JSLALALAND

BEFORE YOU LAND

LA Local Guide 001–010

Not a sightseeing guide: the stuff nobody tells you until you've learned it the hard way. Timing, parking, safety, opening hours, all spelled out.

Translated from Jasmine’s original Chinese. The illustrated slides are on the interactive reader.

Key points

Full text

  1. First time in LA: what locals will warn you about (cover)

    Local tips for your first LA trip: not a tourist guide, but the insider tips I learned from ten years of school and work in LA, and from going back ever since. Save this for your LA trip.

  2. Google Maps' 30 minutes isn't really 30 minutes

    Angelenos rarely just look at distance; what everyone actually checks is what time it is. Twenty minutes at 4:30 p.m. can easily turn into an hour. In LA, time matters more than distance.

  3. Don't hop across too many areas in one day

    The most common first-timer mistake: one day of Hollywood + Santa Monica + Malibu + the Getty + Beverly Hills + Downtown, when each of those can be 30–60 minutes apart. My advice: one area a day. In LA, take it slow.

  4. Before you book a restaurant, check parking

    Lots of people book the restaurant, then circle for twenty minutes without finding a spot. Now the first thing I check when I book: is there a lot, is there valet, is street parking easy? In LA, parking is part of the reservation.

  5. Parking matters more than driving

    Lots of first-timers worry about driving, but the real challenge is parking. Before you go, always check: street-sweeping hours, no-parking windows, Permit Only, valet, garage rates. One ticket can cost more than today's lunch.

  6. Don't just trust Yelp

    A lot of the really good restaurants run on regulars, not tourists. I usually check all of these together: the latest Google Maps reviews, IG location tags, local food creators, and whether the room is full of locals. The best places aren't always the highest-rated.

  7. Don't leave anything in the car

    Luggage, cameras, laptops, shopping bags, backpacks, even a jacket: don't leave any of it in sight, even if you're just running in for a coffee. A lot of car break-ins are crimes of opportunity: if they can see it, it can be a target.

  8. Going to the beach at night? Bring a jacket

    Lots of people think California is always hot, but it's not, especially in Malibu, Santa Monica and Venice. Once the sun goes down and the sea breeze picks up, it gets legit cold. My go-to: a light jacket, a hat, a wrap. Sunny doesn't always mean warm.

  9. LA safety isn't as simple as you think

    People are either too scared or too careless. On a first trip, I'd avoid: Skid Row and the blocks around it, non-tourist parts of South LA, Compton and Watts (unless you're with a guide). Often just one or two blocks completely changes the feel. Be aware, not afraid.

  10. A lot of places close earlier than you'd expect

    Sleep in and head out in the afternoon, and you'll find the coffee shop's closed, the boutique's shut and the farmers market's over. Lots of LA's indie coffee shops, bookstores and even restaurants close earlier than in Asia; check hours before you go.

  11. What this series is really trying to say

    This isn't really about telling you where LA is most fun; it's sharing the local lessons I've actually learned over the years. Not the most popular places. Just the things I wish someone had told me.

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In this series

Read it with the slides →The illustrated version on the LA Guide →

An original JSLALALAND field guide by Jasmine Chang (@jslalaland).