Places to Visit in LA | Pitch To Passport

Looking back on our travels, we really made the most of our time when planning out our trip. Planning a trip isn’t the easiest especially when a destination can be overwhelming with things to do and sights to see. No matter how many days you have in Los Angeles or where you will be staying, this post will have something just for you! That’s why we put together our 4 day itinerary for places to visit in LA and the surrounding area for you.

When we plan our trips, we don’t typically like to do the “very touristy things”. If we do, then we do it as early in the morning as possible to avoid the crowds and lines. You can take our itinerary as is or move things around that work with your schedule. Just be aware that this trip, we did a “very touristy thing” in the middle of the day which is not like us. Either way, this guide will help you plan your trip and hopefully you make memories in the process!

Day 1

Our flight arrived in the evening so we knew didn’t have much time to explore on Day 1 but we still wanted to explore. We had a jam packed few days ahead of us so we did some research and found Eat See Hear. Brought to you by The Los Angeles Times, Eat See Hear is a summer-long celebration of music, movies, and food. They are a traveling outdoor movie theater which brings musical entertainment, food trucks from all over the city, and of course the screening of a fan favorite to a different location every weekend.

When we were in LA, Eat See Hear was at Griffith Park showing the “Big Lebowski”. Griffith Park was already on our list of places to visit in LA so it worked out perfectly that the showing was here! There were food trucks all lined up and even a bar selling White Russians to tie into the movie. They had other beverages too but we loved how unique the whole experience felt. As you can see, it was also a pet friendly experience since we were outside so Kota came and enjoyed the movie and some snacks with us.

Day 2

Our 2nd day of our 4 day itinerary, we started even before we had breakfast! By getting up and moving by 8am, we made our way to Santa Monica pier before it got crowded. We walked around, checked out the rides, and spent some time just taking in the view from the pier.

We then went to Mainopoly: “A Taste of Main Street” in Santa Monica. This is an event they host every year over Memorial Day Weekend where the restaurants, bars, ice cream shops, and more get together to give you a “taste of Main Street”. You guessed it – it’s Monopoly themed. We had a board game with the locations labeled as properties and each participating business stamped your board when you arrived. A portion of all proceeds goes towards funding The Main Street Business Improvement Association which benefits local businesses.

A few of our favorite spots were: The Library Alehouse, Sweet Rose Creamery, and The Anchor.

After our quick little tour, we went to Runyon Canyon to hike for a bit and then drove through a neighborhood to see get the “best view” of the Hollywood Sign. There was also a dog park there so Kota played around a bit while we took in the views.

We ended the day by watched the sunset on the beach before heading home to get ready for dinner at The Rose. Gabriel had researched this restaurant and made reservations months before we event went. It’s an iconic restaurant in Venice that has been serving locals and travelers like us since 1979. We highly recommend you go and make reservations as they do book up quickly.

Day 3

Another early morning start but this time we were headed into downtown LA. This was our “very touristy” day but we did all the big things and some that weren’t even on our list.

First we went to LACMA before heading to the Walk of Fame and took our picture with hand prints of celebrities. Then saw the Dolby Theatre, Chinese Theatre, and more. We somehow managed to get on a cheesy bus tour but it was the cheapest and easiest way to see all of LA, Beverly Hills, and even Rodeo Drive. It was 100% worth it and we highly recommend it!

Once the bus tour was over, we checked out St. Vincent’s Court and then ate at Pann’s Diner before checking out Angel City Brewery. Pann’s Diner is the diner from Pulp Fiction so that was pretty cool and a very “Hollywood” experience.

Day 4

Our last day of our 4 day itinerary in LA, we started a self-guided walking tour of the famous graffiti landmarks in Venice Beach. This was really enjoyable as we walked and drank our coffee and our dog got to stretch her legs before we went to the LA Galaxy game that night.

We grabbed lunch at Hotel Erwin. The rooftop views were amazing even on a “June Gloom” day. As the sun started to come out, we decided to grab drinks at Venice Ale House which has become one of our favorite spots. When you go, you need to order a flight of beer. They bring it out on a skateboard and what screams Venice Beach more than drinks on a skateboard?!

If you take anything from our post about places to visit in LA, Venice Ale House needs to be one of them!

Finishing out the trip, we went to LA Galaxy vs Sporting KC game. At the time, we both worked for Sporting KC so to be able to go to LA Galaxy’s stadium as an away fan was a unique experience in itself. If you know us by now, when we visit new cities, we like to either get a stadium tour or go to a game and here we were able to do both!