My Central America journey has officially come to an end! I wanted to hike Panama after traveling to Costa Rica, but I decided to skip due to Panama being the rainy season and come back to backpack at a different time. (I don't mind hiking in the rain, but I don't like hiking in the rain EVERYDAY.) I also made some plans to explore Asia next, and decided to stop over in the States to take some time to rest & recover.
It was so nice to be back in the States. There was a direct flight from San Jose, Costa Rica to Los Angeles so I ended up landing in LA (one of my favorite cities). I love the vibes, the people, the weather although it's an expensive city to be in. I didn't have a lot of time to explore the area this time, since I was prepping for my trip to Asia and was getting all the work done (had to catch up with so many things).
BUT I still managed to carve out some time to explore LA. Here are some places that visited while I was in LA:
Runyon Canyon Park
Who knew there would be a hiking place right next to Hollywood? I usually hike earlier in the day to beat the heat, but I was craving intense sunlight after staying a few weeks in Costa Rica during the rainy season. I went there around noon and I enjoyed hiking in the sun. I loved being out in the sun. The view of downtown LA was also really nice! Perfect hike right in the heart of LA :)
Missed hikes in the US. Loved the palm tree view!
Santa Monica Pier, Venice Beach
Santa Monica is one of my favorite areas to visit when in LA. The downtown area is a hipster place with cute coffee shops and restaurants. The best things to do here: stroll around Santa Monica downtown, go shopping, swim in the beach (or walk around), and enjoy the Pacific Park (there is a merry-go-round and a mini roller coaster; you can purchase tickets here for single rides or unlimited rides)/Santa Monica Pier. I've never been on any of the rides at Pacific Park, because I love walking along the beach and taking photos/video.
I also enjoy going to Venice Beach which is about a 15-20 minute walk from Santa Monica Pier. There are paved walking trails, so it's great to walk & bike. Both Santa Monica and Venice Beach are easily accessible from downtown LA by bus or metro.
Sun wasn't out but still it felt great to by walking along the beach
Griffith Observatory
Last time I was in LA (back in 2017), I visited Griffith Observatory in the daytime. I was looking for places to visit at night to get the city view of LA, so I decided to get there at night this time. It was a different vibe as it was less crowded at night. I got there around 9 pm, and I was able to get the city view. It was a bit hazy but still it was nice. Griffith Observatory closes at 10 pm, so I didn't have a whole lot of time to explore inside. (plus the last bus that heads back down to the metro station was at 9:30 pm.) If you are planning to go see the night view and enjoy the observatory, go there early. I couldn't go earlier than 9 pm, but if I go again, I will definitely go earlier so I can spend enough time.
FYI: there is a free telescope viewing Tue-Sun each week (7pm-9:45pm)
Perfect Night!
The Broad
This is a free museum (need to pay for special exhibitions though). Book your free entrance ticket online on their website, and you will enter the museum without waiting in line for so long. There are time slots that you can choose to enter, but you can still go earlier and let the staff know you came early and they will still let you in. I loved Andy Warhol's artwork and other cool pieces of art that I saw here.
I love visiting museums while traveling! This is now one of my favorite museums.
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