Top 10 Best things to do in Los Angeles Pt2 2018

From the sunset strip to the sandy beaches, Los Angeles is full of fun and sure to leave you speechless. LA is one of my favorite cities because of its diverse culture, never-ending food scene, and the vibe that I just can't seem to get enough of. Stick around for my secret tip on how to get the real LA experience for free. With so many things to do in LA, how do you decide what you can see in such a short amount of time? Hopefully this guide will help you in your decision-making process and add or eliminate some things from your list of things you want to do. In this video, we'll get to the best beaches, neighborhoods, museums, Instagram spots, workout spots, star-watching spots, and so much more. Without further ado, these are the 10 best things to see in Los Angeles. I'm Zach, and this is Peregrination. In this video, we're going to go over 5 through 1. If you haven't seen 10 through 6, please click the top. Let's get this LA party started. At number 5, we have the Getty Museum. This museum offers a futuristic experience that I recommend to everyone visiting Los Angeles. Sitting atop the hill, looking at Bel Air on the left and Santa Monica on the right, this massive complex is a must-see. Opened in 1998, the Getty Center was built after the Getty Villa in Malibu. Founded by J. Paul Getty, his personal collection showcases works by Van Gogh and Monet. On a clear day, you can see all the way to Long Beach. Getting to the Getty Center is an adventure in itself. First, you park in the garage off of 405. Then, you take a computer-driven tram up the steep slope. The cool thing about the Getty is that you only have to pay for parking, and everything else is free. The Getty is my favorite, but many people also like to visit the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, or LACMA. With roughly 100,000 objects dating from ancient times to now, there is plenty to see among the sprawling campus. Since opening in 1965, the museum has grown to a 20-acre establishment. These are my top two museums, but there are so many museums to visit in the Los Angeles area, such as the Pacific Design Center, Museum of Zero Tolerance, the Page Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Huntington Library, just to name a few. There's even a Museum of Ice Cream, which is basically just a spot to take pictures for Instagram. For more information on the best spots in Los Angeles to take pictures for your Instagram, make sure to click on my last video. A trip to LA wouldn't be complete without visiting one of its many beaches. For number four on the list, I'm going to list my top four favorite beaches. First, Malibu's El Matador Beach is a unique getaway from everyday life. Heading up to Malibu is half the fun. Driving up California One is a fun experience in itself, passing by all the roadside shacks and million-dollar mansions side by side. If you have time, you should take the eight-hour trip up to San Francisco, but that's for another video. Anyways, back to the beaches. Each beach has its own unique vibe. Malibu has two major beaches. Arguably the most known is Zuma Beach. This beach stretches along California One and is a long sandy beach. With Pepperdine University so close, you might see many college kids enjoying the sun. North of Zuma Beach, you'll find El Matador Beach. El Matador Beach has huge rocks jutting out of the sand and little caves you can walk through. This is a very nice place to watch the sunset and get the classic California coast picture. Moving on from Malibu, next we head south on California One and hit Huntington Beach or Surf City USA. This once small coastal community has grown due to the increasing number of people who live in Orange County. If surfing's your sport, then Huntington Beach is your beach. They host the U.S. Open of Surfing every July. This is a good place to get a real glimpse of California surf culture. Next, one of my personal favorites, if you drive farther south on California One past Laguna Beach lies Thousand Steps Beach. I like this beach because parking is free along California One. This is the place to go if you want to get out there and be secluded. It's easy to feel like a local on this private beach that's only assessed by hiking down what feels like a thousand steps, but it's only really a quarter of that. Thousand Steps Beach is a perfect place to swim, people watch, and even explore caves. Many of you are asking why I left out one of the most iconic beaches in Los Angeles. I'm simply saving this for later. Time for airport notes. Manhattan Beach is only 15 minutes away from LAX. You can see unique houses in a nice neighborhood. Manhattan Beach is fairly easy to get in and out of. With the pier connected to Main Street, this offers a lot of shopping. You can spend as little or as much time as you like, or if you want a more secluded beach experience, head a little north of Manhattan Beach and this will bring you to Dock Wheeler Beach. Next, number three, we have the Grove and Farmer's Market. Many Los Angeles know about the Grove and a lot of people have heard of it, but do you know that the Farmer's Market was built and opened in 1934? This is a great place to stop by for lunch or dinner being centrally located. Only 15 minutes away from Hollywood, five minutes away from La Brea Tar Pits, and 20 minutes away from Beverly Hills. With over 100 food stalls, it's hard to choose. Some of my favorites are the Fringe Crepe Company, where I like to get meat in my crepes, the Gumbo Pot, they have great gumbo, obviously, and Papa's Grill, which serves up great steak. You really can't go wrong in the Farmer's Market. Literally, right next to the Farmer's Market is the Grove. This is a fun place to just walk around. Many celebrities and YouTubers can be found here. This is also right down the street from the Fairfax Shopping District I talked about in my last video. The Grove kind of wraps up Los Angeles in a nice little bow by having sprinkles, Press Juicery, the movie theater that often hosts movie premieres, the Cheesecake Factory, which is 20 minutes away from the original location in Beverly Hills, and of course, the Farmer's Market. All these things make it easy to see classic Los Angeles in a small amount of time. At the top of the parking garage for the Grove, you can see really good shots of Los Angeles, including Santa Monica, the Hollywood sign, downtown Los Angeles, and Culver City. Foodie time! In this segment, I'll show you my top spots for food in Los Angeles. Most of them are really close to the Grove, which we just talked about. First, Roscoe's Chicken is a timeless establishment in Hollywood. Down for chicken and waffles? This restaurant is a great place to go. It feels like a smoky jazz club inside, but has great food deals. Next, one of my favorite Mexican restaurants, El Cholo, has many locations across Los Angeles, but the one in Korea town is the original. This large building with quaint booths will transport you back to the old timey restaurant that used to be. Next, we have Fat Sal's Sandwiches. With two locations across Los Angeles, one in Hollywood and the other really close to UCLA, they are famous for packing anything on your sandwich, including fries and mozzarella sticks. Finally, we can't miss Pink's Hot Dogs. This is a great place to stop for a snack, preferably a chili dog. People have been coming to the shack on the side of the road for over 75 years. You decide whose hot dog is better, a Dodger dog from Dodger Stadium, or a Pink's Hot Dog. Oh, and if you're looking for ethnic food, one of my favorite places to go is Koreatown, or even Chinatown. They offer unique foods you won't find anywhere else. With all these food options, it's easy to see why. Number two, a trip to Los Angeles almost wouldn't be complete without a journey to the Griffith Observatory. This iconic three-dome building in the hills of Los Angeles offers spectacular views across the entire city. The observatory is still a functioning planetarium. You can pay only six bucks to watch the same show James Dean did in the movie Rebel Without a Cause. The Griffith Observatory has also been featured recently in the movie La La Land. The recent explosion in tourism, paired with the release of five-time Academy Award winner La La Land, has made this once crowded attraction into one where parking is very hard to find. Even on the weekday, it's hard to catch a sunset on top of the mountain. But don't let this stop you. There's a reason people flock to the Griffith Observatory. If you can't make it to the observatory, at least look at Griffith Park. It is from here that you can hike to the Hollywood sign. The Hollywood sign was originally designed to attract people to move to the neighborhood. The sign originally said Hollywoodland. Once far from everything in Los Angeles, this now sprawling neighborhood was home to many companies that influenced the world. When the sign was in disarray, the city of Los Angeles, with the help of many celebrities, decided to keep the sign up for iconic reasons. Now the Hollywood sign is recognizable across the world. You can hike from Griffith Observatory. However, there are different places that are closer to it. To hike to the Hollywood sign, you'll end up going behind the sign and not in front of it. This is good to keep in mind. At the top of the Hollywood sign, you're able to see both the valley and the city Los Angeles at the same time. This is a great place to watch the sunset, and after the sun goes down, you may have a chance to have the place all to yourself. If hiking a couple miles doesn't appeal to you, then I recommend driving on Mulholland Drive and stopping to see the great views from there. Now that we are at number 1, let's recap numbers 2 through 10. At number 10 on the list, Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive offer a glimpse into the glamour of Hollywood. At number 9 on the list, we have Dodger Stadium. This baseball icon has been hosting games since 1962. At number 8, Mulholland Drive offers endless views of Los Angeles and the valley, while connecting you to Ruin Canyon Park and the Hollywood Boulevard. Number 7 on our list, large art murals. Instagram is an art, and LA is a canvas. Number 6 in our countdown is Hollywood, specifically the stretch of Hollywood Boulevard that is home to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, where celebrities have their stars forever cemented in the sidewalk. At number 5, the Getty Museum is full of surprises and spectacular views. Number 4, Los Angeles beaches. From Malibu all the way to Laguna, Californians love to surf and enjoy relaxing days at the beach. Number 3, the Grove and Farmers Market. From shopping to unique bites to eat, these two side-by-side establishments offer a unique glimpse inside of Los Angeles culture. Number 2, the Griffith Observatory. This unique building houses a planetarium and a free telescope. Finally, and the number one thing to do in Los Angeles is... Fight the Strand from Santa Monica Pier to Venice Beach. Synonymous with California and LA culture, Santa Monica Pier is a Los Angeles landmark. This pier, at the end of Route 66, is a great place if you like to people watch as people from all over the world gather on this famous pier. I recommend parking on Ocean Avenue and walking down the ramp to the pier, but this is only part of the best thing to do in Los Angeles. From here, rent a bike and bike down the Strand, which is a 22-mile long concrete path that goes through the sand along the beach from Santa Monica to Torrance Beach. You won't be riding this far. I recommend renting the bike at Santa Monica Pier and biking the mile to Muscle Beach and the Venice Beach shops. This bike ride is the definition of relaxing, weaving in and out of palm trees, next to rollerbladers, and everything that is classic California. Once you arrive in Venice Beach, you'll be able to see an array of shops and eating establishments. On the way to Muscle Beach, you'll find a great skate park next to handball courts, next to basketball courts, where the movie White Man Can't Jump took place. It's next to these, where Arnold Schwarzenegger worked out and made the beach famous, known as Muscle Beach. Today, you can still find many people working out here. Don't forget to see the Skate Plaza, where you can join an impressive crew of roller skaters that are disco dancing. Take your time and once you've taken it all in, bike down another half mile until you reach the Venice Beach Canals. This unique neighborhood is built on canals that are connected to the ocean's tides. The canals are a great place to stroll. Does this look familiar? This is the same place where Ashton Kutcher lived in the movie Valentine's Day. If you have an entire day, you should go ahead and bike down to Marina Del Rey. Someday, I'm going to make it to Manhattan Beach. I just haven't made it yet, but Santa Monica to Venice Beach and back can be done in three hours. If you only do one thing in Los Angeles, you should bike the Strand from Santa Monica to Venice Beach. The wind blowing through your hair, the California sun on your skin, and the smell of the serene Pacific Ocean is enough to make you feel like you're in heaven. So there you have it. LA is a melting pot of culture, creativity, and open-mindedness. There's plenty to see in Los Angeles, and we've only just scratched the surface. I hope this video helped you decide what to do on your next trip to Los Angeles. If you have any questions, don't be shy and ask me in the comment section.