LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

Your girl can finally check California off her list! It’s been a long time coming, but I found myself in the west coast this past week and it was an experience that I didn’t look for but was grateful for. What I envisioned for LA was a chilled city with beautiful weather and tons of healthy food along with heavy traffic. Was that expectation accurate? Yes! But I must admit, I honestly didn’t know how bad LA traffic was until I experienced it once I landed at the airport and got into my Uber to go to my Airbnb. It was already annoying to have a 2 hour flight delay, but to then be stuck in traffic for another hour was just the icing on the cake. Nonetheless, I had an amazing time and I believe everything happens for a reason. I really do believe in the power of the universe and this trip proved just that!

I was in Vegas earlier for work but decided it would be the perfect opportunity to visit Los Angeles since I’m already in the west coast. I planned this all on my own but I had several friends who also so happen to be in Los Angeles the same exact days as me and I truly believe it’s more than just a coincidence. My solo trip ended up being more of a “let’s meet up in Los Angeles” trip.

I was also surprised at how big Los Angeles is. I was familiar with some of the names for the different neighborhoods like the popular Beverly Hills and famous Venice and Santa Monica, but I had no idea how spread out the city is! When I was deciding on my Airbnb location, I found it difficult to choose an area since there are so many neighborhoods. I decided to stay at West Hollywood as that was advertised as the central area. Since I don’t drive and didn’t have a car, I ordered an Uber everywhere and it was fine, but it obviously did add up as a heads up to anybody visiting who doesn’t drive.

With the reliable yelp and TripAdvisor sources along with recommendations from friends, I came up with the below must visit places for Instagram and must eats in Los Angeles for first timers like me:

MUST VISIT SPOTS FOR INSTAGRAM:

•  Santa Monica Pier: I’m sure when you think of Los Angeles, Santa Monica Pier comes to mind. I feel like this is so iconic for Los Angeles and luckily this is also a great attraction for photos. If you want a shot of the Ferris wheel as well as the roller coaster like the ones I have in my photos, then make sure you go all the way into the pier and amusement park. Wide lens are used in these photos so I appear longer but this lens also helps with depth of field. Other great locations that make for great instagram photos are the games and colorful vendor booths as photographed above. I also planned to wear a bright dress so everything would blend in but just scope out the place accordingly if you take your clothes into consideration. The pier itself is a great backdrop for photos especially if you catch the sunset. I don’t normally like to take photos in the day when the light is too harsh, but I’m sure if you come the evening and stay through the sunset, you’ll have a great photo opportunity!
  
•  Beverly Hills: The famous palm trees are located at Beverly Hills. When I was approaching this neighborhood, I was jokingly thinking to myself I can smell wealth. Not I’m not wrong because this neighborhood houses many celebrities and is surrounded by designer stores (think 5th Avenue meets Upper East Side!). I wanted to visit to get the vibe from reality shows, but the palm trees (which is found in this neighborhood) also makes for an iconic snapshot of Los Angeles.
  
  
•  Venice: You can easily do Venice and Santa Monica together since they’re right next to each other. Venice is not what I expected at all but of course I had to come to get a sign with Venice on top. Again, I would recommend taking this shot during the sunset so the highlights from the sky will be more apparent. You can be on the sideline of the street and your photographer can be in the crossroad during the red light and capture a similar shot to mine.
  
•  The Broad: I always make it a priority to visit local museums so after researching on TripAdvisor, I knew I had to visit The Broad. I loved the cool exhibits and installations and a sneak peak of what you can find are from the photos above. I’m not sure if these changes monthly so make sure to check the website to see what is currently showing when you’re visiting. A good thing to note is that admission is free but you should reserve tickets in advanced so make sure you do this at least two weeks ahead. I also love going on weekdays and earlier in the day to avoid crowds.
  
  
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•  The Last Bookstore: I’m obsessed with libraries and bookstores so when I stumbled across this gem on Instagram, I knew this was a must visit for social media content. This specific area is located on the second floor of The Last Bookstore. You can be closer to the books arch for a closer portrait shot but you can also shoot further and be towards the back for an in depth field. Another cool spot is the book tunnel (right near the arch) for another cool perspective shot (photographed above).
  
• LACMA: Did you even come to LA if you didn’t take a photo in front of these poles and lamps at LACMA? I didn’t have any trouble capturing these shots without people because I came on a day where it wasn’t crowded at all. What surprised me however was how small this area was. Based on photos I saw online, this area seemed much larger and spread out but this wasn’t the case at all which just shows how small scaled photographs can be. This is a great area to get creative since you can work with different Angeles and perspectives with the poles and symmetry.

Now I don’t have photos for the below food places since I was too busy consuming the meals but if you google or yelp these places, you’ll know why they’re on the list!

MUST EATS FOR FOODIES:

• Café Gratitude: This was actually the first place I spent money on in LA because this was near my Airbnb and I was craving a healthy drink. I also love the name Café Gratitude and thought it was fitting with my mood. I ordered the Restored Ayurvedic Latté which had ashwaganda, pine pollen, cordyceps, cinnamon, raw honey, sprouted almond milk and it was heaven! Since I was getting dinner afterwards, I didn’t eat anything else but everything on their menu looks delicious and extremely healthy! The space is also really cute and has both indoor and outdoor seating.
• Grand Central Market: For those living in NYC, Grand Centra Market is like our Chelsea Market, Little Mercado and Dumbo House in one. I love that there are tons of options, and the vibe here is so cool and chilled. I tried eggslut and ordered The Fairfax because I knew it was a popular vendor but I’m sure any vendors would be a great choice! I would definitely recommend trying different vendors if you’re coming with a group but note that most of these portions are like meals.
•  Sun Nong Dan: I knew that the Koreantown in Los Angeles would be a must eat because I had multiple people rave about it. I tried this Korean bbq joint in Korea town and it was so delicious, my mouth is honestly salivating just thinking about it! We ordered the Galbi Jjim and requested it to be spicy with double cheese. The medium portion was perfect for the three of us and it’s a heavy but delicious dinner! This also opens 24/7 so feel free to go anytime, but do expect a wait!
•  Salt and Straw: I have a sweet tooth and my friends recommend this ice cream place and I have to say Salt and Straw has some damn good ice cream. My go to flavors are vanilla, peanut butter and salted caramel but if there’s a flavor that the ice cream store is known for or has a unique flavor I always tend to go for that. As a result, I ordered one scoop with half honey lavender and half freckled mint chocolate chip. It may not sound like it goes well together but trust me it did!
• Daikokuya: So this was another popular restaurant that came popping up when I asked for La food recommendations. Also the reviews are insane on yelp so I couldn’t leave Los Angeles without trying this ramen spot. I actually came here myself and I really enjoyed my experience eating ramen solo. I didn’t have to wait at all and ordered the #1 best seller, Daikoku Ramen. I’m not a crazy ramen girl but I do love ramen every now and then and this bowl of ramen was definitely memorable! I also enjoyed the texture of the ramen and the broth 🙂
•  Toca Madera: I came here not knowing how great of a spot this would be but I’m so glad I stumbled across this when searching for a fun dinner spot for a friend’s birthday. The vibe at Toca Madera is AMAZING! If you can request for outdoor seating with the lights and trees, definitely do so because IT IS A VIBE! This is a Mexican spot and the food here is also really good so it’s a great spot for large gatherings.
• Bungalow 40: I’m a coffee gal and this place was only 15 minutes away from me and also recommended by a friend so I had to check it out. Bungalow 40 is a cute cafe and I ordered the Chagaccino drink which has chaga, cacao, cinnamon, vanilla, monk fruit, erythritol sweater and your choice of milk. Since it’s organic it was more expensive and costed me about $8. Was it delicious? Yes, was it worth it? I think for a visitor yes but definitely not for a local as that adds up.
• Cafe Dulce: For all my matcha lovers, you have to come to Cafe Dulce and try both their matcha green tea donut and blueberry matcha latte! The combination is amazing and the donut is everything you could imagine and even more! There is a perfect amount of cream in the middle and it melts smoothly in your mouth.

Overall, my trip to Los Angeles was a success! I had a great time and can now say I’ve been there. The next time I visit California, I actually want to see San Francisco or San Diego. Let me know if you love any of these Los Angeles spots and list any places that forgot to list that are Instagram friendly and fit for foodies!