Things to do in LA

Get excited!! This is my very last post about my spring break vacation, so you all can start planning your own West Coast getaway AND celebrate the fact that I will finally stop bombarding you with pictures from my trip. I was only there for four days, so Sophie and I tried to plan to do things that interested both of us within those four short days. I had so much fun each day, and even though there is so much more to do, I didn’t regret not being able to do anything at all. If anything, I’m just even more eager to go back someday and explore Los Angeles some more. 🙂

I. Entertainment
When you think of LA, one of the first thoughts that pops into your head is (most likely) Hollywood. I can’t be the only one dreaming of casually bumping into Zac Efron while out shopping, right? Unfortunately, I never saw Zac Efron, and Harry Styles is too busy being amazing on tour to be out and about in LA, but I did get to go on a tour of the Warner Brothers Studio, and I definitely recommend it to anyone who is a huge television/pop culture fan.

Some of the highlights for me were seeing the set of Central Perk from Friends, the soundstage and some exterior shot locations from Pretty Little Liars, and the iconic Batman 75th Anniversary exhibit. There’s also a Harry Potter exhibit that is pretty cool, but if you’re a huge Harry Potter fan (like I am), you’ll want to add the Warner Brothers Studio – Leavesden tour to your bucket list. It. Is. EPIC.

Another cool place to visit was The Grammy Museum. It’s the first interactive museum I’ve been to, and it was so much fun! The main reason why I was interested in it in the first place was because of the Taylor Swift Experience, which is running from now until May 10th. It takes up one whole floor of the museum, and it’s amazing. You get to remix one of her songs, record a song “with” her in a little recording booth, and see a bunch of memorabilia from various points throughout her career.

I’m glad I went through all of the floors with care, because there is so much to see and do. The most impressive items were clothes worn by legendary artists such as Tupac, Michael Jackson, Beyonce, and more. And in case you’re wondering…Pharell’s hat is definitely there on display.

II. Scenery
Two things I just had to do before leaving LA were hiking Runyon Canyon and going to the beach. I had a traumatizing experience hiking in Costa Rica for the first time a few years ago in the mud, and I wasn’t too keen on hiking since, but I wanted to challenge myself by doing the Runyon Canyon hike. Sophie hikes almost regularly and assured me that I would be okay, so I figured I would give it another shot.

We took the more difficult trail up, but it was beyond worth it. The views are absolutely breathtaking. If I lived in Los Angeles, I would probably go hiking every weekend. I love that if you’re bored and need some fresh air, all you have to do is drive fifteen to twenty minutes to go on a hike. I wish Florida had mountains.

Since I’ve already been to the Santa Monica Pier, I decided to go to Venice Beach. Venice Beach is probably most known for its unique inhabitants on the boardwalk. The beach itself is gorgeous, but I wouldn’t expect anything less. The boardwalk is so entertaining; there’s never a dull moment. And when you’ve had enough people watching for the day, I highly recommend going to Abbot Kinney Blvd for food/shopping. It’s one of the cutest streets I have ever seen in my life.

Last but not least (for this section, anyway), I’m going to throw LACMA in here. LACMA is the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, but you’ll probably recognize it as home of the gorgeous light structure installation from No Strings Attached. I wish we would have gotten to the museum in time to actually go inside and explore the art, but running around and in between the lights was good enough for me.

III. Exercise

I had to balance all of the food I ate in my last post with some exercise, so I had to explore some of LA’s biggest exercise trends. The first one was Runyon Canyon, which I loved. The second one was Soul Cycle Beverly Hills. I took a 7:00 AM class on a Friday morning (why? I don’t know. I like challenges.) at the Beverly Hills location with Jenny C. Surprise, surprise…I loved it. Jenny C. is an awesome instructor with great taste in music. We did the weights section to Flawless by Beyonce, need I say more?

(Picture taken at Soul Cycle Tribeca last summer on my iPhone)

I’ve taken a Soul Cycle class in NYC before, and I would definitely splurge on one of the membership packages, if there was a location near me. Soul Cycle, if you’re reading this, I will be at the grand opening of your first Central FL location. Mark my words.

IV. Shopping
Just to confirm everything you’ve been thinking up to now about Los Angeles, yes, the shopping is amazing. A lot of flagship stores are located in the area such as Topshop, Hourglass Cosmetics, and Nasty Gal. Aside from the infamous Rodeo Drive, some notable shopping areas are Melrose Ave and The Grove. Melrose Ave is home to some of the best cafes and shops. Every storefront is unique, and I can (almost) guarantee you that your favorite brand or store is represented. Two of my favorite stores on Melrose are Kitson and Nasty Gal; Kitson is full of quirky items, and Nasty Gal is just as trendy and sassy as you would expect it to be.

(Vivienne Westwood on Melrose with gorgeous backdrops)

The Grove is another shopping area you can’t miss. There’s a Nordstrom, Topshop, and Zara, which is basically clothing heaven for me. They even have cute little kiosks with jewelry and sunglasses that you can buy for yourself or as small presents for others. Within the plaza is a huge movie theatre (where I saw Cinderella…and if you haven’t seen it by now, what are you waiting for? Have courage and be kind!), and there is a farmers market across the street.

As you can tell, I am completely in love with Los Angeles. The city has so much pizzazz and I could get lost in its beauty and wonder for weeks. Have you been to LA? What’s your favorite thing to do there?