Last Updated on October 24, 2023 by Home in the World
There are a couple of reasons why Los Angeles feels a bit like a second home to me. On the one hand, the sunny climate and beach lifestyle is not all that dissimilar to the way of life in my hometown of Perth, Western Australia. I indeed often comment on the ‘Californian’ nature of some of our coastal roads and sunsets over the ocean.
At a more personal level, however, I spent A LOT of school holidays in Los Angeles between the ages of approximately 5 and 13. My parents were both in the travel/airline industry, and it cost virtually nothing for us to fly over there. We all loved the place, always staying out in Anaheim near Disneyland and having the most wonderful of family holidays (it is a great place for families and young children to vacation – well geared up, with lots of different theme parks). And so it was that, along with perhaps Honolulu in Hawaii, Los Angeles became our go-to destination, and we would visit as often as we could. During the 1990s, when Disney was arguably at one of its peaks, it truly felt like the most magical place ever to me as a young child – friendly people, the latest Disney figurines and toys (which weren’t yet available in Australian stores), exciting (if sometimes a little scary) rides, life-size characters available to hug and take photos with, and endless varieties of lollies, ice-creams, breakfast cereals & burger fillings… basically a paradise for kids for whom commercialism, fast-food and high quantities of sugar meant nothing but FUN!
So I will always have a soft spot for this sprawling, polluted, highway-riddled city that many people understandably abhor.
Given this post combines pictures from three of my most recent trips to Los Angeles (2010, 2011 and 2013), it will be less a specific trip report and more just extended captions of random aspects and sights in and around the City of Angels – in no particular order.
I mentioned Disneyland earlier, so I may as well get it out of the way first here too. Having not visited for well over 10 years, I thought it might be funny to head back there for a day, just for old time’s sake. I kind of wish I hadn’t, because your perceptions are always so different as an adult. My overwhelming thought was how much smaller everything seemed! Still, I enjoyed spinning around in teacups, steering rockets through the sky, plunging down the side of a mountain in a log canoe, and walking through the archways of Sleeping Beauty’s fairytale castle (incidentally modelled on Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany, which I did also get a chance to visit in 2000).
Disneyland is, of course, one of many theme parks in Los Angeles. As a child, I equally enjoyed visiting Universal Studios and Knott’s Berry Farm. These days, there’s also the likes of the Disney California Adventure Park (an extension of Disneyland that didn’t open until 2001) and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (an extension of Universal Studios), among many other options.
But that’s enough of me re-living out my childhood. There’s a lot more to Los Angeles than Mickey Mouse and rollercoasters. Below are some other sightseeing ideas you might want to include in your travels:
The Getty Villa in Malibu (part of The Getty Museum), built by oil tycoon Jean Paul Getty (opened in 1974) and showcasing Greek, Roman and Etruscan collections. The design of the villa itself is inspired by Roman architecture, and is set amidst perfectly manicured gardens. It’s worth spending at least a few hours here admiring the art and landscaping – a little haven of Mediterranean antiquity on the Southern Californian coast.
Venice Beach – doesn’t require much explanation. For a cheap hit of surfies, druggies, roller-bladers, Bob Marley lookalikes, trippy public art, and good ol’ Californian beach grunge, look no further. I personally find it pretty seedy, but that’s the whole idea, I suppose. The people-watching is interesting, if nothing else.
If there’s one thing more synonymous with Los Angeles than Disney, it’s Hollywood. Everyone wants to get the perfect snap of the ‘Hollywood sign’ on the hill (which actually isn’t all that big) and stroll the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Be prepared to share Hollywood Boulevard with LOTS of tourists, any time of year. It’s loud, it’s tacky, the commercialisation is off the scale, and the traffic & parking is terrible. Contrary to many people’s conceptions, it’s actually a pretty grotty, sordid neighbourhood on the whole – and a place where the dreams of many would-be actors and actresses have been mercilessly shattered. It’s definitely not my favourite part of Los Angeles, but at the same time, you can’t not visit Tinseltown when you come to this part of the world.
Just adjacent to Hollywood is Beverly Hills, home to the rich & famous, the ’90s teen drama series, the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel, impossibly tall palm trees, and the pretentious Rodeo Drive. I have driven the streets of this neighbourhood many times. There are tours that point out where so-and-so celebrity lives, but usually all you can see is a high wall or perfectly manicured hedge, with the odd glimpse of a roof beyond. The side streets are often pretty quiet, but for the odd luxury car or housemaid taking out the rubbish.
A drive down the coast south of the city takes in a string of beaches and harbours that live up to the stereotype of casual Californian seaside style. From Santa Monica to Venice (which we’ve already mentioned), down to Manhattan Beach and Redondo, and further round to Long Beach (home of the 1936 Queen Mary oceanliner, which is moored there as a floating hotel), Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and Laguna Beach. It actually makes for a lovely drive – or multiple drives if you prefer to split it over several days.
For some excursions further afield (I did them as day trips, but you can also spend longer if you wish), here are a couple of options you may want to explore:
Palm Springs – approximately a 1.5-hour-drive east of L.A. (you can also fly there). A desert resort city, popular among retirees, snow tourists, golf & tennis enthusiasts, and fans of mid-century modern architecture. The drive out there features some quite dramatic scenery – arid wilderness and the rugged (sometimes snow-capped) San Bernadino Mountains set the backdrop for the seemingly omnipresent Californian palm trees and… wind farms. More than 4000 separate windmills, to be exact. On the lazy, late-spring day that I visited, the city itself felt a little sleepy and dated – like somewhere that had had its heyday in decades past. But the giant Marilyn Monroe statue makes for an amusing distraction.
Finally, if you’re interested in seeing some of the Spanish colonial and mission architecture that is quite prevalent across California, there are two places you may want to check out.
The first is Balboa Park, which is actually in San Diego, an entirely separate city in the state’s far south, barely 30 km (17 miles) from the Mexican border. It’s about a 2-hour drive from L.A. or you can of course fly there. I didn’t spend a heck of a long time in San Diego on my most recent visit – and the majority of the time that I did spend was at Balboa Park, enjoying the buildings, gardens and museums.
The second is San Juan Capistrano in Orange County, approximately a 1-hour drive south-east of downtown L.A. The Mission of San Juan Capistrano was founded on 1 November 1776 by Fray Junipero Serra. It is the only mission in the O.C., but is considered the ‘Jewel of the California Missions’. St John of Capistrano himself lived during the 15th century. The mission, with its adobe brick & tile architecture, archways and gorgeous, almost country-style gardens, is like a little slice of colonial Spain in Southern California, and well worth a visit if you’re interested in that sort of thing.
Los Angeles has a massive urban footprint, and I got around to all the places mentioned in this blog entry by hiring a car. It is pretty much the only way of getting around the city, as public transport is quite poor. I did once try a public bus and the characters on there were interesting to say the least, not to mention the fact that the networks are quite limited. But driving in Los Angeles does require patience, as you will inevitably find yourself trapped in gridlock on one of the many highways at some point. We once even got lost in East L.A., which is not really a place you want to get lost in – but that’s another story. For the most part, however, car hire is relatively cheap and easy, with companies like Alamo and Enterprise (among many others) offering decent service, in my experience.
I can definitely see why many people dislike Los Angeles or simply use it as a short stop to see Hollywood and a theme park before heading off elsewhere in the country. But in addition to all its widely known razzmatazz, it does actually have quite a bit to offer in terms of art and culture, colonial architecture, and beautiful landscapes. The people are very friendly and, as with most places in the USA, you can get almost anything you want, any time. It is surprisingly diverse when you delve a little deeper beyond Hollywood and Mickey Mouse, even if that does involve a few hair-raising drives along its labyrinthine highways. I, in any case, will always have a soft spot for the City of Angels.
Trip facts
When I visited: August 2010, May/June 2011 and May 2013
Weather: My most recent visits to L.A. have been in August/September and May/June, but Southern California is pleasant basically all year round. The coastal areas are of course cooler and more humid than the inland areas (though these can get very cold in winter too), but temperatures overall were generally around 28°C (82°F). Beware though, if you’ve ever heard Californians mention ‘June gloom’, it really is a thing. Despite it being a summer month, it can actually be pretty grey and gloomy (but mild), at least near the coast. At night there was sometimes even intense fog!
Where I stayed: Best Western Sunrise in Redondo Beach (now The Redondo Beach Hotel)
