I finally made it to Los Angeles, California! I was supposed to take this trip to Los Angeles back in February and had to postpone my vacation due to the historic flooding from the atmospheric river. My mom and I rescheduled our trip to May and my sister also joined us for an exciting four days in the City of Angels with family local to the area. This was a long trip filled with fun activities, so I will do my best to condense everything as much as possible.
Flights
Per usual, I was on a Southwest flight. It's my preferred airline given their prevalence at airports in Texas and I originally booked the flights on a good deal. I drove to Houston and flew out of Hobby Airport because I was traveling with my family for this trip and we arrived to LAX around 9:00 AM local time which gave us a full first day of our trip to Los Angeles.
If you haven't been to LAX before, it really is a beast of an airport to get to and navigate. The airport is massive! Much to our surprise, we were flying back to Texas the Friday evening of Memorial Day weekend and getting through airport security was a breeze. Maybe we just got lucky with the timing of our departure or maybe people flying out of LAX don't use budget airlines. Whatever the reason, I can confidently say that there was a perk from flying with a budget airline on a trip to Los Angeles: you get dropped off at departures before the more expensive airlines. That's one way to cut down on delays in your airport arrival due to traffic!
Lodging and Getting Around
We were very fortunate that we didn't spend any money on a hotel for this trip. Our cousin graciously allowed us to stay in her home which is in the perfect area of Los Angeles because she's close to pretty much everything. This gave us the opportunity to unwind a bit more and connect as a family. Our cousin drove us around the city as we all went to different places and we got to see neighborhoods and other areas that we otherwise wouldn't have been able to check out had we taken a taxi, bus, or rideshare. She was able to provide some extra commentary and provide historical context as we took surface streets on our different 20-40 minute rides around Los Angeles.
Trip to Los Angeles Activities by Day
My days were filled with fun things but I didn't necessarily have days that were packed with tons of things to do. We only participated in a handful of activities that took more time that were all very enjoyable.
Day 1: The Original Farmer's Market and The Grove
Original Farmer's Market
If you were ever looking for a place where you could enjoy lunch on a nice day and you're going with a large group of people who all want something different, the Original Farmer's Market is the perfect location. There's a plethora of vendors with enough food, snack, and dessert options to satisfy nearly any craving plus there's some cute local shops for things like cards, candles, and stickers. This market has so many vendor stalls that they have maps to pick up at the entrance. There were seven of us in total because we met up with some additional family members at the Original Farmer's Market and it was an ideal location to chill out and have a casual lunch for the afternoon. We got food from Trejos Tacos and I also purchased some empanadas from Nonna's which you can get the details about a little later in this blog post.
The Grove
I've heard people on reality shows and in celebrity interviews mention The Grove and I had no idea what it was. Turns out, it's basically an open air mall with a really cool trolley that goes a very short distance. I didn't have much room in my luggage for anything and opted to just look around rather than do any real shopping. I also took some nice pictures!
Day 2: The Price is Right and the Grammy Museum
The Price is Right
I grew up watching The Price is Right with my parents and granny, so I was excited when my mom told me she got us tickets for the show! Tickets are free and everyone that is in the audience gets a chance to potentially have their name called to "come on down" and be on the show. They tape three shows on filming days and we decided to start the day out with an attempt to be in the audience for the first taping. We successfully joined the audience for the first taping after signing waivers, getting our name tags, and meeting with producers. Everyone is so supportive of each other and I felt like a winner just by being there. I'm not very good at guessing prices but I had fun anyway! Maybe there's another game show out there were I would be better at.
I can't share much about the show, but you can see how it all played out on November 13, 2024 on your local CBS station!
GRAMMY Museum
The GRAMMY Museum is something I was super excited about because I love music and they have a special exhibit celebrating 50 years of hip-hop. The exhibit was very interactive and we got to learn about making beats, rapping, and practice our DJ skills. They also had a Shakira exhibit that features some of her iconic looks and guitars. Throughout the GRAMMY Museum, there were other well-preserved artifacts and memorabilia from some of the biggest a names in music across a variety of genres. Admission is about average for a museum and the building is actually a bit smaller than one would expect, so you can get through the museum in about 90 minutes if you move at a slightly faster pace. I would highly recommend going to the GRAMMY Museum if you're looking for something fun to do in Downtown Los Angeles at L.A. Live that doesn't cost too much money and is close to plenty of other things check out.
For more pictures and exclusive video content related to my trip, be sure to follow Kimi's Travel Thoughts on Instagram!
Day 3: The Upshaws Taping
If you've ever wondered how a sitcom is filmed, you can just get free tickets to find out. That's what we did! Mom, sister, cousin, and I got priority tickets for the live studio audience to see a taping of a season four episode of The Upshaws -- a sitcom on Netflix. They have a strict policy about phones and devices that make noise, so I have no pictures from that experience. After parking in a lot across from the Netflix offices and studios, we got shuttled to the security entrance and made our way to the audience seating on set. The primary locations in the show are all lined up next to each other and the audience only sees a specific section of the set. There's microphones above the audience to capture our laughter the entire time. We had a host and DJ to help keep our energy up. There were talent show-like performances from some audience members between scenes and they were rewarded with gray t-shirts with The Upshaws logo across the front.
Seeing how the crew goes about their work at such an efficient pace was amazing! They operate everything with what was seems like such ease. The cast is so witty and know exactly how to deliver their lines in a way that's both natural and extra funny. The ad libs from Wanda Sykes, Mike Epps, and Gabrielle Dennis were too smooth and even made the crew pause what they were doing to laugh for a minute. Kim Fields was an obvious seasoned professional and made knowing lines and starting over appear to be much than what it actually is. It's clear that everyone on this show has a great time and it was so fun to witness it for myself!
Oh, and I got to meet Gabrielle Dennis after the show! My sister and I were waiting for my mom and cousin who were in line for the restroom. Gabrielle was walking past us to get to a different part of set that is similar to backstage at a theater. My sister waved and Gabrielle stopped to introduce herself and ask us our names. If you haven't watched The Upshaws, you may know Gabrielle Dennis from A Black Lady Sketch Show. Not only is she talented, but she's also super kind and her taking a brief moment to say hello to us demonstrates how genuine she is. Meeting Gabrielle was a cool way to wrap up this activity during my trip to Los Angeles!
Day 4: Concluding Our Trip to Los Angeles
This was actually the only day we didn't have anything planned. We considered going out for breakfast or lunch somewhere but decided just eat leftovers from earlier in the week. Since we had plenty of time to pack, we mostly spent the morning and afternoon chatting and enjoying the weather before getting ready to leave for LAX and return to Texas.
Trip to Los Angeles Food by Day
I ate a lot of good food on this trip -- perhaps too much food. No matter where we went, the food came out piping hot or freshly prepared and the service was top tier.
Day 1: Tacos, Empanadas, and Soul Food
Trejos Tacos
Did you know that Danny Trejo has restaurants? I knew this but forgot about this somewhat random fact. After meeting up with more family at The Original Farmer's Market for lunch, we looked at a map of different vendors and walked around until we settled on ordering tacos for lunch from Trejos Tacos. The food there was very good and I would've tried out the entire menu if I could. Instead, I just ate some chips and salsa and a steak asada taco. I also had some of my sister's fried chicken quesadilla and I'm convinced that's one of the best things I've ever eaten. Trejos Tacos also has a variety of sauces if you want to increase the intensity of the spice level of your meal.
Nonna's Empanadas
After eating and catching up with family a bit, my sister went with my as I sought out empanadas for dessert. From Nonna's Empanadas, I ordered the dulce de leche and the guava empanadas while my sister got the Nutella empanada. Fun fact: every empanada at Nonna's is the same price and they "brand" the crust so you know what filling is inside. All the empanadas were delicious and just right for dessert. I need another guava empanada in my life!
Harold & Belle's
During the Second Great Migration, there was a large number of Black people from the southern United States that made their way to California and they brought their recipes with them. While people associate soul food with the South, places like Los Angeles have soul food that can be just as good. We went to Harold & Belle's for dinner and the chef was clearly in the kitchen making that food with love! I ordered the half order of fried chicken with macaroni and cheese along with salad for the sides. The prices are reasonable once you see how much food you're getting and the service there was incredible. The menu had so many good options that I need to go back there to try more food. It was like eating a tasty homemade meal back home in Texas.
Day 2: More Soul Food and Fresh Donuts
Fixin
We had only snacks while waiting in line for the price is right, so we ate snacks and leftovers once we were back at the house before going to the GRAMMY Museum and getting dinner after. We decided to eat dinner at Fixin because we walked past it on the way to the museum and we wanted to continue to indulge in soul food. It was a good choice in my opinion. I ordered the fried fish which was a large fillet but needed a tad more salt, so I put some hot sauce on it and that was just what I needed. However, it did taste better as leftovers. I got purple Kool-Aid for my drink and ordered candied yams and collard greens as the sides. Overall, I liked the food I ordered and would return to this restaurant again to try other menu items.
The Donut Man
So Buzzfeed used to have this series on YouTube called Worth It and I watched every episode with the hopes that I would one day make it to some of the restaurants they featured. One place that was featured is The Donut Man which is a donut shop best known for their fresh strawberry and fresh peach donuts. The show went to the original location in Glendale, but we were right by the Grand Central Market location in Downtown LA and went there to get some donuts. I would link the video but I can't find it anywhere. We were in Los Angeles during their fresh strawberry donut season, so that's what I ordered and it was absolute perfection! The donut itself was so good and the fresh strawberries (my favorite fruit) were sweet and delicious. If I lived in Los Angeles, I would probably get one of those donuts every week.
Day 3: Pancakes and California Fast Food
IHOP
The weather in Los Angeles was perfect all week and we walked a short five minutes to the neighborhood IHOP for breakfast. I ordered a pancake combo with scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, and the pancake of the month which was white chocolate raspberry. The food was hot and well-prepared. A heavy breakfast was perfect since it would be several hours before we would eat again.
Del Taco
I would describe Del Taco as a variant of Taco Bell. Both originated in California, but Del Taco has better flavors and a menu that attempts to replicate more traditional taco, burrito, and quesadilla options. However, it also has crinkle fries as the primary side and the menu has burgers in case you needed a reminder that it's just another fast food restaurant. I ordered the shredded beef birria quesadilla combo with fries and a lemonade. The quesadilla was good, but would have benefitted from more filling. The consomme was fine and just lacked a richer flavor that would have been present if it were made at home or by a different food establishment. The fries were cooked perfectly though!
Day 4: Leftovers and Airport Food
The soul food restaurants had such large portions that we had sizeable leftovers. We ate our leftovers for brunch and snacks on our last day of our trip to Los Angeles before going to the airport. At the airport, I got a pizza pretzel from Wetzel's Pretzels (I love pretzels) while my sister got Chik-fil-A and mom ordered a salad from California Pizza Kitchen.
Wrap-Up
Prior to booking the flight, I had not really thought about taking a trip to Los Angeles. I knew enough about the city and it never really made me want to be a tourist. However, I did know that I wanted to visit some family in the area needed a longer trip (and still need to take additional trips) to Los Angeles to feel like I properly accomplish that. That being said, all the things I did during this trip to Los Angeles were so much fun and I like that I strayed tiny bit off the beaten path of what's considered more typical of tourism in Southern California. The trip felt more leisurely than what I would normally plan for myself and really captured the essence of a true vacation.
This is one of those trips were I would do it all again if I could. I probably won't be taking another trip to Los Angeles for at least a little while. However, you can experience part of this trip with me on November 13, 2024 when my episode of The Price is Right airs on CBS! In the meantime, I'm going to work on planning my next big trip somewhere.
Feel free to leave comments below, tweet/post (@KimiThoughts), or leave a post/message on Facebook (@KimisTravelThoughts) and share your favorite memories from any of your trips to Los Angeles!
コメント