{"id":1963,"date":"2019-03-26T19:56:20","date_gmt":"2019-03-26T19:56:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.travelwithanda.com\/?p=1963"},"modified":"2019-04-19T12:21:36","modified_gmt":"2019-04-19T12:21:36","slug":"5-things-to-do-in-los-angeles-for-the-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelwithanda.com\/index.php\/2019\/03\/26\/5-things-to-do-in-los-angeles-for-the-weekend\/","title":{"rendered":"5 things to do in Los Angeles for the weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"

Before making any concrete plans, be sure to read my\u00a0Visit Los Angeles<\/a> post which will provide you with basic information and travel tips about visiting the City of Angels. If you already decided to visit only the popular highlights, or if you are for some reason short on time, here are my suggestions of 5 things to do in Los Angeles<\/strong> which will optimise your time and make the most out of your LA trip. This could actually be quite a decent example of your \u00bbweekend in Los Angeles\u00ab itinerary. <\/p>\n

1 – Hollywood <\/strong><\/p>\n

I am actually referring to Hollywood & Highland<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 the heart of Hollywood, which is the most popular intersection and also a shopping complex packed with stores, bars and restaurants. Officially called Hollywood and Highland Center is a complex built around TLC Chinese Theatre,<\/strong> which used to host Academy Awards ceremonies. Today the Chinese Theatre continues to serve the public as a first-run movie theatre. If you are wondering where the Oscars are held<\/strong> \u2013 it is actually in the building \u201cnext door\u201d, called Dolby Theatre<\/strong> (formerly known as the Kodak Theatre). At the back of Hollywood and Highlands Center you will find a series of viewing bridges<\/strong> on each floor \u2013 climb up there and you will see the Hollywood Sign<\/strong> atop Mt Lee. You might be surprised how small it looks from there.<\/p>\n

The other, probably most important tourist attraction in this area is the Hollywood Walk of Fame <\/strong>\u2013 a sidewalk made up of over 2500 star-shaped pink stones honoring \u201cstars\u201d from movies, music, theatre or even fictional characters. The Walk of Fame stretches over a mile of Hollywood Boulevard\u00a0<\/strong>on both sides of the street from La Brea Avenue to Gower Street. The biggest cluster of stars is of course in front of\u00a0the already mentioned buildings.<\/p>\n

If you want to visit some museums<\/strong>, Hollywood and Highland has a lot to offer to keep you busy for the entire day: from Hollywood Museum, Hollywood Wax Museum, Guinnes World Records Museum, Ripley\u2019s Believe It or Not Odditorium<\/strong> \u2026 just pick what you like and you will have your share of Hollywood for the day. And buy yourself an \u201cOscar on the go\u201d \u2013 there are million souvenir shops on each step of the way.<\/p>\n

Tip: this area is also one of the best to stay in, because everything is within the walking distance. Here is my 15\u20ac gift for you: if you book a hotel through this link<\/a>, we will both earn 15\u20ac for your next hotel booking \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

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2 – Santa Monica with Malibu celebrities spotting<\/strong><\/p>\n

Santa Monica is quite different from Hollywood and with its paved squares and bars it looks almost European. While you can enjoy world-class shopping, dining and entertainment in its lovely Downtown<\/strong>, you won\u2019t want to miss a stroll to Santa Monica Pier<\/strong> where you can watch street artists, take a photo of the sign which marks the end of legendary Route 66, or walk down to the wide sandy beach. Being the most popular tourist beach in Los Angeles, Santa Monica Beach<\/strong> has the widest selection of hotels and nightlife within walking distance. If you want to explore Santa Monica more actively, you can rent a bike (take one from the Santa Monica Breeze Bike<\/a> Share Station ) and take the Marvin Braude Coastal Bike Trail<\/strong>, which runs along the coast from Pacific Palisades in the north to Torrance Beach to the south.<\/p>\n

Santa Monica Pier is also the starting point of one of the most popular \u201ccelebrity sightseeing\u201d tours: Malibu Stars Homes tour<\/strong><\/a>, operated by Starline Tours. Malibu beach<\/strong> is also a sight for sore eyes, especially if you know where to stop. This is why taking a guided tour is highly advised \u2013 if you have time, you can come back and enjoy it later on your own.<\/p>\n

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3 – Pink\u2019s Hot Dog<\/strong><\/p>\n

Trust me, Pink\u2019s Hot Dog<\/strong> is something you HAVE TO try and it will only take you around 30 minutes for this stopover in the corner of La Brea Street and Melrose Avenue. Pink\u2019s has been serving hot dogs since 1939 (they sell over 200 hot dogs and 200 hamburgers a day) and due to its convenient location, it used to be known as a popular spot for established and upcoming movie and TV stars. They even have their own \u201cPink\u2019s celebrity wall of fame\u201d<\/strong> with over 200 signed photos of celebrities, which started as a place for aspiring actors to hang their photos to be discovered by producers and directors who were known to dine at Pink\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t let the lines in front of the kitschy pink colored kiosk intimidate you: average waiting time is around 15 minutes because the staff at Pink\u2019s is very efficient. You can choose from a variety of hot dogs, burgers and some other snacks (very reasonably priced<\/a>!), most of them are named after celebrities, movies or TV shows, and ALL of them are delicious<\/strong>. They even have one or two veggie choices for those who want to \u201ceat with celebrities\u201d but don\u2019t want to break the oath to the animal kingdom. Pink\u2019s has a number of small tables and every time I was there, I was able to find a sit (because let\u2019s be honest \u2013 who eats a hot dog for more than 5 minutes?). By the way, Pink\u2019s now has 15 locations all over the US, including one in the Philippines. And some celebrities still stop by for their favorite dog. So yes, this one is a must!<\/p>\n

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4 – Beverly Hills and Hollywood sign<\/strong><\/p>\n

When speaking of \u201chome to the rich and famous\u201d Beverly Hills<\/strong> is probably the first place that comes to your mind. However, you need to know that celebrities don\u2019t just walk around their houses waving at the tourists passing by, so if you want to do the Beverly Hills properly, I suggest you take one of the guided tours<\/strong>. No point in staring at some garage door if you don\u2019t know who they belong to, right? There are several ways to see Beverly Hills<\/strong>: on a Hop-on Hop-off bus tour (but this one won\u2019t take you to the actual hills), on rented bikes (are you sure you are fit enough to drive all the way to Mulholland drive?), by rented car (just keep in mind that you cannot park or even pull over in the hills at all) or take a guided tour (I took the Hollywood & Movie Star\u2019s homes tour<\/a> 2 years ago and it was quite a decent experience). You can also hike to the hills where you can find some nice spots with views of the Los Angeles and the Hollywood sign<\/strong> from much closer.<\/p>\n