After years and years of consuming American media, the City of Angels was always a place I wanted to visit. It’s the kind of place where, as cliché as it sounds, dreams come true. Vic and I finally planned a trip to LA after years of talking about it, and she was my personal tour guide for the trip. From Staples Center to Beverly Hills, we managed to fit in so many places in 7 days but also got to chill so much at the same time.
Melrose and Beverly Hills
I won’t lie, I love just rockin’ a pair of joggers and some clean sneakers. That’s my usual go to wardrobe, but this doesn’t mean that I need to live in it 24/7. Sometimes, I like to get dolled up a bit and throw on a blazer for good measure. I figured when we were going to the Melrose and Beverly Hills areas, respectively, it would be a great opportunity for me to clean it up a bit! I rocked out in the window pane blazer from Le Chateau and never looked back. The beauty of the blazer look is the extra layer that you can throw over your shoulder or wear throughout the day. The efficiency and the stylish clean look of a blazer to provide efficiency and variability was an absolute must for me. We landed the perfect day for weather out there to compliment my cold brew from Alfred’s Tea Room.
The next day wasn’t exactly the same look for me. We made our way to Beverly Hills the next day, and I knew this would involve a lot of walking around the shops in the area since Vic likes to do her thing. So naturally, I threw on the Nikes and joggers, and made myself comfortable for a shopping day. Although nothing was purchased that day (woohoo!), I must say, there’s nothing nicer than when a person compliments your sneakers and I got just that.
Sneaker Shopping
The next day was my kind of shopping day. We explored the Fairfax area after a few meetings that we had set up, and let’s just say, I had found my calling card! Flight Club, Union, Cool Kicks, Supreme. The abundance of shoe shops was evident as I was able to walk from store to store to admire the collections. I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to walk into these stores and walk away empty handed…
The Grove
I had no idea what The Grove was when Vic was explaining it to me. It’s an outdoor shopping centre, but also a place where people go to chill, but it also has food, but also a bunch of other stuff. The Grove was legit a chill shopping spot where people literally just hang out too. There’s no need or pressure to buy anything like other shops, you sort of just roam around and see what’s going on. I loved the atmosphere of this place, where you can just hang out and relax. I see a consistent theme about this City of Angels…
Hotel 850 SVB
Checking into Hotel 850 SVB was a great process. Upon leaving LAX, we stopped into In n Out right by the airport (of course), and checked straight into Hotel 850 SVB. The front desk staff were extremely helpful, as we just left the car with the valet and they took care of the rest. Little did I know, this became a common trend around LA. Even random strip malls with restaurants (think of random malls in Markham) would have a valet service!
The hotel itself is very quaint, a beautiful boutique hotel. The staff were all extremely helpful and made us feel perfectly at home. The hotel offered a continental breakfast, exactly what I would need to start the day; fresh croissants and coffee! In the afternoon, instead of needing to find a place for some happy hour drinks, the hotel also rooftop drinks available for its guests! This was the perfect way to spend the sunset, because the views of the hills from the hotel were unencumbered. Personally, I loved Hotel 850 SVB’s location, since it sits right at San Vincente and Santa Monica. A few steps away from the poppin’ night life on Santa Monica.
Santa Monica Pier
Now, I can’t lie. I’ve been to Santa Monica Pier before. Years ago, I was in LA for a night on my way to Vegas for a bachelor party. So a night with the guys, and we decided to check out Santa Monica Pier. Not exactly how I envisioned a fun bachelor party.
This time, it was done right. Vic and I laid down a towel, took in the sunset, and then wandered the amusement park area. And, of course, we enjoyed some delicious fresh churros!
Staples Center
This was one of the spots that I made mandatory for me to see when I got here. I do this with every city in the States that has a NBA team. Even if I’m not a fan of the specific team, or if the team doesn’t resonate with me, I still need to show respect and check out the arena where some of the most talented ballers play. If you know anything abuot the NBA, Staples Center is one of the hottest places to be this year with the Clippers and Lakers being among the title contenders in the league this year. And being in LA, tickets prices were absurdly high but that didn’t stop me from going by the arena to see all the statutes. Kareem, Magic, Chick Hearn, and even Shaq, some of the best players to dawn a Laker uniform have been immortalized outside Staples Center!
Special shoutout to Wayne Gretzky, Oscar De La Hoya, and Luc Robitaille among others as non-NBA players to have statues outside of Staples. Now, how many people can say they were dunked on by Shaq?
La Brea Tar Pits & LACMA
I’d like to venture a guess and say LACMA is one of the most photographed spots in LA. The art installation outside of LACMA definitely draw people in with its unique structure and symmetry, which I just love. Just remember, they don’t allow tripods on LACMA’s property so you’ll have to set your tripod on the sidewalk and keep an eye on it if you’re taking serious photos! Otherwise, feel free to walk around the installation, hide between the lightposts, and get your photoshoot on! This day, I underestimated the heat and wore the Quilted Knit City Blazer from Le Chateau, but it was definitely worth it with the random gusts of wind that hit!
Venice
Visiting Venice was a major priority for me this trip. As a major hoops fan, I’ve always seen the videos of people playing ball at the courts at Venice. I’ve always heard of Gold’s Gym, the beautiful Venice beach walk, even the crowds of people in the area. We spent hours wandering up and down the boardwalk, watching all types of performers, and checking out the local shops around. The beaches at Venice aren’t for everyone. It’s extremely crowded and full of different types of characters, but the crowd also provides for entertainment value.
Go for a hike up Runyan
When I was packing for LA, I didn’t plan on anything like hiking. I mean, I’m going to Hollywood, why would I need to go hiking in the dirt or the hills. But that’s exactly what LA is full of, big ass hills. We ended up going for a hike up Runyan Canyon, which is actually right by the Hollywood Hills. We managed to find some parking close to the start of Runyan, and made our way up the Canyon! We ended up veering off the paved road to really explore the hill side and all the dirt. Boy, was I surprised by the difficulty and the amount of people up there. I guess it’s a normal LA thing to do, go for random hikes in the hills around the city. Why not take advantage of the landscape for which these residents pay so much for. It was an incredible view of the city, and we timed it perfectly to be at the top right for sunset!
