When we planned our trip to Hawaii, we wanted to stop in Los Angeles to sight see and break up the trip. But what were we going to see with such little time? We knew we wanted to see Hollywood, a movie/tv exhibit, the Hollywood sign, and the Pacific Ocean. You know, the touristy highlights. We started doing research, consulted some friends and coworkers, and planned out the trip. We really didn’t know what to pack, but hoped for the best.
Check out our Google Map for all the places we visited!
Location, Location, Location in Los Angeles
Since LAX is on the coast, we wanted to stay in that vicinity. Everyone told us traffic in LA was rough, so we tried to stay as close to the airport as possible. We did not want to miss our flight to Hawaii. We found this amazing Airbnb in the Santa Monica-Venice area, just 20 minutes from the airport. Located in walking distance to the beach, coffee shops, and food stores, it was the perfect pad for our two night stay. This studio is airy, bright, clean, and looks exactly as it does on the listing.
Grouping Activities
We grouped together everything we wanted to see by region. This way our traffic situation would be not as bad. Turns out, we did not have any traffic nightmares! I think we always traveled in the opposite direction of traffic.
Day One: Hollywood
As soon as we landed we got our rental car and headed for an iconic landmark, the Hollywood sign. After just watching La La Land, we thought the Griffith Observatory was the perfect place to start. It had a great view of the sign and the city.
Lunch: In-N-Out
What’s a trip to Los Angeles if you don’t grab In-N-Out? After walking around Griffith Observatory, we realized how hungry we were. We had to try this west coast staple to see what the hype was about. Our meal was good. But don’t hate us, our lives are not changed.
Walk of Fame
What I thought was the Times Square of LA, the Hollywood Walk of Fame is smaller than we thought. However, it was a ‘must-see’ on our list. This was not far from Griffith Observatory and In-N-Out. We scoped out some of our favorite stars, walked by the Chinese Theater, and Viv’s ‘spot’ from Pretty Woman (one of Fatima’s favorite movies). Tip: you can get another shot of the Hollywood Sign from the Hollywood & Highland Mall.
By the time we landed and saw everything we wanted to see in Hollywood, we thought we should head back towards our Airbnb to check in and spend the night on the beach.
Day Two: Warner Bros. Studios, Hollywood, and Santa Monica
We woke up and went to downtown Santa Monica for a cup of Groundwork Coffee and a muffin. Check them out if you’re in the area!
We booked our Warner Bros. Studio Tour for Tuesday in case we landed late on Monday. This was so cool, and I recommend their tour if you like the content they produce. I think you have more fun when you get to see studios and sets of your favorite shows. Check out the studio tours available and pick your favorite one! Tip: earlier the better! Since this tour was so long (and so worth it), our 11:15 start time cut into the middle of the day. If we listened to our friend, Stephanie, and picked the earlier tour, we would have more time in the day.
Before we met up with our friend, Mike, he told us to go to this park for another, closer view of the Hollywood sign. We had a late lunch and drinks, then made our way to the Santa Monica boardwalk on our last night.
While we didn’t get to do everything we wanted to do, we saw a lot. We know there’s more to Los Angeles and we’ll be able to explore more on our next trip.
Places we wanted to see, but didn’t get to:
- Rodeo Drive
- Beverly Hills
- Los Angeles County Museum
- Venice Canals
- Abbot Kinney Boulevard
