efore I came to LA, I hadn’t heard the greatest stuff about it. I obviously didn’t let this deter me or put any preconceived notions in my head. I’m from Canberra and I’ve heard so much bullshit about how much Canberra sucks and the most vitriolic complaints usually come from people who have never been there. I’m not a girl that takes anyone’s word for it and I came to LA with a totally open mind. Honestly? I quite like it here. I can’t imagine myself living in LA but it’s a very interesting, diverse and entertaining place to be. Here are a few thoughts I’ve had about La La Land.
– It’s less manic than I expected. We spent our first evening on Sunset Boulevard and it was practically empty, which I rather enjoyed. I was expecting something like Times Square but the streets were totally bare. It was lovely because I don’t think anyone likes crowds that much. We had full access to all the stars handprints outside the Kodak theatre and I didn’t have to shove anyone out of the way to get my moment with Michael. Win.
– The weather is every bit as awesome as everyone says. I’m very weird about weather because if it’s hot, I’ll get too hot and if it’s cold, I’ll get too cold. I’m really not built for outdoors but LA weather is sublime. You don’t even really notice it, it’s just exactly the temperature you want it to be all the time.
– Everyone is really chilled out. I kind of expected the locals to be a bit Barbie-esque and ladder-climby but everyone I’ve met has been awesome. We’re staying at an AirBnB place and our hosts are rad – we hung out with them, drank beer and chatted about what a dick Trump is. Is was great. LA locals are the best.
– You can’t really walk anywhere. This is a bit of an issue for me because I’m a huge walker and I have to get 10,000 steps in every day. If you walk for a mile in New York, there’s a mile worth of awesome stuff between you and your destination. If you walk a mile in LA, there’s pretty much nothing between you and your destination. Hiring a car was the best decision we made.
– LA isn’t that great for gluten free food. The supermarkets are okay but we’re staying a little bit out of the main city areas and getting any kind of certified GF food is proving difficult. Thankfully we’re not that in to food so we’re surviving on cereal and salads.
– It’s really colourful. There are beautiful houses in bright blues, pinks, oranges and yellows. I grew up in a planned city where you can’t fart unless you have permission from town planning. Brightly coloured houses with weird and awesome architecture are practically non-existent there. LA looks like Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory to me and it’s just a feast for your eyes.
Here are a few things to do in LA… or rather stuff we’ve done so far…
1. Visited the stars outside the Kodak theatre (which is now called the Dolby Theatre apparently)
I know it’s on every tourist list but honestly, you can’t miss this. I’ve been wanting to ‘meet’ Michael Jackson for years and it was a pretty cool moment to finally stand in his foot prints. I was a little annoyed by the hierarchy of the hand print spots though. Twilight has a spot front and centre and Harry Potter is kind of shoved in next to it. Not cool Kodak (or Dolby). Wizards before vampires. Always.
2. Went for a walk down Hollywood Boulevard
Depending on where you’re coming from you kind of have to walk down Hollywood Boulevard to get to the Kodak theatre but it’s worth it to check out the stars on the sidewalk. I got my photo with Marilyn Monroe which was pretty special. I’m such a dag but I really enjoyed it.
3. Visited Santa Monica Pier
This place was off the charts. In Australia, piers are piers. There might be a cafe or one dude with a trolley selling ice creams but that’s it. Santa Monica Pier is full of shops, rides, restaurants, cafes and street hawkers selling physic readings and terrifying sculptures of tourists faces. It’s all kinds of tacky fabulous. Definitely worth a visit.
5. Saw the Hollywood sign
It’s a must. I admit it was pretty thrilling seeing it in real life. I’ve been a bit obsessed with Hollywood for most of my life so it was pretty rad seeing it for the first time.
6. Was on hardcore celebrity watch
I’ve been hardcore on the hunt for the celebrities and I spotted Tim Minchin at Dreamworks. I was visiting my mate and we were literally talking about how Tim Minchin works there now and he walked right past. It was pretty cool. I wanted to shout out to him how I thought he was awesome in Jesus Christ Superstar but I didn’t want to be a dick at my mate’s work. Next time though. Definitely.
7. Hung out in Echo Park
It’s full of cool shops and coffee which is awesome because I’m from Fitzroy. Cool shops and coffee are totally my jam. Also the outdoor section of the Glendale Galleria mall is actually awesome. They have all these cute cafes and there’s music piped outside. It’s like being on a movie set.
I also heard the funniest conversation over lunch today. There were a group of young, gorgeous American kids beside us and they were speaking really loudly about all these ‘meetings’ they were having and ‘conventions’ they were going to. I could hear every word they were saying (I’m considered a very loud person in Australia but I’ve got nothing on Americans, they have some serious vocal projection going on here) and it turns out the were Disney YouTubers. They basically sing Disney songs and upload the songs to YouTube and that’s their niche and there was a whole group of them. Only in LA right?
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Have you ever been to LA? What did you think? Are there any local LA Smaggle readers who would like to weigh in?
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13 Comments
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My partner and I spent half a day walking around rodeo drive, it was so pretty cool seeing all this amazing stuff (completely out of our price range). We saw this one lady buy 5 $500 scarfs as Christmas gifts,
We also did one of those terrible tours they sell you as you walk around Hollywood Blvd. It was so touristy, tacky and great. I dont even care if movie stars dont live in the houses it was fun to pretend they did.-
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Yes! I’m going to hit up Rodeo Drive when we go back home through LA. I’m the same – I just like hearing about th celebrities, I don’t even need to see them!
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If you have some time, come down to San Diego for a day! The weather is just as nice but you can actually walk and get to places. Seriously, you should.
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We are doing San Diego! We’re there on our last weekend in the states. If you have any recommendations for awesome shops or cool things to do that would be ace!
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Love LA. Concrete Rivers like in Terminator 2. The snow capped mountains in the foggy/smoggy distance. Bags of cornchips bigger than your head from Costco. Mexican Food. Disneyland. Beautiful weather. Awesome shopping. Bad Coffee. Life really does imitate art over in L.A!
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Oh my god the coffee is terrible. We found a few gems but most of the time it’s pretty bleak. We had the worst coffee in San Fran though at a place called Philz Coffee. They make filter coffee one coffee at a time like that’s some kind of gourmet way to make coffee. It makes no sense and it tasted like dirt stirred in to milky water.
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So glad you got a chance to see someone you recognized. I’ve lived in LA for three years now and I think I’d seen like 2 people I vaguely recognize. And I was a tour guide for a while too. If you’re still in town or if you come back, I’d suggest trying to see the taping of a TV show. It’s fun to see behind the scenes, one of the best “only in LA” experiences, and it’s free to boot!
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Oh my god I can’t believe you were a tour guide and you never met anyone famous! Ripped off. I will totally try to book a TV show taping for our way back – good call!
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We were there last year, and yes, they know how to do a good pier
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It must be illegal to do them like that in Australia because none of ours are like that! Which I kind of like.
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If you want to spot a celeb, spend the day browsing the boutiques on Robertson Blvd in West Hollywood. Every time I’ve been I’ve met a big name star. I met Victoria Beckham in Kitson (they closed the store when she came in with her manager/friend, luckily they didnt ask the customers already in the store to leave, so I had a nice chat with her and got a photo! Another time I met Marcia Cross at Starbucks (when Desperate Housewives was still on telly). Then I met Melanie Griffith about 20 mins later! Go to Joans On Third, Urth Cafe or Griddle Cafe, they are known celeb brunch spots!
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I love LA. I visited it as a stopover when I did my first overseas trip 15 years ago and have now been back 5 times.
Like you’ve discovered Carly, a car is a must. I have done all the touristy things so when I go back now I just “be” – drive around and explore. I love all the malls, window shopping etc. It’s sad but my favourite retailer is Target because I’m obsessed with homewares and there’s quite a few of them there. The best one is at Glendale Galleria.
I had the best time with a mate who lives there recently – we went to Chateau Marmont and saw Rob Pattison, Rose McGowan and Damien from Mean Girls (and we think Neil Diamond but that’s unconfirmed). We also were cool and just let it happen around us. It was such a great memory. My friend has just opened a restaurant and bar called EP/LP – it’s on the corner of Melrose/La Cienega. You should check it out. -
I loved LA! I just love visiting America. It is most definately larger than life and the whole place is a theme park. If you can find one, get on a public bus and go for a ride. Absolutely eye opening! Muscle Beach is awesome!
