camera in my bag. It was a quick ride and they were kind enough to make us ride twice, which was nice. The views from the top of coaster were pretty cool, I have to say.
After exiting the ride, I made my way out of the pier. Before leaving, I saw an old building to my right that was right before the ramp. I decided to go inside and was surprised with what I saw: an old wooden merry-go-round and an ice cream / milkshake parlor. I had no idea this existed because I never went inside this building the last time I was here. The carousel was huge and not too many people were riding it (I guess a lot of people don’t pass by this building either). I didn’t ride it because I was already behind schedule so I quickly made my way up the ramp and left the pier at 3:24pm.
An Empty Promenade
I arrived at my next stop, Third Street Promenade, at exactly 3:30pm. Since it was located in Santa Monica, I didn’t have to walk too far. I saw some people put this on their list of Los Angeles attractions to see, but honestly I was let down by this area. Maybe I just went during a time when most stores were closed, but it honestly felt like a ghost town. I guess if you like shopping maybe you’d get a kick out of this area, but I was bored walking through it. One end of it even had some questionable characters out and about. I quickly walked up and down the promenade then quickly called an Uber to take me to my next destination.
…Cause I’m Spending on Rodeo
I caught a Lyft that cost $18.96 and was soon on my way to my second to the last destination of the day: Rodeo Drive! I know, I know, if I didn’t spend anything in the stores on Venice Beach, why was I going to Rodeo Drive? For the experience of course! I like window shopping and if there was one place in Los Angeles to go window shopping, it’s Rodeo Drive. On the way to Rodeo Drive, I had a spirited conversation with my Lyft driver as we talked about our respective countries. He recognized my accent and started asking me questions about where I was from. It was a good conversation, I must say. I got out of the car at 4:56pm and started exploring Rodeo Drive.
The first thing I noticed was this really pretty side street that sloped upward and had expensive cafes and stores lining it, so I went up the street and found out that it led to a staircase that went back down, so I guess it wasn’t as interesting as I thought it would be, but it was still pretty to look at. I then started walking down Rodeo Drive and I must admit I enjoyed strolling down the palm-tree lined street more than I thought I would. The street had its own version of the walk of fame, but it commemorated the icons of the fashion industry. I recognized some of the stores, such as Prada and Gucci, but there were some stores that I had never heard of before. I felt a bit out of place walking past these stores as people exited them with full shopping bags. I personally don’t really buy expensive things as I like to spend my money on experiences and travel, but to each their own I guess.
Walking down this street was really such a vibe. Up to this point I had only heard about this street through references from movies and TV shows, so it was pretty surreal getting to walk down this street. Plus it was cool seeing all the shops that were all impeccably designed. Some were trimmed in gold, others had black and white patterns on them. They all had a certain elegance to them, which I loved.
I knew the famous Beverly Hills sign was around the corner so I decided to walk to it and then walk down the other side of Rodeo Drive afterwards and then make my way to my last destination for the day. I reached the end of Rodeo Drive and immediately saw the famous sign. I made my way over there and there were about 50 other tourists, all taking pics of and with the sign.
I snapped a couple of pics, took a few selfies, and then headed back down to Rodeo. I walked down the other side of the street so I could admire the shops on that side. I was done touring at around 5:40pm and called a Lyft that cost $21.92 (a little expensive for where I was going, but this was the time when people usually come home from work so it was understandable). The Lyft took a while to get to where I was because I was trying to book at peak time, but eventually it came at 6:02pm and soon enough I went to my last stop of the day.
Sunsets on Sunset
My last destination for the day was Sunset Boulevard. This street is famous for its billboards that showcase different TV shows and movies that line the street, as well as being home to some famous comedy bars. I got dropped off at the place I had planned to have dinner at, Mel’s Drive In, at 6:30pm and proceeded to walk down the boulevard. As I was walking, I saw some of the huge billboards promoting the latest shows and movies. It was cool seeing all of them, but I don’t think I would recommend walking down this boulevard. I think the best way to experience this road is to take a car and drive down the boulevard.
Because the boulevard is long and winds its way around the hills, I only saw a couple of billboards. It was still great getting to walk down Sunset at sunset though. The sky felt like it belonged in a La La Land scene, with orange, pink, and purple hues dominating the sky.
I remember walking to a Kevin Hart billboard and then just deciding to walk back the way I came from. I then walked to a comedy club that had the names of famous people who had performed at it written on its walls, which was cool to see. I believe the name of the establishment was the Comedy Store. Once I reached it, I turned around and started walking down the boulevard again and ended up in Mel’s Drive In.
I decided to end the day by having dinner there, as Mel’s is an LA institution. The interior was everything you would come to expect from a diner, complete with the iconic bar seating and jukeboxes playing old music. I ordered a BLT and a milkshake that cost $28.81 with tip included. The BLT was AMAZING and totally hit the spot (if you’ve been keeping track, I haven’t eaten since Ben and Jerry’s earlier in Venice Beach so I was starving). The milkshake was also absolutely delicious. I savored every single bite and sip and left the restaurant happy. I then left Mel’s via Uber at 7:50 (which cost $15.65) and got to my apartment at 8:25.
And so ended the first day of my Los Angeles tour itinerary. We started pretty late, but we were able to pull it off and do everything on my list for that day as intended. I think the highlight for me would have to be the pier, but every place I went to was awesome (except for Third Street Promenade). For the next report we’re going to tour the entire Downtown LA so get ready for that!
Links to the other installments of this trip report series:
Los Angeles Trip Report ’22 Part 1: West Side Stories
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