Things to See and Do in Los Angeles

photo by free-photos from Pixabay

When it comes to traveling, unless our aim is to plop ourselves on a beach and forget about the world for a few days, we're all looking for somewhere that has plenty to offer, fun things to do, and fascinating things to see, right? With that in mind, here's a look at one of America’s most interesting cities, Los Angeles. The home of the stars and the movies has so much to see and do that you could spend just a few days here getting to know it or a take a trip for a few weeks to understand it. Let’s take a look at what makes LA a special place to visit.

Hollywood

I think any conversation about Los Angeles starts with one of the hottest tourist spots in the world, Hollywood. If you have even the smallest interest in film, then you've got to make your way to Hollywood, right? For starters, there is the infamous Walk of Fame where you can see homages to stars such as Michael Jackson, Amy Adams, and Mickey Mouse. The Walk of Fame stretches out over 18 blocks and takes you on tour not just through media history but also of the sights and sounds of Hollywood. You’ll pass the Chinese Theatre, the Hollywood Museum, and the Dolby Theatre, home of the Academy Awards. I'm big on tours that get me around to the touron spots quickly, especially if I'm only in town for a day or two to sight see.

You can also take a bus tour into Beverly Hills to see the houses (or gates of them, I guess) of stars  and up to the Hollywood sign that overlooks LA. I don't have much interest in the homes but I'd love to see the sign up close.

Photo by BKD from Pixabay

Santa Monica

If you’re in the Los Angeles and looking for the beach, Santa Monica is a good choice. This coastal city west of downtown LA provides a little escape from the city life. Any visit to Santa Monica should include a walk on its pier where you can enjoy its amusement park, Pacific Park after walking through the iconic entrance that sits at the head of the pier. There is also an aquarium and the original Muscle Beach. I love photos of the pier and amusement park here - quite a few friends have shared them on Instagram.

Disney

Just as the best cheesesteak in Philadelphia argument will never be settled, the argument over which is better -  Disneyland or Disneyworld - will never be settled. Los Angeles’ Anaheim is proud of its over 60-year-old theme park that welcomes visitors from around the world all year. You’ll be able to meet all of your favorite characters as well as take on some of the famous rides like Splash Mountain and the Matterhorn Bobsleds. Similar to Orlando, Anaheim doesn’t just boast Disneyland but also other theme parks such as Universal Studios. As a Disney lover, I will definitely visit the Anaheim park if I get a chance, if only to compare it to my many trips to Disneyworld.

Other Things To Do

These are just a few options that you can explore in Los Angeles, but the city has so much to offer from a mafia escape room to catching a game in the NBA at the Lakers or the Clippers. If sports are your thing then LA is a great choice with two teams each in the NFL, MBA, & MLS - Rams, Chargers, Angels, Dodgers, Galaxy and Los Angeles FC - as well as the previously mentioned basketball teams and their NHL team, the LA Kings.

Have you been? Or are you planning to go? What did I miss?

Scenes from California

Legs out on Haight Street. San Francisco Sky. Saxes on Haight Street. Alcatraz backdrop. Turning the cable car. Looking up Lombard Street. 

Awesome clams at Franchino's. Following the Barbary Coast Trail. Interesting flora - one of the things I love most about traveling is seeing the flowers and trees that are native to that place. Live jazz. Andy's street dogs. View of the Golden Gate from the Alcatraz Ferry.

I loved these trees. Sipping on a dark & stormy at Vesuvio. Chinatown. Waiting on a cable car. Driving over the Golden Gate Bridge (life list item). We were. 

Did you know this is the same as Hellman's, but on the Left Coast it's Best Foods? Trippy. The path leading up to our deck in Truckee. Cruising Lake Tahoe with WedFest people. Lake Tahoe. Sonoma sticker. Lovely flowers tied to trees to form the aisle at the wedding. 

Wedding arch with Donner Lake backdrop. MFD tubing in Donner Lake. KVS caught the bouquet. Reflections. Sunset at Donner Lake. Rocking out to Not Mick Jagger. Bride and groom jam. Seize it. 

Thank you photographs for making today's blog for me. My circadian rhythms are not back on track yet. I feel like there's a sheet of plexiglass over my brain that I can't think through.

Happy Wednesday!

the west coast weekend that was

We left San Francisco in a rental car. The helpful GPS took us out of town via Powell Street.
There is a stop sign at the very top of this hill, and we rolled back a few times.
I nearly shit twice and died.

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Golden Gate Bridge vista point

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Muir Woods - flipping amazing. It felt so quiet and old there.

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We tried Carl's Junior on the drive from San Francisco to Truckee

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Staying in Snow Dance Palace with my best friends 

The house

The view

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Thursday night barbecue for the to-be-weds. Lots of wine, excellent food, lots of laughs. 

We also caught up with our junior high MG teacher. 

It's always awesome to do that with your teachers as an adult.

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Red solo cup shenanigans

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More wine.

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Morning coffee

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MFD left these for me

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Inappropriate behavior at the Donner Party Memorial.
By the way, the height of the memorial is how high the snow was. Can you imagine?
It amazes me that people picked up, packed up, and headed west. On foot. Oh, pioneers.

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Tacos Jaliscos.
Holy shit. So good. I had fish tacos and a carne asada quesadilla.
Thank you Shauni for the recommendation!

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Whiling the afternoon away with a book in the sun

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Cabs and road sodas to Lake Tahoe.

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Happy hour cruise on the Tahoe Gal. Holy shit, Lake Tahoe is so gorgeous it actually looks fake.

Almost wed!

Us with the lovely bride-to-be

Lovely blue water, lovely rose wine

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Drinks at Bar of America in Old town Truckee

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Olympic opening ceremonies. I couldn't stay awake to see the U.S.

I  blame the wine.

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Wedfest: an epic nine hour celebration of Christy & Al Reed tying the knot.

Against the beautiful backdrop of Donner Lake, we toasted a happy couple, drank a ton of booze, lounged in the sun, ate excellent food (including a taco bar and a PBJ bar), danced to three jam bands, played horse shoes and went paddle boarding (MFD, not me) and got into happy shenanigans.

Congrats Christy & Al and thank you for an awesome day and weekend. 

The Reeds

Steve did a back flip off this bridge, and MFD did a side slip. Fools. 

This is not Mick Jagger, but it looks like him.

My girls

PBJ bar
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Driving back to San Francisco took forever. Traffic sucked and I was cranky and hungover.
We did stop at Dad's Kitchen in Sacramento, which we found via the TV Food Maps app.
A Triple D joint. We both got Dad's burgers and split the fried garbanzo beans and onion rings.
It was ok. It sat like a huge boulder in my stomach all day.
How does Guy Fieri eat all of this heavy shit?
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Passing out at the airport Hyatt for less than five hours of sleep.
I'm totally kicking myself for not booking the red eye yesterday.
And I'm giving Air Tran the high kick for not allowing standby if it's not on the same DATE of travel.

Sorry for the quick sign off, but we're boarding. So if there are any typos, please forgive me. See you on the east coast.

xoxo

SMD