When in LA

First things first, you can’t do all of Los Angeles in one day. You should definitely visit a few tourist attractions like the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Griffith Observatory, and Grauman's Chinese Theatre if it’s your first time (or if you have just never seen them). But the focus of my last trip to LA was to try something new. And with how dense and seemingly large the city is, it wasn't that difficult. 

So I went downtown with the boys on a Friday morning. We left around 10am and to no surprise, we caught some traffic getting to the heart of the city. By 11am we had arrived; here are the highlights:

Astro Doughnuts and Fried Chicken

Walking in, I can see this is a contemporary establishment because of the good old school hip hop music and the white & lack layout. I ordered "The Works" (chicken sandwich with lettuce. tomato, and egg on doughnut bread) and a creme brulee doughnut. the sandwich was tasty but the doughnut I did not care for. However, it might just be personal taste because it is their most popular doughnut. My friend enjoyed his peanut butter doughnut at least. I'd come back but I think there's better fried chicken places to check out in LA instead.

Grand Central Market  

Being in downtown, it's worth visiting this seemingly small but large open market (it's a block long and half a block wide). Grand Central Market is like a flea market with food truck sized vendors and filled with sweet smells and rad signs. There's tons of different food options and many are worth trying. Stop by here for a quick bite to eat before you head out for some more sightseeing!

Dominic Toretto House

LA is home to tons of popular movie and TV settings like Jerry Seinfeld's Manhattan apartment building from Seinfeld and Mithell and Cameron's house from Modern Family. But I decided to visit 1327 (the address referenced in the Fast and Furious movies). That's not the real address, but it was nice to see the house and remember scenes of the famous Toretto house. Sadly, the driveway was not full of Dom's cool cars.

Galco's Old World Grocery

Yes there's other "world" markets in other places, but this one specializes in different beverages! Seeing so many colas and drinks was daunting, so I asked the clerk for some help picking a few. The old man has probably tried all the drinks in the store because of his vast knowledge of each product. I bought a ginger ale made with hints of wasabi (great ginger ale and the little kick of wasabi doesn't linger in your mouth), a root beer made with dry ice (so the carbonation lasts hours after you've opened it), a ginger beer that I didn't like and some delicious bottled lemonade. Definitely recommend visiting if you're looking for something new to crack open with the boys (or girls).


Things to Consider

Traffic. It varies with the day and time so take it into consideration when you visit. Parking is another important aspect, so bring some quarters (many meters take card too) or a few bucks (not all take card) to park in a lot. You can also park in one spot for a day and take the Metro bikes to get around.

It's Los Angeles, there's so much to see and do both in and around the city. So don't stick to your usual spot(s), try at least one new thing (simple Google searches or Yelping can help). If you're planning your first trip, do some researching and plan out what you want to do so you can get the most out of your trip. Los Angeles has a lot to offer. There's something for everyone, you just have to find it. Cheers.

-- Eric