I’ve visited Los Angeles many times as a kid with my family. I knew it for the beaches and Getty Museum, which was a memorable place for me as a kid. I finally got to go back, as an adult.
I was in Los Angeles to reconnect with an old friend. She was working at a cool foreigners-only hostel in Venice Beach. The hostel is not on any booking sites and known through word of mouth. I felt like I had insider information staying there, as I was the only American out of thirty or so foreign guests. It’s a two-story house converted into a cozy place for travelers to crash. Smoothie places within walking distance, Nepalese food on the boardwalk, cute bikes and the ocean breeze – Venice Beach was the perfect mix of hip and cozy that I’ve come to love in LA.
My friend and I visited numerous art museums as she is an artist as well. My favorite one was the Craft and Folk Museum. It was a small, folk-style building across from the LA County Museum of Art and La Brea tar pits. We saw an interesting exhibit, Betye Saar’s solo exhibition. And we got to meet her in person!
Since LA was another solo trip for me (one of my favorite ways to travel!) I had some creepy true crime podcasts to listen to along the way, to “set the stage”. Some episodes I had on rotation while there are:
- Once Upon a Crime – Episode 93 was about the weird happenings at the Cecil Hotel involving a college student from Canada
- Thin Air – Episode 31 was about the mysterious disappearance of somebody at the LA County Museum of Art.
I definitely do not recommend murder podcasts for the lighthearted. Or the first-time solo traveler.
One of the perks of having a friend working was that I had a lot of time to myself to explore and hang out. I spent many mornings meandering through the canals, contemplating way too long for which cold pressed juice to get, and doing yoga on the beach.
Unforgettable place: I had duck confit and hash from Nighthawk Breakfast Bar at Venice Beach. It’s not on the menu anymore but I’ll never forget how delicious it was! It was duck egg, poached, on a beautiful bed of potatoes. How can anything be better than that?!