I get my best ideas when I am in new places or traveling to a new place. I usually find that the time I spend in route to my destination gives me my best thinking time. Lately, I have been completely obsessed with the idea of LA. Between jealously watching Instagram stories from Create Cultivate, binging Insecure for the hundredth time, and the inescapable Oscars hype, I have been California dreaming. Thankfully my wanderlust friend Amanda has been to La La Land and shared some of her favorite experiences with us! (If you have been somewhere awesome and want to share with our readers, let us know!)

Hollywood // Los Angeles

By: Amanda Bittner

Must-See: Hollywood Sign

Eat Here: Carrera Café – make your own latte art!

Fave Neighborhood: Hollywood Hills

Photo Ops: 1) Skybar 2) any of the Angel Wings murals (they’re everywhere!) 3) Hollywood Sign 4) Perch rooftop

Pro Tips

1. The Runyon Canyon Hike is steep AF! Don’t let the shirtless men running past you get you down – the view is worth it, I promise.

2. Celebrity sightings: stop searching & be patient - they’ll pop up when you least expect it! (Spotted Dennis Quaid in a cheap, dark Mexican restaurant eating chips & salsa like the rest of us peasants!)

3. The Hollywood Walk of Fame is not all it’s cracked up to be. The large mass of tourists & tacky superhero characters on the street leave much to be desired.

4. Ditch the tourist area & blend in with the cool local vibes at Skybar & Ep + Lp Lounge that feel straight out of a scene in Entourage.

5. To get a good photo right in front of the Hollywood sign (I mean RIGHT there), take a Lyft up Deronda Drive as far as it can go. They’ll reach a point where they can’t drive any further. Walk the rest of the way to the top, and voila!

6. Best mode of transportation: your gams! Walking everywhere really gives you a lay of the land, and you get to see some drop dead gorgeous Hollywood homes.

7. Decompress from the stresses of travel with a yoga class at Liberation Yoga – most beautiful yoga studio ever, and their drop-in price was super affordable!

Wish I Had Visited: 1) Dolby Theater (where the Oscars are) 2) Venice Beach 3) Chateau Marmont