As a British Council language assistant in Quebec, at the start of March I had a weeklong holiday called Spring Break.
During this time, I decided to make the most of the fact that I’m spending this year in North America and tick off another big destination that was on my list next to New York City… I visited Los Angeles!
A little bit about LA…
Los Angeles is located on the West Coast of USA in the state of California, about a 6 hour drive south from San Francisco. It’s home to Hollywood and a fun fact is that LA’s economy would be bigger than Sweden’s if it was a country!
What were my impressions of LA?
One of the things that struck me the most about LA is just how huge it is. LA is made up of different areas such as Hollywood, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and Downtown – these are just some of the ones I visited but there are many more! I’d never seen a city so spread out and distinct in each neighbourhood, so much that you had to plan to visit one area per day as getting between the areas can take a really long time. For example, it took me and my friend 2 hours to get from where we were staying to Santa Monica beach!
What did I do in LA?
I went to an Improv Night in Hollywood where one of the actors played a British man at a barbecue. It was interesting to see firsthand the stereotypes that Americans had of Brits and to hear an American’s impression of a British accent!
I also went on a few hikes. One to the Hollywood sign (an iconic picture spot) and the other to the Griffith Observatory. They were both fun despite the heat! One of the days, we also visited Malibu beach and the lagoon there. Another day, we went to the Buffalo Exchange which is by far one of the best thrift shops I’d ever been to! You can leave your old clothes for cash too if you’re organised enough to bring some with you on holiday!
Where did I eat?
I ate in a variety of restaurants across various cuisines. A local advised us that the Mexican food in LA is particularly good and I can now vouch for that! Another restaurant that had an impression on me and that I would recommend is called Café Gratitude and it’s a place that serves delicious vegan food. There’s a huge sign saying ‘I LOVE YOU’ on the wall outside and the staff ask their clients a new ‘question of the day’ each day. When I went, the question was ‘what gives you strength?’. It certainly has that stereotypical LA atmosphere!
Overall, LA surprised me in some ways. I think it is a place that everyone should visit at least once, it really wasn’t like anywhere I’d seen before!