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Follow the locals: 10 BEST things to do in LA
After you’re done with seeing the Hollywood sign, taking a studio tour, walking Hollywood Blvd and seeing how you measure up to the celeb’s hand and footprints outside Grauman’s Chinese Theatre do some stuff that locals do. I’ve lived in LA for over 10 years. Some things on the list are my favorite local haunts, others are well known, but if you’re looking to get a real LA experience…try out these…10 BEST things to do in LA.
1) Eat at El Compadre
There are several El Compadres around the city, but THE ONE to hit up is smack in Hollywood on Sunset BLVD. The place isn’t fancy, but the Guac and the Margs are delicious and a mariachi bands plays in the evenings. The booths around the outside of the dining room are the best to people watch, and and inside tip…it’s first come, first serve on the back patio.
2) Sushi at the original Katsuya in Studio City
LA is absolutely chalked FULL of great sushi. However…what has become my favorite place in the entire city started a craze of baked crab handrolls and creamy rock shrip: Katsuya. The original is a no-nonsense, strip mall, leviathan of sushi and the best part…it’s considerably cheaper than the hollywood spinoffs.
3) Hike Fryman Canyon not Runyan
There are a lot of hikes in LA, but most people talk about Runyon Canyon. Runyon is a nice hike, but I feel like it almost always stinks of dog pee and is terrible to find parking. Instead…if you drive over Laurel Canyon you find Fryman Canyon. It’s a little enclave with a great hike that isn’t as crowded, and while still dog friendly, doesn’t have an aroma.
4) Visit Greystone Manor
Smack in the middle of Beverly Hills is one of the coolest public parks in the entire city, Greystone Manor. It’s been featured in many movies, tv shows, etc but I’m always amazed to talk to a lot of Angelenos who have never been. It was owned by the Doheny family ( an uber posh street is named after the fam) who donated it to the city. Now the grounds can be visited and enjoyed by the public. Bring a snack…it’s a great place to picnic.
5) Breakfast at the Beverly Hills Hotel at the Fountain Coffee Room
Who doesn’t love a good breakfast?! One of my favorite places is the Fountain Coffee Room at the Beverly Hills Hotel. It’s located downstairs and resembles an old 60s diner. Nestle in at the counter ( don’t be surprised…the seats don’t move ). I usually have an omelette and a slice of the Beverly Hills Hotel signature cake.
6) Eat at Taverna Tony in Malibu and peruse the cross creek mall
You’ve heard of the Bu, right? Malibu. Hop in the car and head up PCH. You’ll get to the cross creek mall after an incredible drive filled with vistas and multi-million dollar cliffside homes. Tucked in the back of the mall you’ll find Taverna Tony’s. An outstanding Greek restaurant. Order the Vegetarian’s Paradise.
7) Get a thai massage at Wat Po
You don’t need to go to a fancy spa to have an incredible massage. Rates start around $45, between 10am – 2pm, and you will leave feeling like a new person. For those unfamiliar with Thai massage, they therapists will walk, pummel, rub, elbow, knee, and dig their feet into every aching knot your body holds. 
8) Eat Pizza at Vito’s
When you’re done with your thai massage at Wat Po go directly downstairs to THE BEST PIZZA in town. I lived in New York for a couple years and this is the only place I’ve been to that measures up. Order whatever you want…you can’t go wrong. Vito’s is amazing.
9) Smokehouse
Want to rub shoulders with actors after a hard day on set? Head to the Smokehouse. It’s located directly across the street from the Warner Bros lot and the rumor has it that it was frequently so often by George Clooney he named his production company after it: Smokehouse Pictures. Get a scotch and make sure your phone is charged…you’ll needing to Uber home.
10) Get a burrito at Tere’s on Melrose
There’s a hole in the wall Mexican restaurant near Paramount pictures that is FANTASTIC! Tere’s looks like nothing from the outside, but their guac, tortillas, burritos, and salsa are fantastic. Not that their other food isn’t amazing, but I’m always craving a burrito when I’m near that that’s all I order. My recs…Shrimp burrito, and when I ate Chicken, the Chicken TINGA was out of this world. *there is a 2nd Tere’s in Studio City, but the original is where you should go.
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Welcome Offer
60k Points after $4k spend in 3 months
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 60k points after $4k spend in 3 months
- Worth $750 in Chase Travel℠ and way more if you maximize transfer partners
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
- 2x on all other travel
- 10% Anniversary Bonus
- Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
- Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel℠ and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver ( primary ), purchase protections, etc.
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- Redeem in Chase Travel℠ for 1.25 cents per point
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024
- $95 Annual Fee
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex℠and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.
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