Hidden L.A.: How to Visit Like a Local

Even if you’ve never been to Los Angeles, you probably have a clear image of the city in your mind. Film and TV have built an archetypal “Los Angeles” in every American’s head—even those who grew up on the other side of the country—making the Hollywood Sign, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and starlet-laden red carpets familiar to all of us. If you’ve ever been to L.A., chances are you spent your trip on tour buses and studio lots checking off destinations from your list of iconic sites to see.

But there is so much more to Los Angeles than what is pictured in the brochures handed out by guys wearing sandwich boards on Hollywood and Highland. There is a vast city to experience outside of the dozen or so landmarks that we all know—the L.A. people actually live in, not the L.A. that only exists for tourists. Here is Hidden L.A.: How to Visit Like a Local.

The majority of L.A. tourist attractions are located in Hollywood, i.e. the aforementioned Hollywood Sign and Walk of Fame in central Hollywood. The Beverly Hills shopping mecca is just west of there. The legendary beaches known for their eye candy are further west still, where the freeway runs into the Pacific. However, the east side of L.A. is home to the more hip and vibrant side of the city, represented only in niche television shows and indie films.

The four neighborhoods that make up L.A.’s east side—Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Echo Park, and Downtown (DTLA)—are constantly vying for the title of the city’s coolest neighborhood. Whether you opt for bar-hopping along the east end of Sunset Blvd., strolling around Echo Park, enjoying a casual brunch at a Los Feliz spot like Alcove, or exploring the Downtown Arts District, the east side is sure not to disappoint. If you want to see opulence, power lunches, and $1,000 purses, stick to the west side.

Downtown Los Angeles hasn’t always had the best reputation. A portion of DTLA is still referred to as “Skid Row,” an area best known for having one of the largest homeless populations in the country. Despite the challenges that DTLA has faced over the years, a portion of the downtown area has emerged as one of the most interesting L.A. neighborhoods over the last decade. GQ recently dubbed DTLA America’s “next great city,” and many other publications have tossed around similar accolades. In recent years, low rents and a truly urban feel have drawn artists and restaurants to DTLA, giving rise to one of the coolest pockets in all of Los Angeles.

As you might have guessed, art spaces have figured prominently in the revitalization of DTLA. The monthly Downtown Art Walk attracts people from all over the city to experience art galleries and eclectic dining in the area. If you aren’t lucky enough to be in L.A. on the second Thursday of the month for the walk, you can still visit other prominent galleries, like the DAC Gallery, The Hive, and the Gloria Delson Gallery, on other days. Offbeat stores like Guerilla Atelier and Poketo are also worth a visit if you want to take home an artsy souvenir without refinancing your mortgage. The area also offers some of the most highly regarded dining in the city, such as Wurstküche, Alma, and Mo-Chica. There are also great places to have a drink—places like The Ace and Angel City Brewery. For visitors who complain that L.A. feels more like a sprawling suburb than a “real city,” DTLA is one destination that will immediately dispel that misconception.

Throughout the 1970s and ’80s, L.A.’s music scene was headquartered on the Sunset Strip. Many national acts still grace the stages of those venues and visitors can see lesser-known bands at places like the Troubadour. However, to get the most out of L.A.’s music scene, you’ll want to cast a wider net.

Some of the best venues in the city are on the east side. The Echo/Echoplex in Echo Park is an amazing indie venue that pulls an impressive roster of emerging artists and is known for its one-of-a-kind events like Monday Residencies and Funky Sole parties. Two of the city’s best venues call Silver Lake home. The Bootleg offers a full schedule of cool music and dance events, as does The Satellite. These are just a few of the great venues that prove that there is a vibrant pulse beyond the Strip.

Unless you were raised in some kind of underground bunker, you probably know that Los Angeles is the center of the entertainment industry. Angelinos don’t just go to the multiplex like the rest of the country. Film screenings are social events here, just like going to the theatre or a concert in New York. After viewing films in the various theatres around the city, you’ll realize that you can watch almost any movie at any time in L.A.

Here’s a brief (but by no means exhaustive) rundown of where to see the best screenings in L.A.: The Cinefamily is home to top-notch experimental cinema. It is also known to show movies with live scores, record podcasts in front of an audience, and host a wide array of amazing events throughout the year. New Beverly Cinema is home to nightly double features of cult films and classic flicks. El Cid, a Mexican restaurant in Silver Lake, hosts monthly short film and web series screenings. Film Independent at LACMA hosts an amazing series of screenings followed by conversations with filmmakers. LACMA also plays host to one of the city’s hottest tickets in Jason Reitman’s Live Read series, where A-list stars read classic scripts in-person.

If I asked you to name two foods that Los Angeles was absolutely obsessed with, you probably wouldn’t pick burgers and doughnuts. After all, you won’t find many more health-conscious cities than L.A. Odd as it may sound, in addition to Mexican cuisine and green juice, L.A. residents take their burgers and doughnuts very seriously.

The best burger in Los Angeles is a hotly debated topic. Depending on whom you ask, you might get a dozen different answers. For those who want to expand their burger cravings beyond the obligatory post-airport In-N-Out visit, here are a few suggestions. The burger at Father’s Office—which comes topped with sweet onion jam, Gruyère, blue cheese, and bacon—is always in the running for the best burger in town. The reasonably priced burgers offered by Stout in Hollywood are also a local favorite. Comme Ça’s fancy $18 burger has its admirers as well.

When it comes to doughnuts, L.A. has an endless array of attractive options, from simple throwback shacks to gourmet doughnut bistros. On the high-end, Kettle Glazed produces some of the tastiest and most interesting doughnuts in the city, with flavors like pistachio and blueberry-lemon. On the other end of the spectrum is Bob’s Coffee & Donuts, which cultivates a more old-fashioned feel.

One of the positives of living in such a vast city is that ethnic enclaves have ample space to flourish. Diverse restaurants, bars, and shops can be found in every corner of the city. K-Town, Thai Town, Little Tokyo, and Little Ethiopia each offer some of the best cuisine in Los Angeles.

If you’re looking for great Korean BBQ in K-Town, the biggest challenge will be narrowing your options. You can literally find Korean BBQ places across the street from other Korean BBQ places. Some of the best include Bud Namu, Ma Dang Sae, and Castle 2. You can also find a number of great cold noodle and tofu spots in the area. Little Tokyo is home to phenomenal sushi restaurants like Hama Sushi and Sushi Gen. After satisfying that sushi craving, browse the array of Japanese shops and restaurants in the nearby Japanese Village Plaza. Thai Town boasts beloved spots like Jitlada and Krua Siri. In Little Ethiopia, dine at least one of the neighborhood’s better-known restaurants, like Awash or Merkato.

People from other parts of the country don’t often realize that L.A. has access to some extreme variations in climate and geography. The desert near Joshua Tree National Park is just over two hours away. The snowy peaks of Big Bear are about the same distance from Hollywood. The temperate forests of Sequoia and the eternal spring of Big Sur are also within striking distance (as long as you’re willing to endure traffic).

So, what do L.A. locals do on the weekends? They take day trips to some of these nearby natural destinations. If you want to experience L.A. like someone who lives there, pick a spot, whether it’s Yosemite, Santa Barbara, Vegas, San Diego, or Death Valley, and go on a drive to experience how the terrain and the environment can change within the timeframe of a couple of hours.

When outsiders think of L.A. beaches, they usually think of the sandy coast around Santa Monica and Venice. Just a short jaunt north in Malibu, there are three hilly, rocky state parks that offer some of the most interesting coastlines in California. Rather than walking straight into high-rises and cantinas 10 feet from the waterfront, you can hike the hilly terrain of the Santa Monica Mountains for a breathtaking view of the coast. Topanga, Leo Carillo, and Point Mugu State Parks offer some of the most beautiful coastal terrain in the country and are only a short drive from the crowded Santa Monica beachfront. You could spend an entire day walking the trails of any of these parks. If you’re in the mood for a quick drive, whether you hit the Pacific Coast Highway at sunrise or sunset, the route to Malibu is one you won’t soon forget.

This may be a depressing reality for the savvy travelers out there, but L.A. is a big city—too big to take in all at once. Many visitors have the idea to hit the Santa Monica Pier, the Hollywood Sign, and that cool brunch place in Silver Lake that they saw on TV all in the same day. If you’re that ambitious, you’re going to end up exhausted without having actually accomplished very much. Be reasonable when you figure out your plan of attack, map your itinerary by proximity, and try to avoid freeway travel anywhere near rush hour. If you think that you’re going to do Santa Monica and Silver Lake in the same day, pick one and promise yourself that you’ll get to the other next time. As long as the earthquakes lay off, L.A.’s not going anywhere.