Travel Diary: Los Angeles — Modishly Mackenzie

Memorial Day Weekend is one of the busiest travel times of the year, so it was only fitting that I hopped on a plane to LAX with a dream and my cardigan (actually no dream, just a cardigan lol). Memorial Day is the kickstart to summer—everyone is finally outside, soaking up the warm weather and hopefully some color. I stayed mostly in Hermosa Beach where a couple friends of mine live, but ventured out a couple of the days. Below, I list a few noteworthy things we did, as well as those I plan to see next time!

Explore Melrose Avenue

There were so many cute shops, coffee houses and restaurants all lined down this street. We went on Sunday afternoon, so the weekly farmer's/flea market was going on! Florists, boutiques, artists and sooo many fresh veggies were featured in tent after tent. Plus, there were pop up food trucks with homemade tamales, macaroons, churros, gelato... need I go on?

The main reason we went to this adorable street in West Hollywood was to stop at Alfred's Tea Room. This is such a trendy spot, with so many instagrammable opportunities. I have a thing for neon signs.

Drive around Beverly Hills

Rodeo Drive is a must if you've never been. It's just such an iconic street, and a little window shopping never hurt anyone. Seeing all the sports cars gives you a good idea of what to ask your boyfriend for Christmas as well 😉 We ate at Urth Caffé for brunch—they have these all over LA. It's just a simple, but delicious, healthy spot.

Get active!

On my first day we biked along the strand to Venice Beach. We started at Manhattan Beach, which made the way there and back around 26 miles. I thought we were doing a leisurely bike ride and did NOT realize what I signed myself up for. But I DID IT #fitbitch. Maybe make yours a little bit shorter if you want it to be more relaxing rather than a work out 😜

Venice Beach is fun spot to be a tourist for the day. Enjoy all the souvenir shops, food stands, street performers and live music you can get. We stopped at this delicious Czech Republic style ice cream shop with cones made of churros. Run, don't walk. The weather was surprisingly chilly, which was deceiving because I ended up getting fried to a crisp. Only on one side of my body though. I don't even want to talk about it. Note to self—don't wear an off the shoulder dress without switching shoulders periodically.

We also went to Rose Café for dinner. Highly recommend this place! They have amazing craft cocktails, the vibe is so earthy and the service was excellent.

Eat somewhere on the pier

It does not even matter where—taking in all the views is what coming to California is all about. At sunset we ate on the Redondo Beach Pier at Kincaid's. They had delicious clam chowder (and seafood in general). The restaurant was all floor to ceiling windows, so views of the sunset and ocean were unbeatable.

Take a quick road trip

We drove along the coast to Laguna Beach. We took the top off the Jeep Wrangler, which made the ride memorable to say the least (hello, rats nest). Laguna was the epitome of what I imagine California to be. Rocky cliffs, yet sandy beaches, with houses all along the hills. The downtown area was so cute and quaint—not at all as boujee as I would have imagined. It kind of gave me a Northern Michigan feel. We went to the Thousand Step beach, which may have been breezy, but the steps on the way up sure weren't.

Fiesta Hermosa

With it being a holiday weekend, there was a festival going on! While this is definitely a circumstantial activity, I think exploring locally is important too. You may find some hidden gems, fun events or even meet some new people! Take it all in.

Things still on my list:

Sugarfish, The Butcher's Daugher, The Infinity Mirrored Room at The Broad, Mel's Drive-In, driving down Sunset Boulevard and getting rolled ice cream! Plus I wouldn't mind meeting Justin Bieber. We'll just have to save this for next time.