I’ve heard many horror stories about LA… It’s way too spread out, not glamorous at all, sketchy but yet when you look at pictures online it looks awesome…. So when I booked my tickets I really had no idea what to expect. We chose to do it like locals while including only the best of the touristy places. If you wanna know where to go to get the same Instagram as a digital nomad and experience the real Los Angeles… You have come to the right place.
West Hollywood
Hollywood sign
This is THE touristy thing we can not miss and it sure is worth it. I’d recommend for you to take an Uber until the entrance of the sign observatory. You can walk all the way there but it’s only hills with small sidewalks and you should save your strength for what’s coming…
You’ll first stumble across a cute little backyard where you can stop to take pictures but when you venture inside the path, you’ll be even closer and that’s the perfect spot.
Don’t think this is over, that’s where the real fun begins… You get to hike to see the sign from the top of the hill. This was very confusing as there is no indication on which way to go but basically follow the road path going to the left, towards the sign and you’ll get there.
For the story, we asked a local hiking down how long it would take us and she said roughly 15 minutes ahahah Well let me tell you it ain’t… Expect to do it more so in 30/40 minutes….
But tadaaa that is the view you get once you’re up there and that is pretty amazing. Of course going near the sign is forbidden, there are fences and police helicopters flying around every 15 minutes but that is close enough. The hike itself is all on a road, it gets sandy only when you’re up there but I’d still recommend sneakers so you’re comfortable.
Carrera Café
This is the cutest little Italian Café right on Melrose avenue. On top of that, they make the craziest coffee art. When you order, you’ll get to pick your design and the machine does the rest.
Being my first time in LA, I couldn’t resist the Hollywood sign and the palm trees but you can pick from Kim K famous crying face to funny quotes. Keep in mind that they can only do it with lattés and regular milk.
They also have an old school pink phone under the ‘Ciao Bella’ sign where you can put coins in and it goes to a local charity.The entire place is just a blogger’s dream place on earth…
And it’s not over yet… When you go outside they have this big fun art wall. They change it every season, how fun! Right after we left they switched it for an Hello sign with flowers, perfect for spring.
And if the weather is warm enough (well it is, it’s LA after all…) you can even seat on their cute little patio.
Paul Smith
You may or may not have heard of the store but you can’t miss this location as it’s famous for his insanely big pink wall and that definitely had me at hello.
The beauty is that both the Café and the store are right across the street from each other and in between lays this amazing sign. The french rebel in me couldn’t resist snapping a shot with it and of course posting it on my Insta…
Egg Slut
Call me what?! Well I can’t argue with that… I loooooove eggs and I’m definitely a brunch girl so when we asked a local where to go for breakfast and it told us ‘EggSlut’, we were too intrigued to pass on.
We didn’t expect the place to be so cute and more importantly the food to be so yummy. The freshly squeezed OJ is to die for!
LACMA
It stands for ‘Los Angeles County Museum of Art’ and is the largest museum in western USA. But what they’re famous for are those urban lights sculptures that you probably saw in every rom-com movies. They are located outside the museum and next to the road. So you don’t even need to pay or walk far to get there.
We took amazing pictures in there but the setting of my camera was wrong and everything is basically way too blurry to use…
In-N-Out Burger
Unfortunately for us east coasters we do not have the joy of having In-N-Out burgers available. Probably why they’re so popular? Brace yourself cause the wait is usually half an hour but people go in and out (get it ahahah) fairly quickly so you usually find a table by the time your burger is ready.
I’m not gonna lie, this location is not as good as the one I tried in Vegas, maybe too busy, but it’s still worth a try…
Santa Monica >>
This is such a great list! I’ve listed in LA for 7 years and all these places truly capture the spirit of the city 🙂
That means a lot from someone who lived there. I really wanted to share it and make locals proud so couldn’t be happier! Have a nice day Ellen 🙂
This is a great list! x
Thanks Roseanna! Very happy you enjoy it and for your comment. Much love Xo Mel
I’ve been living in LA for about 2.5 years and haven’t experienced half of what you did; I need to get it together and explore some of these places! Great Post!
I get it Krista, it’s often harder to explore your own city than locals, we always assume we have time. But I’m happy my post gave you some ideas and motivation! Thanks for the amazing comment Xo
There are some beautiful spots here…but after my first visit to In-n-Out I can’t seem to figure out the appeal! :/
Hi Heidi! Thanks so much for the comment and the compliment. I’m not gonna lie I was pretty disappointed as well. When I first tried it 3 years ago I thought it was the best fast food burger I’ve ever had, certainly not the case anymore…
OMG that pink wall!!!! I had no idea it existed! SO totally checking that out! Thanks for sharing these amazing spots!
You’re very welcome Kayla! I’m so happy my article was helpful. Please do, it’s a perfect girl’s spot for pictures!
Beautiful pictures! I have never made it out to LA and after this I really need to get my friends together to go!
-Amy
Meanderingamy.com
Awe thanks Amy! So happy to hear my blog made you wanna go, it is truly the perfect destination for a girl’s trip, we had the best time.
Much love Xo
Beautiful article girl! Love the photos and the way your article was later out. I haven’t been back to L.A. in two years but I seriously Love it there! #gltblogger
Isn’t it amazing?! I had so many people hating on it I didn’t know if I was gonna like it but I would definitely go back! Thanks for the love Rachel, so happy to connect 🙂
Melody, thanks so much for the post.Much thanks again. Really Cool.
You’re very welcome, so happy to read your comment! Have a lovely Sunday Xo
Et non ! même pas peur ! ahahah les loups ne sont pas bien méchants par chez moi et puis jai ma canne et mon chien la pas intérêt dapprocher trop près ! ahahah
Hum 🤔 Je comprends pas du tout le rapport 🙁
Your pictures are making me want to take a trip to LA stat!
-Ashley
Le Stylo Rouge
Ahaha So happy to hear Ashley! I thrive to inspire people so reading this makes me so happy. Thanks for visiting 💕
This is so so dreamy!!! I will definitely have to visit LA again soon!! How cute is the coffee shot babe.
xxx
Ashley
http://www.missgunner.com
OMG Ahsley, it has been my favourite thing of the trip. I’m a coffee addict and a sucker for cute places and latte art so 🙂
So happy you liked the article. Thanks for the love Xoxo Mel
This is perfect! I have a friend who just moved to LA last week so I’m definitely making sure we hit up these places when I visit!
One of the best compliment I could read. The reason why I love blogging so much is so people would be inspire so thank you so much. You’re gonna have such a great time Rebecca and congrats to your friend for moving there. It’s awesome Xo
What an amazing post! Beautiful pictures.
Thanks for sharing.
Xx, Raysa
Thanks Raysa! Means a lot, we just had so much fun. Have a lovely Sunday night Xoxo
Ohhh! I have been trying to plan a girls trip with my sister out to LA and these tips are fantastic! Definitely bookmarking this because I have never been to the west coast, so not exactly sure what to expect either! Thanks girl!
-Emily | http://www.East91Blog.com
You have no idea how happy it makes me to read your comment, definitely why I created my blog in the first place. I hope you get to go soon, you girls are gonna have so much fun! Thanks for stopping by 🙂 XoXo