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10 once in a lifetime things to do in Los Angeles
Being a native of Los Angeles but never living there, I have always found this city magnetic and beautiful besides the current serious drought and the awful traffic. My significant other and I, who currently live in Denver, CO wanted to celebrate her 42th in a fun birthday weekend trip. No plans or schedules. This article is for couples who need a unique experience as a gift with a low or medium budget and want to have some of the best LA adventures.
In this post, I will provide a few ideas on how to spend a short trip in LA. A once in a lifetime thing to do in los Angeles.
We always see Los Angeles, CA as the mecca of Hollywood, glamour, money and the entertainment industry. However, this city has a lot to offer besides all those things mentioned above for couples older than 40’s, and single people. If you need a birthday weekend trip idea, things to do in los Angeles this weekend, and enjoy art, nature, food, and more low-key atmospheres and looking for cheap weekend trips, this article is for you, we will present you 10 once in a lifetime thing to do in Los Angeles. We had a top-notch gateway for about $1000 for four days, including flight tickets, hotel, and car rental! “You don’t have to be rich to travel well.” - Eugene Fodor
1. Century City & Santa Monica:
After we picked up our rental, we drove around Century City where you can see the Fox studios and drive by the business centers where potentially millionaire negotiations and contracts of the entertainment industry have happened. Then we headed out to Santa Monica Pier and we parked on Ocean Ave and Olympic drive. You can find parking meters all over with a 3-hour parking limit. We scrolled through the Santa Monica Pier and enjoyed the undiscovered talent of some street musicians and painters, etc. We enjoyed the beautiful views of the ocean contrasting with the white building embedded on the cliffs by highway 1. As a healthy and satisfying snack, we bought fresh fruit ($10) from a street vendor just after you passed the arch of “Santa Monica Pier” Asked for the Chamoy in your favorite fruit (a sour sauce).
2. Malibu and The Getty Village
We drove all the way by highway CA 1 enjoying the typical views of the Californian surfers and we kept driving for about 30 minutes until we exited at Malibu Canyon Road. As a sign that you are on the right way you will see the Pepperdine University, keep driving for another five minutes and you will find a small space next to Malibu Pacific Church where you can park your car. After you have enjoyed the gorgeous views of the pacific shore make sure to take some pictures here! On our way back we stopped at the Getty Village, the tickets are very affordable ($20) and include parking (Please note you must make reservations prior). The Getty Village has a unique collection of J. Paul Getty throughout his lifetime. The collection comprises of Greek, Roman, and Etruscan art from the Neolithic to Late Antiquity; European art—including illuminated manuscripts, paintings, drawings, sculpture, and decorative arts—from the Middle Ages to the early twentieth century. (https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/ ). This villa is one of the most perfect and exact replicates of Villa de Paipiri an Archaeological area part of the ruins of Herculaneum and for a minute we felt that we were some villages in Naples. Getty is the legacy of the businessman and art collector J. Paul Getty, and his view that art is a civilizing influence in society. Throughout his adult life, he took greater and greater steps to make art available for the public’s education and enjoyment. Starting in 1948, he gave significant pieces from his personal collection to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (https://www.getty.edu/about/whoweare/history.html). An idea of some things to do in Los Angeles this weekend
3. Eat like a local at Tommy’s- Downtown LA
After a very cultural afternoon, we decided to get some food like locals. One of my favorite places that I used to go every vacation with my cousin was The Original Tommy’s Burgers. You can get a cheap burger made with chili and very good fries. We paid $20 for 2 burgers, sodas, fries, and ice cream cones. There are Tommy’s all around the city but if you are staying downtown the closest and the original location founded by Tom Koulax is at 2575 Beverly Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90057.
4. The Metric Hotel
We finally checked in in our hotel “The Metric” a family owned-smart modern boutique-style hotel. The hotel also has a gated parking lot with free coffee and fresh pastries in the lobby at your convenience. This hotel is very central location with access to many of the closest attractions. The Metric Hotel is smart, clean, and brand new and we only paid $568 for three nights. Here is their website https://www.metrichotel.com/
5. Walt Disney Concert Hall Downtown LA
My fiancé loves an underground LA-based singer, RY X. (from Australia) He just so happened to kick off his west coast tour on her actual birthday and the LA Philharmonic accompanied him. One would describe RY X as a poetic, bohemian, indie, and acoustic artist, mixed with a little Jeff Buckley. We strongly recommend looking for your next concert in this venue here https://www.laphil.com/events/performances?Venue=Walt+Disney+Concert+Hall&Season=nullThe sound and the experience to see some of your favorite artists even with the LA Philharmonic is once in a lifetime thing to do in Los Angeles.
6. Highland Park -Folliero’s Italian Restaurant and the Palapa:
After a busy morning visiting family, we headed to a restaurant that my family has been visiting for over 40 years. If you want to eat the best lasagna in LA, Follieros’ is for you (please note you must show proof of vaccination). We ordered Penne Pomodoro, Lasagna, baby arugula salad, a glass of wine, and two bottles of Pellegrini and we paid around $33.00. Please note they only accept cash. You can park in the back of the restaurant there are parking meters. For dessert we went to “La Palapa”, this is a small ma and pop shop that is next to Follieros. My significant other got a mangoneada which is real Mango fruit with Mango sherbet, lime, chili powder and I got a diablito which is fruit with Tamarindo Sherbet, both were only $10.For prices and menu visit their website https://follierospizza.com/menu/
7. Beverly Hills
After a very delicious dinner in the High Land Park area and some Mexican desserts, we decided to go for a ride for Laurel Canyon and see where some celebrities live. The canyon is beautiful, but it is narrow and does not have where to park. Later, we headed out to Beverly Hills, my significant other and I just drove around the whole city, and we discovered a lot of mansions that they haven’t been renovated in years, it was a nice ride. We finally got to Rodeo Drive, for your reference there are public parking garages almost every other corner on Santa Monica Blvd, we got it for free because it was a Holiday but usually it is a 3-hr. parking with $2 per hour. Parking on the street is hard to find, so we recommend you park your car there. We walked the whole street from Santa Monica Blvd. to Wilshire Blvd. and we window shopped at Gucci, Couch, Hermes, Ralph Lauren, Prada you name it. Save your phone battery to take some pictures on the corner of Rodeo Dr. and Wilshire Blvd. at Tiffany’s building. This block reminds me to Wien, Austria and it is an icon of Rodeo Drive.
8. Sunset Boulevard
We walked a lot on Rodeo Drive, and we were starving, we wanted to check out some places on Sunset Boulevard, and we found a hidden gem, a Japanese restaurant named Rock N Roll inside a mall on 8000 Sunset. We parked in the garage and took the elevator to the upper level.
We ordered edamame as appetizer, JJ Rolls, this is an original house recipe, and it has shrimp and asparagus inside and it is mounted with edamame and cashew nuts, very good. My significant other ordered the Spicy Tuna Rolls, California rolls and those were delicious too. We really enjoy the atmosphere, and you can ask to be seated either next to the window which you will get the view to Sunset Blvd. or in the patio. The bill was around $70 but we ordered a lot of food. Please note most restaurants in Los Angeles are asking you for your vaccination card. Take a moment to enjoy a nice view of the houses at the top of the hill from the upper-level patio the view is very cool, and it is free!
9. Topanga Canyon
Another thing to do in Los Angeles this weekend is drive by Topanga Canyon. This canyon is different, this place exudes the look and feel of a hippie small town contrasting the glamorous LA. Also, it is a hidden gem surrounded by celebrities’ houses, Jason Momoa lives with his wife Lisa Bonet and family there. My significant other’s favorite singer RY X lives there too. You can take highway 1 and take a detour on route 20. Once you get inside the canyon you will start to see small cabins but also big houses on the top of hills. If you feel like doing a hike stop by Trippet Ranch trailhead this is a day trip from LA. For more information, please visit http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=629 .The route 20 will connect you with Ventura Highway 101 or you can return to highway one and this is some of the best la adventures.
10. Ventura and Santa Barbara:
If you come out of town or live in the west coast, some of the best day trips in California are visiting Santa Barbara day and Ventura. The Topanga Canyon (route 20) intersects with highway 101 and it takes you to Santa Barbara. You will drive by Calabasas (Kardashians currently residence). Once we got to Santa Barbara, we parked on a meter by the courthouse. We walked toward State Street, this strip is full of coffee shops, restaurants, bars, and shops. Also, you will find street artists performing and sometimes street markets. It is a long walk so be prepared with good sneakers, we stopped at “Paradise Found” a Yogi bookstore and my fiancé bought me an excellent book and some mood rings. Later, we found this awesome Turkish candy shop and we enjoyed some of the best fresh baklavas in town, the name of the store is LOKUM” ($15 box with 4 baklavas). After our visit to Santa Barbara, we were ready to eat fresh and delicious seafood, so we went straight to Ventura Harbor. We drove by the old town Ventura which is very cute but and then headed to the harbor. We arrived at Brohpy Bros. I want to highlight that the atmosphere it might not be the most culturally diverse, but the food is amazing. We ordered fresh shrimps to peel out and mussels with a virgin bloody Mary for an appetizer. As a Main entrée, I ordered Swordfish with fries, clam chowder and my fiancé ordered a shrimp scampi, and those shrimps were huge. The place is not as cheap (we paid $100) as other places, but the food is incredible is worth it the trip!
If you want to surprise your significant other with a unique gift, give him/her this experience as her/his birthday gift, and don’t forget about the gems that California offers. You can do many things without spending a lot of money. LA it is and it will be always for me a city full of surprises, fantasies, and once-in-a-lifetime things to do in LA.
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