The California Dreaming Guide for Exploring L.A. in 1-Day

Recently, a close friend and I took a spontaneous 4-day trip to Los Angeles. We "hopped off the plane in LAX" around 10PM without a single itinerary, schedule or checklist. 

I hear the collective gasps of all of you planners out there. You all are probably breaking into an open sweat just reading about the fact that we had no carefully laid out plan. We knew we had lodging and a car rental covered, and that was enough for us. ​

We did have ideas of things we wanted to do, and each morning we would spend about 20 minutes talking through where we wanted to go. We looked up addresses, and mapped out a rough order for the day. This strategy really worked well for us, and we were able to do and see so much in such a short period of time - all without being exhausted by the end of the vacation. Winning!

Shortly after our trip, another friend of mine reach out to me for travel recommendations. She was gifting her teenage daughter with a visit to L.A. for the first time and wanted to get a feel for some fun, must-see places they could check out around the city. 

I ended up spending over an hour creating two different detailed itineraries, each consisting of things to do with only 1-day in L.A. and 1-day in Southern California. I was sure to add addresses and some miscellaneous notes to make it even more personal.

I absolutely love curating these itineraries after visiting different cities around the world! This one includes some of my all-time favorite places in L.A. Enjoy!

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Los Angeles 1-Day Itinerary

If you only had one day in LA, here’s what I would suggest...

• Eggslut in Venice for breakfast
• Abbott Kinney: Visit Tom’s Flagship Store, Art walls, High-End and Boutique Shopping, Warby Parker Flagship stores
• Grab Coffee at Tom’s or Intelligensia on the strip (in Abbott Kinney)
• Lemonade (on Abbott Kinney) or Tocaya Organic Venice for lunch (near Abbott Kinney)
• The Hollywood Sign (it’s like 45 minutes away from Abbott Kinney)
• The Griffith Observatory for sunset 
• Dinner at "Best Fish Taco in Ensenada" Yes, that is the actual name of the restaurant! 

Eggslut in Grand Central Market
317 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90013
or 1611 Pacific Ave, Venice, CA 90291 (this one is closer to the following locations)

• Now the name is a bit, well, explicit. But the food is melt in your mouth best breakfast sandwich I have ever had in my entire life. They have a couple of locations, but this one was cool cause it was in this little market place, and you can’t deny the vibe! Don’t get stressed if the line is long, it was long for us too. But moves quickly and is totally worth the wait. 

Abbott Kinney Blvd
1661 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, CA 90291

• You could stay on this whole stretch of street for an entire day! Tons of art walls and murals, great for photo ops, cute shops. They even have a their Toms shoes flagship store and a Warby Parker store! Both you absolutely have to check out. 
• If you’re looking to grab lunch there, LEMONADE is the spot. They have a grand food selection, tons of healthy options and the best lemodate for miles. Their address is a great starting or ending point if you decide to walk up and down Abbott Kinney Blvd.

Tocaya Organic Venice
1611 Pacific Ave, Venice, CA 90291

• Now, this place has the BEST guacamole and plantain chips ever. And it is right on Venice beach a.k.a muscle beach, which you have to check out just for the history. This place is sort of run down, but it is an iconic beach where body builders just hang out, pump iron and drink protein. This is also the perfect time to check out the Pacific Ocean, especially if you have never experienced it before! Touch the water, and take a picture with one of the lifeguard huts in the background. 

Tom's Flagship Store
1344 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, CA  90291

• Grab coffee here and enjoy the free wifi, cool vibes and clean bathroom! 

Hollywood Sign
Hollywood Sign, Los Angeles, CA 90068

• The service is a bit spotty, but this address should get you to the top of the hill and has a great view. There are parallel parking spots at the top of the winding hill as well. Parking is free!

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The Griffith Observatory
2800 E Observatory Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90027

• There are a couple of parking lots. I would recommend paying the money to park toward the top of the hill. Worth every penny.
• Check out the show they have, also worth every penny. 
• Hours are Tues-Fri from 12:00PM to 10:00PM. Saturday - Sunday 10-10PM. 
• Definitely go like 1 hour before sunset! You’ll see the sun go down on LA, and watch as all the lights turn on! You’ll even see the hollywood sign! They have this powerful telescope that shows you a planet, I believe Jupiter, soooo cool!

Best Fish Taco in Ensenada
1650 Hillhurst Ave, Los Angeles, CA  90027

• This girl is obsessed with a good fish taco! Sadly, I didn't actually get to visit this place because they were closed by the time we made our way down the hill after visiting the observatory...however, my friend just RAVED about this place and I had to share it with you too! Best believe I'll be trying it out when I return! If you get there before I do, let me know how you like it!

Bonus Sights:

If you're wanting to substitute a couple of hours in your day, these two spots are both great places to check out!

Los Angeles Theatre
615 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90014

• This theatre is magical. I am not sure if any shows will be playing there, but if so, definitely worth a look. A parking garage is close by, and worth the $ to park in it.
• We went to Shake Shack up the street before the show, and it was SOO GOOD!
• Also - check out all of the stars on the ground! Some super famous people’s names are there, and it’s just sort of cool to see some of the greats, and names of people that have since past on.

Santa Monica Pier
1602 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90401

• I know it’s super touristy, but it’s so cool! We rode the little roller coaster, and went on the ferris wheel and took some cute pictures and polaroids. 
• Parking is rough, but I recommend finding street parking further up Ocean Avenue and then walking there!

So there you have it! Another 1-day itinerary for your adventure seeking and exploring self! I hope you have the time of your life making memories and meeting new people along the way!

Your fellow wanderer,
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Stasia Rose