Part Tourist, Part Foodie, Part Dreamer
There’s something magical about boarding a plane knowing the Pacific Ocean is waiting on the other end. Nicole and I left Norfolk, Virginia, coffee in hand, ready for a week where the city would keep us buzzing, the coast would keep us grounded, and the food … well, the food would keep us happy.
City Vibes, LA in All Its Glory
Our first stop was downtown Los Angeles and the Walt Disney Concert Hall – Frank Gehry’s stainless steel masterpiece. It opened in 2003 and is home to the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Fun fact: its shiny panels once reflected enough heat to warp nearby car bumpers (don’t worry, they fixed that).
A short walk away, we found ourselves at The Broad Museum. Opened in 2015, it houses more than 2,000 works of contemporary art – think Warhol, Lichtenstein, and the occasional massive pumpkin from Yayoi Kusama. It’s modern LA in a nutshell: bold, strange, and unforgettable.
We grabbed a bite at the Cal Marketplace where we stayed in the Omni Hotel, where California cuisine means farm-fresh produce, bold flavors, and an unapologetic mix of global influences.
Historic Touchstones & Hollywood Daydreams
Next came the charming Angels Flight Railway, the shortest railway in the world since 1901, once ferrying LA’s elite up and down Bunker Hill for a penny a ride.
From there, it was onto Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills – part of the legendary Route 66. Standing there, you can almost see 1930s dreamers rolling in from the Midwest, chasing stardom.
We stopped for lunch at Porta Via Beverly Hills, where the salads are plated like art and the setting makes you feel like you’ve walked into a movie set.
Views That Steal the Show
High above the city, the Griffith Observatory offered sweeping views from downtown to the Pacific. Built in 1935, it’s been the backdrop for films from Rebel Without a Cause to La La Land.
We couldn’t resist a quick photo op at the Beverly Hills Police Department – forever immortalized by Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop.
Food Worth Traveling For
Dinner at Majordōmo in LA’s Arts District was next-level. David Chang’s West Coast flagship takes Korean flavors and blends them with the best California produce. The result? Plates that make you think, How does this even exist? in the best way possible.
Baseball, Beaches & Balboa Bay
We checked off two baseball meccas – Dodger Stadium in LA (built into the hills of Chavez Ravine in 1962) and Angel Stadium in Anaheim (home to the Angels since 1966, complete with its giant A scoreboard).
From there, we headed to Balboa Bay Resort in Newport Beach. Since 1948, it’s been a playground for Hollywood royalty. We dined overlooking the Lido Channel, yachts drifting by as though they had nowhere to be – and we were perfectly fine with that.
Laguna & Newport Coast: California in a Postcard
Laguna Beach – once an artist colony in the early 1900s – still feels like a painting come to life. Cliffs, surfers, turquoise waters … it’s California distilled.
Our final dinner at Pelican Grill in Newport Coast, with friends Karen, Vivian, and Shane, capped the trip perfectly. This stretch of coastline, once part of the vast Irvine Ranch, is now one of the most scenic (and expensive) in the state.
Southern California gave us big city lights, coastal calm, and flavors we’ll be chasing for a long time. Every place had a story, and every story had a flavor.
If you’re planning your own SoCal adventure – bring your walking shoes, your appetite, and a little room in your heart for the unexpected.
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