I went a few weekends ago. If you like Art, the Broad is great - make your reservation now. The James Turrell piece at LACMA is a can't miss, but the rest of LACMA is kinda blerg. Museum of Jurassic Technology is fun. If you like a yummy booze, then the Melrose Umbrella Club is really great, but their food was fairly meh. Lots of really great comedy really cheap, especially if you like podcasts...
Go to Venice Beach and watch all the weirdos. Go to Griffith Park and do a hike. Look at the Hollywood sign. Watts Towers are crazy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watts_Towers I know very little about food there except that I've eaten some great tacos at random carts. Yeah, so much comedy! I hear downtown's popping off these days.
Even with modern technology, it helps to plan your routes in advance in LA. LA freeways are insane and hard to navigate. Map Apps can get confused and not give you directions quick enough when you have to move four lanes within a quarter mile and everyone is driving 80 mph.
Eat lots of mexican food. It's really good in LA. Otherwise, a lot of (non-crazy-line) LA food will not amaze you coming from PDX (IMHO).
I second the Museum of Jurassic Technology. Much more important to go to that than LACMA or whatever IN MY OPINION. It is awesome and you will love it.
Weirdly the best tacos I ever have had in LA are in the old-timey food court attached to the Grove, which you wouldn't expect. A place called La Lotteria. Cactus tacos. Fucking epic (I'm a veggie so probably they aren't authentic, I mean, those dipshit guys who travel the world trying to find a taco made of goat meat so spicy you shit blood for a week probably wouldn't enjoy these mellow cactus tacos at The Grove but I love them)
Venice Beach! So insane. Walk the whole boardwalk between Santa Monica and Venice
Basically I agree with Alex. Watts Tower is awesome; Griffith Park is awesome
Definitely get one of those bags of fruit with chili and lime from the dudes with carts and machetes on the street. Major LA perk!!! So fucking good, and the entire bag is like $2, it's absurd
I am proud of myself for only saying sincere things and not saying anything snide about LA, which is a city I dislike
I have always longed to go to the Remix Vintage Shoes mothership. Vintage reproduction of 20s, 30s, & 40s styles. You can normally only find a handful in Portland, all unreliably scattered around different shops.
Update: -Made it to Watts Towers but they were closed. Still got to see from the outside. -Made it to Getty (gorgeous!) -Tried the Broad, but there were literally 5-hour lines -Hiked up to Griffith Observatory -Stuck a stick in some real live tar at the La Brea Tar Pits -Did my first Escape Room and saved the world! -Walked the Venice Beach boardwalk (didn't seem that crazy?) -Ate SO MUCH good food, but the highlight was Gjusta - the most delicious deli in the world. Also ate delicious tacos, and some yummy pasta at a place called Speranza. -Went to the MAGIC CASTLE!!! -Rode the ferris wheel at the Santa Monica Pier
Sadly did not make it to: -Museum of Jurassic Technology -LACMA -Clifton's -Any of your other great suggestions
Magic Castle: to get in, you have to tell a golden owl "open sesame" and then a bookcase reveals itself to be a hidden door and lets you into the castle!
Comments
Go to Griffith Park and do a hike.
Look at the Hollywood sign.
Watts Towers are crazy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watts_Towers
I know very little about food there except that I've eaten some great tacos at random carts.
Yeah, so much comedy!
I hear downtown's popping off these days.
http://5everyday.com/ and
http://www.npr.org/podcasts/425118789/5-every-week
Claire Evans and Zac Pennington will tell you what's happening in LA!
"(I already plan to make use of 5everyday.)"
http://www.sageveganbistro.com/
Eat lots of mexican food. It's really good in LA. Otherwise, a lot of (non-crazy-line) LA food will not amaze you coming from PDX (IMHO).
Also Burgerlords, Chego, and Scoops in Chinatown.
Weirdly the best tacos I ever have had in LA are in the old-timey food court attached to the Grove, which you wouldn't expect. A place called La Lotteria. Cactus tacos. Fucking epic (I'm a veggie so probably they aren't authentic, I mean, those dipshit guys who travel the world trying to find a taco made of goat meat so spicy you shit blood for a week probably wouldn't enjoy these mellow cactus tacos at The Grove but I love them)
Venice Beach! So insane. Walk the whole boardwalk between Santa Monica and Venice
Basically I agree with Alex. Watts Tower is awesome; Griffith Park is awesome
Definitely get one of those bags of fruit with chili and lime from the dudes with carts and machetes on the street. Major LA perk!!! So fucking good, and the entire bag is like $2, it's absurd
I am proud of myself for only saying sincere things and not saying anything snide about LA, which is a city I dislike
-Made it to Watts Towers but they were closed. Still got to see from the outside.
-Made it to Getty (gorgeous!)
-Tried the Broad, but there were literally 5-hour lines
-Hiked up to Griffith Observatory
-Stuck a stick in some real live tar at the La Brea Tar Pits
-Did my first Escape Room and saved the world!
-Walked the Venice Beach boardwalk (didn't seem that crazy?)
-Ate SO MUCH good food, but the highlight was Gjusta - the most delicious deli in the world. Also ate delicious tacos, and some yummy pasta at a place called Speranza.
-Went to the MAGIC CASTLE!!!
-Rode the ferris wheel at the Santa Monica Pier
Sadly did not make it to:
-Museum of Jurassic Technology
-LACMA
-Clifton's
-Any of your other great suggestions
THANK YOU! I really liked LA.
GOB BLUTH referent!
Your list is amazing, good job!
No more spoilers!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicon_Beach
http://la.curbed.com/tags/silicon-beach
ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
is the guy with the turban, rollerblades, and electric guitar still there or has he been gentrified away? or did Snapchat purchase the rights to him