All The Things

Here is a condensed list of all the things that I’ve done since moving to LA. Because I don’t know how long I’m going to be here, I’ve been essentially treating this like a vacation. So, whenever I have a day off -unless I have errands to do- I try to either do something new or something active.

The Row DTLA – The first place I biked to one of my first days in LA was The Row. When I got there, I was pleasantly surprised to find there was a 4×4 Car Show going on that featured a bunch of old off-roaders such as the Land Rover Defender, Ford Bronco and Toyota Land Cruiser. The main reason for my visit was to check out a store called Banks Journal which ended up not having any clothes that fit me.

CityWalk – Wanting a taste of theme parks while they were (at the time) still closed, I took the train to CityWalk at Universal Studios and just strolled around for a bit. 

Deus Ex Machina – I have been to the Deus store in Sydney and Tokyo, as well as a pop-up store while in Zürich, however, I’d never been to the one near Venice beach. I biked there one day and grabbed a light lunch just before they closed; they have weird operating hours.

Donut Media HQ – I rode down to where the Donut headquarters is listed on Linked In but I think they’ve moved because when I got there, nobody was there.

Race Service – I still sort of vague about what they actually do, but I biked there because I know they help design Daniel Riccardo’s race helmets. They didn’t let me in but at least I know where they are if they ever hold an event I can make it too.

Largo – I biked there during the time when Conan was still taping his show there and was hoping I would run in to him or Sona or Matt, but I didn’t.

Hiked to the Hollywood Sign – This was a convoluted adventure where I biked to the first Griffith Observatory. Then took the wrong hiking path. Then went down the wrong way. Then biked all the way up to the weird side path that took me a weird way but eventually got me to the Hollywood Sign.

The Gamble House – I took the subway to Union Station, switched to the light rail and took the train to Pasadena. From there I walked to “Doc Brown’s house” from Back to the Future.

Downtown Disney – I was craving Disneyland and though I didn’t enter the parks, I did take the two hour bus ride all the way to Downtown Disney. It was a 90 degree day and the first day back since the parks had closed for COVID.

Elysian Trail – This is a hiking path near Dodger Stadium that I thought was a different trail but ended up being ok.

Airplane Landing View Point – I took the bus all the way to -near as makes no difference- just to do some plane spotting. I ended up meeting some fellow plane spotters which was cool.

Union Station – I took the subway to this train station just to see the “police station” from Blade Runner.

Angle’s Flight – This is a little funicular that I had ridden before, when I visited in 2011, but was cool to do again.

Area Under Hill Street – This spot is a famous location for photo and video shoots for cars.

The Grove – I had heard legends of this outdoor shopping mall and now have since visited several times.

Rodeo Drive – I took the bus there and walked the street basically just to check it out. It’s funny how I existed in a completely different part of town in the mental map in my head.

The Last Bookstore – This is featured on every “basic” girl’s Hinge profile. It’s a really cool spot with a lot of art and fun “easter eggs.”

Bodega – I’d been to the Boston location but never been to the west coast counter part of the streetware store. It was equally hidden and equally cool.

Rydell High – Actually Venice High School, I never would have realized that it was where it was based on how it’s portrayed in Grease.

Runyon Canyon – A nice short hike with good views of Hollywood. I’ve done this trail several times and it is always a fun little hike.

Bob’s Big Boy – I had eaten at Bob’s before but I’d never gone on a Friday night. It was cool to see all of the 50s/60s cars in the parking lot.

Little Tokyo – If you look at it just the right way and are in the right frame of mind, the shops, stores and restaurants in Little Tokyo can make you feel like you’re in Japan. It’s a really fun part of Downtown LA.

Mel’s Drive In – I happened to go on a Sunday afternoon just as a group of low riders were showing up. Like Bob’s it was cool to see all of these custom cars. The people I spoke to were all really cool. It was also just fun to eat at the place from “American Graffiti.”

Long Beach – I took my bike on the train and went there on Memorial Day. I really liked the area with the shopping and the food and the Queen Mary. I definitely want to go back.

Toretto’s + Toretto’s House – I biked over to the famed bodega from The Fast and the Furious as well as Dom’s house which is nearby.

Knott’s Berry Farm – On my birthday I was officially fully vaccinated and so I took the bus to Buena Park and went to Knott’s for the day.

1301 Collingwood – I had seen this house listed on Petrolicious and decided to walk up to just see it in person.

Broken Shaker – When I thought things were getting better, Covid-wise, I decided to go to a bar. I went to the rooftop bar at the Freehand Hotel downtown. Because I was a party of one, I had to sit by myself so that was lame.

Hollywood Reservoir Trail – I took the train to Hwood / Vine and bike from the station up the windy rode to the Hollywood Reservoir. I then rode around one side of the trail (it veers left and right) until it spilled out to the main road.

Suavecito Headquarters – Before getting my car I wanted to visit the Suavecito Headquarters, so I took a train from downtown LA to Santa Ana. I then took a Lyft to the store to buy Back to the Future pomade. I then took a Lyft to Disneyland to grab a free bus back to downtown LA.

Wonderview Trail – While Google Mapping, I came across something that said The Wisdom Tree. I ended up finding the Wonderview Trail which is a half hour hike that leads to “The Wisdom Tree.” The hike is kind of steep and kind of challenging but is really cool with good views.

Grand Central Market – After passing it several times I finally went there when my folks came to visit. We each grabbed food at one of the many food vendors there and enjoyed our meal. Actually, I forgot that I did go once by myself before they came to visit.

Tower Theater Apple Store – I had seen them doing construction on this building but I didn’t know what it was. I then saw an article on Hypebeast that this new Apple Store was open. I visited it the next day. It is maybe the most beautiful Apple store i’ve ever been in. It’s kind of sad that the Tower Theater is no longer a theater, but at least in this repurposed state it didn’t get demolished.

Cafe Brass Monkey – Again when things felt ok covid-wise, I took myself to a nearby bar for karaoke. I singed up at 9:30 and didn’t get up until 12:30. It was bullshit. Plus the place was trashy and the people were too. I also realized that I wasn’t super comfortable doing the bar thing yet… because of covid.

Museum of Neon Art – This was a HUGE waste of time. They have very little on display and it’s all contained within one room. There were no exhibits about the history of neon, nothing. Very disappointing.

The Americana – I basically just strolled through here because it was across the street from the MONA. This was kind of nice, like The Grove or Disney Springs if you’re looking for a bougy elevated outdoor shopping experience. 

Venice Ale House – I had been wanting to check this out ever since it was featured on Best Bars in America(?). The thing that I wanted to try was the beer flight served on a longboard skateboard. It was cool, good food, went with a small squad which was nice. We were there right at sunset which was really cool. I’d for sure go again.

Brush Canyon Trail – I’ve now hiked this several times. This is, in my opinion, the best hike to get you to the Hollywood sign. It’s kind of steep at points but overall not too difficult. It takes about an hour to get to the top.

The Motoring Club – I thought this was like the Classic Car Club in Manhattan but it’s a little different. The “clubhouse” was pretty cool but I would never pay to be a member. I don’t own a cool car and I’m not interested in driving all the way to Playa Vista to hang out with a bunch of douchbags.

Period Correct – This was a cool shop that has a bunch of overpriced merch all centered around classic cars and racing.

Bronson Canyon Trail – This ended up being a disappointing hike that lead to some caves that were gated off.

Puente Hills Mall – I drove all the way out to this shitty mall just to see the parking lot where the Delorean time machine first travels through time in Back to the Future. I also went because they still have the Twin Pines Mall sign that was featured in the movie.

Funko – I do not give a shit about Funko Pops, however, I had been informed that the Funko store on Hollywood Boulevard was like a theme park with themed rooms based on the franchise they were promoting. It was really cool but sort of dumb that you had to wait in line outside just to get in.

Blue Jay Way – I trekked all the way up through the Hollywood hills just to go to Blue Jay Way, the subject of The Beatles song of the same name.

Critical Mass – The monthly group bike rides where hundreds of cyclists take over the streets of LA. I’ve done a few of these group rides and they’ve allowed me to explore places I may not have naturally gone to.

Exposition Park – This is one of the spots we went to during a Critical Mass ride. It is home to three(?) museums as well as having several aircraft on display. It’s home to the LA Coliseum and is where I happened upon Hot Import Nights.

76 Gas Station Beverly Hills – I saw this featured in an episode of Entourage and though a gas station may seem dumb, this one is really cool looking.

The Broad – This is a modern art museum in DTLA. The architecture is really cool both inside and out, and it’s free to visit.

Marina Del Rey – I biked through this area while on my way to Manhattan Beach. Not much to say.

Manhattan Beach – It’s a beach. I biked there all the way from my apartment on a hot day in July. Bad idea.

Magnus Walker – Famous for his Urban Outlaw Porsches, I biked to his garage only to get there when it was closed. I wanted to meet him like I had Nakai at RWB but it’s fine. I at least know where it is.

Disney Concert Hall – Though I’ve never seen a show there, I have taken a tour of it… twice. They’re free which is nice and the building, both inside and out, as well as the grounds, is beautiful.

Angel’s Flight – This is a funicular. It’s kind of dumb and touristy but also kind of cool.

Labrea Tar Pits – This was a little underwhelming but I wanted to show my parents because they know it from Big Bang Theory.

LACMA – I took my folks there and had heard it was one of the best art museums in LA. It was fine.

Venice Canals – I showed my parents these cool houses on these manmade canals because… they look cool I guess.

Disneyland – I’ve said it all, read my post.

Disney California Adventure – I’ve said it all, read my post.

Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area – I forget why/how I heard about this. It was kind of a cool weird area to hike in the middle of nowhere.

Griffith Observatory – The the observatory itself is kind of old and boring, it’s nice that it’s free and there are great views of the city.

LA Live Steamers Railroad Museum – I biked all the way to the back side of Griffith Park to see this miniature and full scale railroad museum only to find it was closed when I arrived. It is also home to Walt Disney’s Carolwood Barn where he built his model trains.

Travel Town Railroad – While in the area, I went to the nearby Travel Town Railroad to see the display of a bunch of old and rotting trains.

Walt Disney’s first house – I was Google mapping one day and I saw this listed so I biked over to it. The house next door belonged to Roy Disney.

Ernest E. Debs Regional Park – I drove out there to go on a hike. With the exception of this pond that was surrounded by trees, the area at the top was pretty desolate.

Biked down Mulholland Drive – I walked by bike to the top of Runyon Canyon just so I could bike down Mulholland drive.

Angel City Brewery – This was a cool indoor/outdoor brewery in downtown LA with a food truck. I biked there one day just for the hell of it. Good beer, good food.

The Smell – Ever since finding out about The Linda Lindas I’d wanted to see them in concert. This was my first concert since the start of Covid and also, so far, the last. This venue was a dingy punk spot downtown and I got to meet band.

The Academy Museum – I had known about this since it was announced during the 2020(?) Academy Awards and had been wanting to go. I went on October 1st, the day after it opened and I spent I think around 6 hours there. I loved it, it’s great, you should go.

Culver City – I biked to Culver City just because I wanted to explore that area. It was pretty nice and there were a lot of cool shops in the area.

Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook – After visiting Culver City I rode to the Culver City and walked/hiked all the way to the top. Great views of Century City and Downtown LA.

TCL Chinese Theater – Later that evening, I want to see No Time To Die my first movie back in theaters since Covid. What’s more, it was at one the most famous movie theaters in the world. It was a great experience and I loved the movie.

Chinatown – I biked to Chi-town just to explore it and ended up finding the restaurant from Rush Hour. It’s a cool little area although when I was there, nothing was going on, it was a ghost town.

Lake Hollywood Park – I saw this on Google maps and decided to bike to it. It lies beneath the shadow of the Hollywood sign and is this big grassy area that is also a dog park. It’s near Mulholland Drive and the end of one of the Hollywood Reservoir trails.

Los Angeles State Historic Park – This is a wide open green space near Chinatown but kind of in the middle of nowhere. There is a dirt track for walking around the green space. Not recommended for biking.

Heinz Halloween Store – I found out about this pop-up shop via Hypebeast. It was a store dedicated to making simple blood-themed Halloween costumes using ketchup as blood. There was also free food inside while “blood” dipping sauce.

Rivian Showroom – It’s no secret that the reason I moved to LA was to work at the new Rivian showroom in Venice. Though that didn’t end up working out, the space is actually really nice once it finally opened in October, initially slated for June.

AMC at The Grove – I had seen the AMC the first time I went to the Grove but it hadn’t reopened yet. It is sort of a centerpiece if the architecture there. I went to see The French Dispatch there and both the movie and the movie going experience was bad. However, I got a free pin out of it.

MOCA – The Museum of Contemporary Art was a free way to kill time, the weekend before my sister came to visit. Apart from one cool interactive exhibit, nothing really stood out to me and the amount of galleries and exhibits on display was pretty small.

Neptune’s Net – I knew about this restaurant from The Fast and The Furious. It’s a pretty simple seafood/fried food restaurant on the scenic CA Route 1.

Olivera Street – This is a Spanish themed street on the outskirts of DTLA with a lot of booths for buying various items from Spanish/latin/Mexican culture.

SpaceX – My friend and I drove down to Hawthorne mainly so I could see the Falcon 9 rocket on display outside SpaceX.

Common Space Brewery – (Cont’d from above) We then drove down the road to the  Common Space Brewery which was a really cool spot with both indoor and outdoor seating and a food truck with solid Mexican food.

Frank and Son Collectible Show – This is basically like a Comic Con where all these merchants of nerdy stuff from toys to collectibles have booths for patrons to buy crap they don’t need.

San Diego – I’d always wanted to go to San Diego so one day on my day off I drove myself there. I hit the Giant Dipper (roller coaster) at Belmont Park, ate at Morning Glory and got a Ramos Gin Fizz and checked out Super7 and other cool stores.

Yamashiro – This is a big and fancy Japanese restaurant overlooking Hollywood. I only got a pricy drink there but it was good and the space itself was really cool.

Temescal Canyon – Though I somehow managed to miss the waterfall and the skull rock during my hike, the views from the top of the mountain(?) were excellent. You could see down the coast to Santa Monica, Venice and LAX and up the coast to Malibu. You could see Century City, downtown LA and the mountains in the distance.

Alamo Drafthouse – I was familiar with Alamo from my many visits to the one in Brooklyn. This one is not really different although there was a cool display of the twins from The Shinning. I saw Spider-Man: No Way Home there and it was fine. The food I had was good and though my server seemed a bit grumpy, when I asked for booze in my shake, he delivered.

Ballast Point (Long Beach) – I really like this beer. They have excellent branding and are based in San Diego. However, they have tasting rooms through SoCal, and the one in Long Beach looked the coolest. It’s right on the water and both the inside and the outside were very nice. The inside was huge and would be great for a function like a wedding. I went with my friend Alyssa and we had a good time.

Universal Studios Hollywood – I had been wanting to visit Universal, along with the other theme parks in the area, ever since moving to CA. I finally just went for it on one of my days off. Since it was in February, the off season, the park was not very busy and I was easily able to ride every ride in the park. I drank at the Isla Nu-Bar and ate at Hogsmead. I took the famous studio tour but didn’t get to see the Hill Valley set. Otherwise a pretty solid day.

Mom’s Spaghetti – Hypebeast informed me of this pop-up of Eminem’s Detroit based restaurant. It was in town for a limited time leading up to the Superbowl. I went down to check it out after work  the second day it was there. The line was about a block long and took around an hour to get to the front. I ordered the spaghetti sandwich which was just some basic spaghetti on two pieces of garlic bread. I was hoping for a sub roll, like a meatball sub but its not what I got. I asked for meatballs but they refused to give them to me. However, I had some at home so I got my way, haha, they can suck it. To be honest, except for the Instagram, price-wise and taste-wise it was not worth it.