BEFORE YOU LAND
The Los Angeles Guide I Wish I Had
Not just where to go, but how to do LA: travel time is the real distance, don't switch hotels every day, and don't pack every day full.
Translated from Jasmine’s original Chinese. The illustrated slides are on the interactive reader.
Key points
- In LA, distance is measured in traffic, not miles
- Pick one home base for the week and go out from there
- LA isn't Tokyo or New York; it's not a city you speed-run
- Unless you're only doing Downtown or Disney, renting a car is almost always the move
- Every area feels like a different city; Hollywood might not even make the top three
- The beach gets cold at night: a light jacket and long sleeves, no exceptions
- Save half a day for a sound bath, Pilates or a farmers market
Full text
First time in LA? 10 things to know first
The Los Angeles Guide I Wish I Had——Traffic、Where to stay、What to do、Local tips & more。Not just where to go, but how to experience LA。
1 · LA is really big
Lots of people think they can do Hollywood, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Disney and the Getty in one day, and by day one they're so wiped they're questioning their life choices. Traffic is the real distance. Plan your time, not just your route.
2 · Don't keep switching hotels
Switching hotels every day feels convenient, but really you're just repacking over and over. Pick one well-located base and drive out from there; it's so much more comfortable. One good home base makes the whole trip better.
3 · Don't pack every day full
LA isn't Tokyo or New York. What's magical here isn't how many sights you hit in a day; it's having a coffee, walking by the ocean, watching the sunset, browsing a bookstore. LA is a city to slow down in.
4 · Renting a car is basically a must
Unless you're only staying Downtown or only doing Disney, I almost always recommend renting a car. With a car, you get way more freedom. Good to know: the toll tag here is called FasTrak, avoid rush hour, and parking isn't cheap.
5 · Every area feels like a different city
Santa Monica, Venice, WeHo, Silver Lake, Pasadena, Malibu, the Arts District: the people, coffee shops, outfits and pace are completely different in each one. Same city, different magic.
6 · Don't just do Hollywood
On my must-see list for a first LA trip, Hollywood might not even make my top three. What keeps pulling me back: Malibu, Abbot Kinney, the Getty Villa, LACMA, the Huntington Library.
7 · It's not hot all the time
Lots of people bring a whole suitcase of summer clothes, then shiver at the beach at night. Spring, fall and summer evenings, bring a jacket: LA sun is hot, but the wind is cool.
8 · Don't plan only around restaurants
Fit a coffee shop, a matcha, a beach walk, a bookstore and a park into each day; those are often more memorable than the restaurants.
9 · The best experiences aren't only the sights
Save half a day for the things LA does really well: a sound bath, contrast therapy, Pilates, a farmers market, a wellness club, a hike.
10 · Don't rush the photo op
Really loving a city means having places you keep wanting to go back to. My list: Malibu, Santa Monica, Silver Lake, Griffith Park, LACMA, the Getty Villa.
This series: the places I keep coming back to
Sharing the places I've genuinely kept going back to all these years, and the way of life that slowly made me fall for this city. Save this for your next LA trip.
Places in this story
In this series
- First Time in LA
- LA Local Guide 001–010
- Everything I wish someone had told me before my first trip to LA
- LA Survival Rules
Read it with the slides →The illustrated version on the LA Guide →
An original JSLALALAND field guide by Jasmine Chang (@jslalaland).