We took a one week trip to Los Angeles just last week and here are some of the things we did. Eugene has a friend, Minn, who has been staying in LA for a couple of years now and we were so blessed to have him bring us around.

1) Hollywood Walk of Fame

I don’t know why, but I always had the impression that this street was just one lane with all the famous people names. Turns out, the Walk of Fame was on so many streets like in every junction. We walked quite a distance, and the names on the stars got more familiar as we got closer to the main street.

Here are just some of the names that I saw!

Tip: There is a Shake Shack that is literally on one of the streets so we had lunch there, right beside a walk of fame.

2) See the Hollywood sign without hiking up

Minn brought us to a shopping mall called the Hollywood and Highland Centre and took a lift up to see the Hollywood sign from afar. There were those microscopes there where you can pay a quarter and see a zoomed-in version of the sign.

Eugene and I also got penny souvenirs from those penny machines as they were right next to the viewing spot.

3) Go to TCL Chinese Theatre

Literally, just a few steps away from the mall is this Chinese Theatre that is a famous tourist-y spot. I do question why is it Chinese when it’s in Hollywood.

What’s cool about this theatre was that many Hollywood movies were first released here and many actors have also come to sign and stamp on the floors! Michael Jackson, The Twilight Actors and Tom Hanks were some of the famous people I saw that signed. The coolest few had to be the Harry Potter actors and Donald Duck.

4) Visit LACMA (only the outside)

TBH, we didn’t bother paying to go into the museum because outside of LACMA is a famous photo spot.

Tip: Do not park at LACMA’s carpark because it’s a fixed price of US$16 :’) However, parking is free after 7pm but you’ll not be able to get the day shots here (if you’re okay with it).

5) Eat at KTown (Korea Town)

By our first week in the US, I already started missing Asian food so Minn brought us to this awesome Korean Restaurant called Sun Nong Dan and they serve the best Korean stew I’ve had in my life.

There is a waiting list to get into this place and in total, we waited an 1 hour to sit down and eat but it was all worth it. We ordered the Galbi Jjim Braised Beef Short Ribs (US$55.99/S, US$64.99/L) in small, which fed 3 people and had leftovers, and we got the soy base (the only not spicy base they had) and we were so mindblown by how good it was. The beef was so soft and tender I thought I was eating pork for a while. The stew was so sweet and rich, it went so well with rice (FYI the rice here is so overpriced at US$2 for a small bowl, but no choice).

10/10 would come back again for this.

6) Go to Disneyland at all costs (literally)

I will do a separate post on Disneyland because it’s Disney and it’s just too magical it has to have a post on its own. FYI, everything Disney-related was just overpriced but still, GO TO DISNEYLAND. NO OTHER THEME PARK WILL BEAT THIS EXPERIENCE.

7) Go to Malibu and Santa Monica Beach

Oh gosh, it was beautiful. That day was basically beach hopping day, and even though the wind was blowing my warmth away, it was so worth it.

Malibu Beach was just golden everywhere. The sand was glowing and the rocks were glowing and the sea was glowing and all I could hear was waves. I just zoned out for a good while there while Eugene was having a vain photoshoot with Minn (Minn takes photos).

Just before sunset, we went to Santa Monica just in time to get on a Ferris Wheel (we paid US$7/pax) at the Pacific Park to see Santa Monica’s beach glow again.

8) Eat at Little Tokyo

After Santa Monica, we went to a ramen restaurant in Little Tokyo called DAIKOKUYA and even though it wasn’t the best ramen I had, it was still really good and perfect for the cold weather. The gyozas there were the only thing I’ll miss because of the crispy but chewy skin and the perfect juicy meat filling.

9) Go to Smorgasburg, a food festival

Be warned, everything and I mean EVERYTHING there is super expensive. By expensive I mean US$9 for one taco, US$4-8 for bubble tea, US$15 for nachos with pork, US$15 for half a lobster and US$14 for shrimp.

Unfortunately, everything tastes amazing. By amazing again I mean best shrimps I’ve ever eaten in my life.

10) Eat Chick-Fil-A and In and Out

Favourites of many locals here and fun fact, they are opened by Christians!

In and Out probably already has a really good reputation on its own but did you know that they literally only have one type of burger on their menu? Except that you can have it in different ways like with cheese, or double meat or x99 patties in one burger. And that patty is amazing (yes better than Shake Shack and Macs)

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These are just 1 week worth of stuff we did in LA summed up in a short post, but I can’t describe how happy and blessed I was throughout this entire trip. The pictures barely show how beautiful LA and the beaches and sunset were in real life.

I can’t wait to go back again.