Los Angeles is known to be the city of stars, or more so the rich and famous city. This thriving metropolitan area is the second-largest city in North America. Rated as one of the top destinations to visit, LA has more to offer than just seeing the Chinese Theater and strolling down the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Visiting before the pandemic hit, I made it a point only to hit a few touristy places and seek out the hidden gems within the city. Continue journeying with me on how my husband and I navigated the streets of LA on our four-day excursion.
Day 1
Grabbing a delicious breakfast at République Café Bakery was the best thing to start our morning. The variety of food and baked goods options the café offers is top-notch and so tempting that you will want more for the road. I suggest dining inside where you sit at communal tables and transport to another era, rich with medieval architecture and history.
Making our way down Wilshire Boulevard, we found ourselves back in the prehistoric times with the La Brea Tar Pits. The tar pits are still active today, and the path to viewing these pits is easily accessible to the public to roam around. Exiting La Brea Tar Pits, we found ourselves right outside of LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art). Although we just stayed outside, we were able to walk through the “Urban Light” display, along with strolling under the “Levitated Mass” art display. If you have ever seen those pictures or scenes in a movie of light posts lit up at night, this is the spot, so check it out for a quick photo op. Although walking under the gigantic boulder that makes up the “Levitated Mass” display can be a little intimidating, but it’s a pretty unique photo opportunity as well.
As we made our way to our next point of interest, we found ourselves driving by Rodeo Drive and the famous Beverly Hills Hotel. We skipped exploring the area knowing we wanted to hit a few other spots before heading back for the evening. Instead, our next stop on our sightseeing adventure was the Greystone Mansion, where we explored the grounds. Greystone Mansion has been in TV and film making throughout the years.
The property to the mansion is free of charge; however, a permit is required for photography and taking videos.
Suppose you’re looking for a great spot to explore beautiful gardens and view the city below without it being overly crowded. I suggest stopping at Greyhouse Mansion for the afternoon.
As it became early afternoon, we made our way over to Santa Monica. Figuring it was in the middle of the day during the week, we expected the parking lots to be less crowded. We didn’t expect to pull in and find only us and another car parked in the lot. The beach was empty, so we took advantage of that opportunity and got fantastic photos of the lifeguard stations, the ocean, and the Santa Monica Pier. Seeing as it was pretty early, we decided to walk down to Venice Beach. It was a long walk, but taking in the views of the pier, grabbing drinks at a couple of places made the walk very enjoyable. Venice Beach was lively with people walking about, art vendors selling unique merchandise, skateboarders crushing it at the skatepark, and weight lifters using the original muscle beach setup. Growing up, I always envisioned what the beaches would look like, but it felt surreal seeing it in person. It was everything I imagined the beaches in California to be.
After walking, we decided to head over to The Venice Whaler to grab another drink before venturing over to the Venice Canals. The canals are throughout a residential area. It was a pretty cool walk back to the car, venturing over bridges next to the waterways. Even though it’s only a few blocks off from Venice Beach, the area throughout the canals is quieter. Stopping back at Turn Dough on our way back, I could not resist one of my favorite desserts that I had been craving since leaving Prague, Czech. Turn Dough had the Chimney Cakes, also known as Trdelník, composed of rolled dough hollowed out in the middle where ice cream and toppings reside. If you’re in the area, be sure to try one of these if you haven’t already!
Day 2
Day two was another full day of sightseeing, this time heading towards Downtown LA. We started the morning off with an excellent breakfast at Pitchoun Bakery. The bakery offers up the most ideal baked goods and coffee that give you that kick start you need. I chose the French Club that came on a croissant. It was so good and reminded me of my time in Europe.
After leaving the bakery, we ventured over to The Last Bookstore. Why a bookstore, you may wonder? This bookstore is known for some creative book sculpture displays that I wanted to check out. Upon arrival, your senses get hit with that musty antique book smell that makes you want to explore to uncover the mysteries in the world. The first floor has a one-of-a-kind beautiful vintage vibe to it, and as you make your way to the second floor, you will find a variety of sculptures made out of books and paper. The book sculptures did not let me down. If you’re into photography, the last bookstore might be a little inspiration to you.
After leaving the bookstore, we passed other points of interests like the Bradbury Building. Bradbury is the oldest commercial building in Downtown LA, inspiring Victorian-style architecture with open caged elevators. Who would want to miss a chance to see that?
Another historical landmark we found along the way was the Angels Flight Railway which opened in 1901 and was the world’s shortest railway taking you to the top of the hill and back. After all the exploring, we decided it was time to find a bar to grab an afternoon drink. By random, we selected the Redwood Bar, which ended up being pirate-themed. The eclectic pirate decor made this bar have a relaxed vibe that you just couldn’t say no to having one quick drink. Before leaving Downtown LA, we stopped by Grand Central Market. The marketplace has so many food options, and although we skipped eating lunch there due to time constraints, I would suggest checking this place out. Everything smelled so good, and it was tough to resist.
For the remainder of the afternoon, we headed over to Dreamworks Animation Studio to get a private tour of my cousin’s workplace. It was such an incredible experience to see what she does in the animation world! It’s surreal seeing how much time and effort it takes for each department to put in before the movies to hit the big screen.
“You know what the best part of today was? I got the chance to fall in love with you all over again.” – Shrek
Day 3
Taking it up a notch, we headed over to Griffith Park Observatory, where we hiked up the hill. The hike itself was pretty easy, and the view was on point. It was the first day the California skies were clear of the smog, which made for some fantastic photos of the downtown area. The observatory inside was crowded when we reached the top, so we mainly stayed outside, taking in the 360-degree view of the surrounding area. Having a great vantage point of The Hollywood Sign, it’s precisely what you envision it to be. Next time we will probably try for the Hollywood sign hiking trails to get a different perspective of the area.
Before heading to lunch, we decided to head over to the Old Los Angeles Zoo. The abandoned zoo is free of charge, where you can roam around the area. You will discover some abandoned ruins and cages that were left behind. Overall, the site is unique if you’re creative with photography, but it’s not worth the drive over to visit it just that.
Stopping at The Pub at Golden Road for lunch was perfect. The weather was gorgeous, so we opted for the outdoor patio. This place is excellent if you want to bring your dogs here and sit outside. The pub has a great selection of beers. I ended up ordering a beer called Pineapple Cart. It was so good I ordered a six-pack to go!
Nowadays you can find Pineapple Cart beer at your local supermarket. I suggest trying it for a nice summertime beverage.
Later in the evening, we did our very own personal bar crawl in downtown LA. We started the evening out at the Rooftop Bar, which had a classy atmosphere to enjoy sipping a cocktail while taking in the views of the high rises. Our following stops included Cranes Bar, a hidden gem that led you to a downstairs bar. The bar was full of energy but still had a laid-back vibe. The last bar was The Los Angeles Biergarten that was empty by the time we got there but still had the beers pouring.
Day 4
Our last full day in LA was all about the California beaches. Honestly, what could be better than going beach hopping in California? The first beach we ventured to was Redondo Beach. Upon approaching the pier, we saw an assortment of beautifully crafted creations flying overhead. The beach was full of high energy and vibrant colors as crowds gathered to enjoy a day of flying their kites at sea. As we made our way around the pier, we stopped to grab a drink at Barney’s Beanery. We were lucky enough to find one of the last tables outside.
Unfortunately, Barney’s Beanery is no longer open at Redondo Pier, however, there are many locations throughout the Los Angeles area.
Continuing our journey around the pier, we spotted a Sea Lion floating around, being adorably cute. That Sea Lion knew what it was doing for the hopes of someone to cave and throw it some food.
The next beach we went to was Hermosa Beach. I loved how the shops lined both sides of the street leading out to the pier. I could see myself spending an afternoon shopping and indulging in some foods and drinks this beach offers. Since it was mid-afternoon, we headed over to Hennessey’s to have lunch. Able to secure yet another table outside, we were able to sit back, relax and enjoy the rest of the remaining time in California.
California is boundless, and there is still so much to see and do! I can’t wait to revisit this part of the world and explore more. If you only had four days in California, how would you spend your time? Hopefully, this four-day trip guide can help plan your next trip out to the West Coast.
