Los Angeles: Why Only See it When …

…We Have Visitors?

It’s a phenomenon that certainly affects more people than just me, right? I mean, I travel the world, spend lots of time planning when + how + with whom I’m going to see these exotic far away places but never expend the same amount of energy on anything local. At least until a friend from out of town wants to come out to Los Angeles because they’ve never been. And I always react the same way: “OMG there are so many things to do + see in LA, yes we’ll have so much fun!” And yet rarely do I even go + visit the places that I’m ranting + raving about on my own! Seems a bit odd, doesn’t it? Or maybe you’re just like me.

“Where shall we go?”

We are all busy working, we have our families, our obligations. Life gets busy + time just seems to move forward without us even realizing it. I get it. Daily life just gets in the way + doesn’t leave much time for relaxation. But when we do have some time the first thing I say is, “Where shall we go?”

I’m just grateful to have friends + family who want to come visit me. After all, Los Angeles is an exciting destination + great place to visit for those who don’t live here + I know exactly where to bring them to show off Southern California. So when my friends Ron + Rita said they were serious about leaving the cold in Ohio + coming out west for a nice sunny visit, I immediately commenced with the planning.

But for those of you who don’t live in LA, I’ve included a couple of great tips for when you come out! LA really is a great place to visit!

Day One

The day Ron + Rita arrived we didn’t waste anytime – straight from the airport to Disneyland we went. It may have been a little much for them just getting off a plane + all. The distances in LA are pretty unreal. So whenever you are going in a certain direction you want to take advantage of seeing what’s on the way. That was my reasoning, anyway. But it sure was fun!

So we kinda sprung the Disneyland adventure on our friends without them knowing it ahead of time so for being such great sports about it we rewarded them with a stop at the Rainforest Cafe at Disney Walk. It’s actually such a cool restaurant. When we arrived we found out this would be the last day it would be open. The day after this picture was taken they tore it down. Disneyland wants to build a bigger, fancier hotel + they needed that space. Sheesh…

But Rainforest Cafe is a great theme restaurant (I bet you can’t guess what their theme is HA!) + they have other locations in California as well as in 9 other states so be sure to check out their website.

And I surprised them with a wonderful home-cooked meal, Indonesian-style! It was the first time they had ever tried Indonesian food + I am relieved that they liked it! Gado gado, steamed vegetables served with a peanut sauce + semur ayam, chicken that is simmered in Indonesian spices for hours. Have you tried Indonesian food before? It’s similar to Thai but better 😉 I may have to include some recipes in a future post… what do you think?

Day Two

We drove up to LA to what I consider one of the nicest museums we have. And it’s free so it’s a great perk as well. The Broad (pronounced BRODE) isn’t your average museum. That’s one of the reasons I love it. Their exhibits are unlike the run-of-the-mill museum with paintings and sculptures. Of course they do have those but they are just a little different.

Tip: You can schedule your appointment online so you don’t have to wait in the ridiculously long lines they have daily. That will save you a lot of time!

The Broad actually has some super cool exhibits. Check out this 4′ x 3.5′ incredible painting by Chuck Close:

One of the most coveted exhibits at The Broad when we were there was the Infinity Mirrored Room – The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away.

Tip: for their special exhibits you need to go to the kiosk + make an appointment because there is usually a long line mainly because only one or two people can enter the exhibit at a time. Totally worth seeing. But here’s a preview for you:

Oh man, I just found out they don’t have this exhibit anymore. Apparently their new exhibit is A Journey That Wasn’t. I’ll have to go see that one now.

Across the street from The Broad is the LA Philharmonic which has a pretty cool rooftop garden. The Philharmonic was in session so we couldn’t go in – we just watched as the musicians made their way in. But there are lots of places to walk to from there. So that’s exactly what we did.

“…the world’s shortest railway…”

We walked over to Angels Flight, a 117-year-old funicular + the world’s shortest railway, built on what was once known as Bunker Hill.

We took the $1 ride down to Grand Central Market for lunch (you can also walk the steep path alongside Angels Flight but it’s an experience to ride it). So many options – it may take you a while to decide. If you are starving when you get there try the pork tacos on the left right inside the entrance. You can’t go wrong. They are melt-in-your-mouth Fantastic. Roydio ate his so fast that I didn’t even have time to take a picture!
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Before we got back in the car we had to at least see the outside of MOCA Museum of Contemporary Art. The sculptures outside are amazing. I think if you really wanted to + had all day you could walk for hours + see many museums, exhibits, structures in LA.

We got into the car + drove around to check out all the new stuff we’d never seen before. Our plan was to treat Ron + Rita to dinner for their anniversary at Rosa Mexicano which is one of the nicest + best Mexican restaurants in LA Live so we headed up there in the early evening. One of my faves there is the handcrafted guacamole they make + serve table-side. Make sure you ask for Jaco. He is an amazing restaurant manager who will make sure to take great care of you!

Day Three

Ron + Rita’s only request in LA was to see the La Brea Tar Pits. I had to admit I hadn’t been since I was a child. We spent a few hours there; it’s a very interesting place if you’re interested in prehistoric times. There are exhibits indoors as well as outside where you can actually see some of the remaining tar pits. What??

Afterwards we strolled down the street past the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (just for a pose outside their exhibit “Urban Light” – it is actually best seen at night when it’s all lit up) + then headed down to where the gourmet food trucks are parked. It was fun to see them all lined up. But we decided to head down farther to the Original Farmer’s Market in the historic plaza for lunch instead. Lots of great food stands to choose from. Again, you really can’t go wrong.

Day Four

We chose the coolest day of the week to drive to all the beaches in LA and Orange Counties so we were all a little disappointed. I should have checked the weather. Really?? We always have good weather here especially in June so it didn’t even dawn on me to check the forecast! Well, it was overcast all day + a bit chilly for So Cal. Especially when our friends from chilly Ohio who only brought shorts + t-shirts to wear were looking forward to sun, Sun, SUN!

Our drive took us to Venice Beach, Manhattan Beach, Rancho Palos Verdes Peninsula, Queen Mary, Shoreline Village + all of the beaches in between. Even though it was chilly we got out + enjoyed the views at each beach. When the sun finally showed itself we decided it was a great time to rent a surrey + drive out along the harbor at Shoreline Village.

We stopped for lunch at Tequila Jack’s at Shoreline Village, one of our fave places, for a wonderful meal overlooking the harbor. There are lots of fun little shops + other restaurants there of which we also had to give them a peek.

Day Five

Back up to LA we trekked. It took us a little less than an hour’s drive so not too bad. Then we spent the better part of the day at The Getty. What a beautiful location to have a museum. High up in the hills of LA with a view to die for. The buildings are amazing, their gardens are gorgeous as well.

Tip: I would highly recommend you visit The Getty when you come to LA but come early because the lot fills up. The entrance fee is free but you will have to pay $15 for parking your car in their lot ($10 after 3pm). It does come with a 3/4-mile tram ride up the hill to the museum which I recommend you take. You can also walk but it’s straight uphill.

We drove through LA to see Beverly Hills + Sunset because you have to do that if you’re in LA. And then we stopped to have lunch at the iconic In-n-Out Burger. Another thing you must do when you come to LA. Although I hear they now have locations in Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Texas + Utah. In-n-Out is no longer exclusive to California!

Day Six

We hung out at home for a few hours today because we needed some time to just sit + chat + catch up. But in the afternoon we headed down south to Newport Beach + then a little farther to find a little secret beach called Victoria – we found it! Such a nice day for a drive. We then headed up to Laguna Beach, our very favorite hangout. We strolled along the beach for a while + just soaked in the sun.

In the evening we went to hear our friends’ band SMITH at Skyloft OC. Brandi has always been one of my very favorite singers so I love the opportunity to go listen to her band. Dinner + dancing pretty much finished off our wonderful evening. Check out their website because SMITH is a pretty terrific band!

Day Seven

Today was a pretty laid-back day. I think my friends were glad we didn’t have to get going too early even though we were up at what Rita calls “the butt-crack of dawn.” It was just really fun to have time together. Whenever you’re on vacation, don’t forget that part.

“…two sets of friends meeting for the first time…”

We got to hang out with my granddaughter Ruby today. She was excited to meet my friends + get to hang out with Oma. And it was also very special for me to be able to introduce two sets of friends meeting for the first time in Huntington Beach.

Our friends Atteke + Mark met us at Ruby’s Diner (Atteke chose that restaurant because she knew I was bringing my little Ruby) + we had a fun meal together.

The first pic below is one that Ruby took (my little photographer-in-training). And then we had the server take one of all of us together.

They have a big gum ball machine from which kids have the opportunity to pull one. If a red one rolls out, they get a free root beer float. And guess what Ruby got?

In the evening we just hung out at home + pretty much chatted all evening. Then Rita + Ron packed up for their trip back home tomorrow. It’s hard to believe that their stay is already over!

A home-cooked meal was an almost-perfect way to finish the evening. But wait, let’s get into the hot tub, shall we? It’s nice having my daughter with a hot tub only a mile away 🙂

Day Eight

It was so great to have our friends Ron + Rita visit us all the way from Ohio + make us get out + see the sights in LA. I hope it’s not their last time! There is so much more to do in LA… maybe I should check out some of those places before they come back out here? Good idea!

Thank you for joining us my friends + for getting us out into Los Angeles to spend some time in the amazing city in which we live! You’ve been a blessing to hang with! Until next time!

There is yet so much more to do + see in LA. Perhaps in an upcoming post I will take you to see more. In the meantime, I hope you had fun following us all around LA for the week. When are you coming for a visit?

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