Gracie’s Guide to Los Angeles, California: Malibu & Santa Monica
Los Angeles, California. This was the 3rd and final stop on my post college graduation trip in late January, and me and my friend had a BLAST. We stayed in Santa Monica and spent a day in Malibu. I would highly recommend concentrating your time on these two areas, as they are by the beach and lovelier to visit than the rest of LA (in my opinion). Los Angeles is a MASSIVE city, with lots to do if you have a car. A car is pretty much a necessity in LA because the city is so big and the public transportation so bad. Luckily, we had a friend who lives there that was able to drive us around, but we did still take Ubers at night. I was skeptical of Los Angeles at first, but the 70 degree weather, dreamy scenery, and lively atmosphere won me over and I ended up having an extremely fun visit. Keep reading to see my recs on beaches, restaurants, happy hours, and where to stay!
Travel Tips
Los Angeles is a huge hub for flights, so it was very easy for us to find direct flights arriving and departing. On the way home our flight from LAX –> PIT was less than $100 on Spirit! For reference, we booked 2 months in advance.
The Los Angeles airport (LAX) is huge and extremely overwhelming. If you can get picked up by a friend, do it. We arrived at midnight, and had to take an Uber to our airbnb in Santa Monica. The setup was complicated because you had to get on a shuttle outside baggage claim to go to a designated area where the Ubers/Lyfts are. So beware of that, because we were cranky and confused until we figured it out.
We decided to stay in Santa Monica, which I would highly, highly recommend. I felt safe there, and we were in walking distance to a huge avenue of restaurants, bars, and beaches. It is insanely expensive to stay there, so beware. We stayed in this room of someone’s house for ~$100/night, which was very nice, but 4 days was too long there. I would recommend the Airbnb only if you are there for 1-2 nights.
Activity Tips
YOU MUST GO TO MALIBU. Driving through the rolling mountains, gazing at the sparkling ocean down below … it’s pretty unreal. In specific, stop at El Matador Beach and take a walk on the sand. If you dip under caves and walk down a ways to the right, you will end up at the most beautiful spot surrounded by cliffs. It cost $3 / hr to park there, and the picturesque coastal views are 100% worth it.
Go to the Westfield Century City Outdoor Mall for an afternoon. This is the best mall I’ve ever been to. There are a million trendy stores under the sun, cool spots to lounge and talk, and amazing restaurants. The ambiance is so chill, and shopping outdoors on a cool, sunny day is an afternoon well spent.
Go to the Getty Museum. It is FREE entrance, you only have to pay for parking. Tip: Make an online reservation beforehand! This museum is sooooo cool. The architecture is STUNNING, the gardens are well-kept and beautiful, and the views of Los Angeles are unbelievable. Oh yeah, and the art is pretty freaking cool too! This museum is an experience. It is so romantic and lovely, I highly recommend this if you’re in LA.
Go to the Crescent Bay Park Beach in Santa Monica. Me and my friend sat on this gorgeous beach and talked for hours in the sunshine. It was a lovely time, and the beach itself is nice to people-watch and relax. You can walk up to the Santa Monica Pier from here as well.
Since drinks are so expensive in LA, I would recommend going to happy hours. Two that I loved are The Misfit Bar in Santa Monica (happy hour everyday until 7pm!!!) and the Bodega Wine Bar in Santa Monica (happy hour Sundays 7pm-close). Both places were above average drinks, food, and atmosphere. Save $$$ and do happy hours!
Food & Bar Tips
The Mailbu Farm is a special place. The famous restaurant sits right over the ocean and has views unlike any other restaurant I’ve dined at. We sat on the boardwalk and ate our salads and gazed into the Pacific and it was a time. Yes the salad was $25 butttt you pay for the setting and it was definitely worth it. Beware, this place gets super busy so go early or after the lunch rush if you want to get a table without waiting.
We randomly stumbled upon Lanea in Santa Monica and I really loved it. They had a deal going on for $30: you got 2 drinks, 4 tacos, and chips, salsa, and guacamole. Me and my friend split it and it was totally worth it! The ambiance is cool, you sit in couches it is a small intimate space with one bar. Me and my friends had fun here.
Din Tai Fung in the Westfield Century Mall is an AMAZING restaurant. We got soup dumplings, wontons, and string beans, and everything was beyond delicious. Really great quality of food, and split between a few people this place isn’t too expensive. Go here.
Pink Taco in West Hollywood had an AWESOME atmosphere and incredible tacos. The vibe is upbeat, the space is beautifully decorated, and the drinks & food were so good. This spot is very trendy, there were lots of young people here.
The speakeasy bar No Vacancy in West Hollywood was very fun. The line was so weird because the bouncers just take people randomly so that was annoying, but the bar itself was so cool. They had inside and outside areas and the drinks were not too expensive (~$9/ drink).
The Abbey Bar is a famous gay bar that me and my friends went to, and it is absolutely insane! It is an enormous space with multiple dance floors, dancers in cages, and random food carts that served cake and fries lol. This place is so fun, but be prepared that the atmosphere is crazy and loud and overstimulating. Definitely worth it for the experience!
Harvelle’s in Santa Monica is a bar with awesome live music that we randomly walked into, and it was a trip! They played angsty bands when we were there, which normally isn’t my taste, but it was so fun to watch and rock out to. The space is burlesque themed, and has a 1920’s feel to it. Very unique experience.
The Victorian Bar in Santa Monica was so trendy and cool. This is the spot to be. The bar itself is in a huge, beautiful mansion with many floors. Disco balls, delicious cocktails, and open dance floors are the trademarks of this place. Definitely more of a younger crowd. You felt like you were at a house party, but in a good way. Check it out if you’re in Santa Monica.
There are all of my Los Angeles recommendations! I was concerned that LA would feel very artificial, but I think we found cool things to do that were more my speed. The beaches and bars are seriously so much fun. I hope you take my advice and check out some of the things I mentioned because I truly enjoyed everything. Below is a TikTok I made of my trip to LA 🙂
xx Gracie
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Gracie’s Guide to Portland, Oregon