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Jeremy and I are back from our 10 day California vacation. As much as it’s nice to be home, I’m already missing our time on the West Coast. We started in Los Angeles and drove up North on California State Route 1. We heard from multiple friends how amazing the drive is. So we decided to make a trip out of it and explore the various cities and towns along the coast. 

Beverly Hills

Jeremy and I started the first leg of our journey in Los Angeles. You can see recaps of two of my prior Los Angeles trips here and here. One of his good friends from business school was getting married, which was the reason we were heading out to California in the first place. Then, we decided to extend our trip from Los Angeles and drive up the coast. My best friend Tricia lives in Los Angeles, so I’ve visited multiple times, but Jeremy had never been. Jeremy booked our weekend stay at the SLS in Beverly Hills.

We flew into Los Angeles on Friday. Friday evening we attended a wedding welcome party. On Saturday, Tricia, Jeremy and I hiked up to the Griffith Observatory, which has great views of the city and the Hollywood sign. After, we grabbed lunch at Messhall Kitchen, an American restaurant that makes you feel like you’re at a dining hall of a summer camp. Then, the rest of the day we spent relaxing at SLS’ pool and grabbed dinner at Doheny Room. After dinner we got drinks at the Peppermint Club, where Jessica Alba recently celebrated her birthday. So we felt extra cool. Sunday we attended Jeremy’s friend’s wedding at Mountain Gate Country Club. The wedding was absolutely beautiful. Los Angeles is probably one of the only cities where you can bet on perfect weather for an outdoor wedding. I know Jeremy loved seeing his friends from business school.

Sunday we checked out of the SLS and made our way up the cost. Next stop Santa Barbara!

Los Angeles Guide

Here is a list of Los Angeles attractions that I’ve done before and highly recommend. Time Out also has a comprehensive guide of 101 tourist attractions or a toned down version of 20 attractions.

• Santa Monica Pier – You can do flying trapeze on the pier. I’m a baby and scared of heights so I didn’t go, but my girlfriends loved it. You can also go to the Santa Monica beach afterwards. (See previous blog recap here.)
• Griffith Observatory – I just did this for my first time and loved hiking up to it and then exploring the observatory.
• Venice Beach – Amazing people watching.
• The Hollywood Sign – You can see from the Griffith Observatory.
• Hollywood Walk of Fame & the Chinese Theatre – The Times Square of Los Angeles. Get there early in the morning to avoid the crazy crowds.
• Movie Studio Tour – On my first trip to Los Angeles we did the Warner Brothers tour.
• Runyon Canyon – Amazing hike.
• Hollywood Forever Cemetery – Shows summertime movies. We watched Almost Famous on the lawn and brought food and drinks. Cameron Crowe, the Director introduced Almost Famous, which was an extra bonus.
• The Grove – Great Shopping.
• Rodeo Drive – You have to at least drive through it and pretend you’re Julia Roberts from Pretty Woman. Or, if you can afford shopping there, tell Julia Roberts I say hi.
• Malibu – If you can make it up to Malibu go to Malibu Wines. The drive is absolutely stunning. (See previous blog recap here.)

Other Ideas

There are so many things to do in Los Angeles. The first time I went (back in 2009) we did most of the touristy things, including the Warner Brothers studio tour, Rodeo drive, the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Chinese Theatre. Now when I visit, I look forward to being outside and eating. Los Angeles restaurants are amazing. So much so, I can’t even remember half of the places we’ve been to.

If you are planning to visit Los Angeles anytime soon and want other ideas, I can reach out to Tricia. She is the best tour guide and loves to plan. She could definitely provide recommendations for the best visit to Los Angeles. Now, Jeremy and I are joking that our next move will be to Los Angeles. The Los Angeles weather seriously cannot be beat and there is something for everyone in the city.

xx,

Lauren