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Topknot Travels | A Long Weekend in LA

We recently did a long weekend in Los Angeles, and we had a great time. It was a pretty last minute trip, spurred on by Caleb’s newfound obsession with Greek Mythology and the Percy Jackson series. When he found out that the Getty Villa in Malibu had a Percy Jackson themed audio tour, he pled his case to take a trip to California. We found very inexpensive flights, realized we had enough points to cover the entire trip, and decided, “Why not?”

We had a really great time – the weather was *chef’s kiss* and we got to spend a lot of time outdoors. Traffic is a bit of a nightmare in LA, so we did try to map out the days we were there so we stayed in certain areas and limited driving back and forth. Here are some of the highlights of our trip.

Stay

We stayed at the Kimpton LaPeer Hotel. We liked it, and the restaurant downstairs was yummy. However, it had a very adult vibe, probably better for an adult trip. The West Hollywood area is a very party scene, and we were right off a wild strip of bars and clubs. Our room was great, we had mostly good service while we were there, but the neighborhood was definitely not one where you really want to be with kids.

Day 1:

We flew in and picked up our rental car (this took forever, I’d highly consider Turo next time). We dropped off our bags at the hotel and picked up some In-N-Out for lunch, and then headed off for a drive. For our first stop we decided to go to Rodeo Drive since it required minimal commitment and we could stroll at our leisure. We stopped at the Beverly Wilshire and grabbed drinks at the hotel bar (obviously I had the drink inspired by Pretty Woman).

After freshening up, we headed to dinner at Laurel Hardware. This place was great – it looks like an old hardware storefront, but when you walk in, it’s a super trendy restaurant. If you can get a table outside, do it. It was great people watching, and the food was delicious. The Lollipop Sprouts and the chicken wings were delicious, and so was the Duck Fried Rice.

Day 2:

We headed to the coast this day! We had breakfast at our hotel’s restaurant downstairs (we took advantage of the daily credit we were given when we booked!). After breakfast, our first stop was the Santa Monica Pier. We walked up and down, and then walked down the beach a little, stopping along the way. After that we hopped in the car and drove south to Manhattan Beach, where we went for another stroll.

I had booked our entry for they Getty Villa for midday so we headed there next (it’s free, but I definitely recommend booking in advance because when we arrived they were only letting in people with tickets). We spent about an hour and a half to two hours here. While we were there, we did the Demigods Audio Tour, which is also free (you need headphones and the app on your phone), and the kids led the way. We absolutely loved the Getty Villa, such a worthwhile way to spend some time.

Our next stop was the Malibu Pier and Malibu Farms for a late lunch/early dinner, plus recreating some photos from the last time we were there (when Caleb was a baby). Malibu Farms doesn’t take reservations for lunch, but they do for dinner seating starting at 4:30. We got there around 2:30 and were seated quickly.

After lunch, we decided to head back into Central LA, and we went to Griffith Observatory. We ended up parking by the Greek Theater and walking the mile uphill to the observatory. It was a hard climb for Chloe especially, but we took a couple breaks and she did it! We walked through some of the exhibits at the Observatory, checked out amazing views, and hung out on the lawn for a little while.

On the way back to the hotel we drove by Hollywood Boulevard and showed the kids the Chinese Theater and the Walk of Fame stars from the car. But we had no interest in getting down here – it was SO crowded.

Day 3:

We started our day with another hotel breakfast and then we went to Mass. After mass we changed and headed to Runyon Canyon for a hike. We went about a mile up, to where we could see the Hollywood sign – and then turned around and came back down. Again, it was a little strenuous for Chloe.

After our hike we headed to lunch at the South Beverly Grill (the Houston’s/Hillstone of LA). We walked around the Golden Triangle area a little bit and then decided to go for dessert and a glass of wine at the Chateau Marmont. We got the kids ice cream, hung out and people watched, which is always a fun time. After that we went for a drive through Beverly Hills and Bel-Air. (Driving through neighborhoods and checking Zillow is a favorite vacation activity for us.)

After this we headed back to our hotel because the kids wanted some pool time. We were heading out early the next morning.

Could we have seen or done more? Definitely. But this was a pretty laid back trip, and we didn’t want to feel rushed while we were there. There is so much to do in Los Angeles and in the surrounding areas, you could spend way more than a weekend there! I’ll share below some of the other recommendations that were made to us.

xoxo,

Jenise

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