JSLALALAND

CITY & ITS PEOPLE

Tourist LA vs Local LA

One city, two totally different ways to live it. How to trade tourist LA for local LA, though honestly, I love both.

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

Key points

Full text

  1. Tourist LA vs Local LA

    Tourist LA, and the LA we live in. Same city. Two completely different lives.

  2. Hollywood: the photo op, or admire it from afar?

    The Walk of Fame crowds, vs. the free city panorama on the Griffith trails.

  3. Same matcha, different memories

    Forty minutes in line at an influencer spot, or a six-seat neighborhood place where the owner remembers what you ordered last time.

  4. Star ratings can lie; locals waiting in line don't

    A 4.5-star trendy taco, vs. the taco truck at the curb and an SGV auntie's cooking.

  5. LA mornings belong to the markets, not the lines

    Brunch at nine and $38 avocado toast, vs. $6 fruit at the farmers market at eight.

  6. Beaches: pick the right spot and the right time

    Santa Monica Pier at noon, vs. El Matador at 5:30 p.m.

  7. LA isn't one city, it's a federation of a hundred small towns

    Five sights in one day stuck on the 405, or one area a day, taking your time once you're there.

  8. LA isn't something to conquer; it's somewhere to live slowly

    FOMO, checklists and photo ops, vs. presence, quality and real connection.

  9. Do go to Rodeo, but save it for last and treat it like an exhibit

    Designer shop windows, vs. vintage, sunshine and happy accidents at the Melrose Trading Post.

  10. LA's best show runs free every day

    Still racing to one last sight at 8 p.m., or already sitting by the ocean watching the sky go from orange to purple.

  11. Two LAs, and I love both

    On a first trip, it's fine to be a tourist; but leave one afternoon totally unplanned and you'll meet the locals' LA.

  12. Are you a tourist or a local?

    Save this for your next LA trip; there's more LA Guide in the book and on the site.

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

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