Hey everyone!

Hope your first week of January went well. Thank you all so much for the warm birthday wishes! I had such a fulfilling birthday with my family with some beach vibes and I could not be happier. The countdown back to Boston is mad real right now though. Hope everyone in the northeast are conquering this snow storm!

Being in LA for the past 2.5 weeks, I’ve spent a great deal exploring new (and the usual) places. I’ve decided to share with you my current favs so whether you’re a local or looking to weave LA into your future travel plans, this guide will be a pretty good compass!

Ice Cream/Shaved Ice

Everyone knows I’m a sweet treat kinda gal. I recently tried out Cafe Bora in Koreatown. We went to try out their matcha tiramisu, but they were sold out that day and decided to venture out to try their purple sweet potato ice cream and matcha bingsoo (shaved ice). They served it with sweet potato chips, some walnuts, and red beans to add to your bingsoo if preferred.

Wall

There is plenty of art in LA and usually, they’re either found in cafes or random parking lots such as this California Dreaming one. This wall is in the parking lot of the Chinese Laundry HQ on La Cienega Blvd.

Mountain

I say mountain, but really I mean cute hiking spot. Haha, my friend Diana introduced me to Mount Lowe right by La Cañada. Some parts were a bit of a challenge for me due to some narrow parts, but I survived! Plus, ALL the views are insanely picturesque and there’s a cute swing up at the top.

Fish Tacos

Everyone knows how much of a taco fan I am, and I can pretty much vouch for taco trucks to be my go-to most of the time. However, I recently stumbled upon some amazing fish tacos ($2.30) at the Venice Boardwalk called Venice Fish Tacos and Smoothies. You can get a couple of tacos, sit on the grass, and enjoy the beach view with palm trees and entertainers. LOVE.

I would like to also vouch for a taco spot ideal for Taco Tuesday called Zermenos on Santa Monica Blvd in Hollywood. It may look a little bit like a hole in the wall, but hands down – they have the best non-battered fish + shrimp tacos! Plus the shrimp tacos come with avocado, and we all know how I feel about avocados!

Lattes

Also in Venice, there’s a little cafe called The Great White. The place was hard to find at first mainly due to its signage (it was literally a picture of a shark with no writing), but once we found it, we fell in love. My sister ordered an iced matcha latte (can’t ever go wrong with matcha!), and I decided to be adventurous and get an iced charcoal latte.

I know everyone’s asking, ew what does charcoal taste like? TBH, it tasted like a regular almond milk latte, BUT I did feel refreshed after so maybe that’s the point? HA, point is – it wasn’t gross. They also have a super cute blue smoothie bowl. I just couldn’t fathom spending $12 on a smoothie bowl, but if you have someone to share it with and want to do it for the ‘gram, by all means 😉

Churros

For my birthday, my family took me to The Grail Churros which recently opened in December 2017. I adore their assortment of churros – matcha, camp fire, magic wand, etc. Some people get the churro ice cream sandwich, but I opted for a matcha churro because like I mentioned before, I love matcha. It was definitely a good treat esp. since I don’t eat churros on a regular basis and found this refreshing.

Beach

I used to be a huge fan of Santa Monica, but recently I shifted over to the South Bay side and love Redondo Beach. The last time I was there was back when I pretty much first came to the country, so IDK – maybe that hiatus helped me look at Redondo in a new lens? Either way, the seafood is amazing, the arcade is fun (they have 50 cent games!), AND the pier is beautiful. I highly recommend to get away from the tourist crowd in Santa Monica.

Alright, so I basically gave a mini recap of my trip 😉 LOL. I’ll be sure to do another one of this when I get back to Boston. What are some of your favorite spots in LA?! I can’t never explore too much of the city I love! 🙂

Back to Boston I go!