I was lucky enough to be sent to San Francisco for a work project, so I decided to make more of a trip of it and spent the preceding weekend in Los Angeles! This isn’t a place I’d generally go, but since I was already going to be in California and have spent time in San Francisco before, why not try something new!
I arrived very late on Friday night, so after a good night’s sleep I hit the ground running on Saturday. I was staying right in downtown Hollywood, so it was super close to the walk of fame. It was so much fun to look at all of the famous movie stars! There were way more than I realized.
I made the trek to the Getty Center, and was really blown away by this museum. The setting was absolutely spectacular. Located on the hills above the city, every window in the indoor/outdoor space has phenomenal panoramic views. I enjoyed one of the (free!) guided tours of the museum.
On of the highlights for me was seeing van Goh’s Iris painting. When Teddy and I were in Amsterdam earlier this year the museum specifically pointed to this painting as a key one missing from the collection! It was great to be able to finally see the original here, too.
It was incredible simple to wander around the museum for hours – the space itself was as much of a spectical as the art included in it. The gardens were amazing and I loved all of the balconies. The renaissance collection was beautiful and I felt like there was just so much to see. This is an absolute must visit if you’re ever in the area!
Late in the afternoon I jumped back on the bus (so. many. buses.) and enjoyed the trip through Beverly Hills and UCLA back to downtown Hollywood. I headed up to the observatory nestled in the Hollywood Hills. This classic location was crowded, but as beautiful as I expected! I enjoyed the exhibits inside the observatory, and also took a nice long hike around the area. It was so easy to get away from the crowds quickly as the trails were extensive. I also got a great view of the classic Hollywood sign!
I headed back to my hotel and ended up modifying my itinerary (a pattern lately, and very unlike me) since it is so challenging to get around in this area without a car. I’m really glad I did so.
On Sunday morning I wandered around the Hollywood boulevard a bit more to see the Chinese Theatre and spent a really pleasant few hours at the Grammy Museum. I loved the attention they paid to non-pop artists, and loved all of the musical samples! Very fun.
I jumped onto yet another bus and headed over to Santa Monica. The vibe here was much more my style – very casual, right on the beach and super relaxed. I wandered around on the boardwalk (great people watching!) before heading to the hostel. I ended the day with a super California experience – Korean/Mexican fusion tacos from a food truck right on the water. Can’t get much better than that!
Monday was spent mostly working before catching my flight to San Francisco. I bee-lined to China Town and achieved a life-long dream: sushi from a revolving, floating conveyer belt. Mission accomplished!
Until next time, California!
