L.A. Guide by Ellenfinds!
Coming to Los Angeles from a rainy Vancouver, BC was a real pleasure. The perfect weather, sandy beaches, tall palm trees stretching to the sky… it’s a real dream for tourists. Especially to people who appreciate Hollywood and movie industry as much as we did. It’s where celebrities live and it’s where most of the movie & TV studios are, who produce some of the best entertainment in the world…
So yeah we all know L.A. is pretty great. We've seen it in the movies countless times and it represents fun and vivid lifestyle. The city itself is pretty normal, looks like most of the North American cities. But there is a certain charm to it as well, once again, we are able to recognize so many places in the city because of how much we’ve seen it on TV.
This was my second time in the Los Angeles, but this time it was more about exploring the dinning side of it, finding out more about the city's restaurants, cafes & hidden gems of entertainment.
HOW I SPENT my 4 Days is sunny California:
On my visit I stayed in 3 places around Los Angeles.
Our first stay was – Hollywood. We booked a room at the motel Economy Inn Hollywood. I had several reasons to stay there. It’s close to the Walk of Fame, Hard Rock Café, many restaurants and Greek theatre. Where I got to see Avril Lavigne’s Head Above Water Tour. I am still very excited about it !
Economy Inn Los Angeles
The Inn was very clean, convenient location, staff was friendly. You can always find Lime scooters just outside the gate.
On our first day we left our Mustang at the Inn, grabbed couple of scooters and headed to spend time at the Walk of Fame. We enjoyed our afternoon there just doing touristic stuff – shopping, trying to find names of specific celebrities on the Walk of Fame (RECENT L.A. tourist’s TIP - taking pictures of the “STARS” it’s almost the same as taking fireworks in pictures, it stays on your phone, and you'll never use them) .. :)
When we heard our stomachs growling loud, we stopped at the Te’Kila to grab some food. We were right on time, their happy hour is awesome. We got unlimited tacos ( and they were delicious) + a giant margarita. I chose a Puerto Vallarta one it was very peachy and refreshing.
After having enough Margaritas it was about time to go get dressed to go to a place that I wanted to go for so long (I made a reservation two weeks before coming to L.A. ).
We got into a car and drove to Perch L.A.. We got to the 15th floor bar and lounge, and I was fascinated by the views, everything about the patio screams - beautiful! The ambiance is very bohemian French with antique inspired furniture, live music, and most importantly – the breathtaking views of Downtown Los Angeles… They have good late night menu, and their wine selection is great. We’ve ordered red French wine and a fromage + charcuterie plate. It was a very good selection of meats and cheese, there was so much food, we couldn’t finish it. I couldn’t have enough of the city skyline views the whole night while was enjoying my wine. It was phenomenal.
Good food + cozy and chill dining environment. Truly recommended.
DAY 2
Started with HOME Restaurant. I loved their Instagram and I decided to try it myself.
The minute we arrived there I knew I was going to love it. The ambiance is great, the outside seating is so adorable. Staff was very friendly and accommodating.
I ended up asking for a custom order because I couldn’t make a choice. I got eggs and gluten free buckwheat pancakes.
We also ordered steak and eggs, with gravy and toast. Their fruit cups are so fresh!
I was so happy with my meal. The pancakes were so tasty and filling!
I certainly suggest checking it out if you want to have good breakfast or brunch around Los Feliz.
After a filling breakfast we drove to downtown L.A. to continue being tourists.
At the parking lot where we parked our car, we were told that you can go up the 68th floor of the InterContinental hotel and see the city from above. So of course we did that and we loved it. I would want to come back when the sun is down. You can also have a cocktail at the tallest open air bar SPIRE 73 in Western Hemisphere !
Walking around we also stopped by the famous Bradbury building where Blade Runner (1982), (500) Days of summer, The Artist (2011), Lethal Weapon 4 (1998) were filmed.
The day was a really hot day so we stopped to get some refreshing drinks at the Little Fluffy Head Café. Our experience there was great. We got two drinks and they were both recommended by the friendliest staff! Girls kindly explained the concept as we'd never had fluffy tea before.
We got two teas:
Fluffy Tea with fluffy strawberry cheesecake & Fluffy Tea with Vegan coconut cream. I couldn’t decide which one was better! We kept on saying "wow this is so good..”
It was a really unique boba experience. I was so amazed by all the flavors. Very recommended!
We ended our day enjoying Avril Lavigne's concert at the Greek Theater. Watching any show there is just great, loved the open air stage!
Day 3
Breakfast at OpenAire Los Angeles. I was super hyped to go there. We made a reservation a night before and we got to enjoy almost an empty room to ourselves. It was middle of the week, so it was perfect.
I knew the place from their Instagram account but I didn’t think I would fall in love with the interior as much as I did. I wish I could go brunching there every weekend!
The restaurant is beautiful and has so many plants placed elegantly throughout.
I ordered an avocado toast and I was blown away. It was so good! Charred Scallion, Cilantro, Radish, Fresno Chili. It was really fresh and the combination of ingredients blended together just great. Ow I love avocado + radish together..!
We also ordered - Flat iron Steak & EGGS. With crunchy potatoes, grilled tomato, arugula & SALSA VERDE. The steak was cooked well and the meal was simply delicious.
I recommend this spot to everyone who would enjoy having a meal in a unique kind of environment.
After the delicious breakfast we hit the road, we stopped at couple places on the way to Santa Monica.
And like a couple of typical tourists we spent our afternoon visiting Santa Monica Pier, playing arcade games, riding roller coasters, watching local artists pay instruments, dance and perform shows…
Our final destination that day was – Ventura. We spent our evening visiting the beach, walking around the town, admiring how cute and subtle the main street was, with little shops and cafes and restaurants.
We ended up being super hungry and found the coolest place to have food and drinks! Busy Bee Cafe – a 50’s themed American looking diner with chrome red booths, vintage signs all across the restaurant creating an awesome vibe. There is a bicycle inside over the front door! Every booth has Seeburg Wall-O-Matic music selectors, and a real jukebox too!
I can’t say enough about this place it was so much fun! If you’re ever in Ventura, you should definitely check it out!
Day 4
First thing in the morning we headed to Oxnard, because we had booked a jet ski adventure. With a Southern California Jet Skis. We were the only ones there, our guide was awesome, he was very informative, we loved how fast and easy it was to get suited up and how we got so much freedom to jet around. During our 1.5 hours we got to see so many dolphins, you can just ride along them as they spring up from the water for air, we had so much fun! It was an amazing experience. We got to see sea lions in the harbor as well. Amazing experience from start to finish!
TIP: book early ride, to save up!
After all that fun, we got really hungry so we asked our jet ski guide to recommend us a place to eat nearby. He advised us to grab breakfast at the place called Mrs. Olson’s Coffee hut. Their outside patio is very cute with a view of the Channel Harbor. You’re seated on beach chairs on the sand, feeling like you’re having brunch on the beach. Service was great, the portions – HUGE! We left very satisfied with our meals!
The day was so hot we went for a swim at the Channel Islands Beach. The crashing waves and empty beach, we had a true blast!
After hour time at the beach, we had quite a drive back to L.A. where we of course got stuck in traffic and wasted couple of hours on a highway... I couldn't leave United States without having at least one donut! We stopped to get donuts at the famous Randy’s Donuts (Iron man 2, Mars attacks!, Earth Girls Are Easy, Futurama and so on). We got four and they were so good I destroyed them after getting my tattoo done when I needed all that sugar so bad!
I got my tattoo done at the Tattoo Parlour– Monkey Face Tattoos. I was so happy with my tattoo and the service, the owner and operator Baron kept us laughing the entire time ! I definitely recommend this place if you want a nice quality tattoo done in L.A.
California is beautiful... I can't wait to go back and add more favorites to this list.