Written by Nhi Quach
California, home to beaches and summer all year round, especially in Southern California. There’s even a beach 15 minutes from UCI. Although there are many things to do in Irvine, you shouldn’t limit yourself to one city, especially when Los Angles is one train ride away.
This blog post outlines 3 activities to do with a list of places to go when you want to get away from Irvine and have some fun in LA. These are only a little bit of the possibilities available.
Nature in the urban LA
The Hollywood sign hike trails
Let’s start with the most famous attraction, the Hollywood sign! If you’re feeling up for some exercise and selfies, hiking to see the Hollywood sign in LA will be a great experience. Not only will you get your steps in, but you’d also be able to appreciate nature as well as a man-made attraction. The following links will help you plan which hiking trails to take and what to bring along the trip:
https://www.exsplore.com/hollywood-sign-hike
https://www.hikespeak.com/california/la/griffith-park-hollywood-sign-hikes/
Image courtesy of hollywoodsign.org
Something to note: the parking for these trails is quite limited (parking in LA, in general, is hard!) It would be best to carpool. Also, remember to stay hydrated!
Griffith Park: 4730 Crystal Springs, Drive Los Angeles, CA 90027
Griffith Park is a recreational park with free admission and has numerous attractions and miles of hiking and horseback riding trails which provides enjoyable recreation activities. There is a cost for parking, as well as some of the attractions that range from $5 to $20, one such attraction is the Griffith Observatory that cost $7 for general adult admission and $5 for students with I.D with an amazing view.
Image courtesy of losfelizliving
More information:
https://www.laparks.org/griffithpark
https://www.discoverlosangeles.com/things-to-do/the-guide-to-las-griffith-park
The Getty Center: 1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90049 or N Sepulveda Blvd & Getty Center Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90049
Image of the Getty Center building entrance of The Getty Center
The Getty Center is an art museum; however, it spans two campuses with beautiful gardens which makes it perfect for winding down.
Cost: Free admission, however, parking rates vary.
More information: https://www.getty.edu/
Walk of Fame and Towns within the City
Hollywood Boulevard: 6901 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028, USA
If you’re not up for hiking, but still want to do some light exercise, going to the Hollywood walk of fame to find the star with your favorite Hollywood celebrity is another option. Not only will there be stars on the floor, but you could also tour the boulevard and visit the other attractions.
Image from thejakartapost
For more information of what to do and see along the Hollywood Boulevard see the links here:
https://www.tripsavvy.com/hollywood-boulevard-overview-4120910
Be aware that some of the attractions along the boulevard require spending some money to enter.
Little Tokyo: 329 E 1st St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Little Tokyo is a plaza with Japanese food, music, shops, and event. The plaza has lots of Japanese items. The address above is a sushi place within the plaza as an address to enter the plaza.
Image from inside little Tokyo courtesy of latimes
More information: https://www.discoverlosangeles.com/things-to-do/a-walking-tour-of-little-tokyo
http://www.visitlittletokyo.com/
Chinatown: 943 N Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Chinatown is also a plaza with lots of little markets to sightsee.
Image of the Chinatown gate entrance courtesy of culturela
More information:
https://www.discoverlosangeles.com/things-to-do/the-guide-to-chinatown-in-los-angeles
Koreatown: 928 S Western Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90006 or 3790 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90010
Koreatown is a section of Los Angeles where there is Korean food, music, shops, and events. The section is relatively big, spanning several plazas which you can walk around and explore. Going to the Koreatown Plaza (928 S Western Ave) is one place to explore.
Image Koreatown plaza entrance from of gruenassociates.com
More information:
https://www.discoverlosangeles.com/visit/the-guide-to-koreatown-in-los-angeles
https://www.visitcalifornia.com/attraction/koreatown
For Your Eyes, Museums
Los Angeles is home to many museums, many of which are within a block of each other. Going to see the exhibitions means you have to go to see everything else.
Modern Art
The Broad: 221 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA
The Broad Museum focuses on modern art, showcasing sculptures as well as paintings.
Cost: Has free admissions and various events which showcase different artist and themes on the first floor each season.
Image from scpr.org
More information: https://www.thebroad.org/
Craft Contemporary: 5814 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036
The exhibitions constantly change, in general, though the pieces on display are modern sculptural pieces with a common theme, such as books, bamboo, or materials & applications.
Cost: Admission for students is discounted to $7, with a general admission of $9.
Image courtesy of Craft Contemporary
More information: http://www.cafam.org/visit/
The Museum of Contemporary Art: 250 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012
The Museum of Contemporary Art has contemporary art aiming to showcase classical architecture and art centered around Los Angeles popular culture.
Image courtesy of MOCA
Cost: General admission is $15 or $8 with an ID; is free every Thursday from 5pm to 8pm.
More information: https://www.moca.org/
Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA): 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036
Home to the public lights, LACMA also contains many exhibitions, rotating and permanent, which consists of historical pieces as well as modern pieces. The LACMA lights are public
Cost: General admission to LACMA cost $21 as long as you bring along a student ID, with general admission being $25. There are special days when admission is free:
- All visitors, second Tuesday of each month
- All visitors, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (January 21, 2019), Presidents Day (February 18, 2019), and Memorial Day (May 27, 2019), sponsored by Target
Image courtesy of LACMA
More information: https://www.lacma.org/
Cultural History
The Italian American Museum of Los Angeles: 644 N Main St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
The Italian American Museum of Los Angle has exhibits on the contributions of Italian Americans to LA in addition to language classes & events.
Cost: Free admission
More information: http://www.iamla.org
Chinese American Museum: 425 N Los Angeles St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Chinese American museum has exhibitions showcasing the history and cultural legacy of Chinese Americans.
Cost: General admission is $3.00 and with a student ID it is $2.
More information: http://camla.org
Japanese American National Museum: 100 N Central Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012
The Japanese American National Museum has exhibitions of Japanese art and Japanese American historical articles.
Cost: General admission is $12, with a student ID is $6, and there is free general admission every Thursday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and all day every third Thursday of the month.
More information: http://www.janm.org/
Other
La Brea Tar Pits: 5801 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036
The LA Brea Tar Pits showcase a record of the different plants and animals that have lived in the L.A. Basin between 50,000 years ago and today. Visitors can watch the processes of paleontology unfold.
General admission ranges depending on the day of the week you plan on going. Monday to Thursday cost $18, while Friday to Sunday cost $22.
More information: https://tarpits.org/
Petersen Automotive Museum: 6060 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036
If you enjoy cars, going to see Petersen Automotive Museum is a must. There are various automobiles across history as well as race cars to be seen. The difference between Peterson Museum as compared to other is that entry comes as a tour, and not as admission to walk around on your own.
Cost: General tours range in price from $20-30 depending on the length of time and exhibitions you wish to see.
More information: https://www.petersen.org
These all only a few places to visit in LA.
If you want more to do than what is listed here, you can go to these links for ideas:
https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/los-angeles/things-to-do-in-la