WEEKEND IN LA – IS IT WORTH IT?

Los Angeles is definitely the weirdest and most absurd city I’ve ever visited.

It’s the only city in the world that fetishizes fitness and wellness culture while being completely unfit for cyclists.

The city looks like a movie set that someone forgot to clean after a big party scene. It’s like a pile of trash sprinkled with marketing glitter. A chaotic place where people live in their sweet ecological bubble, walking streets that are literally drowning in trash. 

The buildings shine, yet the sidewalks cradle homeless people to sleep, and expensive restaurants reflect aimless drug addicts and drunks in their windows.  

I go to see the Walk of Fame. I pass through Skid Row and see hundreds of tents, trash and boxes piled in front of dirty apartment buildings, and the star-studded Hollywood Walk of Fame turns out to be a crumbling sidewalk with stars on cracked pavement, one of which looks like someone spilled ketchup on it.

LA is homelessness, poverty, mental health crises, and the opioid epidemic. A masked man on the street confronted me, shouting and threatening that I shouldn’t take his picture (I didn’t, but I had my camera in hand). I quickly realized that anyone here could freely carry a gun under their jacket. 

The scale of it all is shocking, and it paints a sad picture, which is barely rescued by the Beverly Hills palaces, well-dressed dogs on Rodeo Drive, beautiful Venice Beach canals, California’s golden wide beaches, and lifeguards from music videos. The rest of LA is aesthetic nostalgia and vast distances, not just geographical. Bel Air or Silver Lake couldn’t be further from the alleys of Skid Row. 

I wouldn’t call this a disappointment. I think the real LA is simply different from what we imagine and what we know from movies.

Still, I’d recommend a few places in LA that I enjoyed, and I’ll keep these photos as mementos to remind me of the trip. I hope, as always, you’ll find inspiration for your travels in this post!

MY MINIGUIDE TO LOS ANGELES

7 LA PLACES WORTH VISITING:

VENICE BEACH

Venice Beach is the most beautiful spot in Los Angeles. It has a surfer vibe, a local atmosphere, and charming little houses surrounded by palm trees along the canals that shine in the Californian sun. 

The canal area is magical, and the wide beach with rows of palms makes you feel like the star of a music video.

Venice Beach is a celebrity wellness bubble. Everything here is handcrafted: from organic Indian Kitchen-style eateries to trendy smoothie bowls. It's also a place that celebrates the body – sculpted in the gym, enhanced by aesthetic medicine, and accessorized with designer gadgets. Appearance and style are essential, all served in a light, Californian atmosphere.

Here you'll see perfectly sculpted bodies working out outdoors, and moments later, street artists and skateboarders cruising along the iconic boardwalk. Venice Beach is a blend of wealth, relaxation, and that elusive magic that makes you want to keep coming back.

It’s here that an older woman stopped just to tell me that I had a beautiful dress. This place makes me think of such moments, relaxation, smiles, and wind-blown hair caressed by the salty breeze, which tickles the tanned skin. The atmosphere here is magnetic. 

SANTA MONICA

A beautiful but very crowded place. I felt that Santa Monica, much like Beverly Hills, doesn't represent all of Los Angeles but offers a nice change from the Hollywood district. California beaches and luxury are the face of LA that attracts tourists. The wide Santa Monica beaches, where you admire expensive cars and perfectly sculpted bodies, create the facade of the “American Dream” – glitter, opulence, and a celebrity bubble. But the same street can quickly turn into a scene from a different, darker, and much less aesthetic movie.

Santa Monica is California in a nutshell. The sun beats down, the wide golden beach invites you to stroll, and lifeguards straight out of Baywatch flaunt their sculpted figures. The air is filled with music and the shouts of children.

The wide promenade is lined with cafes. You’ll encounter runners, families with kids, homeless people, dog walkers, and tourists—a true cross-section of society. Santa Monica is full of scenes straight out of a movie.

GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY

The Griffith Observatory is a place that offers not only fascinating exhibits related to astronomy (since 1935!) but also breathtaking views. From here, you can see the best panorama of Los Angeles – from the city center all the way to the Pacific, all in golden hues during the magnificent sunsets. It’s the perfect viewpoint, especially at sunset, when the city begins to light up with thousands of lights.

Griffith Park is the ideal place to soak in the atmosphere of a city that never sleeps, while still feeling close to nature and the history of Los Angeles.

Parking is pretty expensive, costing $10 per hour.

More information about the exhibits can be found here.

HOLLYWOOD SIGN

You can't miss the famous Hollywood sign, which proudly towers over the city and is easily visible from the Griffith Observatory. Originally created in 1923 as an advertisement for the Hollywoodland housing development, it quickly became a symbol of the world’s film, creative, and entertainment capital. It's under this sign that dreamers from around the world try to find their place in creative industries.

The sign is 110 meters long, with each of its nine white letters standing 13.7 meters tall. It is carefully guarded against vandalism and attempts to climb the hill. While you can't get close, the best view is from Griffith Observatory – it looks magnificent here, perfectly blending into the city’s panorama, offering a great backdrop for photos.

The Hollywood sign is not just a symbol of the entertainment industry’s power, but also of dreams, ambitions, and endless possibilities that attract people from all over the world to the City of Angels.

BEVERLY HILLS & RODEO DRIVE

Beverly Hills is the quintessence of luxury and cinematic opulence, a place where literally every corner looks like it's straight out of a Hollywood movie. Here, on the famous Rodeo Drive, Julia Roberts shopped in the cult film Pretty Woman, and today, elegant boutiques of world brands attract wealthy residents and tourists seeking a taste of luxury.

Walking along wide promenades, you pass well-dressed residents walking their dogs, while palm trees cast shadows over the green, well-kept alleys.

Beverly Hills is not just Rodeo Drive – it also includes peaceful, charming lanes with single-story, often historic buildings that look like scenes from a fairy tale movie. The setting sun reflecting off the windows of mansions and houses hidden behind tall hedges creates a truly cinematic atmosphere. Among the palms and banana trees, you’ll find elegant estates as well as cute, small homes that complete the landscape of LA's most prestigious neighborhood.

Take a stroll down Sunset Boulevard – this street is a symbol, representing the classic Hollywood lifestyle.

FILM STUDIOS

Los Angeles is the city of dreams, where thousands of passionate and ambitious people come every year to pursue their dreams of working in the film industry, to become famous directors, actors, or screenwriters. It's here, on legendary film sets, that iconic productions have been created and continue to inspire generations of movie lovers. A studio tour is a unique opportunity to peek behind the curtain of Hollywood magic and see how the greatest box office hits are made.

Universal Studios, Sony Pictures, Paramount Pictures, and Warner Bros. offer unforgettable tours that last from a few hours to an entire day. Walking through the film sets, you can see props from the most famous productions, visit authentic sets, or even meet filmmakers working on-site. It’s a must-see for any film fan who wants to experience the true atmosphere of the Dream Factory.

DOWNTOWN

Downtown Hollywood is where the history of cinema blends with the reality of modern Los Angeles. Here you’ll find the iconic Hollywood Boulevard with the legendary Hollywood Walk of Fame, where movie, music, and TV stars have left their marks. While strolling among them, it’s worth visiting the Dolby Theatre – where the Oscars are held annually – or the TCL Chinese Theatre, famous for the handprints and footprints of the biggest stars. Nearby stands the Capitol Records building, a symbol of the city's musical heritage.

However, Downtown is not just about spotlights – it's also a city of contrasts. Walking through the streets, you’ll see huge disparities between luxury pockets of the district and the harsh reality of homelessness, which is rampant here.

Look for iconic spots like The Last Bookstore or Bradbury Building – the architectural gem you’ll recognize from the movie Blade Runner.

A must-see is the Grand Central Market and the historic Original Farmers Market, which has been attracting locals and tourists for decades. In the evening, head for a drink at Perch, a stylish rooftop bar with panoramic views of the city, or discover atmospheric bars in the lively Arts District, where history meets modernity.

Downtown is a place full of contrasts – from iconic film industry landmarks to artistic corners, to the brutal reality of a sprawling metropolis.

MOTEL & DINER

Before my trip to LA, I decided I wanted to visit two places well-known from American road movies. I wanted to spend a night in a classic “U”-shaped motel with a neon sign and a parking lot right in front of the room door. These are the scenes I’ve seen hundreds of times on screen – the lone hero driving into the motel late at night, a modest room with wooden paneling and an old TV, all lit by the flickering neon.

The second must-see was breakfast at a typical American diner. Exactly the kind of diner we know from movies, serving fried eggs, club sandwiches, burgers, and milkshakes. It sounded perfect, looked like a movie, but... reality turned out to be less cinematic. The amount of grease in the meal made me not feel like my best self for a few hours. But at least I tried it! And maybe that’s the magic of LA – a reality that’s not quite cinematic, but I’ll remember it for a long time.

PRACTICAL TIPS

Lastly, a few of my observations and tips that might help you plan your trip to Los Angeles.

WEATHER

Los Angeles is a city of eternal sunshine, where even in winter, temperatures rarely fall below 15°C. Summer heat can be intense, especially in the city center, where concrete streets can heat up to extremes. Keep in mind that evenings can be cooler, particularly near the ocean in Santa Monica or Venice Beach, where the characteristic morning fog, known as June Gloom, often appears. Pack SPF 50, sunglasses, and a warmer hoodie or jacket for the evenings!

PRICES

Los Angeles isn't a cheap city—accommodation is the biggest expense. Renting a hotel room in the city center can significantly strain your budget, so it's worth considering motels further from main attractions. Since renting a car is essential, staying outside the center can be more economical. Dining out in tourist areas like Beverly Hills and Santa Monica is expensive.

A 2-star motel room cost me $100 per night, while a meal at Denny’s was $20.

Car rental was about 200 PLN per day (plus insurance and gas), with parking fees ranging from $2–10 per hour. Public transport costs around $2.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Komunikacja publiczna w LA to żart. Poruszanie się autobusem lub metrem jest wyzwaniem, a chodniki często świecą pustkami, bo miasto nie jest kompletnie przyjazne dla pieszych ani rowerzystów. Mówię zwłaszcza o przemieszczaniu się pomiędzy dzielnicami, gdy odległości są naprawdę ogromne (dodajcie do tego palące słońce i słabą infrastrukturę). W obrębie jednej dzielnicy komunikacja miejska lub rower mogą zdać egzamin. Metro jest jednak wolne, a autobusy często spóźnione i kursują rzadko. Jeśli jednak planujecie odwiedzić kilka lub kilkanaście miejsc położonych w różnych dzielnicach, zdecydowanie wybrałabym samochód.

DISTANCES

DISTANCES LA is a city that can’t be walked through. Everything happens on the go, wide streets and empty sidewalks, highways, palm trees in the background, and the flashing lights of the night city. I’ve never seen such distances and spaces within a single city.

Los Angeles is a huge urban agglomeration woven from a network of highways. It’s the second-largest city in the US after New York, with almost 4 million residents! The districts of LA resemble separate cities (and some are), each with its own vibe and character. Moving between them means covering kilometers on multi-lane highways that cut through the city. What was a big surprise to me was that Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, and Venice Beach are really separate cities within the LA region. Getting to them often means hours spent in traffic.

The vast distances in LA are not only geographic but also reflect social and material contrasts – luxury neighborhoods border huge poverty and homelessness.

LA - IS IT WORTH IT?

LA – IS IT WORTH IT? It’s definitely worth it to prepare yourself with the understanding that the real LA is different from the City of Angels we know from music videos and films. At least most of it doesn’t resemble what we see on colorful screens. It’s a city fetishized by culture, a city of contrasts and complexities. On one hand, it’s full of glitz, shiny billboards, and neon lights; on the other, there’s a tourist façade, dirty streets full of tents, the opioid crisis, and a mass of people dealing with mental health problems.

It’s worth visiting with a realistic mindset because there’s something hypnotizing about LA, but also overwhelming – some massive, monumental emptiness amplified by the contrasts and the effort to maintain the status of a city where dreams come true.

But I believe that the city itself has so much substance, and it’s worth visiting.