The below itinerary is a mixture of Landmarks, Art, Beaches, Shopping, Nightlife etc. rolled into one.

The following places will be mentioned:

1.       Santa Monica Beach
2.       Venice Beach
3.       Beverly Hills
4.       The Grove
5.       Hollywood

Santa Monica and Venice Beach: You can start from Santa Monica Beach or Venice Beach. If you start from Santa Monica, you can rent a bike to go to Venice Beach. Bike rentals are from $15-20 a day. There is a path for bicycles. It takes about 20 minutes to get down to Venice Beach.

If you do not plan to rent a bike start at Venice Beach; at Venice Beach you can check out the Venice Beach Boardwalks, the Venice Canals Walkway, and Abbott Kinney Boulevard.

Plan to have lunch at Venice Beach or ride/drive back to Santa Monica Beach. At Santa Monica, they have the Santa Monica Pier and 3^rd Street Promenade (shopping). If you decide to go to Santa Monica on Sunday, they have a Farmers Market on Main Street from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm.

Beverly Hills: Make your way down on Wilshire and pass UCLA on your way to Beverly Hills. Parking is 2 hours free in the various Beverly Hills Parking Structures (look for the signs). Walk down Rodeo Blvd and take a picture with the big Beverly Hills sign on Big Santa Monica Blvd (note that there are two Santa Monica Blvds – big and little).

The Grove: The Grove is one of the places where you can find celebrities (they’re sometimes hidden and can be seen lurking around). It showcases shopping and the original farmers market on 3^rd and Fairfax. Plan to have dinner here.

There are so many food places in the Farmer’s market. There’s seafood, Mexican, New Orleans, Chinese, and American just to name a few.  This is where I come into play: as a local I recommend the Brazilian “restaurant” called Pampas Grill. There’s always a line there. They have fine selection of meats and salad bar. Watch out if you put more stuff on your plate because it’s weighted.

The other place I recommend is Singaporean Banana Leaf (just because I’m Indonesian and I’m biased for their Tuna Sambal).

Looking for dessert? The Crepes at the French Crepe Company are pretty good too! And if you want to get more Los Angeles, go across the street where there’s a Kmart, Wholefoods, and CVS. In an alley, there’s a “cafeteria style” Italian place called Andres.  Get the Spaghetti! It’s a good price compared to what is at the Grove.

 

Hollywood:
Your day isn’t over yet! Make your way over to Hollywood. Check out Hollywood and Highland and the Mann Chinese Theatre. The Hollywood and Highland complex is a shopping center (a small one – but probably has the major shops).  If you go during the day, you can see the Hollywood sign from here. The complex is right next door to the Dolby Theatre. This is where the Oscars are held.

There is a secret stair from the Dolby to the Mann Chinese Theatre. Not the stairs that the celebrities walk in the Oscars but actual musical stairs! They don’t play anymore unfortunately.

The Mann Chinese Theatre is where you find the imprints of stars hand/foot of old and new. Diagonally located across from the Mann Chinese Theatre is the Roosevelt Hotel. This hotel is known for its bars and clubs during the night. It’s supposedly haunted by the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Montgomery Cliff, and a little girl with a blue dress.

If you back track on Hollywood Blvd, you will also find the El Capitan Theatre and where Jimmy Kimmel tapes his late night talk show.

While your on Hollywood Blvd, check out the walk of fame. Find your favorite celebrity’s star.  Or research here before going: http://www.walkoffame.com/starfinder . The Walk of Fame stretches from LA Brea to Vine (approx). If you decide to walk (I don’t recommend), on Vine you will fine the Pantages Theatre and the Capitol Records Building.

Tip: If you see anyone in costumes make sure you tip them. Also, not all people handing out their CDs are famous and they’re just asking for money.

After this, you’re done for the night. Start over, repeat, on to the next day.