Hi loves! I went to Los Angeles in 3 days and it was the best trip of my late-20’s! This is about the time my best friend and I did a spontaneous trip to the West Coast. Unfortunately, no it wasn’t to go to Coachella, but we’ve never been to Los Angeles and wanted to see a new city. Plus, uhmm In-N-Out anyone? I’ll be sharing my itinerary with you guys today, as well, as some miscues that happened along the way.
First, I want to mention that we did rent a car, because felt it was going to come out much cheaper than getting Uber’s. We would also be able to be on our own time schedule. We also choose to stay at a hotel near the airport, because of the rental place and its proximity to the airport.
If you plan to visit LA soon, I would totally recommend the Marriott at LAX. Super friendly staff, clean rooms, had a great bar and even a Starbucks in the lobby. Plus, the planes you honestly couldn’t hear them at night, we both slept like babies. Let’s begin to see Los Angeles in 3 days, shall we?
Hopped Off The Plane At LAX
Arriving at LAX, we literally went to pick up the car, drop our bags off the hotel and then we’re off. We had a game plan for seeing Los Angeles in 3 days. Our flight was super smooth and we went prepared with our travel bags. Our itinerary was:
- The Hollywood Sign
- Griffith Observatory
- Venice Beach
- Santa Monica Pier
- Rodeo Drive
- Hollywood Walk of Fame and Chinese Theater
- Experience In-N-Out
- Be in a live audience
Hollywood Sign and Griffith Observatory
First things first, you HAVE to go see the Hollywood Sign. If you don’t then did you really even go to Los Angeles? We knew this was going to be the furthest from us but totally worth it. Next thing, is finding the good parking spot to begin your hike. We parked at Canyon Drive by the Bronson Caves and hiked up the trail.
The view of the sign was incredible and even along the way too. But, let me tell you it was a hike. Our legs got a good workout and we did get a good tan as well. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND to hike back to your car and drive and park near the Observatory. It’s $10 per hour to park but worth it. TRUST ME.
Side Story: We basically hiked the whole mountain in the day and got to the Observatory and asked the lady which trail to take to get back to where our car was parked and she was rude and told us this one. She was wrong.
Then we asked the Park Rangers (who are the worst help ever) and they couldn’t take us to our car (almost dark out), couldn’t order us an Uber and wouldn’t let us go to their station to charge our phones either. Both phones were completely DEAD!
To top it off, the park closed because it was dark out and we got a ticket and thank God for LAPD, because they were able to make the Park Rangers open the gate for us to go home.
Venice Beach and Santa Monica Pier
After our beautiful start to LA, we were really drained and tired but had to make up for the time lost. Sunday, we drove to Venice Beach first and rode on bikes throughout the city. I loved Venice Beach! It was super urban and fun. Kids were playing, the food smelled great, the shops adorable. Plus, the men at Muscle Beach Gym… GORGEOUS!
After about two hours here, we drove to Santa Monica and visit the world renown Santa Monica Pier. We bought tickets to the Ferris Wheel and even put our feet in the Pacific Ocean. Food was typical pier food, we got pizza and tacos. Took a photo at the end of Route 66. (Great photo opt)
Hollywood Walk of Fame and Chinese Theater
Los Angeles in 3 days and we knew we had to make a stop at the Walk of Fame and Chinese Theater. To be fair, I didn’t really like this part of town. It reminded me of NYC Chinatown: dirty and very old. We literally stopped for an hour. Took a photo of the Chinese Theater, which was super cool to see in person. The infamous Hollywood Walk of Fame was amazing to see in person as well. We got to see my favorites Michael Jackson and Britney Spears’ star.
Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive
After Hollywood Blvd, we drove over to glamorous side of Los Angeles. Beverly Hills is a super quiet neighborhood, not many stores, gas stations. Very Peaceful. We parked on Rodeo Drive, because by this time the stores were already closed and walked around. It was so beautiful, like walking in a fantasy or maybe a movie set. We got to see all the décor from the designer stores and even got to take photos peacefully.
The Late, Late Show
On Monday, we actually got tickets to the Late, Late Show with James Corden. We had to be there by 3pm to check-in and then wait to go into the studio. The set is located in Studio City, which is like 18 miles from LAX. Filming started around 5pm and ended around 7pm, we knew our flight was leaving at 8:55pm. Was this a HUGE RISK? YES! Was it worth it? Absolutely. What if we never go back to LA LA Land? So we risked it.
Seeing James Corden and Karlie Kloss live, Sean Paul and J Balvin perform was incredible. An experience we’ll never forget. We arrived super early to be first in line and get a good parking spot, prayed LA traffic didn’t hit us, and then let Jesus take the wheel. Did we make it our flights? YES! My flight left at 8:45 and I arrived to the airport at 8:13pm. I ran through the airport, TSA, and terminal, but I made it!
Los Angeles In 3 Days
Los Angles truly is the city of angels, the city where dreams are made. There’s a beauty in the LA air and it was truly and great city to visit and just go wander. We did it! Los Angeles in 3 days. 3 jam packed, drama-filled, incredible days. We got to place our feet into the Pacific Ocean, experience the greatness that is In-N-Out and see some historical sights. Bye for now La La Land, until we meet again.
XOXO
Karen Giuliana
Hello loves, welcome to my blog! My name is Karen Giuliana Bardales and I am currently 31 years old. I was born New Jersey and raised in Florida, graduated from Florida Atlantic University and still residing in sunny South Florida.
The reason for my blog is to write about my experiences from traveling, the beauty industry, fitness and other things I love. I want to help inspire others through my personal experiences and be seen as a role model to young woman everywhere.
Thank you for reading and following along through my journey of life. Your support means everything to me, so thank you!
Great read, I’ve been to LA but fully missed out on the hollywood walk of fame. I would have gone myself but that defeats the purpose of going on a holiday with a group of (hungover) friends haha! Keep up the good work
Author
Awh no!!! But it’s the memories that count and now you still have a reason to go back! 😉 thanks for reading!
Love it!!!
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Author
Oooo I’ll have to check it out!!! 🙂 thank you!