Stories from Los Angeles
Long-form writing on Los Angeles and its surroundings — hiking up to the Hollywood Sign at sunrise, a food crawl through Koreatown, and the practicalities of getting around a city built for cars.
More stories
Best Time to Visit Los Angeles by Zone
Catalina Island Day Trip from Los Angeles: What I Wish I'd Known
Christmas Crowds at the Los Angeles Theme Parks
Disneyland vs Universal Studios Hollywood: Which One First?
Do You Need to Rent a Car in Los Angeles?
Does the LA Metro Cover Enough of the City?
Downtown LA vs Hollywood: Where Should You Stay?
Driving and Parking in Los Angeles: What I Wish I'd Known
Free and Low-Cost Things to Do in Los Angeles
How Many Days Do You Need in Los Angeles?
How to See the Hollywood Sign (Not Get Close to It)
Jet Lag and Your First Day in Los Angeles
Las Vegas from Los Angeles: Car or Plane?
Los Angeles on a Tight Budget
Los Angeles vs San Diego: How I Decided Between Them
May Gray and June Gloom: What LA's Coastal Overcast Really Means for Your Trip
Pacific Coast Highway from LA: Which Direction Should You Drive?
Pacing a Family Trip Between Theme Parks and Rest
Palm Springs or Joshua Tree: How I Actually Decide
Rental Car or Rideshare in Los Angeles? How I Actually Decide
Safety and Neighborhoods in Los Angeles: What I'd Actually Tell a Friend
Santa Monica vs Venice Beach: Which One Should You Pick?
Theme Park Tickets and Avoiding Lines in Los Angeles
Theme Parks With Young Children: How I Pace an LA Trip
Tipping and Taxes in Los Angeles: Why the Price on the Menu Isn't the Price You Pay
Visiting the Desert in Summer: Why I'd Think Twice
Where to Stay in Los Angeles by Itinerary
Good to know about the Los Angeles blog
The blog steps back from strict planning to cover the questions that shape how a Los Angeles trip actually feels. An orientation piece opens with the most common misconception of all: Los Angeles is not one walkable city but a sprawling patchwork of districts and independent cities across a wide basin, and "seeing LA" means choosing a handful of areas per day rather than covering the ground on foot. A piece on the beach towns explains that Santa Monica, Venice, Malibu and Long Beach are genuinely different in character, from Venice's canals to Malibu's stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway, and that the ocean itself stays cold year-round, unlike a warm Mediterranean swimming sea.
Another looks at the film industry, and makes the point that a working-studio tour and a theme-park-style studio attraction are different products, not interchangeable versions of the same thing. A piece on Orange County explains that Anaheim, Huntington Beach and Newport Beach are independent cities in a separate county, commonly folded into an "LA trip" without actually being part of Los Angeles. A food and drink piece follows Downtown LA's Grand Central Market, the Santa Ynez Valley's wine country around Solvang, and the food truck and casual-dining culture spread across the city's neighbourhoods.
A piece on desert excursions is blunt about heat and logistics: Joshua Tree and Death Valley both have limited fuel, water and phone signal inside their boundaries, so a clear plan matters more than a fixed date. None of this replaces the destination or guide pages; it exists for the softer context a strict itinerary doesn't cover.
Frequently asked questions about the Los Angeles blog
Will I definitely get a clear view of the Hollywood Sign?
Not guaranteed — marine layer cloud known locally as "May Gray" or "June Gloom" can keep the hills hazy in late spring and early summer, even when inland areas are sunny.
Why is Hollywood sometimes confused with a separate city?
Hollywood is a district within the City of Los Angeles, unlike Beverly Hills, West Hollywood or Santa Monica, which are genuinely independent incorporated cities with their own governments.
Can I cross to Orange County for the day without much planning?
Yes — it's generally under an hour from central Los Angeles by car, though weekday rush-hour traffic can roughly double that time.
Does Los Angeles have a real historic centre?
Not in the European sense — Downtown LA has genuine history around Union Station and the Arts District, but most visitors spend their time in the areas that matter more for their trip, spread across the wider region.
Is the ocean warm enough to swim in?
No — the Pacific off Los Angeles stays cold year-round, which surprises visitors expecting tropical-style swimming even in summer.
Hollywood Sign and Griffith Observatory
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GetYourGuide does not provide a product photo for this activity — the image shows the meeting point, photographed by us.
